Thursday 16 December 2010

“ Let me see your body talk” The final chapter to the Miguel Pereira residency.

Having finally arranging and re – arranging the time table to meet with everybody to finally record the portraits , the date was set.


Everybody would attend a final interview with Miguel one on one and film what would be called a portrait. Everybody had to bring with them an object that had some connection between them and dance. The idea of a portrait would give everybody the chance to paint their own picture and communicate their connection to dance in the way best suits them.


As camera man on the day, I recorded everything. Through recording the different portraits I came to realise that through the dialogue between Miguel and each person, there was another dialogue taking place in the “ body” 
And o my did some of there bodies talk. It was if the sub - consciousness was dancing out aloud at times. At once point I got so fascinated watching the words come through there body that I felt myself drifting in and out of zoom with the camera, to almost catch where the movement started from each of there bodies. With both groups, the objects that connected them to dance became even more varied and unique.


At the end of each session both myself and Miguel would check over all the recording and make sure we had everything captured and noted. All the information that collected is vital for the creation and development for the project. At times we would both point when looking back at the footage a select few key events in peoples portraits that make them unique.


The last Sunday of the residency both groups came together and shared there experiences, and it was a chance for Miguel to relay his idea, and generally get a feel for who is keen to get involved further and maybe perform as part of the next residency with Miguel here in Nottingham in 2011.


As much as Miguel and myself worked hard on the project, meeting people, collecting information, and visiting different spaces around Nottingham that played a part in peoples life’s in relation to movement, we did however find time for fun and our own exploring.


One of the great things was the British Art Show started at the beginning of the residency, which just filled Nottingham’s creative art scene jammed pack with arty types. I am sure there was an event happening every night in the city. I remember following Miguel to an event at Wollaton Hall to see some performance art, which for me was exciting, as I grew up around the corner from Wollaton Park. I had only ever seen it as this cold autumn’s day school trip; to see the stuffed animals or steam engines run around the park. The performance artist challenged both the space and the audience with there creativity and it was the perfect treat for a Sunday evening in early November.


One of my lasting memories are of me accompanying Miguel to the NTU campus by the theatre royal, to assist an interview for a portrait. The location was chosen as the participant wanted show Miguel where they worked and also how amazed they had become with the movement within the building. As the student ‘s pass through the corridors from lecture to lecture, wherever you placed your self in the building it building it resembled a “Merce Cunningham meets Richard Alston compositional dance off” the space is truly spectacular. All three of us sat for a while, just watching all the accidental beauties come about between all these students rushing from room to room. We all commented after on how we felt like we had been apart of giant movement installation right in the centre of Nottingham.


Now the first part of the residency is over until the new year, I know everybody who had taken part, must now of had the opportunity to think how they can remain creative within there weekly practice. I really hope all the new contacts and connections between people found amongst the groups continue to grow and get stronger.


Until Miguel is with us again,


Dwayne Simms; Independent artist, Nottingham.

Friday 10 December 2010

The Creative Society @ Nottingham Contemporary

Hey :)

Yesterday Dance4 intern Shannel, and I took a trolley full of bits and a display board full of bobs over to Nottingham Contemporary for The Creative Society Event, an event that saw a collection of organizations from across the city come together to share projects and ideas about community cohesion within the arts.

Dance4 were there to tell everyone about Street Dance (part of nottdance09) and upcoming community based project Glorious (part of nottdance11). We took tea, juice and a few tubs of mini cakes to entice people to our stand…and boy did it work! We had over 100 people come and talk to us during the day, many taking part in our ‘Postcards to a Stranger’ task before leaving with a lovely business card of images from the Street Dance performance. We even met a baby who had been a mere bump when the project took place last autumn! We met some fantastic people from some amazing projects and even made our own contribution to a piece of visual art from Nottingham drug and alcohol service, Double Impact.

We had a great day, even if our voices hurt a little by the end! But you don’t have to believe me…ask Shannel…

Yesterday I assisted Vikki at The Creative Society Event at Nottingham Contemporary. Being there was a real eye opener for me in the Arts sector. It was the perfect opportunity to network with other organisations that could open doors to collaborate in the future. I found the room warming with different ages, ethnicities and types of arts.

My favourite part of the day was watching the performances that varied from singing, poetry, musicians I felt really proud at that moment in town to be from Nottingham. Each performance was unique and expressed the artist’s emotions. The poetry explored the themes of teenage pregnancy, the government and society of young people. These poems were presented by three teenagers studying Art who all added character through vocal expressions, body language and short silence.

I was pleasantly surprised to how many people approached us interested in our previous dance street project that took place in 2009. And our up and coming project in February called ‘Glorious’ by an Artist called Rajni Shah.

Great stuff all round!

Vikki and Shannel