Dance4

“Attraversiamo”

2011-11-29T08:11:00.000-08:00

The Italians have a phrase a which goes “Attraversiamo” which translates to "let's cross over", and boy was there plenty of that at this years Opera Estate –BMotion in Bassano del Grappa Italy.

For six days I attended the BMotion Dance Festival set within a delightful picturesque Italian backdrop of Bassano, hosted by Roberto Cassaroto. This festival brings a variety of artists from across Europe, to exchange, share, challenge, soak up all the creative juices and finally cross over in practices.

The days began with a 2-hour class taught by different guest teachers: Rachel Krische, Freddie Opoku Addaie and Rodrigo Sabarzo to name a few.

Pushed us to our limits, throughout the 38-degree heat to the point where most of us began to imagine how good that ice cream will taste at the end of class.

Everyday an open discussion was hosted by Peggy from the Netherlands, raising questions that challenged the panel of representatives from a variety of European cities including herself, as well as the audience. I absolutely enjoyed these sessions, it was great having time to reflect on questions brought to us, that both emerging and fully established artist found challenging to answer; for example:

Many young artist are struggling to find their own authentic voice, how do producers and dance houses support them with this? Can we be sure the support they provide is the most beneficial?
How do we find the next Pina Bausch?
Is it necessary to find another?
Is the responsibility of the artist even greater now, within this current financial situation that puts pressure on the arts?

A sharing of work in process presented by the participants, occupied my first afternoon in Bassano.

Choreoroam Europe is an international research project for choreographers. Its purpose is to build an international community of choreographers and stimulate the artist through dialogue, confrontation and interaction between the participants with outside their country.

It was nice to see how these people had came together for which had only been a week already, the amount the creative juices that where overflowing in Garage Nardini was interesting and exciting. Definitely some interesting and engaging ideas by Alessandro Sciarroni (EN), Janet Rodriquez (ES) and Pablo Esbert Lilienfeld (ES); keep your ears pinned back for future works by these artists, as it would defiantly be worth a look.

I must admit it has been quite a challenge to write about my time at BMotion this year, as it raised a big mix of thoughts and feelings within me that caught me off guard a little whilst away.

I guess I always thought, hypothetically speaking, that I am open minded and appreciative when it comes to experimental and boundary pushing work. However at least on a few occasions I left after seeing work, that I either was dying to see or just had been really recommended as a must see, leaving feeling either that I couldn’t read the work because it felt totally out there for me Or it just wasn’t to my taste

This feeling however bugged me, frustrated me and questioned me in reflection I guess that is what art is meant to do question us right?

It did play on my mind for quite some time after when I arrived back in the Nottingham. I guess it has encouraged me to reflect on the variety of work I feel that I have been seeing and to consider how broad this cross over of the contemporary performance, performance art, and when dance meets theatre is when place together in a dance programme. It is very tough to see such a varied amount of performance languages and expect to read them in the same way as each other and half them settle within you at the same time in the same way.

Finally once again I just want to share how Great Opera Estate –Bmotion week is, and giving us the chance to watching some thoughtful and intelligent performance in some of Bassano Del Grappa’s loveliest venues.

Dwayne Simms
studiofiftyfive.blogspot.com

‘We Have A Strategic Plan – It’s Called Doing Things.’

2011-11-17T07:17:00.000-08:00

This simple, yet effective motto pinned to the wall in Dance4’s headquarters is one of the first things I noticed upon entering. Secondly, I saw the welcoming smiley faces of all the staff working there, who seemed genuinely pleased to meet me. As I quickly tested my memory trying to remember everyone’s name, I jumped to the intern’s most important task as ‘tea monkey’, making a conscious effort to associate faces, attire and position in the office, with how they would like their morning caffeine fix. However, worry not, as at Dance4 even the simplest of tasks is made easy – they have their very own tea chart, clearly indicating everyone’s name and tea/coffee preferences... Instantly at ease, I felt that a company which puts this much thought into a tea chart, clearly intends to appreciate and value all staff, leaving the ‘tea monkey’ role open to anybody... aside from Mr Russ of course who is naturally exempt!

I felt prepared and excited for an insightful two weeks with Dance4, working on their Autumn Dance season, but was still bowled over by their friendly embrace and willingness to include me in all parts of the process. A rare fate as interns are often seen and not heard! Yet this isn’t the case with Dance4 and I had a supportive mentor, Miss Sarah Maguire, who loves schedules almost as much as she loves Red Bush “caramel goodness” tea, and who made sure I was constantly updated, included and educated on Dance4’s production process.

Beginning with PME-ART ‘Hospitality 3: Individualism Was A Mistake’, I met some lively, creative and jet-lagged Canadians, who are touring their new eclectic piece of work. I particularly liked the start of their performance and the way they asked the audience some thought provoking questions which were incorporated into the piece via an arrangement of post-it notes... I also loved their use of the ‘Space’ at Nottingham Contemporary and felt that this was a nice juxtaposition with Guy Dartnell’s piece held there two days later. ‘Inward Out’, Dartnell’s most recent work, was what I believe he intended it to be, a spectacle of observation and personal interpretation. My initial scepticism quickly dissipated as I found my inner hippie very susceptible to the work and I felt challenged and intrigued by such a unique ‘performance’.

During the last two days I was in the very capable coffee fuelled hands of Claire Hicks, working on ‘Be Like Water’ by Hetain Patel. I got to witness another element to the production process assisting the get-in/get-out and documenting the performance day, a practical engagement I thoroughly enjoyed. Especially when rewarded with New Art Exchange’s tasty samosas!

It’s fair to say Dance4 comprises a great team of talented and visionary individuals and I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to work with them.

Thanking you!

Emily Jenkins

U Dance Intern

2011-10-25T07:07:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone

Just introducing myself. I'm Stacey, the new U Dance Intern and I will be organising and planning all things around U Dance. I hope you have all seen the applications to be part of our county, regional and National platforms. If not make sure you take a look, its a fantastic opportunity to showcase your work in front of other dancers and live audiences. Be sure to get your applications in quickly as the deadline is Monday 31st October.

Best Wishes

Stacey

A Year Later....

2011-08-17T08:52:00.000-07:00

I recently took on a new job role as Administrator / Receptionist for the Conservatoire that I had graduated from 365 days ago.

I remember so clearly in the final weeks along with everybody else counting down the days to what was known as freedom. It feels that within a blink of an eye I am back but this time as a staff member and a public face of the school.

This opportunity came to my attention upon my temporary relocation back to the North. My working hours are in return for studio space while the students take a summer break. To be honest I am really enjoying the experience of having a few months learning and developing some administration skills and most important of all (which any established or emerging artist will appreciate) FREE studio space!

I have always had a lot of love for Yorkshire and my time here back up north has been rather nice actually: returning to daily classes again and finally having more creative time and space to develop work & generally just be inspired. How quickly my senses took me back to my first year in training and that daily new dancers concoction: finding my feet, my core and re-finding my seeing has all been missed by my internal system from what my bodies aches and pains are telling me. I wasn’t prepared for all of the soon-to-be-graduates in their last week of term asking me the dreaded question: "So what are you doing now?" Confused looks on their faces joined the obvious next question: 'Why are you here?'

Many questions, many reasons, many answers…

Then I realised that was me 362 days ago with 3 days until I was released into the big wide world of dance thinking, 'I am ready, right?'

Having travelled a lot since I graduated, performing, collaborating and making work for some commissioned pieces and (dare I even say it) enjoying life I then returned back home. I thought this would be pretty straight forward by getting a part-time job. 'I have a good a CV and I can multi-task and I have experience,' is what I was thinking. 'I will take a class and find some cheap studio space. This is Nottingham; it is well resourced with classes," ran through my mind also. Wow how wrong I was!

It was like real life jumped out of the floor and flashed me with reality so quickly once I had returned. Within 4 weeks I was in the queue pulling at my very first ticket and taking a seat at the job centre. That’s right I shall repeat it again I am not a shamed the "job centre" (I can finally insert a honest laugh at this point) but it did take me a year people.

I came across a discussion last week on TED Talks. I was watching some inspiring talk by a guy from the United States entitled “8 Rules to Success” when I came across the discussion further down on the page in which it was the title that first caught my eye 'How you do you balance pursuing your dreams with paying your bills? Or do you just go for broke?'

Graduate Training Programme 2011

2011-07-12T05:08:00.001-07:00

Hello all,

The Graduate Training Programme has come to a close. The programme finished on a high as we performed at The Core, Corby Cube. The performance was a success and has received great feed back. Well done to all the artists that took part and thank to everyone who came to watch.

Check out Dance4's website to see the members of Dance4's Graduate Company along side a fun photograph of the group!

The Graduate Training Programme allowed ten emerging artists to work with Dance4's Associate Artist Robert Clark, explore and create their own work and learn about areas within the dance sector.

I am confident in saying that the two weeks have been life changing, enjoyable yet intense. From rehearsals with Robert Clark to improvising with a coat, the group have learnt news skills and formed many new relationships.

Over the six days research period, Robert Clark worked with the group to create a piece entitled ' A History of Private Moments'. The piece worked with a collage of images, still and moving, open to interpretation by the audience and exist to be read like a fast moving flick book. During the process the dancers formed four distinctive takes on privacy, its boundaries, content and their relation to it, utilising a group improvisation score as its base. The piece allowed the artists to work together and move as one.

We had a lot of fun and it was great to see a variety of personalties shining through.

Best Wishes

Natalie

Last day in the office before Dance4's GTP 2011

2011-06-24T07:56:00.000-07:00

Hello to all readers,

Natalie here, I wanted to check in because I feel today is an important day. Today is my last day in the office before Dance4's Graduate Training Programme 2011 begins in Northampton.

Leading up to the project I have been working with another Dance4 member of staff to manage and produce the Graduate Training Programme 2011. I have enjoyed preparing and developing documents from the application selection forms to information packs, supporting the dancers attending the programme and making decisions on the smaller but as important details.

Leading up to the programme I have had the opportunity to go and view The Core at Corby Cube where the performance for the programme will take place on Friday 8 July. The event is entitled ' Springboard 2011' and I have been involved in varies areas in supporting staff in managing the event.

Other fun things include delving into Dance4's vintage wardrobe with both hands to sort through and send off a variety of t-shirts that Dance4 has collated over the years. I have also had a technical lesson that involved alot of cables and mics to create surround sound. The equipment is for the Graduate Training Programme 2011 and fingers crossed I can remember everything I was taught. Ha!

During the programme 11 other artists and I will be working with Dance4's Associate Artist Robert Clark to form Dance4's Graduate Company 2011. We will be performing in Springboard 2011 on the 8 July at The Core, Corby Cube.

Please visit the blog regularly to read updates on our progress (including all highs and lows) throughout the programme. Our schedule consists of practical and theoretical sessions, with a physio only a phone call away!

For any future interns out there, I definitely recommend applying for the internship here at Dance4. I am confident in saying that am starting to speak the language of the glorious Microsoft Word and Wordfly. I have had the opportunity to develop my administrative skills and I have really enjoyed working within the dance sector and being involved in the many exciting events, performances, courses, classes, opportunities that are happening here in the East Midlands.

An experience not to be missed. Watch this space...

Natalie - Intern

2011-06-22T02:25:00.000-07:00

Opportunity for artists!

Dance4 are offering a lively and enthusiastic individual a voluntary opportunity! We are offering you the opportunity to be apart of the Dance4 team to present springboard 2011 at The Core at corby Cube. The position is voluntary however, we can cover expenses! (yayyyy!)

This is a brilliant opportunity to be involved in the running of the performance entitled Springboard 2011.

Springboard 2011 is a popular annual performance platform showcasing innovative new dance works and presenting up and coming dance artists. Providing the ideal environment for dance artists to create, experiment, and present new work, Springboard attracts many exciting performers and choreographers and promises to be an exhilarating evening of dance.

The roles at the moment would be covering filming/photography, FOH for the foyer piece, sound technician, and company call. The person covering sound would need to be there all day from about 10-11 am and the others could come a little later. Refreshments, biscuits and fruit will be provided but you will need to bring a packed lunch and or cash to buy lunch and dinner costs. We are encouraging people with full driving licence so that you can travel independently to and from the venue.

Please contact Dance4 today for more information.

Accommodation for GTP***

2011-06-09T03:29:00.000-07:00

Accommodation for GTP***

Hello all GTP artists!!

Natalie here...wanted to check in with you all.

Are you finding accommodation okay in Northampton? The digs list is brilliant and very helpful or if you know of any other local places let us know!Are any of you driving to the programme?

Please contact me if you need any recommendations or assistance...Exciting times!

Post a comment below and share your thoughts with us all.

Thank you guys.

Dance4 Fb and Twitter

2011-06-06T08:01:00.000-07:00

Keep up to date with Dance4 and be the first to hear whats going on!!

Dance4's GTP

2011-06-06T07:50:00.001-07:00

Blogspot is now feeding through Twitter and Facebook. Add your comments to be heard in stereo!

Graduate Training Programme 2011

2011-05-26T03:55:00.000-07:00

Blog No. 1...26.05.11

Hello all GTP artists!

As intern of Dance4 I wanted to introduce myself and say a huge Congratulations to all artist that have been accepted on to our Graduate Training Programme 2011!

This our Blog no. 1 of many. Very exciting!!

I hope that we can use the GTP blog to communicate with each other and ask any questions that you may have leading up to the programme. We will also have a blog during the programme in Northampton that we can all update and be apart of!

Please contribute...even if it is only to say hi!

Many Thanks

Natalie/ Intern.

Mawson-Raffalt + Faulder-Mawson ) + ( = a0

2011-05-17T01:46:00.000-07:00

I came out of this performance lecture feeling as if I had been massaged! Within 5 minutes of being in the intimate environment I could breath and feel my pulse throughout my body. With a busy lifestyle I can't remember the last time I genuinely relaxed and felt open to experience. Ursula and Anthony created a space that made you feel wrapped up in the performance despite being on the outside of it.

As with the projected backdrop of waves rippling into the shore I drifted in an out of the performance as an active and inactive audience member focussing into the words and movement but entranced by the light and projection.

A wonderful experience, sad to see such vibrant, knowledgeable and dedicated artists leave the space.

