Rathbone and Diverse Dance Annual Dance Showcase

On December 3rd  Friends and families came from far and wide to cheer on the dancers of Bite Back, Made2Dance and B Diverse at Diverse Dance’s  Annual Showcase for 2016 at Theatre SW4 in Clapham.

Some favourite pieces had been seen before and some were brand new, but they were all performed with skill and enthusiasm.

2016 has seen the Diverse Dance  groups perform at the busiest ever Lambeth Country Show and receive a commission from Nine Elms & Big Dance, which led to an integrated group performance on the iconic Big Dance Bus. We were also proud to have our dance film WAVE selected and screened at the Southbank Centre’s Unlimited Inclusive Youth Dance Platform.

This years show looked to international artists for inspiration and are excited to present their responses to Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s Rosas danst Rosas, along with Willi Dorner’s Bodies in Urban Spaces project.

Here are a few pictures captured by Sam Swainson

Getting back involved

Today the group continued to get back in to the swing of things after the Christmas break. After an upbeat warm up which got them moving they carried on from where they left last week and worked on their musical mirroring with thier  partners.

This showcased their team work and their listening skills. They didn't just have 1 partner but had to change several times which was a great showing of their level of understanding.

The task was a musical jamming task where they had to create movement based on the music they heard and respond and mirror thier partner. Slowly over a period of four songs they created a short sequence of movement which was then shared individually with the group.

Arts Award - Our Inspiration

The group were asked to do some research about the people that have inspired them creatively. Tonight some members shared who their inspirations are and why.

This young person chose the dance group Diversity and was inspired by their talent and the positive values of the group.

The group put a lot of hard work into their research and will build on the information they have collected week by week.

Arts Award

Today the group did some work towards their Arts Award.

The group members were creating thier own action cards, which were discussed in the last blog post.

They then had to translate their actions into movements 

This work will go towards the arts award which is an accredited qualification for the creative arts. 

Dance is back!

After an intense warm up the group started learning some new choreography. The new piece focuses on floor work and working with different levels.

The group really enjoys the new choreography and one of the members explained that it feels like a good workout for the body because it exercises lots of different muscles. He also likes the floor work because it allows him to explore a different kind of dance work.

The group then started to work with action cards:

These are cards which state an action, it is then up to the dancer to interpret the action cards however they want to.

Each card is numbered and when the number is called each member of the group has to perform their version of the action.

One of the members described watching the piece as 'different painters all painting the same portrait'.

Others found it a great way to experiment with new dance moves in an organic way.

Rehearsals continued...

Rehearsals for the diverse Christmas carol are in full swing this evening.

First the group had a meeting to discuss our progress and to talk about the upcoming technical and dress rehearsals at the Lost Theatre. Everyone got the opportunity to ask any burning questions and we discussed costumes. 

We also discussed rules to follow during the rehearsals and the show to ensure that everyone behaves appropriately. 

Then we got straight into rehearsals practicing Bollywood and South Anerican dances.

It's shaping up to be a great show on the 6th December so don't forget to get your tickets at the Lost Theatre in Vauxhall or call the box office on 0207 720 6897 or buy online at www.ticketweb.co.uk.

  

A Diverse Carol- The rehearsals

A Diverse Carol is going to be a journey through a variety of diverse cultures but with a Christmas twist.

One member of the group explains that 'rehearsals are going really well and everyone is working hard to remember their parts'

 Here the group are practicing some moves inspired by Bollywood, which is just one of the cultures represented within the show.

You will also see dances inspired by African, Chinese, Spanish, Brazilian, North American and Indian cultures. This is not a show to miss!

For info on dates, times and how to get hold of tickets just check the poster below.