Your Supporter News / Summer 2019
INSIDER
We believe that arts and culture have the power to change lives, and should be available to everyone. Thank you for your support.
Cover star: Ben Amissah, a musician with our Creative Learning Partner Kinetika Bloco. Turn to page 4 to read Ben’s story.
We couldn’t do it without you Last year, your generous support of Southbank Centre made a world of difference to others. Your donations gave thousands of people of all ages and backgrounds the chance to discover their creativity, be inspired and connect with others by taking part in workshops, talks and debates, education programmes and free events across our 17-acre site.
All of this would be impossible without you. Thank you.
We commissioned artists to create over
100
new public artworks and performances.
11,973 children from 112 schools took part in our education programmes.
50% of our 3,428 events were free for everyone to enjoy.
Nearly
5,000 people enjoyed one of our monthly free tea dances.
We couldn’t do it without you 3
School of jazz Kinetika Bloco is one of four community-focused Creative Learning Partners that we work with year-round to transform lives by providing access to the arts. We met with 17-year-old Ben Amissah (our cover star) to hear about how performing music with Kinetika Bloco has enriched his life.
4  School of jazz
Ben is the youngest of three brothers who have all become part of the Kinetika Bloco family over the years. He started out by playing the piano, then began learning the violin and the trumpet, which is the instrument he plays with the group today. Ben thinks back to when he first joined Kinetika Bloco at the age of 11: ‘When I started I was very shy; I didn’t really talk to people. But that changed because of how accepting people were. Everyone is very caring. It’s just one big family together, making music and enjoying ourselves.’ ‘It’s helped me a lot with my technique and stamina – I had to pick up the pace a bit. I’m classically trained, so I play classical music a lot and I like it, but I think that jazz, funk, Latin American give a type of vibe that really relates to me.’
Kinetika Bloco’s mission is to support young people from south London to engage in music and creative activities that will positively impact their lives. Their programme includes after-school clubs, and performances around London and the UK – and even overseas. Ben reflects: ‘Being part of Kinetika Bloco is a great opportunity to meet new people, play different types of music, go to different places – it’s taken me to Oslo, somewhere that I didn’t think I’d ever go.’ Closer to home, the company’s annual twoweek summer school is the highlight of their year of activities at Southbank Centre, culminating in an exhilarating performance in The Clore Ballroom.
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We provide space and facilities for more than 100 young people aged 14 – 25 to come together and play brass and woodwind, to drum and dance. The groups of performers spread around our site to practise their instruments and moves for the gala performance – a riot of noise and colour. ‘It’s a rush of emotion. You’re in the moment, you’re enjoying yourself, you’re having fun with your friends, you’re playing the music that you like to play,’ Ben says. ‘Audiences can see us grooving to the music, smiling – there’s just an overall sense of happiness when we’re playing together.’ Alongside its commitment to engaging young people with music, dance and performance, Kinetika Bloco’s Leadership Programme gives young musicians like Ben the chance to develop, learn from role models and lead others in the group. Ben describes how he’s also used knowledge from the programme in his school life: ‘In my STEM school, we have partnerships with people like Skanska (a multinational construction company) and the NHS. They give us a project to do, and we break off into groups to try to find the best solution. I’m able to use my leadership skills to either lead the group or to encourage someone if they’re not feeling too confident about their own ideas.’ Playing with Kinetika Bloco is not the only way that Ben has performed at Southbank Centre – in fact, he’s quite a regular on our stages. ‘When I first came here I was a lot smaller so things felt much bigger, but then in a sense I’ve grown into it. I’ve really enjoyed coming back here because, regardless of whether you play in Royal Festival Hall or Queen Elizabeth Hall, the way the music vibrates through the space just sounds magical.’
‘As part of Chineke! Junior Orchestra I play here quite often. And in Southwark Youth Orchestra – we play here, sometimes for a special event or sometimes we can just come and play when a space is free.’
‘I wouldn’t be the same person if I didn’t have music in my life.’ Ben Amissah Beyond their involvement with Kinetika Bloco, Ben and his two brothers have been inspired to start their own music school in Ghana, where they are originally from, called Vision in Music. According to Ben, the school is ‘for children in the community who may not be able to afford music education – we try to give them a skill that could take them far.’ His passion for music is evident, and he ends our meeting by speaking eloquently about the positive impact that music has had on his life. ‘I’ve been asked this question a lot: if there was no more music, what would you do? I always say that I’d be very lost, because music has helped me through hard times and it’s become who I am. I wouldn’t be the same person if I didn’t have music in my life. I want to be able to share that feeling with everyone by sharing my music.’ Kinetika Bloco’s summer school performance is on Friday 16 August at 6.30pm, on The Clore Ballroom, Level 2, Royal Festival Hall
Inspired by Ben’s story?
Help us to continue supporting our Creative Learning Partners, including Kinetika Bloco, and enable young people to enjoy participating in music projects at Southbank Centre. Thank you.