Good luck with the next leg...

Steph- Assistant Producer

International Exchange Programme Dance4 and Dance Ireland Presentation

2011-05-16T02:42:00.000-07:00

International Exchange Programme Dance4 and Dance Ireland

Mawson- Raffalt + Faulder- Mawson

) + ( = ao

Research Series: Silence and Activity 1-14 May 2011

With the residency at a close and the studio back to an open space awaiting artists to use the space creatively, I am going talk about the inspiring presentation that took place 12 May 2011 at Dance4.

During the Dance4 residency the artists focused on the EXPERIENCE of an art environment, with their main aim being 'to give, inspire and transform'.

And they certainly did...following on from the residency, a small audience was invited to an informal presentation to experience intimacy, direct contact, (self) reflection and dialogue.

The presentation lasted about 80 minutes long and took place in the Dance4 studio. From first walking into the studio is was clear to see that the artists were working on points in space, with focus on the shapes of a square and a circle. The artist also used lighting, projection of a video, sound, voice, grids made with tape, text cards and movement. All of these elements were used to create a presentation that offered elements of a performance, lecture and installation within the same presentation.

The artists quoted in a previous blog that their piece offered a 'dynamic power of silence'. As an audience member this became very clear. The piece aloud my mind to constantly question, discover and explore the points in space that the artists were using and traveling from. The use walking forwards and backwards in slow motion was brilliantly done. It allowed the eyes to focus on the in between spaces and the small details that maybe are not always obvious or made vulnerable for the audience to see.

I enjoyed the fact that the artists did not make eye contact throughout the piece and related to each other by strictly feeling and sensing the others presence. The artists eyes were closed at times which allowed this connection and relationship to appear even stronger.

The use of voice emphasised the strong connection between the two artists. I felt a sense of play within the words and the timing of each word spoken was crucial in order to work. The words spoken played a powerful part within the piece and allowed you to interpret them in your own way.

The energy within the piece made a huge impact on the audience which progressed through out the piece. An atmosphere was created and I left the room feeling inspired, calm and content.

It was lovely to have the opportunity to speak to the artist after the presentation and have insight into the creating of the piece as well as ideas that are to follow and be apart of the piece.

Where next?

Mawson- Raffalt + Faulder- Mawson ) + ( = ao will be in Schloss Broellin, Germany in June!

Definitely worth experiencing and being apart of.

Thank you for coming to Dance4 and bringing lots of lovely smells with you!

Natalie

2011-05-09T02:24:00.000-07:00

International Exchange Program Dance4 and Dance Ireland

Mawson-Raffalt + Faulder-Mawson

) + ( = a0

Research series: SILENCE + ACTIVITY

01-14 May 2011

By unfolding the “dynamic power of silence”, I feel as if seismographically drawn into the inner life of a polychrome landscape - exploring all human aspects of nature.....pushing boundaries to the point of suspending the moment .. breathing and holding the breath . opening and closing .. creating harmony and dissonance ... releasing and generating tension ... holding on ... letting go ... living ... dying...

This philosophical notion reflects the very foundation of existence and furthermore, reveals life’s poetic nature.

I understand dance as an abstract poetic language.

A language which allows a lot of space between its lines for the subjective.A language which does not trade narratives, but which rather communicates the possibility to experience complexity. A language that is firmly rooted in the deep and transcendental Experience of nature and silence.”

DANCE touches the sacred and embodies “a higher idea of being”. ) uM_R

We continued with building the space at the weekend and had 2 visitors who taught us something about sharing with nature .... 2 pigeons got in and when we shooshed them one found the way out again but the other hyperventilated and got into such a panic that it kept flying against the window so we decided to just let it be.........of course being a pigeon and not knowing any better it punished us by crapping everywhere at regular intervals.....after many hours wherein we could not do much except edit texts (which in itself proved very fruitful :) we asked Steph (of Dance4) how to get the door open and after a short time flying against the window the bird finally realised that the est way out was that huge one at the other end of the room _ having realised that it only took a further ten minutes to "sneak up" on it and slip through :) freedom it cried dropping one last load :)

but then at the end of the day

at the end of a veeeery long day

set 1 WEST NORTH WEST

..............................failed!!

image: video still from "it is the wave that cracks the wax" (theDock Carrick on Shannon) copyright mrplusfm

2011-05-06T10:37:00.000-07:00

International Exchange Program Dance4 and Dance Ireland

Mawson-Raffalt + Faulder-Mawson

) + ( = a0

Research series: SILENCE + ACTIVITY

01-14 May 2011

Informal showing

Thursday 12^th MAY @ 7pm

Choreographic Installation Artist, Writer, Director, Dance & Performance Artist

URSULA MAWSON-RAFFALT, and Painter, Light, Sound, Video and Media Artist ANTHONY J. FAULDER-MAWSON continue their research series "SILENCE + ACTIVITY",

a collaborative cross- & interdisciplinary project that investigates the border territory between the disciplines, explores spatial relationships and also experiments with blurring the boundaries between performance, exhibition and lecture.

Different manifestations will take place between January and July 2011 in a series of European residency locations setting in motion a multitude of possibilities, variations, events and contexts.

During the Dance4 residency the artists will focus on the EXPERIENCE of an Art Environment, aiming “to give, inspire and transform”. Their research will continue with the development of their innovative, flexible, sustainable and economic model for research, production and presentation defining shifting modes of operation for interdisciplinary work.

Whilst working in the Dance4 studio, using their technical facilities and sharing the working space, the artists will concentrate on completing a processed cycle of work. In accordance with their multi layered and interwoven activities they will prepare, write, train, rehearse, build up and finally install a “sacred environment” in which the creative forces can flow freely.

A small audience will be invited to an informal presentation to experience intimacy, direct contact, (self) reflection and dialogue.

Through a process of abstract and complex thinking with the emphasis on transcending artistic boundaries the artists will pose critical questions about the function of the arts in the 21st Century and its artistic/contextual/economic challenges.

For example:

1) How can we contribute to a wider understanding of dance or painting and the making of art?

2) How can we refer to choreography as an artistic platform that can embrace different artistic backgrounds welcoming the challenge of multi disciplinary thinking along with a contextual exploration of new and innovative approaches to choreographic practice?

3) How can we open up to a critical dialogue which seeks to redefine (in the broadest terms) both choreography and painting as creative disciplines that are fully capable of reflecting the specific needs of the 21st century and which can be instrumental in promoting the further development of ephemeral works such as live performance art or light works?

4) How can we establish a level of understanding that can embrace free thinking and that can help make the work more accessible through a creative dialogue with the audience?

5) How can we engage the audience in the experience of familiarising the unfamiliar?

6) How can we create a flexible, creatively innovative and economic model for research, production and presentation?

7) How can we help to secure the future of experimental and innovative art?

Our INTENTION, therefore, is:

1. To physically explore and relate a new to the progression of multi dimensional and multi contextual works as a response to a new type of work and a new way of working which:

- although sometimes difficult to categorize is nonetheless important to the evolution of art and art-making

- is better equipped to deal with the specific needs of the 21st century

- can share the aesthetic of a profound, sustainable, economic, integral and philosophic identity.

2. To observe the shifting moods of an avant-garde work in meeting the challenge of assimilating the needs of new contexts

3. to explore a wider understanding of the inter/cross disciplinary approach guided by the principle that “interdisciplinarity” is “a defining characteristic of contemporary art practice” and “a necessary prerequisite for those artists who will shape the future of creative practice” (Wikipedia)

) + ( = a0 Research series /residency locations 2011:

February : Tyrone Guthrie Centre, Ire

March: Brunel University School of Arts, West London

April: Tyrone Guthrie Centre, Ire

May: Dance4, Nottingham, UK

June: Schloss Broellin, Germany

July: Chapter, Cardiff, UK/Wales

The research series is made possible through the generous support of the Arts Council of Ireland, the Drama Department /Brunel School of Arts London, Dance4, Dance Ireland, Schloss Broellin e.V., Chapter Arts Centre and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre.

the image: a still from the Cardiff variation of "ephemeral silence or the universe of D.A.N.T.E." copyright ) + ( = aO

and then finally...........................................

at the end of the day

at the very end of a very long day

set 1 north north east

...........................failed

but getting closer now..............................................................

) + ( = aO mawson-raffalt + faulder-mawson residency

2011-05-05T01:43:00.000-07:00

day three: we have had the most constructive of days and have found our way round to a degree....

.........the thoughts form and the words multiply and then ...........................

at the end of the day

at the very end of a very long day

set 1 north north west.............................failed

we get so far and then the confusion sets in, one or the other will take the lead and take that wrong turning and then the other will take over, backtrack, and continue on........................

it is such a luxury to have continuous access to the workspace and to be free to just work that sometimes it is tempting to just "sit and think"

this image is a still from "ephemeral silence or the universe of D.A.N.T.E"

from the Danish variation performed in Kulturhus Aarhus.

) + ( = aO mawson-raffalt + faulder-mawson residency

2011-05-04T02:09:00.000-07:00

day one _ (but don't get to expect this to happen every day :)

cracked getting from the digs to the space! _ but not the return journey

.............at the end of the day

at the end of a very long day

set 1 north west............................ failed

or fourteen ways of getting lost between dance four and "the park"

day two _

an excellent day preparing the room and training and working on new

material both written and movement......................then

.........................at the end of the day

at the end of a veeeery long day

set 2 north east.................... failed

the image is a video still from a performance of "triptych_it is time that prints on wax"

at the international theatre festival in Sibiu, Romania,

with thanks to the Arts Council of Ireland and Culture Ireland

a small p.s. here are some other links that lead to information about us :

http://www.mrplusfm.net

http://mrplusfm.blogspot.com

http://www.youtube.com/user/mrplusfm/

http://www.dance-tech.net/profile/mawsonraffaltfauldermawson/

Internship May 2011: CAT Easter Intensive 2011 and so much more...

2011-04-26T07:57:00.001-07:00

CAT Easter Intensive 2011 and so much more...

Through the eyes of your new intern...

Hello all!

As official intern of Dance4 as of April 2011 and I am very happy to voice my experience of Dance4 so far!

I am in my second week and am apart of the Dance4 team to 'share the love' for contemporary dance. Within my first week I have had the opportunity to watch work from students working with artists Gary Clark and Elaina as apart of the CAT Easter Intensive Programme held at Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham.

I was very impressed by the commitment shown from each student and while the sun lifted everyones spirits, it did not distract. Is was great to see students working together and using contact with other students at such a young age.

The students worked within two groups and produced a piece of work to present at the end of the programme. Gary Clarke's dancers used the artist Jackson Pollock as inspiration while Elena Zaino used a language of gestures as inspiration for her movement.

Having come into the showing as an outsider, it was clear to see the process that each choreographer and individual had been through as each piece progressed. Both performances were strong in the way that the dancers worked together and in the complexity of the movements produced. From brightly coloured wigs to using your voice within the piece both pieces pushed the boundaries of contemporary dance. It was lovely to see how much the students enjoyed the programme as well.

The programme proved to be a huge success and everyone left for Easter on a high!

Back in the office I am really enjoying working within a creative environment and am working hard on the Graduate Training Programme that is happening in Northampton on the 27th June.

The Graduate Training Programme is a definite must for artists and is going to brilliant! We are going to be working with Robert Clarke and you would not want to miss it. Follow the link to find out more:

http://www.dance4.co.uk/about-us/jobs/graduate-training-programme-2011/

Random pic...Can you imagine if this was true? See the picture below form the Tate Modern.

Howdy for now,

Natalie Duffield-Moore

Nottdance2011: Checking in… and out!

2011-03-18T03:33:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, I’m Katie… probably the one and only Intern in Dance4’s history to not drink tea!

So… now the festival has been and gone here are just some of my first experiences, thoughts and reflections of the past 10 incredible weeks I have had here at Dance4.

First Day: Was quite daunting… Meeting the team, being given my own desk and to then discover that I would actually be managing my own projects, not just assisting! Looking back however I wouldn’t have had it any other way. The experience I have gained from being given the opportunity to get stuck in, use my own initiative and develop my skills has been invaluable, and from this insight I can gladly confirm that working in this field is something I could happily do for a long time to come.

First Month: Bumping in to the Youth Strategy Manager and the Artistic Director of the company on a night out in Nottingham in your first few weeks probably isn’t the recommended way to make your first impressions! However it was reassuring to know that the team all party too! &Everyone does leave the office to let their hair down, no matter how much the work is piling on! It has also been fantastic to have Radojka and Ben here in the same position, so we were all thrown in together and experiencing the same responsibilities and stresses (not that we were ever stressed, obviously!).

First Nottdance Event: The Launch Party. Some top quality entertainment went down at Antenna from swing band Benny Lee and The Whistle Stop Five accompanied by a swing dance demo from Hayley Guest and Terry Hallett, which after a few ‘Nottdance Cocktails’ got everyone up exhibiting their best lindy-hopping moves on the dance floor!

Behind the scenes...

Confirming a venue
Listening to numerous band demos to find someone to fit the bill!
Hardcore negotiating skills to stick to the budget
By far the most strenuous job of them all… sampling Champagne, Cocktails and Canapés in preparation for the evening… somebody had to go and make the difficult decision!
Being reversed down the steps outside the Dance4 Office by a taxi driver with a car full of equipment after the launch party was definitely an experience too!
One event down… 3 to go!

Glorious, Rajni Shah Projects: A simply inspiring performance from Rajni and her team, as their sumptuous new musical ‘Glorious’ took to the stage at The Nottingham Arts Theatre, Involving 12 local performers and musicians who in just days committed to performing in the project and assisted in making it the success it was.

Behind the scenes...

Finding Musicians!
Transporting the team to Nottingham
Creating awareness, promoting and advertising the interventions happening in The Meadows, set to aid Rajni and team to scout the perfect performers to get involved in the show!
Arranging a preview… of the preview of Glorious! At The Walk for Light Night
Liaising with the most encouraging and Glorious team of artists, Rajni, Helena, Suzie, Karen and Lucille, to bring this show to Nottingham!

