Bloom2017

May-November 2017

#bloom2017

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Welcome to Bloom 2017 May-November 2017

By Mercy Nabirye

Head of Dance of the African Diaspora, One Dance UK

We are delighted to present this year’s biennial Bloom, National Festival of Dance of the African Diaspora, which explores and celebrates dance from Africa and its diaspora through performances, workshops and discussions across the UK. Bloom gives a glimpse of the dance talent that is growing in our communities and raises awareness of the artforms to new audiences and new spaces.

This year’s festival launched with the Trailblazers Showcase on 10 May, at The Place, London, with three stunning performances by three female choreographers. The festival will unfold as event chapters, either as stand-alone projects or as a festival within festivals, in collaboration with key venues, studios, regional festivals and partners until November 2017.

Bloom 2017 reflects the wonderful diversity that exists in the African Diaspora and the wider community. Find a chapter near you and embrace the vibrancy, with friends and family or new connections.

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Clockwise from L: Bloom 2015 Mundi Dance ©MarkSimmons; Bloom 2015 Elements Dance, Simone Foster ©Foteini Christofilopoulou; Bloom 2015 Boy Blue ©MarkSimmons

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A Bloom Chapter near you 17/18 June LIVERPOOL | Sefton Park Movema at Africa Oye Festival Workshop and performance

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4 August LONDON | Bernie Grant Arts Centre An Evening of Jazz - Dance and Music In conversation with jazz artists

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19 June LONDON | Moonshot Centre Dissecting Principles Workshop, discussion and Q & A

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2 September LONDON | bbodance Dynamics, Rhythm and Texture Masterclass

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23 June LONDON | Greenwich Community College Looking Up Progress Sharing

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16 September BRISTOL | Trinity Arts Centre Funk the Trinity Dance Battle Performance, competition

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8 July BOURNEMOUTH | Pavilion Dance South West Urban Carnival Roadshow at Discover, Play, Dream, Dance Festival Performance, participation

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16 July LONDON | Southbank Centre Afro Play - Colour Vs Place at Africa Utopia Performance, open class

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29 September - 1 October LONDON | Rambert Afro Dance Xplosion Showcase and workshops

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October BIRMINGHAM, LEEDS, LIVERPOOL Playground and scratch performances Artist development programme

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20 July BRISTOL | Bristol Museum & Art Gallery Ila Family performance 4

22 September GLASGOW | Tramway Project X Lets Move to More Visibility Symposium

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Bloom Associate Events 16 July 23 July

U.Dance National Youth Dance Festival

Hip Hop, contemporary and traditional African Dance workshops with ACE Dance and Music and Lola Adodo

Blackpool Carnival

BIRMINGHAM

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BLACKPOOL

A carnival with an international theme. Fun for all the family this July. Carnival Parade, live entertainment

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7-12 August

Special Olympics 2017 Ceremonies

9 - 13 August

Tribe of Doris Summer School LEICESTERSHIRE

Oct/ Nov

AFROVIBES UK Visioning Day

One Dance UK Trailblazer Starter 2015-16 Nathan Geering is Artistic Director of what promises to be a spectacular event

Featuring music, dance, song, movement and ceremony, Tribe of Doris is a community, bringing people together with over 60 workshops a day Visioning within the creative and cultural sector and cross sector organisations that have an Africa remit

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VENUE/DETAILS-TBC

Afrika Eye Festival - Rachel Nanyonjo 9-11 Eye hosts Trailblazer Starter 2015-16 Rachel Nanyonjo November Afrika to discuss her research project and film in Uganda 2016

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BRISTOL MORE INFO

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OPEN CLASS

Bloom North

17-18 June Africa OyÊ Festival ŠMarkSimmons

With One Dance UK Trailblazer Champion Ithalia Forel of Movema 1:30-2:30pm Sefton Park Liverpool

Free Event People of all ages and backgrounds will have the chance to try dance, and music activities throughout the weekend lead by top local and international companies.

Travel the world with Movema. A great session for all the family to learn and celebrate language and culture through dancing to exciting rhythms, using props and instruments from around the world.

One Dance UK is supporting artists at the Oye Active Zone Platform.