Donate Now 6 School of jazz
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n o p e e K g n i c n a d
a waltz to e h t rs ng r givi ted visito o o g o n the ta n light-fo 1. n o g w n a e 195 taki s have dr c r n e i h s t tre W he ial dance k Cen n c a o b s , South whirl
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Today, our social tea dance is one of the few free events of its kind in London, and welcomes around 300 visitors every month, of whom more than 60% are aged over 65, and nearly 20% are aged between 80–84. In our borough, Lambeth, many people at this point in life are at high risk of social isolation and loneliness, according to research by Age UK. The organisation has even compared the health impact of loneliness to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Lucy Wells, our Creative Learning Manager for Communities, explains that Southbank Centre’s social tea dances are set up to make it easier to get out of the house and meet people. She comments, ‘Part of the fun of any social dance is meeting new people to dance with. Our DJs often incorporate dances where everyone keeps changing partners, like the Snowball or the Bus-stop.’ In response to a recent survey, 95% of dancers said that the social tea dances at Southbank Centre made them feel more connected to other people, and gave them something to look forward to, and 82% said that attending reduced their feelings of isolation.
‘It’s not just the dancing; it’s also about dressing up and going out. It makes everyone feel good.’ Li Hwa, participant While the tea dances have been popular for several decades, they are more relevant than ever at a moment when loneliness is recognised as a pervasive social problem. Last year, the government appointed the
first Minister for Loneliness, as part of a new focus on social prescribing, which allows GPs to connect lonely patients with activities that improve their quality of life. South London Cares, an organisation which helps isolated older people engage in social activities, recently told us about Alfred, an 80-year-old struggling with anxiety, who saw a reason to leave the house for a Bollywoodthemed social dance here. They commented, ‘Thanks to Southbank Centre, he’s much more connected to his local community.’ Reaching out to people who need additional support, our project (B)old Moves offers weekly dance workshops for people diagnosed with dementia and their carers and companions, building up their confidence and giving support to attend the social tea dances. Many participants said that social dances also made them more active, with 92% of those surveyed agreeing that social dancing had improved their physical health. ‘It keeps you fit and keeps the memory active,’ says Hugo, who says he attends ‘very regularly’. The dancing afternoons take place in The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall and the recently refurbished Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer, which boast flagship mid-twentieth century architecture and enough room for extravagant footwork. ‘This is such a beautiful place to dance,’ enthuses a participant, Gloria. ‘It’s a real treat.’ Our next social tea dance, Sizzling Summer, takes place on Monday 22 July at 1.30pm in the Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer. Click here for more details.
You can make sure the dance goes on
Your donation will help keep our social dances free: giving more dancers a chance to join in, connect with others and help reduce their feelings of isolation. Thank you.
Donate Today Keep on Dancing 9
Madani Younis Our Creative Director introduces Out-Spoken, London’s premier live poetry and music night, which has just begun a year-long residency at Southbank Centre, and explains why it’s worth shouting about. 10 Madani Younis
If you ask me, spoken word is the most revolutionary art form of the last ten years. Voice takes centre stage in a combination of poetry and performance. Founded in 2012 by Anthony Anaxagorou (pictured below), Out-Spoken is a night of poetry and live music and I am really excited to be embarking on a year-long residency with them at Southbank Centre, the home of the National Poetry Library for over 30 years. I believe the most exciting artists of our day are traversing art forms, and Out-Spoken demonstrates this spirit of cross-genre experimentation and collaboration. Our next Out-Spoken event, on Monday 22 July, is a perfect example of the variety the show promotes. Brian Pattern, who made his name in Liverpool in the 1960s, will be sharing a stage with resident DJ Sam ‘Junior’ Bromfield, TS Eliot Prize-winning poet Hannah Sullivan, and Morgan Parker, whose brilliant collection There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé explores what it means to be a black woman in America.
July will also see an Out-Spoken workshop here at Southbank Centre, led by the awesome, award-winning Raymond Antrobus. These monthly weekend workshops are open to all. It’s fantastic to be providing a stage for established poets, as well as a space for emerging writers to learn and share.
‘Having our show at Southbank Centre feels like reaching the summit.’ Anthony Anaxagorou Asked about Out-Spoken’s residency with us, Anaxagorou said: ‘There’s really nowhere else to go. Having our show at Southbank Centre feels like reaching the summit. With such a prestigious cultural hub investing and supporting in your vision, your ideas, your work and team, it’s acutely affirming.’ I am really pleased to welcome Out-Spoken to Southbank Centre during my first year as Creative Director and look forward to programming many more collaborations like this in the years to come. The next Out-Spoken event is on Monday 22 July at 7.45pm in Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall. Tickets are £10; Click here for more details.
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If you would like to make a donation or want to talk to us about your support of Southbank Centre, please contact Rebecca Macdonald on 020 7921 0801 or email supportus@southbankcentre.co.uk Southbank Centre is a registered charity no. 298909
Image credits: Page 1–4 © Pete Woodhead Page 7 © Mark Allan Page 8 © Takis Zontiros Page 10 © Hugo Glendinning Page 11 © Out-Spoken Page 12 © Belinda Lawley