Street Martial: An open public event within The Broadmarsh Shopping Centre including performances from Ali Fekih, CDO Capoeira, Fresh 101: Sleaford Boys, Leicester Parkour and Paul Russ himself with the new ‘Spirit Dance’ set to take over Nottingham!

Behind the scenes...

Enquiring with body-builders about the possibility of hiring a Boxing Ring
Confirming acts and groups to perform
Compiling risk assessments and contracts
Transporting equipment and (trying my very hardest to be useful) setting-up the performance space!

The Closing Party: Having not overspent on the Launch Party (Wheeeeey!) …this permitted the Closing Party (Wooooop!). An evening of merriment occurred in La Gitane in which the Dance4 team, artistes &friends (minus Claire who was greatly missed!) partied in to the early hours to celebrate and bid farewell to Nottdance 2011!

Behind the scenes...

Eating the delicious Mediterranean style buffet
Drinking wine and definitely not ordering Jager-cokes with Radojka and Ben on ‘Paul’s tab’ (Definitely Ben’s idea Paul!)
Throwing some shapes on the dance floor whilst admiring the shapes being thrown by others!
Wrapping up the festival and beginning this blog with a slightly sore head the next day!

In my time here at Dance4 and over the festival I have met some truly genuine, talented artistes, and being able to help them out and make sure their work takes to the stage has been an absolute pleasure! As a result of everyone’s hard work I also had the opportunity to see some fantastic performances across the festival, which have just been inspiring!

I would be here all day listing the fantastic times I have had, therefore I will stop there! Keep checking the website to hear further blogs and to keep up-to-date with the latest and greatest events Dance4 have to offer across Nottingham and the East Midlands, and as I thank the Dance4 team for this amazing opportunity, I bid farewell… for now!

Katie Shipp

Nottdance Intern 2011

Intern's Choice

2011-03-16T05:16:00.000-07:00

‘What exactly does a Nottdance Intern do?’ I hear you ask. OK, well maybe not you specifically, but let me enlighten you anyway!
This year Dance4 has taken on two extra people – myself and Katie – to specifically help support the regular producing team in the months running up to and during the festival as there is so much extra work involved in a condensed period of time. We have both been given our own events to project manage (much to our pleasant surprise!), and have had to organise components such as our artist’s travel and technical requirements whilst liaising with the venues… as well as lots of other random prep-ing tasks along the way.
What’s so great (and scary) about being the Nottdance Intern is the fact that Dance4 trust us with the responsibility to produce events ourselves – even though neither of us has ever produced anything on this scale before! It’s like being thrown in at the deep end to see how you cope: you push yourself to deal with things you might have wimped out of before (who else is going to make that deadline?!), though it’s not a problem as I feel as though I’ve have had great support from everyone at Dance4 all the way through. What a journey it’s been :-)

Anyway, I don’t want to write too much about what I’ve been up too (Katie’s going to fill you in about some Intern-related assignments) so I thought I’d just tell you about a couple of my favourite pieces in the festival…

This year Nottdance has worked in association with the Cultural Exchanges Festival in Leicester to programme a talk with acclaimed choreographer Lea Anderson. This stood out as a brilliant event to me as the personable and informal discussion/screening gave me a great introduction into her work with The Cholmondeleys and The Featherstonehaughs – I had only heard the Anderson name banded around in various texts relating dance and film but never actually seen her work (apparently ‘Flesh and Blood’ was focused on in the A level Dance syllabus). Likewise, I think that for the audience who did know a lot about Anderson, the discussion allowed an insight into her inspiration and working process. As someone who focused her university studies into dance on film I found this to be an inspiring perspective into thinking about film in dance.
Now trying to locate videos of Lea Anderson’s work! Any ideas?

Samir Akika/Unusual Symptoms brought ‘Extended Teenage Era’ to Lakeside in the final week of the festival. Well, where do I even begin?! The mixture of break dance, contemporary choreography, observational comedy, pop cultural references and mouse-trap-esque scenery arranging was a pleasure to watch! I feel it safe to say that everyone who saw this show came out with a huge smile on their face and I am so keen to watch it again as there was a myriad of goings-on to take in. If you have the chance to see this show, I strongly recommend that you do.

Finally, I have to mention Simon Ellis’ ‘Leaving’ which was one of the festival’s closing events on Sunday 13th. This was one of my projects and one of my favourites to watch too. On the surface, the participants (most of them never having performed before) were randomly hugging and waving goodbyes around Nottingham train station, but take a step back and you began to notice little ‘performances’ taking place everywhere in the station. Which of the couples in extended hugs were part of the project and which were just leaving a loved one to board a train? It was even hard for me to tell the difference. The subtleness of ‘Leaving’ within the station provided an unobtrusive and beautiful insight into the moment of departing (and, in a way, greeting too), and the sunny-ness of the Sunday afternoon framed it perfectly.

And so now it’s back to the Dance4 office, post-Nottdance Festival 2011, where the atmosphere is oddly still. Where are the artists running up to us with requests? Why is the phone not ringing off the hook? What happened to everyone wearing our brand colours of black and orange? It’s strange to think that I’ll be leaving at the end of this week (but not before a cake party on Friday afternoon in aid of Comic Relief!). I’ve had a blast working in the team on Nottdance and this short stint in event management has spurred me on to continue on this path – what a fantastic opportunity!

Thanks and much love to all at Dance4. I can’t wait to see what you bring out for the next Nottdance Festival!

Radojka x

Nottdance through the eyes of Ben

2011-03-07T07:12:00.000-08:00

So we are on the last week of this year's fabulous festival, and its been an amazing two weeks! I have seen two world premieres, a world first preview, a UK first and a host of other events. Not bad for my first Nottdance I think, plus add to that I am helping run it..

I came into the Dance4 team with a limited knowledge of what the whole thing was about, all i really knew was that we have some cool posters round the office from previous years.

But that all changed pretty quickly.

I was thrown into the deep end! Given some artists and told that I was the food guy, luckily for everyone I wasn't going to be cooking every night but it is always a last resort…

I was first handed Me and the Machine; two lovely artists, Sam Pearson and Clara Garcia Fraile, based in Brighton, who were so nice! They just took everything as it came to them and got on with it, which is great when trying to do a load of other stuff as well (like now I'm doing three other things at the same time).

So far their "When We Meet Again" has been my favourite piece of the festival, it was just a magical experience, a 1 on 1 performance where you are immersed into a new world and a new person, it created a lovely amount of positive feedback and a question you have to ask anyone else who had seen it about a strawberry. I will say no more..

The first weekend was a packed one for me, I had Friday and Saturday with Me and the Machine at the PlayHouse with When We Meet Again and then Sunday at the Dance4 studio with their work in progress "On Ways To Disappear without Leaving a Trace" which included a rather handsome Dance4 employee. (No David it wasn't you). Add to this we decided to show Sam the eventful nightlife in Nottingham on the Friday night and then I wasn't to sure how to get back to the office or the Playhouse in the morning as I had ended up staying the night with some of the Dance4 team who decided to lay in all morning! and leave me to walk miles and miles and miles… to a bus stop down the road, where yet again I met a nice old man (a different one to the guy at Episodes) who told me where i needed to go.

Skipping forward a few days now, I have seen the World Premier Premier preview night performance (or whatever it was known as) Glorious by Rajni Shah and now I am about to see a double bill at Lakeside. It's Matthias Sperling and Rachel Krische performing a world premier of their Superdance project and Coisceim Dance Theatre with Swimming with my Mother.

It kicked off with Matthias and Rachel bouncing onto the stage in a lycra costume representing a superhero, however they forgot the first rule of superhero costume design; as the Incredibles has told us all: No capes! We all know that they either get you sucked into a vortex or get them snagged on a missile fin. You can tell what we all talked about in the interval! The piece was a mixture of laughs and a serious competition to outdo the other dancer. I felt the best part of this piece was when they were listening to music through head phones and portrayed it through their movements and timings, a great idea which I would love to have a go at sometime soon..

Coisceim was a moving piece about a Mother and her relation to swimming and how it had shaped her life. I personally enjoyed the movement qualities of this piece and loved the simple ideas used to create a heart warming dance piece where David played both himself old and young and his father.

The World Premier of Tom Dale's I Infinite to me was a wonderful experience and the performance was great. Maria did a great job with Tom's choreography and to get the timing right with Barret Hodgson's lighting and sound which were both very impressive. I can't really say what I enjoyed most, the whole piece was a spectacle not to be missed if you get a chance to see, but the movement and performance by Maria made me want to ditch my cape and join in in the futuristic world. The lighting and use of haze made a beautiful image of clouds forming and moving around the lights and creating an image that has stuck in my mind since; yes it was that beautiful, at the time i found myself stood in awe.. just watching and wanting more. And finally a section where you could get up close to the action, Maria reacting to a tilting image on the floor and matching its every move, I could of quite happily stood and watched her play with that for an entire performance.

Ali Fekih is an amazing man! Seeing his show on the Saturday night was an experience as I had no idea what I was going to see, a thought shared by many I think. I saw a mad collection of movement, use of simple objects and sound timed to perfection, he is a little bit of a perfectionist from my time with him. This continued onto Sunday at our Street Martial event at Broadmarsh. We had a collection of great young groups, Leicester Parkour wowed the crowed with some amazing moves and many backflips off horses (gymnastic ones that is), Fresh 101 with their beat boxing and comedic street moves, Cordão de Ouro Capoeira Nottingham with their use of live music and singing and a show of basic to advanced Capoeira which showed incredible body control by all, Ali Fekih returning to his roots as a street performer and creating a sense of story time for us all their with more great body control and a little bit of showing off with his handstand press ups to warm up! and not to forget the Spirit Dance! which brought the crowd onto the stage to do the new dance to help promote the Spirit Campaign. Ali also helped us pack up which was nice but was mainly to show us up as he was a master of rolling dance floor and we were, well lets just say pretty bad.

And here I arrive to today, our little break before the final week, a chance to catch up on office work and for me to share a little insight. I haven't mentioned the craziness which is going on but im sure you can imagine what i said about episodes and times it by three weeks! Yet I'm still sane (I tell myself this on a regular basis) and loving the Festival and the sense of achievement after every show.

Be sure to come along to our final performances and see some impressive work by some of the best Choreographers from around Europe and even more UK Premiers!

I'm sure you lucky people will get another blog soon so keep your eyes peeled.

Ben Eagles
Events and Promotion Trainee, Dancer, Worlds Best Backstage Runner! (I feel..) Chef of the Year, IT Extraordinaire and Cookie Monster (Radojka thinks I eat to many…)

Ellen from Springdance; Visit to Nottdance for Europe in Motion

2011-03-02T06:49:00.001-08:00

During Europe in Motion, we had visits from both the Springdance (Netherlands) and Idans teams (Turkey), who came, contributed, watched, discussed, laughed, ate and partied with us at the beginning of Nottdance 2011. We look forward to seeing them again as Europe in Motion continues at Springdance 2011 in april!

Check out Ellen Krukkert (Festival Co-ordinator at Springdance) blog;

http://springdance.ning.com/profiles/blogs/springdance-2011-blog-ellen?xg_source=facebookshare

Happy Nottdancing...

2011-02-21T01:56:00.000-08:00

Hello!

So it's been a while since I last blogged but I thought it would be nice for you all to see some comments left by the young people participating in episodes2011...

What did you enjoy most about episodes2011?

Being with mates and performing
All the dancing
Seeing new dance styles
Everything
The whole thing
Performing on stage for real!
Short lived fame!
Dancing with friends. The atmosphere and the experience in general
Performing
Seeing other people’s dances
Dancing and fun, I could not stop smiling
The audience
Performing on stage
The feeling you get on stage
I liked the atmosphere, all of the dancers were really polite

What is the best thing about dancing?

Being on stage
Being free
Being challenged/ pushed
It’s really fun and keeps you fit
Performing
It’s fun
Doing whatever you feel like
Being with true friends
All of it!
Dancing is the best bit about dancing
It’s EPIC and you get to express yourself
I (heart) dance
You don’t have to hide your inner bad man!
You get to be anything you want to be
It’s epic
You get to express yourself through movement
I love dancing for too many reasons to say!
Expressing yourself and having fun
Exploring
Fun
Moving with friends
Interesting
Exciting
The best thing about dance to me is the inspiration and the warm welcome other dancers offer. Meeting new people, creating all different styles just makes dance an overall joyful experience.
Being on stage and showing everyone
There is no limit to what you can do, you can let your emotions run free.

Makes me feel all smiley! :-)

Midnight in Nottingham

2011-02-17T02:20:00.000-08:00

It is the last push before our first show. We are in Nottingham. Our temporary homes are in The Meadows and at Dance4 in Hockley and in Mapperley Park where we're staying. It is strange and hard to embed yourself in a city you barely know. And yet it has a certain kind of wonder too. Knowing that I am here to meet with strangers makes me behave a certain way - open, willing to try new things, friendly, unafraid. It's a funny way of viewing a city - walking around wondering who might share the stage with you in a few weeks - might it be the waiter at that place where we had dinner, or the girl who has adopted us as her mates at the library, the woman with the big dog, or the super-friendly sandwich shop owners?

And sometimes, just occasionally, I lose hope. I wonder whether there's any point at all. Whether it really will change. Whether this tiny effort can shift any of the patterns that are so embedded in us. Whether we're doing something worthwhile.

But then there are the people. All of you who make it possible. The people we meet, and the people we've met. And it always comes back to the fact that having the right people around makes anything possible. It reminds me of something a dear friend once emailed me after coming back from a big conference about social change:

what I find myself asking me, again and again is, where to go from here?
and then I find myself asking, yet again and again, not where but who?

And that is precisely why making a different shaped echo of the world just for a moment can shift something. Making something possible that wasn't there before. Whether that's giving someone a flower that will open up in their home, or making a touring show that really asks us to live in each place and look its people in the eye, or asking strangers to come together for one night and have faith in something.

And here we are, nine days away from our first Glorious gathering on the stage of the Nottingham Arts Theatre. Nine days away from our crazy and ambitious fundraising deadline. And thank you - not because you never give up, but because you carry on regardless. And therefore I know we can do it.

Join Rajni and the Glorious team at www.indiegogo.com/glorious until 26 February.