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WORKSHOP; DISCUSSION; Q & A

Bloom London

19 June Dissecting Principles ŠFoteini Christofilopoulou

With ‘Funmi Adewole and Judith Palmer 7:00-9:30pm Moonshot Centre, Fordham Park Angus Street London SE14 6LU Free event - email info@africanheritageuk.com to book

Funded by The Exchange.

Dissecting Principles is an event for dancers, dance researchers and dance teachers interested in neo-traditional and contemporary African dance. It will consist of a workshop, discussion and Q & A. Facilitators Judith Palmer, founder of African Heritage UK and Funmi Adewole are looking to train teachers of neo-traditional African dances and to meet people who research dance both theoretically and practically.

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PROGRESS SHARING

23 June Looking Up

Bloom London

(working title)

With Mambya Dance (Uganda), Pamoja Dance Group (Kenya) and Stopgap Dance Company (UK) ŠMetta Metta Arts

6:00pm Greenwich Community College King George Street London SE10 8PX Free event - email admin@stopgapdance.com to register In collaboration with Stopgap’s Artistic Director Lucy Bennett, five men from different countries investigate ideas surrounding the space in-between them, the walls that divide them and the paths that join them to find a shared physical language that needs no words.

The artists involved are currently working together from three different countries, creatively conversing through videos, messages and photos.

Working together over 6 days in June to continue their conversation in the UK to present the work in progress.

Part of Greenwich+Docklands International Festival showcasing programme.

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With thanks to Arts Council England; British Council; Greenwich+Docklands International Festival; XTRAX, Farnham Maltings, University of Chichester.

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PERFORMANCE; PARTICIPATION

Bloom South West

8 July Urban Carnival Roadshow Part of Discover, Play, Dream, Dance Festival at PDSW 1:00 and 3:30pm Pavilion Dance South West (PDSW) Westover Road Bournemouth BH1 2BU

Free Event

Discover, Play, Dream, Dance is PDSW’s ten day festival of dance in everyday places, with dance in museums, on the high street and on the beach.

Led by Natasha Player and local artists, Urban Carnival Roadshow brings pocket performances from local schools and dance groups that culminate in a large-scale, mass participation dance for all. A fresh, bright and engaging experience of Caribbean Carnival and Urban dance styles for people to explore, watch and dance together.

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PERFORMANCE; OPEN CLASS

Bloom London

16 July Afro Play ©Foteini Christofilopoulou

With One Dance UK Trailblazer Champion Ithalia Forel of Movema Part of Africa Utopia Festival 2017 2:30-3:30pm Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road London SE1 8XX

Free event

Afro Play – Colour vs Place is a provocative performance designed to spark conversation and develop an alternative understanding of why we connect with African culture. Five Northern artists share how Africanism and related dance forms have become part of their identity. Depicting how African dance is not defined by your colour or postcode, that it is what it is, and the ‘is’ is very different for each who encounters it.

After the performance, take part in an African dance class where you can feel the rhythms and express yourself to a fusion of African beats.

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PERFORMANCE

Bloom South West

20 July Ila Family Performance ©MarkSimmons

With Trailblazer Champion Adesola Akinleye and Dancing Strong in partnership with Bristol Museums 2:00pm Bristol Museum and Art Gallery Queens Road Bristol BS8 1RL

Free Event

Dive into a world of lines, connections and movement. Meaning ‘line’ in Yoruba, Ila is an engaging, exploratory dance performance for young audiences with inquiring minds. With live music and an invitation to play and participate, Ila looks at what connects us to each other and to what surrounds us.

Devised by Trailblazer Champion Adesola Akinleye, Ila has worked with three museums in Bristol, London and Flint (USA) to connect them with local primary schools and to work with young audiences as movement consultants.

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IN CONVERSATION WITH ARTISTS

Bloom London

4 August An Evening of Jazz Dance and Music ©Pexels

With a variety of jazz dance and music artists 7:00 - 9:30pm Bernie Grant Arts Centre Town Hall Approach Road

Tickets: £10.00 Explore the beautifully complex relationship between Jazz Dance and Music.

An expert panel of artists will lead a discussion and demonstration promoting the freedom for the exploration of sound and movement.