Even When You Are Dreaming: Nottdance2011

2011-02-09T05:07:00.000-08:00

Image: Ali Fekih, Flamingos Credit: Sara Iskander

Standing in the queue for the bank counter, in my peripheral vision I noticed a young guy quietly practicing his body popping as though whispering to himself. His muted movements could easily have passed for the fidgeting and rocking motion we make when standing in queues. This was different; it was like he was waiting for that big moment when his whispers could become shouts when he might clear a space on the dance floor and blow people away with cheeky, chess like ‘impossible’ moves.

At this point I realised how true it is that everyone dances, we use our bodies every day to navigate our way through our houses, cities, villages and fields, each location changes the way we move. The busy London commuter, adjusts their walking speed when entering the city their body taught and straight, seemingly the form of abject professional but imagine that same method of walking in their home walking from the fridge to the counter to make a cup of tea.

We use our bodies to express ourselves and to communicate with others, from the ecstatic embraces after waiting for a loved one in the terminus of an airport or bus station or conversely the lingering of hands on hands when someone is Leaving. When we become angry or frustrated our bodies coil or curl up with rage, that makes you feel you might explode. Even when we are sleeping our dreams allow us to continue to move and to dance.

These minute performances go unnoticed to us, they pass us by as we choreograph our daily lives. What if these movements were amplified? Would they look or feel like dancing? If we were more aware of our movements would we do things differently?

This is the second time I have worked on the Nottdance festival, a collection of the world’s most exciting dance and future movement artists presented across the East Midlands region I grew up in. It feels that now more than ever its urgency is felt.

Projects like Rajni Shah’s Glorious, an unusual and tender musical, present a hopeful vision of our collective future against the sense of fear and uncertainty in light of debilitating climate change, political shifting sands and financial collapse. The musical will only be performed 10 times in the world, each time reconfigured with local musicians and performers.

Or the World Premiere of Matthias Sperling & Rachel Krische’s Superdance, clad in lycra and asking whether dance performance could indeed save the world and as if that wasn’t enough it is part of a Double Bill with CoisCéim Dance Theatres’ beautiful duet Swimming with my Mother.

For me the show I am most excited about is the up until recently Secret Show, now announced as Ali Fekih, performing Flamingos (Les Flamants Rose). A self-taught street dancer, Ali has developed his own dance language defined by the abilities and limitations of his body. Nottdance is Dance4’s festival that tests and challenges what dance is, who can do it and I would recommend a dose of dance to anyone.

Nottdance2011 takes place at various venues from 23 February – 13 March. http://www.dance4.co.uk/category/nottdance-festival-2011/

Mathew Trivett
Assistant Producer, Nottdance2011

Two Dancers Share the Space with Some Lace

2011-02-07T08:51:00.002-08:00

Two dancers share the Studio…with myself and some lace.

After re-arranging the space and making it feel like home for my time as artist in residence at Dance4 my time is up. I was very lucky to be able to have the space in the centre of town amongst the creative juices of the staff in the Dance4 office as they prepare for NottsDance 2011!! Myself and two other dance artists used the space and delved deep into some of my research: "what happens to the space when a designer and two trained dancers have to co-exist”? Well, that was the question that I went into the space with, hoping to touch on a few answers or even just observe what happened.

I am currently involved in two research projects one which looks at The Human Vs the Mannequin and the other With your Partner which will be an on going project here in Nottingham, which investigates the mechanical aspect of the making of lace manufactured here in Nottingham as well as the final product of lace itself.

I had split time frame with my dancers, so I worked one-on-one with Samantha Stonefield for four days then Kate Prosser joined us in the space for the last four days. This worked as I wanted both artists to respond on instinct and not to be affected by one another’s idea or take on the proposals brought to them by myself.

As artists we always enter a space with a plan or a mission but things change things, get real and, for once, I just went with it. As my time went with Sam went by I realised the way in which she was responding to the information was bringing something much more tactile than I anticipated, and time and process became involved as a part of the mixing pot. I must admit that it threw me at first as it wasn’t “on the list” (!!) and I had intended to arrive at a place with one dancer before the other arrived in two days time.

Time kept itself as a constant reminder as the light from day to night peered through the huge windows the studio. Grace finally made it to the studio and we had a one-to-one bringing her up to speed with my idea but making sure to pick my words carefully as I didn’t want her to be conditioned by my time in the space with Sam.

Hours passed with myself and Grace in the space warming up, responding, vogueing and making notes. Sam arrived and we all came together and to work further. For me I found it very interesting watching them both work with the same idea but approaching it from different perspectives. At times they both doubted themselves especially when Grace was vogueing to techno music and Sam was asking herself as many questions as she could possibly think of in response to the piece of lace she had hold of.

It was around that point I decided to keep them as two separate solo synopsis of work that I wish to develop in the future. Maybe I was making more work for myself but I realised that’s what I had been doing whether I realised or not.

Things began to shape up in space with fabric, lace, flour, pictures and movement and things were finally stating to make sense and feel right. However, with Grace I got to a point where I became obsessed with her getting tired as tasks got more difficult and I really just wanted to push her whilst she was in the mind frame. Each time I pushed the material from what she delivered it got more and more raw and she was creating and delivering material in the language I had intended to leave my time in the studio with. Naturally, what I was finding with tapping into the beauty of the tired I filtered gradually over to Samantha’s movement quality in the space and it changed the look and added to the essence without changing the trajectory too much.

My aim for time in the studio wasn’t to leave with something finished; it was really mainly to make two small synopsis of work so I could get an idea of how my ideas could look in space, as well as collaborating with others. At the end of our time in the space I opened up the studio for a mini idea sharing after giving both dancers one more instruction. They now had total freedom to change the space, the music and timing of what we had been investigating since the start. The control was in the artist’s hands to decide when we as the audience should enter the space. The performers choose how they ended their exploration with other people now in the space. I think I added this at the end purely for the element of surprise for myself and also to see how they responded to complete reverse in responsibility.

Others and myself were finally invited into each performance by the dance artist with the freedom to walk around the space and watch from where we chose. Watching it with a slightly fresher eye it made a difference and I was able to step out of the whole process and observe.

A small Q&A at the end gave us all a chance to think and feedback about perception, responsibility and performance.

Then time runs out as always!

Overall it was extremely great fun to be in the studio amongst great, hard-working people and creative goodness.

Stay up to date with both works at Studiofiftyfive@blogspot.com, on our blog studiofiftyfive.blogspot.com or at Nottingham’s Light Night on Friday 18 February at the Nottingham Playhouse 7.45 pm.

Dwayne Antony
Freelance Artist

Ben's Episodes2011 blog

2011-02-02T08:54:00.000-08:00

Episodes was two days of complete craziness! And I was lucky enough to experience both sides of the whole process.

Thursday I was thrown into the world of being a runner, having been in shows before and seeing what the runners do during the performance i thought it would be good fun and pretty easy. I got half right.. Runners have a tough time!

It was my job to make sure everything went smoothly, so making sure the groups were in the right place, on time and quiet! Which during a show with 13 youth groups is a challenge. But we had a great team and managed to run a smooth show and the day went really well. Also the highlight of this night was a message played backstage with ten minutes till the start, "10 minutes till curtain up, we are now entering PERFORMANCE MODE!" okay it wasn't the highlight but as i heard this i saw the stage manager, lighting technician and sound technician look at each other then continue to drink there coffees, I think me and Rachel might be simple minded to find this amusing! The real highlight was to watch as all the hard work put in throughout the day made for an excellent show.

Friday was a mixture of a day for me. I started the morning as i had thursday, running around all other the Playhouse and having a good chat with the stage door receptionist about the "good old days" and shows we had been in, I don't really know how i can talk about the good old days being 18.. But then i had to give my well practised responsibilities to Matthew who arrived and genuinely looked scared at what he was about to get into, and went into "PERFORMANCE MODE!" as i was also performing this night with Clout Youth Dance the company i am in. This was a strange turn around as i couldn't stop myself being a runner and helping the others like i had been for the last day, but i managed and focused on my dance side.

As we were one of the last groups to tech we decided to get straight into costume and make up, which is always fun as we have some great costumes! So there was me walking around the Playhouse with my newly cut 1940s style hair, a white and mucky face and some green overalls, a look I'm hoping will take off world wide.

During the dress I got to see some great pieces of work and actually rest instead of running around like the night before. Our run went really well and we got some great feed back from other groups although they could only see us from the side as they were waiting for the finale.

Being the last act in the show we had to wait in college street till the second half and something that Clout are getting famous for is the amount of food we take anywhere and our ability to turn a dance studio into a picnic! All the food was healthy of course, we were getting ready to go on stage… While here i was dragged back into work mode by Adele and filmed some of the performers answering some questions on episodes, and i witnessed a handstand competition which turned very competitive and i think i saw Ian from Retina give himself a free pass straight into the final, fair? I wouldn't question him :D

On to the actual performance at last! After stretching in the corridor, this was pretty impressive and there is a picture of us all with are legs up the wall in splits (i say splits but i was way off) we all rushed through to the side of the stage and watched eagerly as Ecdc finished their performance. This was our first time showing our new piece 'Hang Fire' to an audience, so if you were at the Playhouse you saw a World Premier! The performance was great! it ran really smoothly and nothing went wrong, well i lost balance on a move i had done a million times before and got a little carried away in my solo so i was a bit late for a music cue but I cant be perfect all the time:) And as i said before we were the closing act and this meant there was the rest of the performers in the wings for the finale, which can be a little off putting when you are staying in character and have to walk directly towards them so i thought i would freak one of them out by starring them down, sorry who ever that was! With our dramatic end to the piece (I wont spoil it if your coming to U.Dance) we got a great reaction from the crowd and it made all our hard work worth it.

I had a great two days at Episodes2011 and am really sad I wont be part of it next year. I hope i haven't put anyone off helping at episodes as its a great experience and for me its helped to show the hard work that is involved to put on a event like this and truly respect the people who do this for dancers, actors and musicians alike.

I hope you all come along to U.Dance on the 27th March at the Leicester Curve, and see all the great groups involved, including Clout as i can't wait to perform 'Hang Fire' again

Ben Eagles

Events and Promotion Trainee, Dancer and worlds best runner! (i feel..)

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

2010-12-16T01:47:00.000-08:00

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.

The Creative Society @ Nottingham Contemporary

2010-12-10T07:55:00.000-08:00

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

Arts Award 5th Birthday Celebrations

2010-11-19T07:41:00.000-08:00

Hello All,

So Jenny and I very nicely got an invitation to Arts Award's 5th Birthday celebrations at the Globe in London last Tuesday. It was an inspiring and uplifting event with dance and singing performances from a variety of young people. The evening was hosted by a fantastic young lady - who I think we may be seeing on TV in a few years time! - and also TV host Ben Shepherd. We heard lots of stories about the types of exciting experiences of Arts Award participants and the positive impact that it had had on their lives and in shaping their futures.

So if your interested in doing Arts Award the DO IT! I think it's a brilliant way of getting to know the arts and arts professionals, developing your skills, finding out about opportunities to get involved, in and meeting lots of new people. Don't forget we are an Arts Award Welcome centre too, so come and talk to us!

Arts Award gets a thumbs up from me - check it out http://www.artsaward.org.uk

:-)

What is your connection to Dance? Re-construction or under construction?

2010-10-29T08:19:00.000-07:00

Miguel Pereira Portuguese Choreographer has returned back to Dance 4 for his current research and development process in preparation for his new work. I have been given the pleasure to assist Miguel on documenting his research process and help facilitate the two groups.

Initially I found it very interesting for a choreographer to be working with non-dancers or people with no direct link to dance? But it was there response to working with a choreographer. When both groups met individually with Miguel, the general vibe I could sense was excitement with everybody wanting to know “ are we going to be dancing’?

I must say both groups looked very pleased to hear that they wouldn’t be dancing, not the first week or even over the next few sessions. The key act of research now is to get to know everybody individually and unveil what is there connection to dance?

One of the great things for me personally, being a recent graduate and working with Miguel I find it great that an international artist can come to Nottingham and bring all these people together from all different walks of life. The most interesting thing for me was to hear from various people from both groups, talk about their daily work life and discover there direct or indirect or even simply their raw passion to dance.

This idea of our selves being under re -construction was the main theme amongst the first group. With this was the underlying current of needing to work to pay the bills but also wanting to feed yourself and society with your creativity.

There were a number of very different personalities who introduced themselves; one woman who grew up with dance, like a few of the people in the group, doing ballet and modern and then went into choreography, but after sometime fell out of the dance lifestyle as other priorities took over. Currently working with victims of drug abuse and people with HIV, she finds this is feeding her much more on a whole. Now she is trying to regain her love and passion for dance and re-balance her life with work and pleasure.

On Saturday Miguel and I went to see one of the individuals we have been meeting with performing in the “Pink Belly Dancing Multi Cultural Show”. This was a completely new experience for both myself and Miguel and it was such a weird feeling being excited about dance again. The excitement of the unknown was great, as I find most of the time when professional dancers go to watch performances (especially by companies we already know) we arrive pre-planning what we think the piece is going to be like. This performance however was very different, the first noticeable thing was the varieties of different body shapes and personalities - it was great to see everybody happy with that for a change both the dancers and audience.

Within the first 20 minutes I was gripped by the dancers, performance and the use of characters they took on as they performed, we both found it fascinating. The articulation of their bodies was so precise and isolated, with a great sense of rhythm. We both left very pleasantly surprised and shocked at what we have just seen in a small community centre in Strelly.

On my way out I congratulated one of the dancers on her performance and asked her how she got into belly dancing. Her reply was fantastic, having starting her dance life in ballet and finding her height a challenge to get chosen for parts, she took this new dance style up. She feels it is great for helping her to express both who she is and how she feels as a person, finishing with “ I just find belly dance like ballet but with out the bullshit”.

On that note I left with a cheeky smile on my face feeling that the end of my first week, cannot be described as anything more than a creative patch work quilt. All of the wonderful individual people both Miguel and myself have got the chance to meet and hear all of their stories have been really great.

I know Miguel is deep in creative flow now, with lots of his creative juices flowing and he is ready for next week’s adventures and I too shall be looking forward to it.

Dwayne Simms

2010-10-08T03:15:00.000-07:00

So it's been a while since I last blogged.

Various things have been happening, like two new additions to the youth team! Hayley - our wonderful new CAT manager- joined us in September and is now underway with our second year of the CAT programme and twice as many students, hoorah! They are excitingly performing soon at Lakeside (don't miss it!). Then Vanessa went on maternity and has had a little lady - we have yet to see her, but sure she is the trendiest baby ever! So while she is away it is our pleasure to have Jenny in the office who is looking after all things youth dance and doing a great job of getting her head around all of our projects!

We recently had our staff away and pondered many a thing dance related walking over some very foggy hills in the Peak District. We also got a guided creative walk where we saw some interesting art pieces along the way. A good day out in the fresh air had by all.

Coming up…our second part to the International Exchange. I am very excited and have been working hard to create a programme where we can provide the young people from Berlin a fantastic experience of Nottingham and the East Midlands. I think we’ll have to share some of the East Midlands lingo with them!

I’ll keep you posted on that one duck.

Kirsten x

Introducing Jeremy Wade.....

2010-10-08T02:56:00.000-07:00

We’ve had a crazy September here at Dance4, With a national tour of Hetain Patel’s TEN starting, a new research project, the launch of our new Diploma for dance practitioners and even our associate artists Dog Kennel Hill Project performing on a canal, but really that was nothing compared to the excitement that is October!

There’s mucho excitement happening this month, but what I’m most excited about is the arrival of international artist Jeremy Wade. I’ve seen a DVD of the work he’s presenting at Lakeside Arts Centre on Friday 29 October and it’s really extraordinary. Jeremy is an amazing performer and really captivates the audience with his unique combination of movement, spoken word and live music. It’s a show not too miss.

Jeremy will also be leading a workshop for dance artists on the evening of Monday 1 November, giving an insight to his practice. He’ll also be working with young dancers on our CAT programme – they’re in for a real treat!

Also that weekend Colette Sadler will be performing at Nottingham Contemporary and we’ll be holding an artists talk to give you all an insight into the links between performance and visual arts practice.

Further details of all of this (and a lovely video clip of Jeremy!) visit www.dance4.co.uk/2010/10/the-not-nottdance-weekender/

And I look forward to seeing you all there!!

Helen x

Greetings from Georgia

2010-09-24T02:04:00.000-07:00

I hit Batumi on Wednesday night, alongside Ida from Intercult and some of Bad Co – fresh from Istanbul.

I am coming over as part to visit the SEAS X project – (www.seas.se) organised by European Arts Organisations, Intercult (based in Sweden – www.intercult,se). Arts Council England and Dance4 have supported 3 UK Artists to be part of the SEAS expedition: an artistic expedition scaling the coasts of Turkey and ending up in Batumi, The SEAS festival will commense today (Wednesday), so I am here to take in the SEAS festival, support the UK artists and meet the other artists (there are so many, and from all over Europe and beyond!)

Last night we went to the Drama theatre for the grand opening –there was a performance by traditional Georgian dance company, supporting by live music and singers. It was spectacular! The energy of the performers was immense and the atmosphere full of excitement. It felt like a great start to the SAES festival…

So since then, I have been on a fact finding mission – talking to artists about their experiences on the expedition, about their practice and how they found themselves at SEAS.

I am amazed at some of the stories from the artists, some on their first SEAS experience – making this a real research trip for them. Some on their first ‘date’ with another artist (met on a previous SEAS) and some SEAS regulars, performing during the next few days. It sounds as if the SEAS crew have made a real impact on some of the small villages and towns visited during the expedition through Turkey – some audiences seeing this kind of performance for the first time, but remaining so open and curious.

It has left me wishing I was on the artist touring bus… But now off to take in a little of Batumi and then on to our first performance of the festival - Ilia Chavchavadze at the Drama Theatre. Looking forward to taking my experiences back to Dance4 and ACE– and following the artists post SEAS

Greetings from Georgia

Linzi Gibbs – Assistant Producer: Dance4

Events & Promotion Trainee

2010-09-23T06:11:00.002-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Let me introduce myself! My name is Shannel I am the new Events & Promotions Trainee for Dance4. Hope you are all ok?

It's my second week in the office and I am already feeling part of the furniture. The important thing is I know everyones correct name and how they like their tea. It's been interesting seeing all the different roles in the office and how they link together. The main job i have been doing is preparing SHIFT which will be out at the beginning of October so make sure you look out for it!

Next week is our Staff day out which i am looking forward to it will be another opportunity to bond with everyone. Fingers cross that it does not rain but we are in Autumn so what are the chances?

Its just a quick Hello but i will write soon when more is happening.

Until next time take care. Bye

Shannel

2010-09-23T06:11:00.001-07:00

Comings and Goings

2010-09-20T14:57:00.000-07:00

At the start of a very busy Autumn, it's been sad to say goodbye to three colleagues - Jamie goes off to his new adventures in dance, Sarah has completed her Creative Apprenticeship (well done!) and is seeking her next big break, and last but not least, Vanessa has gone on maternity leave expecting her second baby at the end of this month. Good luck to them all, we will miss them.

However, three lovely new people have stepped into their shoes, so welcome to Hayley, Shannel and Jenny all of whom are now installed in their new roles, with keys to the office!

Next Monday the whole team are off for the day to walk the hills of the Peak District for a bit of team bonding and to get to know each other better. I'm really looking forward to it - just keeping my fingers crossed for good weather.

Anyway hope you blog-readers get to meet the new team as they are out and about with their busy roles over the next few months. Be good to them!

Rachel

The final stamping ground: This Sunday 5 September at Gedling Show

2010-08-31T08:26:00.000-07:00

Hi its Ben here in Dance4 getting ready for the last Stamping Ground of this summer! The Gedling Show looks like its going to be great and our line up is packed full of some of the best Youth Companies in the area; Culcha, The Force, Hang Up Dance Company, Flying High, Spritzer, Fusion Dance Troupe and Clout Youth Dance. All these groups will be performing thoughout the day. So make sure you come along between 12.00 and 5.00 for performances and also workshops with The Force, Spritzer and Clout.

I am now just finishing the final programme and making sure that everything will run smoothly. Hope to see you all there at Richard Herrod Playing Fields. And bring your dancing shoes!

Update

2010-08-13T03:43:00.000-07:00

Hello!

So I haven't blogged in a while - it seems that there is lots happening with Youth Dance at the moment! I've been getting stuck into lots of the programmes and meeting lots of young people who are taking part, which is great. I was lucky enough to get a trip to Berlin to see the exchange between Flying High Youth Dance Company from Nottingham, and TanzZeit Youth Dance Company from Berlin. It was so fantastic to see everyone learning from each other, not only being creative in the studio, but also learning about other cultures. Florian and the group were very welcoming and provided a brilliant learning experience for all.

So what's been happening in the office....

We've had more interns to give us a hand, including Lewis who provided a fantastic evening at Quake. We have had some of our YDE Stride! participants co-ordinating stamping ground and programming the days as part of their Gold Arts Award. Both Miriam and Emma provided two very successful days. They pulled lots of people in their tents and created a lively and vibrant atmosphere for all. Well done you guys!!

The youth team are working hard with the next part of the international exchange, signature pathfinder programmes, regional and national programmes(check out the Young Creatives!), and we also very excited to have new students starting on the CAT programme in September!

The producing team are busily underway planning nottdance, sharings, tours, CPD events, and the autumn programme at Lakeside - check it out - www.lakeside.org.uk. Sarah is currently working on an exciting improvisation afternoon at the Fringe festival in Edinburgh -how exciting! She is currently occupied by Zoo animals....

I leave you pondering on that one!

Oh and if you hadn't already noticed we have new branding, swit swoo!

Kirsten x

stamping ground @ Riverside Festival this week!

2010-08-03T06:58:00.000-07:00

It’s the week of Riverside Festival and I’m busy in the office getting ready for a fun-filled weekend. On Saturday 7 August we have the Stamping Ground dance tent running between 12.30 and 5.30, jam packed with a range of dance performances, it’ll be an exciting day for our budding young audience! On Sunday we have another tent as part of Yaya’s section of the festival, this too promises to be engaging and thrilling with its wide range in dance performances and workshops.

I’m just writing up the final programme and it’s looking brilliant, with artists and youth groups from all over the East Midlands, it really is un-missable!!

With Audiofeat from Derby, Nottingham’s Spritzer, Independent St Carnival Troupe, Dance4’s CAT, Kesha Raithatha from Leicester and many more East Midlands acts making our programme burst with talent!

Dance4 office male population in decline...

2010-07-22T05:53:00.000-07:00

Today is one of those days where one chapter ends and another opens within my life. OR in other words, its my last day at Dance4.

Yes today is my final day in the office and tomorrow I will be graduating, praying that I don’t trip over in my robes in front of a lot of people!

I have had a wonderful time here at Dance4 and would like to say a massive thank you to Claire and Paul and everyone for giving me this amazing opportunity. Everyone here has been so welcoming and friendly and it will be sad to leave. I’ve never worked in an office before, and the first few weeks were a bit bizarre. Too scared to answer the phone and then when I did, how do you transfer a call? Where is the printer, in fact how do you even print? Then there is all the tea. I work in a very busy bar and even I could never keep up with the enormous rounds of hot drinks required to keep this small but incredibly important office ticking over.

However this all soon past and soon I was neck deep in all things Quake which I absolutely loved. Working on this project allowed me to gain invaluable experience of the industry, all the stuff they don’t teach you at Uni! The night was a complete success and all the positive feedback we received confirmed to me that this is what I want to do with the rest of my life.

So what now? Well after tomorrow I plan to go back home in Devon and spend some quality time relaxing and catching up with the family. I hope the weather holds out! Then in September I’m going back to Uni as a postgraduate student studying on the Cultural Events Management MA at DMU, so I still get be a student for a little while longer!

Right, so now its time to say goodbye properly and to once again say a massive thank you to everyone at Dance4. Good luck with all the up and coming projects guys and you will definitely be seeing me soon!

Lewis

xxx

Miriams stamping ground experience....

2010-07-12T04:01:00.000-07:00

It was Eastwood Family Funday on Saturday 10^th July which was programmed by myself as part of Stamping Ground, Dance4’s annual festival programme of free dance performances and workshops for young people and their families. It was a lovely scorching day and the crowds flocked out for the Funday. We had a huge number of audiences and workshop participants and through their feedback it seemed like they really enjoyed themselves! We had energetic Asian dance performed by Asian Flava, a dance company from the West Midlands, some contemporary and old skool jazz fusion from Clout Youth Dance Company as well as a fun and vibrant workshop. We also had a solo street dance performance and workshop performed and led by Kieran Taylor and finally we had a solo performance by Ben Eagles which was influenced by Gene Kelly. It was a brilliant day and I loved planning it!

I am in the office today to go through the post show events and reminiscing on a wonderful day where dance was presented in a lovely park with an sensational buzz and atmosphere. It was great and I would like to thank Linzi Gibbs, Assistant Producer Dance4 and all of the Dance4 office for their help and support. Thank you :)

Creative and Cultural Products

2010-07-07T04:19:00.000-07:00

Via The Creative Apprentice

film courtesy of Andrew Bell

Today I went out to get a bunch of Stamping Ground t-shirts printed [Stamping Ground's summer starts this Saturday!]. So, I bought a bunch of blank vests and tees and hauled them over to get printed on.

Amid the t-shirt talk, I was reminded about a crazy cool t-shirt printing company me and a few friends started while we were in school. It was terrible and hilarious and filled with scissors and virtual trips to cheap wholesalers on the internet. It also marked the initial foray into customer/consumer interaction and consultation [obviously aside from my extremely important stint as a Saturday girl at a local cafe].

Going along the subject of the value and quality of creative and cultural products, that I touched upon yesterday following a session at college, it's important that what you present holds true integrity. As consumers [intellectual or physical], we have the right to fully scrutinise what we are investing in. And we should. The shame comes when people don't realise they have that right, or worse, when they choose to ignore it. You only live once, so you may as well strive to experience, seek out and appreciate quality.

You know, it's these cultural products and services that give dramatic value to society. Able to present ideas, interpretations and views of reality and the world around us, they challenge the stable and static views of humanity and interject a sense of wonder and fluidity, change and movement. They provide an abstract education that may not be achieved elsewhere and can garner a sense of community that perhaps transcends physical boundaries.

If only we had known how to properly construct our product and actually learn how to screen print. It would vastly reduce the amount of huge messed up t-shirts that occupy the bottom of my wardrobe.

NB: Pretty Rough are a design collective from Glasgow. If you want to know how screen printing works, then check out their nifty short film above.

And one more thing! For information on Stamping Ground visit www.dance4.co.uk/stampingground10.php. If you want to seek some quality work presented by the next generation, then get yourselves over. It should be fantastic!

7 days to go...

2010-07-02T03:29:00.000-07:00

A massive well done to Hetain, Mark and Dave for their amazing performance of TEN last night at Lakeside. Sarah and I left the show in deep philosophical thought as we rode the bus back into town,….something along the lines of fake tan, skin bleaching and self-destructive incorrect perceptions people have…a powerful piece!

Next up, Dance4 and Deda presents QUAKE

We are all very excited here at Dance4 with next weeks platform event in Derby. There is absolutely everything going on from typewriters and ladies in Red to birds, crows films and pennies. Intrigued? I know I am!

Finally preparations are being put into place as we speak (basically me spending a lot of money on the D4 credit card), so be sure to pop along for a fantastic evening of new and up and coming work!

Lewis

Hold Tight for QUAKE

2010-06-25T02:01:00.000-07:00

Exciting times in the Dance4 office with only two weeks to go until Quake rocks the foundations of Deda!

Already confirmed are an array of diverse and innovative artists who will be taking over the venue in Derby as they invite you to explore, question and celebrate what dance is from the moment you step inside.

There are still a few more tricks up our sleeve so hold tight for a full line up to be revealed imminently with work taking place in the theatre, both studios, the foyer, cafe and more!