Part of Bernie Grant Arts Dance and Music Festival 2017.

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OPEN MASTERCLASS

Bloom London

©Denis Kooné Kuhnert

2 September Dynamics, Rhythm and Texture With Alleyne Dance’s Kristina and Sadé Alleyne 3:00 - 6:00pm bbodance, Ensign House Juniper Drive, Battersea Reach London SW18 1TA

£15.00 £10.00 Concessions

A contemporary class, which will involve strong, complex and technical sequences in and out of the floor, focusing on performance, stamina and commitment throughout the session. Improvisation will also be explored as part of self-development.

The significant factors for the workshop are to develop the dancers’ creative mind, drive from passion, determination, strength, musicality and most importantly an intention/honesty in whatever choice they make throughout the session.

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DANCE BATTLE

Bloom South West

16 September Funk the Trinity Battle With Kieran Warner and Tyler Attwood

ŠMarkSimmons

1:00-7:00pm Trinity Arts Centre Trinity Road Bristol BS2 0NW

Free Event

A battle programme with open preliminary rounds in Breaking, Hip Hop, House and U18s All Style. Featuring a judges showcase and guest performances, Funk the Trinity builds on Kieran and Tyler’s international experience judging, competing and producing battle events Team M.S.B., Funk The Quay and Battle Royale. Supporting the next generation of independent artists and connecting contemporary dance cultures.

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SYMPOSIUM

Bloom North - Scotland

‘Grin’ October 2016 by Mele Broomes

22 September Lets Move to More Visibility Symposium With Project X’s Mele Broomes, Ashanti Harris and Rhea Lewis Tramway 25 Albert Dr Glasgow, G41 2PE

Ticket Details TBC Project X celebrates and champions dance within the African Diaspora in Scotland. Through workshops, performances, artist screenings, a symposium and more, Project X platforms these contemporary and traditional dance forms whilst broadening perceptions and representation.

Let’s Move to More Visibility explores how dance and the performing arts sector in Scotland can develop to have a greater representation and support of practitioners who identify as People of Colour (POC).

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SHOWCASE; WORKSHOP

Bloom London

29 September - 1 October Afro Dance Xplosion 2017 With Carolyn Lilly SHOWCASE: 29 SEPT

WORKSHOPS: 30 SEPT-1 OCT

Rambert 99 Upper Ground, London SE1 9PP To book, email: feeltherhythmprod@gmail.com Afro Dance Xplosion brings together some of the hottest African Diaspora dance practitioners to deliver a weekend of dance classes and workshops.

This year is Afro Dance Xplosion’s will feature a performance plus a weekend full of great workshops.

Guest teachers include international artists George Momboye and Dr. Kemal Nance. The showcase will feature choreography/performances from the guest teachers plus local talent, producing a showcase featuring many of the dances of the African Diaspora.

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ARTIST MENTORING

Bloom North

October Playground Artistic Development Birmingham Leeds Liverpool

©Foteini Christofilopoulou

One Dance UK is developing a ‘Dance Incubator’ programme for mid career Dance of the African Diaspora (DAD) artists. For each city we are looking to support two DAD artists/choreographers during this process.

We will be working in partnership with both the dance agencies and local performing art venues in each city we get the support and local knowledge to provide a platform for regional DAD dance artists and choreographers.

Voice and Presence Survey Louise Katerega is producing a piece of ‘snapshot’ research, a quick national survey on Black Women leaders in (all styles of) participatory dance, sharing it with the partners and at their public events. Project partners include: People Dancing, One Dance UK, State of Emergency Ltd, Serendipity UK and ACE Dance and Music.

Learn more, here.

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©Foteini Christofilopoulou

We would like to thank all Bloom 2017 project partners, funders and artists.

One Dance UK Ensign House Battersea Reach Juniper Drive London SW18 1TA

Contact our Bloom 2017 Programmers Heather Benson, London Chapter Katy Noakes, South West Chapter Oluwatoyin Odunsi, North Chapter

One Dance UK is funded by

www.onedanceuk.org info@onedanceuk.org One Dance UK is supported by Principal Sponsor One Dance UK is a Company Limited by Guarantee.

Registered in England and Wales No. 2931636 Registered Charity No. 801552

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