For more information please visit

www.dance4.co.uk

www.deda.uk.com

or email

lewis@dance4.co.uk

Miriams First Day as stamping ground intern

2010-06-14T06:13:00.001-07:00

Hello I am Miriam Prever and I recently took part in Youth Dance England’s Stride which is a programme that helps young people passionate about dance, learn and explore career opportunities within the dance sector. Dance4 helped the other Stride members and me to learn about appreciating a performance because there is more then just the dancers -
there is the lighting, music and all the pre and post show events etc. I am doing my Gold Arts Award as part of YDE Stride and my placement finds me organising a dance tent as part of Dance4’s stamping ground at Eastwood Family Funday on Saturday 10th July 2010. The Funday is being organised by Broxtowe Borough Council.

First day at the Dance4 offices. Very exciting and my first time working in an office environment. It seems really friendly Today I am working on contacting companies I would like to perform so I can put my programme together. I am also working on the Stamping Ground Event Sheet, looking at the staffing document and looking through the workshop risk assessments which I will need to have with me on the actual day(Saturday 10th July) to tick off all the important safety aspects needed to make performances and workshops run smoothly.

This is a fantastic opportunity and I am really excited to plan the day and for the actual day itself.

Newbie in the office

2010-06-12T12:01:00.001-07:00

Hello Bloggers,

My name is Lewis and I am the latest ‘male’ addition to the Dance4 office-slowly getting there guys!

Its been years since I’ve blogged and im inspired to carry on once I’ve gotten this one out of the way. So a little more about me…

Im 23, originally from Devon, but now happily settled in the East Midlands where I love to indulge in my passions of music, culture, art, dance and marmite. I drink about 6 cups of tea a day and have a slight obsession with biscuits and useless kitchen gadgets.

I’m interning at Dance4 as I try to decipher what on earth to do with the rest of my life and one thing is for sure its dance related! -So at least I’m generally going in the right direction. I have just completed 3 fantastic years at DMU and am excited about where my next steps will take me.

Im currently helping Claire out on Quake, our amazing choreographic platform that will be taking place in collaboration with Deda in Derby on July 9th. I suggest you pencil this one in guys as it’s looking like one hell of a show! Currently with what appears to be a a strong female dominated line-up of regional, national and international artists I am VERY excited to see how the night will go down with other dance buffs!

Thats about it for now, keep an eye out for more updates on Quake, me or any Dance4 gossip I can mange to slip through on to here!

:D

Baby news

2010-04-30T03:01:00.000-07:00

Just a quick hello from me!

Some good news - Steph has now had a lovely baby boy! Mum and Son are both doing well. And we are all excited to meet the new arrival soon - well done Steph!

We are soon to hold our CAT auditions and last applications are arriving today. I'm excited for the auditions next week and hope to meet our future CAT students!

We are all enjoying having Robin in the office too, and liking his love of crazy dance and his Kate Bush music selection!

Need I say more?

Kirsten x

Hello everyone!

2010-04-27T05:58:00.000-07:00

This is my first blog ever, how very exciting!

Steph's maternity leave has caused a domino effect in the office as a few seats shift to new positions. This re-giggling results with Kirsten taking on Steph's position as an Assistant Producer and I take on Kirsten's previous role as Administrator.

So...... allow me to me introduce myself. I'm Robin and the new administrator for Dance4. It’s really nice to meet you all. :)

I’m very fortunate to be able to see Dance4 from a newbie’s perspective. Dance4 has a really generous and talented team. I’m not just saying this just because I’m new and wanting to earn bonus points, everyone in the office has been really welcoming and helpful. I’d like to say a massive thanks to everyone in helping me adjust to the Dance4 way in this busy first month.

I’m also a newbie to Nottingham. I commute to Dance4 from Leicester and until recently my only adventures to Nottingham was to see bands play at "the old angel" pub. I now have a few more crucial paths to prime locations sorted, although rather embarrassingly I did find myself drastically lost last week as I ventured out into the unknown. A forty-minute walk down the road turned into a brisk hour and a half track as in successfully managed to loose all map reading skills. I guess it will take a little bit longer for me to get my bearings around town.

Nottingham is great, there always seems to be something exciting on or planned. I’m looking forward to seeing much more of it, ...... so if you see a short guy with floppy hair looking lost around Hockley give me a wave.

Robin

A Strategic Plan

2010-04-26T07:51:00.000-07:00

Love,

The Creative Apprentice

Update on Youth Dance!

2010-04-16T01:48:00.000-07:00

Hello!

So it's been a while since I last blogged and the reason for that is because there has been lots happening! I am just settling into my new role as Assistant Producer - Youth Dance (covering Steph's Maternity) and hiding in my little corner of the office surrounded in a jungle of plants that overtakes the desk - it's fab!

Last week was one of my busiest, yet best weeks at Dance4. Youth Dance certainly took over as we had a weeks intensive for the CAT students, YDE Stride! and CAT open workshops!

I was blown away by the talents and creativity of young people all week, and it was so rewarding to see all the young people so enthusiastic and energetic about what they were doing. So a fantastic week was had by all - well done everyone!

Of course plenty more to be getting on with, but just before I go we have a new addition to the team - Robin - our new Administrator. Welcome Robin!

Keep you posted soon folks,

Kirsten x

Team time out

2010-03-26T13:50:00.000-07:00

Nice to have a bit of down time with the team today, after a really hectic period lasting ... oh at least since Christmas.

As well as celebrating two birthdays, it was time to say 'au revoir' to Steph who's off on maternity leave. We nearly had to offer her her own sofa at lunch as her wonderful bump is near basketball size now - she looked fantastic though. Good luck Steph and bring the baby in for cuddles soon!

Also we said goodbye to Mary who's been a massive help at Dance4 over the last few weeks, supporting the CAT students adventure in Birmingham and helping out with all and sundry in the office. Thanks Mary and we wish you well in all the wonderful things your career is bound to bring.

Rachel

U.Dance East Midlands

2010-03-15T01:57:00.000-07:00

Hello!

So it was U.Dance East Midlands at Curve in Leicester yesterday evening and what it treat it was! Some of the best youth dance groups from the East Midlands took part in a phenominal showcase of dance including some street dance, hip hop, ballet, contemporary, south Asian dance, and break dance. There was even some improvisation happening around the building appearing between the crowds of proud parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles etc. The poi artists outside and the procession of Dhol drums and dancing led the audience into the auditorium, and was a really exciting start to the evening!

So much effort and hard work had clearly been put into the pieces performed and U.Dance East Midlands proved how much talent there is in the East Midlands! Well done to Linzi and Sarah for all their hard work of planning and organisation - you really did do yourselves proud! Also well done to the rest of the team and volunteers for all their hard work and effort on the day - it was super!!

So what's next in the youth dance calendar I hear you say......

Well we have our Centre for Advanced Training (CAT) open workshops coming up soon! We will be recruiting for new students to start in September this year. Please see dates and venues below if you would like to come to a free open workshop and get a flavour for what it's like to be in CAT! Book your place in advance.

Northamptonshire, University College Northampton
Sunday 28 March
To book call Northants Dance on 01604 233122

Derbyshire, Déda
Thursday 8 April
To book call Déda on 01332 370911

Nottinghamshire, New Art Exchange
Friday 9th April
To book call Dance4 on 0115 941 0773

Lincolnshire, Meridian Leisure Centre
Sunday 18 April
To book call Lincolnshire Dance on 01522 811 811

We would love to see you there!

Application forms are now available on our website www.dance4cat.co.uk - deadline 30 April. Auditions will be on 9 and 16 May.

Keep you updated soon!

Kirsten x

An exciting time...

2010-02-17T07:20:00.000-08:00

So, we've had a very exciting couple of weeks here at Dance4 with episodes2010 taking to the Playhouse stage and Improvisation Congregation bringing together an amazing mix of improvisers for a very special one off performance.

For those of you who weren't able to make it along to these events, here's my thoughts on both performances......

Managing episodes2010 was a bit of manic experience for me, which meant that between getting groups ready, helping the technical staff and making sure everything was running smoothly, I didn't get to see many of the pieces. I might leave it up to one of my colleagues who were actually in the audience to tell you about what they saw, but I can tell you that the atmosphere, both backstage and on the audience, was electric - it was such an exciting and exhilarating weekend, seeing over 300 young people perform on a professional stage, many of them for the first time! Alongside all of the amazing youth groups, Vernon Coaker, MP for Gedling and Minister for Schools and Learners, came to the Friday night's performance and opened the event with an inspiring few words.

And then a week later we were at the Congregational Hall, a disused church building in the city centre, for an improvisation evening as part of the city council's Light Night. Improvisation Congregation was a beautiful magical evening with some surprising and unexpected moments (particularly the organ playing and rude gestures to Arts Council staff!!).

Look at for images of both events appearing on our Flickr and Facebook pages soon!!!

Cheerio!

Helen x

Exciting times!

2010-02-01T01:44:00.000-08:00

Hello!

So it's been a while since I last blogged, and so much has happened! The platform at Nottingham Contemporary was fab, what a great space and an interesting building. Wendy Houstoun's Keep Dancing, brought the space alive with striking imagery and witty humour. A very mesmorising piece with layers of depth....I could have watched it for hours. Although, my favourite piece of the weekend was New Art Club's Big Bag of Boom. Just a big giggle the whole way through. It was great to see a mixture of work from previous pieces, and I love the audience interaction. It's makes me feel like I want to join in (especially when Pete is doing his crazy eighties dancing - classic!)

This weekend was also a busy one, as Vanessa and I travelled to Leicester to meet applicants for the YDE Stride! programme. The young people turned up with bags of intelligence and enthusiasm - which was fab!! They will all be joining us on the jam packed residential in April where they will learn lots about careers in the dance sector and get to meet some very experienced guest speakers.

Next weekend... well you should already know...episodes10!! Very exciting times for us here at Dance4, so we hope you will share our enthusiasm in all that is happening!

Keep you posted,

Kirsten x

Coming soon...

2010-01-28T08:18:00.000-08:00

As January comes to a close, things definitely aren't getting any quieter in the world of Dance4!

At the end of next week, the mega excitement that is episodes2010 arrives at Nottingham Playhouse. Our annual youth dance platform for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, will see over 300 young people taking to the playhouse stage over next Friday and Saturday evening. Some of the Dance4 team have been visiting groups over the last few weeks, having a sneak peak at some of the work being presented and I can assure you that it's an event not to be missed! From superheroes to the Holocaust through an amazing journey of contemporary dance, street, hip-hop and ballet, episodes will be showing the very best of youth dance from across the county.

Get your tickets (very soon as they're selling like hot cakes!) from the Nottingham Playhouse Box Office on 0115 9419 419 and visit www.dance4.co.uk/episodes to find out more details and see who's performing.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Helen

Dance4 Presents….an electrifying weekend of performances

2010-01-28T03:35:00.001-08:00

The office are currently recovering from a very busy weekend – presenting work in the performance space at the city’s new international art centre, Nottingham Contemporary. The mission: test the performance space.

We kicked the weekend off with Wendy Houston’s Keep Dancing. Where visions of Wendy thrashing around in a very sparkly dress in front of a mammoth projection of fascinatingly old archive footage, are still swimming in my head. The piece made for a very slick first ever live performance in the space.

Saturday saw Nottingham’s public thrilled by Nicola Conibere’s The Beckoning and the Escapades, a playful installation where the entry and exit of audience members to the space prompts the performers to introduce and remove an array of theatrical elements – from disco balls to sunglasses, electrical fans to stage lights.

Day three of the performances saw new ideas and experiments from three artists – New Art Club, Guy Dartnell and Gabriele Reuter. Audiences were taken into their working process through discussion, feedback and sneaky peaks at new work, in development.

In all, a very jam-packed, eclectic and electrifying weekend, which has left my mind reeling and fuelled my urge to both see and to orchestrate more live performance in the city….

Laura Cherry: My week placement at Dance4

2010-01-21T04:28:00.000-08:00

So as I am approaching the end of my week placement at Dance4, I am just going to take the time for a reflection of my valuable experience here. Since I arrived on Monday, I have been swept off my feet and really impressed with the amount of hard work and creativity that goes into the organisation of Dance4. It really made me fully aware of exactly how much effort it takes to run an organisation of this scale. Being in my final year of dance performance at Middlesex University, the placement has been really beneficial as it gives a real eye opener as to what goes on in the professional world and all the hard work behind the scenes of the productions. The staff have been extremely welcoming and have given me support whenever needed. I have been really busy organising several things for the performances this weekend hosted by Dance4 at the brand new Nottingham Contemporary. I have been creating and printing programme notes, liasing with artists, calling guests for attendence, and helping with the box office at the weekend.As a fan of experimental dance, I am particularly excited to be working on the show for artists such as Wendy Houstoun and New Art Club. On my return back to London, I feel that I will be taking back a really insightful and beneficial placement which will hopefully aid the knowledge of my future career in dance!

Dance4 Presents

2010-01-11T01:39:00.000-08:00

Check out the latest showreel for Dance4 Presents... - Very Exciting!!

Happy 2010!

2010-01-05T03:57:00.000-08:00

Hello!

Happy New Year to you all! Hope you've all had a very merry Christmas with lots of lovely food and lots of laughter. After indulging in the Christmas festivities, we are now back in the office, beavering away on lots of exciting projects for this year. Coming up very soon is our January Platform Dance4 Presents... which will be taking place at the new Nottingham Contemporary. Details are on our website - http://www.dance4.co.uk/Dance4presents.php

The office move around has finally taken place and Linzi and Helen are enjoying their new window seats! Although, i think I heard that there was a pigeon lurking outside this morning!! We are now awaiting Laura, our new marketing and communications manager, who will be starting next week. I'm sure everyone has lots for her to do already!

Lets hope 2010 will be a fantastic year for us all!

Kirsten x

Sneinton Christmas Market

2009-12-18T04:53:00.000-08:00

Join us tomorrow! Sneinton Christmas Market!

10.00am-4.00pm

We'll be at the market tomorrow morning representing everything Dance4 related.
Plus, we've invited some people down to perform that we think you may enjoy...

The Force
12.30-12.45

Maison Foo
1.15-2.45

Not only that, but you can expect more festive goodness from:
Hatch: Santa's Grotto with Meg Tait
SHRUG ladies
SEND Art Jam
cratfy Christmas gifts
and much more.

The night will then continue with Annexinema screenings in Bath Street shop window...

We hope to see you there.
Wrap up warm!

Can you guess who it is yet?!

2009-12-18T04:34:00.000-08:00

For our Dance4 Secret Santa which each had to devise a limerick about the person receiving the gift. Some more clever than others - can you guess who it is?

A girl that rarely gets mad,
So our love for her is more than a fad,
Then she went away,
To the NDTA,
And made Sance4 oh so sad!

They don't come to work on a bus
For this we could make a big fuss
They once were so small
Now they're nothing at all
Put onsome wirght tiny puss

There was a young lady from Devon
Whose smile sent most guys to Heaven
She's got sparkly eyes
And eats steak and ale pies
And rarely goes to bed before 11

She's young, she's willing and able
She's a pleasure to have at our table
But doing her course
Is like riding a horse
She can't start til it's out of the stable!

To avoid a career in finance
She sought her employment in dance
But some book keeping followed
Expenses she swallowed
All executed with sheer elegance

A lady who cares for her hair
And a passion for style and flair
Of course there's no other
Don't mess with this mother
Is that something I smell in the air?

There was a Nottingham bird who loved tea
At tea break her lit up with glee
She's constantly going to the loo
Because she's drinking for two
And blooming gorgeous with it, you'll agree

? was a girl who liked a treat
And her taste buds predominantly sweet
With this secret gift
Fulfillment'll be swift
And her life will now be complete

There was a young woman called ?
who danced until she was doo-lally...
She'd leap and sh'd bend,
She'd spin & Extend
but only if diagonally!

Better than Delia, Nigella and Jamie
She really is the home baking lady
She knocked on our door
And came back to Dance4
Some more of those delicious beetroot muffins maybe?

I think that I'd better declare
This was bought in a state of despair
but i hope you will clap
with a gift to hold a snap
for our producer, ?

Merry Christmas!!!

Jane Sperinck - Newbie

2009-12-16T08:04:00.000-08:00

2 and a bit weeks of being back in the Dance4 office and I feel like I’ve never been away. Secret Santa, sing star (which I politely declined), Squeek lunch and chocolate beetroot muffins have all helped me to settle back into the team.

For the next two years, I’m going to be running the Dance4youth programme which aims to nurture, support and promote dance work with young people at risk in the East Midlands. I’ve been focussing on getting a picture of what has been happening with this work in the region and beyond. As well as making sure I have all the post-it notes and pencils that I need....

I’m really interested to know about any youth dance programmes that work with NEET young people or young offenders or those at risk of offending or young carers and any young person that would be seen as being hard to engage with mainstream activity or education. Get in touch if you think that I should know about your project - jane@dance4.co.uk.

Jingle all the way...... Jane x

2009-12-16T07:21:00.000-08:00

Check out QMX! They will soon be performing at episodes2010 in February! To get your tickets call the Nottingham Playhouse on 0115 941 9419.

Festive feelings

2009-12-10T05:04:00.000-08:00

Hello and best festive wishes to you all!

I'm getting in the Christmassy spirit by eating crakers and Wendsleydale cheese with cranberries at my desk! mmmmm....Wow only one full week left before we leave for the holidays. However, as Rachel said the office is still buzzing and we have yet again, another office move around! That is everyone to move but me - so i get to keep my nice big desk, now facing Claire's lovely face instead of Linzi's. (Going to miss you Linz!) Claire: Beware of my head popping up now and again, maybe with a few objects to make you laugh too!

For those of you that havn't met Claire yet, she will be joining us very shortly as our Producer. As a self confessed Technophobe I will be encouraging her rise to the challenge and Blog, Blog, Blog so she can tell you all the exciting things she has been to see. I have a feeling she may take some persuading though!.... I'll work on it...

Quite a few of us went to the YDE Lauch yesterday which was very insightful and inspiring. We saw some amazing performances from some young people, and got to hear about their experiences and thoughts on dance opportunities. It really is great to hear the voices of the young people speaking out and giving a real account of what it's like for them. To see them so passionate really sent the people watching home with a smile on their face.

So well done to all the young people who performed yesterday, and continue to enjoy dance!

Catch you guys before Christmas!

Kirsten

PS Hello Lithuania!

Things to do before Xmas

2009-12-09T15:10:00.001-08:00

How come the list of things to do before Xmas just keeps getting longer, shouldn't it be the other way around? It's all go at Dance4 with new team members in the office, architects' submissions piling up, Gabi Reuter in the studio, and loads more besides.

Still, with the office having a proper shut-down for two weeks from 22 December, we should have time to recover and come back fresh for 2010.

To see us before we go, come down to our stall at the Sneinton Xmas market on Saturday 19 December - there's live performance, artists groups, food and drink and a chance to talk about the future of Sneinton Market Square. Hope to see you there.

Rachel

P.S. Like the last post - is there anywhere that guy won't dance?

GOLD

2009-12-08T07:18:00.000-08:00

BOOMBOX from Ely Kim

Love from The Apprentice
......ahaha
X

A sad day :-(

2009-12-04T01:54:00.000-08:00

Well what a week we've had in the sunny Dance4 office......

To start with there was the argument over the iconic Dance4 Christmas tree (which has subsequently "broke" in some suspicious circumstances) and the return of the lovely Jane Sperinck as Youth Dance Inclusion Manager complete with chocolate and beetroot muffins.

As the week's continued we've met our new Communications & Development Manager and yesterday welcomed Claire Hicks, our new Producer into the Dance fold, starting with a huge staff meeting - we'll soon new a bigger meeting room table!!

But all this excitement has been shrouded in an air of sadness, as today marks the departure of Anna Mansell, our long standing Communications & Development Manager, to an exciting new life in Cornwall. Whilst we're all extremely jealous of her relocation to the seaside, she will be deeply missed. But whilst she's still at her desk for the next few hours we'll be squeezing every droplet of wisdom we can out of her, before we head to jam cafe for a big lunch and an even bigger present for her! And then we'll start booking our seaside weekends in her spare room! See you soon Anna xxx

Hark! The Dance4 bells are ringing!

2009-12-01T07:34:00.000-08:00

So all in the merry Dance4 office are suddenly getting a wee bit christmassy...decorations are up, christmas tunes are aplaying, lords are leaping...

In the midst of the merryness, were all beginning to work on our new projects. Many a new challenge to be had - new business plan and all. So as a shiny new assistant producer, I'm beginning work on U.Dance East Midlands (the regional youth dance platform) with many a surprise up my sleeve...

As well as an international commission for young people which I'm even more excited about than christmas:)

Come dance ye merry regional young people....

Our spectacular skating!

2009-11-24T06:12:00.000-08:00

2009-11-20T07:14:00.000-08:00

Hi!

It's me again. I think some more of our other staff members need to write on here! (hint, hint) I am very excited today as most of the team are getting together for celebrations this evening. As it is Jen and Becky's leaving do, we are wishing them good luck with their newest endeavors by 'nottskating'! Oh yes, we so called dance people will be performing Bambi on Ice this very evening on the Market Square's outdoor ice rink! We will have our very own Anna Mansell judging our performance at this spectacular event...who knows who will be the secret skater. My bets are on Jen - the snow boarding/running Queen.

I am planning on being snap happy and capturing some of the best moments on camera for you to have a good old giggle at. That's if I don't spend most of my time picking myself up off the floor!

So why we are having fun and laughter on the ice, Paul is off working in Brussels. Although, no sympathy and lots of jealousy as he is off to see Les SlovaKs and Kate McIntosh! Hopefully he will fill us in when he gets back.

Have a good weekend and enjoy the ice rink if you're going too!

Kirsten x

Nottingham Contemporary

2009-11-17T01:40:00.000-08:00

Hello!

So, I went to see Nottingham Contemporary on Saturday...and...I loved it! The space was so beautifully airy and light. The windows framed the surrounding area of the city so well, and they invite passers by to observe the art, the building and the people inside it. The David Hockney collection of work was brave and bold, but my time was mostly spent observing the work of Frances Stark. I found her work textually fascinating and the detail in her work could keep me interested for hours.

So what else is new?

Well, Sarah and I have now devised a Friday Feeling feature on Dance4's facebook pages, where we will be interviewing one person each week who enters our building. Check it out - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dance4/33998758177#/pages/Dance4/33998758177?v=app_2347471856

As Helen mentioned my time is now being taken up learning numbers! Yes, so far I have had the pleasure of VAT. Something that I'm not usually familiar with, but I think I may be getting there? (slowly!)

And...we also have a new teapot! Courtesy of Miss Becky Bailey (AKA Marasaki for some of us!) Our love of tea goes on. We also had a MASSIVE box of chocolates, however, they seem to have disappeared already..hhmmm...???

The sun is shining in on the Dance4 office and people are looking fresh and sprightly this morning. Everyone is getting to grips with a exciting new programme, and are looking forward to new arrivals in the office very soon.

That's all for now folks.

Keep us updated on what you're up to on our facebook pages!

Kirsten x

2009-11-12T05:35:00.000-08:00

So here's a little update on life at Dance4: Becky's trying to be healthy by eating salad and complaining about avocado, the festival team have been evaluating over blueberry pancakes at Paul's and Kirsten's trying to find some joy in the world of VAT!

On a more exciting note, on Tuesday we had our first meeting with the leaders of youth groups performing at episodes10 - our annual youth dance platform for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. We met at Nottingham Playhouse (where the groups will be performing in February) and had a chance to look around the space before sitting down with a cuppa to talk about the nitty-gritty. It was really exciting to be in such an amazing venue and hearing the group leaders chat about the young people involved and the pieces they'll be creating over the next few months. It's going to be an amazing show, so keep an eye out for more details soon.

And on that note, better sort out some parent consent forms now!

Cheerio

Helen x

Lists!

2009-11-06T04:34:00.000-08:00

So...it's Friday...and it's unusually quiet in the office today. I've just enjoyed reading your blog Sarah and I'm sure everyone else will agree what a delight it is to have you in the office! I'm guessing I am in the group of the list obsessors! You must agree, the satisfaction of ticking of something off on your list is one of the greatest, but simplest things in life. Especially when it's the last thing on your list, as it's the end of all your tasks. So, of course, then it's time to make another list! So the list of lists becomes endless! See...OBSESSION.

Kirsten x

PS. I'm sorry, forgive me, it's Friday.

CA - Part One: Before

2009-11-03T04:16:00.000-08:00

It’s just over a month and a half since I started at Dance4 as Creative Apprentice. And it’s just over a week since the end of nottdance09. Strange that. So much has happened in my time here that it seems a little bit weird to try and sum it all up in blog entry.

While I’m sure you’d love to hear about my first couple of weeks, and how I majestically learnt how to deal with a stubborn printer, how I ceremoniously used a franking machine by my own accord, or how I (semi-) mastered the art of the tea round (all very impressive, I think you’ll agree), we’ll stick to the good stuff. The meaty stuff. nottdance09.

Right now, the office is pretty still, oddly still; my only real experiences of working in Dance4 are a flurry of new names and faces entering the place, artists from around the world in the studios rehearsing, dates and meetings flung into my (seriously) tiny diary, people in and out delivering props, branded material and the like (umbrellas anyone?).

Some of the most interesting things pre-festival, were simply having the artists around. One of them using the space asked for our musical suggestions for his piece, and after having a sharing, a couple of tracks were definitely recognised (a proud moment for all involved…).

Helping/shadowing the orchestration of other projects and working on licensing were (probably secretly, definitely geekily) enjoyed by yours truly. It was also kind of comforting to know there were other people out there who had my obsession with lists. These things were flying everywhere.

I feel pretty lucky and extremely thankful. Soaking up everything I can, and learning as much as is possible, is why I’m here after all. And I like it.

Your Creative Apprentice,

Sarah X

PS – I apologise for all the brackets. Be prepared for more.

Wow.....

2009-10-28T07:11:00.000-07:00

So this was my first nottdance as part of the festival team and cor blimey, what a remarkable 10 days we had!! I can't remember when I last experienced such a crazy range of emotions, from laughing until my belly hurt at New Art Club on the launch night, eating so much food at the wonderful Jam cafe that I felt quite ill, losing my breath after joining the Dance4 'running man' crew at Broadmarsh Shopping Centre, crying at Rosie Dennis talking about paradise to her decoy duck, enjoying an early morning walk through the city centre with Bodies in Flight, gaining so much respect and admiration for the local Sneinton residents performing in Street Dance and finally putting on my heels and dancing the night away at our Neolonga! I feel in love several times over the festival, with so many charming, beautiful and inspiring performances..... what a wonderful wonderful festival!!

Let the planning for 2010 begin.....

Helen x

2009-10-28T02:52:00.000-07:00

A lovely stroll through Sneinton streets, kicking up the leaves and watching some visual insights into the lives of the locals- what a delightful way to spend a Sunday afternoon with my little one. He was captivated throughout Street Dance and laughed in all the right places.

Les SloVaks was just wonderful can't wait for another dose when they next visit the UK.

Rosie's snow dome tale left me sadly reminiscent, yet warm and satisfied. Very ready for a snowy festive season...

Can't wait for nottdance's 21st birthday next year- it'll be my 12th experience of it!

Steph x

Last piece of nottdance

2009-10-27T13:30:00.000-07:00

It was a great last day, but the very last piece - TEN by Hetain Patel - turned out to be a true highlight of nottdance09. The performers created an effortless transition from the light informal approach of the start to a serious, beautiful and moving finale. Their natural sincerity combined with great technical skills was always captivating to watch, even at the end of a long day.

Thanks to those onstage and off who worked on this piece for such a brilliant experience. I hope lots more people get to see it!

Rachel

Oblivia will stay with me for a while..

2009-10-27T08:32:00.000-07:00

You look good! OOh yeahhhhh! Wooop! Looking good!

Kirsten x

The party has come to the end...

2009-10-27T07:42:00.000-07:00

So here we all find ourselves, in the midst of post-festival blues. Post adrenaline, post excitement, post artists and events and beers and dialogue. Post nottdance. Feels like a bit of a sad place to be. It's like clearing up at the end of a mad party.

Reflecting on the week, in my post-manic daze is, however a nice place to be. The momentum of the festival began in the grandeur of Nottingham's Council House Ballroom (and what a spectacular opening to the festival that was) and ended in Fat Cats Cafe Bar with an Argentinean Tango party. And the in between was pretty colossal I have to say, from breakjazz in the Broadmarsh (yes, nottdance got down with the kids) to visually rich multimedia performance and from 5 improvising SlovaKs to local Sneinton residents dancing on their street. nottdance had it all.

The festival team have laughed, cried, thought, ate, slept (and not slept), breathed, walked, watched, drank, talked, danced (and not danced) nottdance. But despite a huge wave of tiredness hitting the team, there is a real sense of achievement in the office.

nottdance felt extraudinary.

nottdance felt brave.

nottdance felt like a challenge, but it also felt human, honest.

Let the planning for next years begin!

Linzi

2009-10-24T02:45:00.000-07:00

Waking-up on final Saturday and trying not to feel a sense of loss at the festival coming to an end.... reminding myself to live in the moment.

Firstly I thought I just say that I'm so proud of the team at Dance4. The festival has been great, the energy and skills they have have had all the artists being effusive about their time with us. Thank you team.....

Les Slovaks - in short a great show. Full of fun and surprise the company of men led us through a delightful exploration of their bodies, their relationships whilst playing with the mood and response from the audience. A genius show that left us all wanting much more. The company then spent the rest of the night outside smoking.

Oblivia - a collaboration with Anna Krzystek this charming, but deeply sad show had us all laughing, cringing and dancing. To quote an audience member "I loved dancing in my seat to Tina Turner, felt sad with the movement motifs exploring the hype of celebrity, was hilarious"

Off to observe the workshop now. Many people arriving today to spend the final weekend with us. More soon

Bye blog

Paul

2009-10-21T00:54:00.001-07:00

Dear Blog,

Sorry it’s been a few days since my last entry. Life has been busy since we last met and the city of Nottingham has been drawing me away from you…… I’m back although only momentarily.

What can I say, the last few days have been some of the best dance experiences I’ve ever had in the UK. I’m bound to say that as Artistic Director of the festival, but there has been something special about the city coming alive with dance.

Miguel Pereira – an intense experience that I’m still processing. I originally saw this work earlier in the year in Madrid and although found it moving I was not prepared for experiencing it in a space that can do anything. In Madrid I saw it in a basement space, low ceilings and a poor PA meant the show was slightly more intimate, but by no means as intense and physically challenging. At Lakeside I was able to experience the work in such a way that emphasised the starkness of the work and created a sound scape that was literally moving, the audience was rocking, dancing or with fingers in ears whilst sub woofers under the auditorium had us all buzzing in our seats. Miguel certainly gave us an experience that was both primal and disobedient, but magical.

BreakJazz – had me dancing from the first moment. Great contributions from Break Jazz Company, Robert Hlyton, Hetain Patel and others, but mostly the open Jam made for the most memorable afternoon. Never before has Nottingham seen the sight of professionals dancing with toddlers and even the Dance4 team. Kirsten and I were the most adventurous of staff, but let me tell you that we all have a mean running man!!! The main surprise of the day was suddenly seeing my sisters partner come from the crowd and start moving. His locking and popping was genius. He was inspired by Breaking Convention this year and since has been doing the age old thing of rehearsing in the bedroom, dead proud! Dance Development in practice.

Rachel Krische and Robert Hylton – an opportunity for nottdance audiences and artists to see two virtuosic performers mesmerise us with their ability to challenge our views on dance, but do so with ease, care and gorgeous choreography. I’ve had some amazing feedback about both shows. Most of all I’m thrilled to have got to nottdance a piece that Dance4 commissioned 2 years ago and to support an artist that has a true gift that needs sharing with artists and audiences.

Rachid Ouramdane – I’m left wanting to see so much more and not because we were shortchanged, but because such a beautiful work should live for longer. A complex work that I’ve decided is like watching a car crash or falling over in the street. That moment when the world takes a breath, time slows down as your brain tells you something is about to hurt, well something did. There was a serenity of pace, but coupled with a frenetic structure and vast range of stimuli meant this work was a painful exploration of persecution, loss of identity and heritage, but gorgeous and deeply satisfying. One of the most intelligent, well produced and delicious performances I’ve seen. A real nottdance favourite for me. Rachid is coming back for sure.

Bodies in Flight – so so so pleased to have showcased this regional company within the festival. The early morning walk was a touching experience, one that genuinely made me consider my day, my surroundings and ensured that my horrendous experience of carrying a flag base for 20 mins earlier that morning was vanished from my pain brain. The show was an opportunity to take time to reflect on all those times we’ve thought about what our fellow commuters are thinking, where they’ve come from and going too, what brought them to this point in their lives. The performers sang to us, danced for us and gave us a serene early morning walk that I doubt I’ll have in Nottingham anytime soon. Thank you.

And lastly blog, let me tell you about Hatch. Remember us talking about the need to continue to grow our presence internationally as a voice and showcase for experimental practice, whilst at the same time wishing to acknowledge that we’re a local festival too and that we should ensure we build relationships to the local artist community, well that vision was brought to life last night. Broad Street hasn’t been that lively since the mid-90’s. On a Tuesday night there were hundreds of people walking the streets, grabbing a drink and an eclectic range of artistic experiences. Reckless Sleepers kicked off the evening with Pilots and what followed was the most incredible energy from artists presenting can-can, burlesque, holiday pic slide shows and much much more….. a treat of an evening that contributed to this years festival in style.

So dear blog, must go as have to twitter and iron yet more glad rags. Hope to see you soon.

Paul

Wonderful Weekend!

2009-10-19T02:35:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a weekend!!Where do I start...

Well Miguel Pereira's Doo was extraordinary. It had me captured from start to finish. I was encapsulated by his storytelling, filling my mind with colourful images. The rhythyms made by Pak were incredible and I loved the use of live sound being captured on stage and then played back in a incredible climax towards the end. It was almost an unbearable experience, but that challenged me to accept the sound intensity and this unique experience, which seemed to take control of me. It was absolutely incredible!!

Saturday was also brilliant! My mum and dad were up for the weekend to see the events so I gave them a real nottdance experience for the day and took them to the Breakjazz event, the double bill at Lakeside and to Jam Cafe afterwards.

The Breakjazz event was an absolute buzz. Chris, Valerie, Ras Happa and Hetain, put on a magnificent performance in the Broadmarsh centre, which drew a huge crowd. The open jam made it for me. The mixture of up and coming dancers and professionals made it really fun and the encouragement from the crowd was great! I was amazed by Clementine (Vanessa's gorgeous daughter) who can only just walk, yet was bouncing away to the music provided by Ras Happa! I think she may be one to watch! I also managed to throw in one my inverted headstands (it was a proud moment!hahaha), but I take my hat off to Paul who also threw down a brilliant freeze! - He's so down with the Kids!

The Rachel Krische and Robert Hylton double bill, was a fantastic mix. I was really fascinated by Rachel's process and her collaboration with Deborah Hay, and really appreciated the complexity of the performance and it's process. However, my favourite, and my parents favourite piece of the night was Robert's. He is such a beautiful performer and I was so drawn into the performance that I started to twitch when he moved! I think he has a real honesty to his performance, and his voice over allowed the audience in on his thought process adding to this. I loved the intricacy that was produced with his locking and popping, and could spend hours watching those tiny movements in the feet rippling up threw the body. I think the audience interaction worked well and think that he could really do more with this in the future.

Back at Jam me, Mum and Dad had a a great time talking to Robert and the team! It was a lovely relaxing atmosphere, with great food and conversation. I am definitely planning to go there more often! However, I did get slightly embarrassed when my Dad starting giving Robert Hylton some movement ideas!! Hahaha, the only dance my Dad has ever done is 'the bump' with my mum about 30 years ago, some bad 'Dad dancing', and he once tried to spin on his head after a few beers!

They would both like to thank everyone for a fantastic nottdance experience, and particularly the staff for being so lovely and so welcoming. They wish us all every success with the rest of the festival.

So... bring on the next week! See you there, Kirsten x

2009-10-16T06:11:00.000-07:00

The grand opening certainly lived-up to its billing. New Art Club were, as always, brilliant and made me and many others rather nostalgic for the 80's. Wig, eye liner and jumpsuit coming out at the weekend. Nottingham City Council House looked divine in nottdance09 pink and Dance4 logo was emblazon on Market Square with spinning gobo’s and giant pink flags. The responses to the show from all VIP’s have been gushing and nottdance09 certainly has got off to a great start!

Joining Kirsten for the search for Caramac, apparently need to start going to vending machines in Leisure Centres.

Paul

Festival Firsts!

2009-10-16T02:40:00.000-07:00

Hello! I'm excited to do my first blog! As mentioned below New Art Club were fabulous last night. I was actually crying with laughter at one point at Pete's classic 80's style dance moves, and one of my favourite parts was the old skool contemporary dance moves performed by Tom. We know we've all done them far too many times!! The audience interaction and quick witty remarks to the audience added the icing on the cake for me, and as New Art Club put it very in the NOW, NOW, NOW, NOW, NOW, NOW, NOW, NOW......brilliant start to the festival this year. One definitely to see if you missed it. Thank you Pete and Tom, and well done team!

Kirsten x

PS. I'm craving Caramac's now and Rachel says they still make them - I'm on a mission!

Opening of nottdance

2009-10-16T02:30:00.000-07:00

Felt very special to be at the Council House last night and all the pink branding and the transformation of the Ballroom looked amazing (thanks to all involved).

New Art Club always hits the mark for me but this was extra special - laughs, tears and lots of nostalgia. Loved those dance class moves and Tom's school jumper in particular!

Looking forward to the rest...

Rachel from Dance4

2009-10-16T01:38:00.000-07:00

I took my best buddies to see New Art Club last night who its fair to say don't really engage with Dance or the arts frequently and they loved it! Whilst watching the show I could see shadows of bouncing shoulders next to me to coincide with their bursts of laughter. I was itching to move and my feet didn't stop tapping to the music, then my heart sank as my fella was chosen for audience participation! It wasn't so bad he just got picked on for his poor Nottingham pronunciation!

We spent the rest of the night reminiscing about kids we hadn't seen since school- so the laughs kept coming even post show!

Thank Tom, Pete and nottdancexx

P.S. I'm going to search for my skipping rope later, not sure i could compete with you guys though!

A word from the director of Dance4…

2009-08-12T01:36:00.000-07:00

nottdance is 20 years old this year. For two decades, this annual international festival has been a platform to promote the work of artists who don’t classify their work as belonging to one particular art form, but instead challenge the boundaries of dance and performance.
The festival offers audiences, artists, promoters and fellow producers an insight into the work that Dance4 does throughout the year. We regularly support and commission artists to experiment with dance and performance, often inviting them to spend time in our small studio in Hockley. This dedicated choreographic workspace, hidden in the heart of Nottingham, provides a safe and secure place to explore, play, rehearse, devise and, sometimes, present their work. Through this kind of support, artists are able to develop their own practice and go on to produce great work that inspires, excites, amazes, challenges and entertains audiences in Nottingham, the UK, and around the World.

Our building has also been home for many other creative organisations from the city. These have included designers, photographers, filmmakers and perhaps most notably Reckless Sleepers, an internationally-respected theatre company who were responsible for finding and developing the space with Dance4 back in 1996. Now managed solely by Dance4, the building has a commitment to offering affordable space to both emerging and established artists and companies. We pride ourselves on it being a practical, working space for those who wish to be creative, accessible at any time of day or night, without the constraints that commercially focused buildings inevitably bring.

Considered as one of the only independent, artist-led spaces of its kind in the UK, our building is now a vital part of the dance ecology in the city, region and beyond. Many important artists have researched ideas and made work in our studio. These include Nigel Charnock, Jonathan Burrows, Wendy Houstoun, Déjà Donné, New Art Club, Bock and Vincenzi, Felix Ruckert, Willi Dorner, Goat Island, Gob Squad, Fin Walker, Hancock & Kelly, Thomas Lehmen and many, many more…

The list continues to grow, yet the demand for space far outweighs what we have available. For many years we’ve made the best of it, but now we need to think about the future. What could we achieve with more space? How could the community benefit from greater opportunities to take part, and how can we help them to see dance being made in their locality? How do we Dance4, further develop our unique position within the UK dance sector?

It’s become clear that in order to carry on working successfully, within both the sector and the wider creative industries, we need to seek alternative space; somewhere that will enable us to provide the very best conditions to explore and create dance, well into the 21st century.

Over recent years, Dance4 has been researching and campaigning for the development of a space that will fulfil this need and, in the last year we have been able to secure the support and partnership of key organisations. Following an initial feasibility study funded by Greater Nottingham Partnership (GNP) we’ve developed initial plans to build not simply a new space for Dance4, but a bigger vision - a creative production facility that will be the envy of cities across the UK and beyond. Currently called Nottingham Creative Village, the concept has already won the support of Nottingham City Council who recognise its potential to further their own regeneration commitments in and around Sneinton Market. Indeed, Nottingham Creative Village will be the cornerstone of the city’s next phase of cultural regeneration.

We have worked hard to position Dance4 as a leading creative organisation that can increase the reputation of Nottingham and the East Midlands as producers of great contemporary performance art. Nottingham Creative Village will provide Dance4 with three large purpose-built studios, artists’ workspace, artists’ temporary living space, offices and other vital resources for our archive and equipment. Additionally, the Village will be able to house up to 120 organisations on-site, providing over 300 jobs and generating over £7million into the economy of Nottingham and the region. It will enable Dance4 to stay at the forefront of international dance practice and will position Nottingham as a leader in attracting, supporting and retaining inspirational, creative talent.

So… now the hard work begins! We need to attract and secure investment from individuals, businesses, trusts, and foundations. We need to identify and commit to working with local, regional and where appropriate, national partners. We need to work with the wider project team and partners to develop an exemplary design.
Watch the website for all the latest news of the project, including ways that you can get involved. This is a bold new step for Dance4: it is as exciting and audacious as the work we support and promote. It should be magnificent.

Dance4 are now Blogging

2009-04-21T04:15:00.001-07:00

Hello friends

Today is the start of Dance4 blogging - sharing our world with a wider audience. We hope you'll join us on this journey.

Dance4 Team