Momentum Latest

Just Dance Free Easter Intensive Taster Classes in Street, Jazz and Contemporary Dance

2010-07-08T07:57:00+00:00

05 April 2010 - 13 April 2010

Train with industry professionals, take part in the Big Dance live events and gain real qualifications.

Just Dance is a dance performance and production training course offering chances to try out Jazz, Contemporary and Streetdance and to find out more about how to create events and produce theatre.

The Just Dance course offers awards and accreditations and will run on a weekly basis for 12 weeks.

For more information please contact Hazel Springer on 020 7361 2062 or hazel.springer@rbkc.gov.uk.

Registration deadline 10am on Tuesday 6 April.

When: Tuesday 6 April - Wednesday 14 April, 10.00am-3.00pm
Where: Tabernacle, Powis Square, London W11 2AY
Suitable for: Ages 13-19 from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, no previous experience required
Fee: Free

Are you dancing? We are definitely asking…

2010-03-19T06:59:00+00:00

The deadline is fast approaching to participate in the largest celebration of dance across the London of Borough of Brent’s Calendar. Brent Dance Month is part of the Big Dance 2010 initiative and is running in its third year. Big Dance 2010 is a week long series of events and activities celebrating all things dance in London during 3rd-11th July. A huge series of dance related events will be taking place at locations across London, and are provisionally planned to end with a dance extravaganza in Trafalgar Square.

So if you are dancing in Brent? Whether you are a dancer, practitioner, dance teacher, performer, choreographer, dance academy, school, youth club, supplementary school, health club, voluntary sector group or based at a community centre and you are holding a dance performance or showcase in July 2010, We want to know!

All ages can join in the fun during Brent Dance Month, with events and workshops taking place throughout the borough. Whether it’s ballroom or ballet, tap dancing or tango, there will be plenty to keep you moving for the month of July.

Be Part of the Brent Dance Month Offer and receive:

Free Listing in the Brent Dance Month 2010 program (10,000 printed copies)
Free Event listing on http://www.brent.gov.uk/whatson
Free Event listing on http://www.theseer.info
Free Event listing on http://www.brentbrain.org.uk
Free Event listing on http://www.momentumlondon.info
Activities highlighted in Brent Magazine
Promotion on JCDecaux boards in Brent
Receive free copies of the Brent Dance Month program
Inclusion in a initiative of growing local, regional and national stature
Promotion through the Festival’s public relations plan, Respect Festival, West London Partnership Momentum and Big Dance
Develop contacts with other organisations exploring dance in Brent

To download an expression of interest form go to http://www.brent.gov.uk/whatson and follow the links to the Brent Dance Month event page. The deadline for expressions of interest is Monday 22nd March 2010.

Active Aspiration’s Successful Dance Project

2009-06-24T08:00:00+00:00

Hypnotick becomes the 2009 UDO British Street Dance Champion and are now more unstoppable than ever!

Active Aspirations is a non-profit organization whose main objectives are: “to assist young people to follow their dreams and achieve their goals” in the words of one of the Directors, Tekla Galova.

Last February, the organisation took young people who perform under the name Hypnotick, to Pontins in Somerset to compete in the annual British Street Dance Championship. They were accompanied by Miss Galova and the lead choreographer Mr. Taofeeq (Taz) Sanusi. The group of young dancers absolutely mesmerized the jury and the visitors of the British Street Dance Championship. The jury was left with no choice but to grant the 2009
Championship Title to Hypnotick for their absolutely stunning performance.

As a visitor said: “It was amazing! There are plenty of dance groups, but you can see here that, Hypnotick is more than just a dance group, they aim to go much further!” This echoes with the vision of Miss Galova and Mr.
Sanusi “Our vision is deeper; the aim of this group is to get together young people from all walks of life and show that there can be no boundaries for people to work together and create something nice and positive”.

The group was founded only last year. The project started with only two dancers and managed to build up a group of 20 young talented dancers. With origins from around the world, Hypnotick is a truly multicultural group that represents the spirit of London right now. As Miss Galova and Mr. Sanusi say: “We believe in teamwork, regardless of the backgrounds. If people work together, they can create and achieve something great and
positive. Hypnotick is not only about dancing, it represents and promotes values, such as Love, Respect, Multicultural Integrity, Forgiveness, Individuality & Teamwork.”

We have so many exciting projects coming up including a workshop and performance at the launch of Brent Dance Month at Brent Respect Festival taking place Sunday 5th July 2009.

To join or get in touch please visit - http://www.hypnotick.org or http://www.activeaspirations.com and for further information on Brent Respect Festival and Brent Dance Month 2009 please go to http://www.brent.gov.uk/festivals. Or listen to Westside Radio 89.6FM from 3-4pm on Friday 26th June.

Project Volume learning-disabled dancers research

2009-03-17T07:00:00+00:00

The company Project Volume has been set up to address the gaps in training for learning-disabled dancers and to extend cultural access.

We are currently working on a funding bid (deadline end of March) with the company Corali. The bid is to begin to address gaps in the provision of cultural leadership skills.

One aspect, which could be of interest and relevance to young learning-disabled dancers, relates to choreography.

We are looking at the training of creating 'visual scores' so that learning-disabled dancers/choreographers can express and translate their ideas onto paper and therefore learn greater skills in leading and directing their own work, through supporting their ideas visually with the people they are working with.

We are currently looking to evidence the demand for this. If you work with young people with learning disabilities, please ask some of your dancers whether learning these skills would help them direct their creative ideas and let us know what they say!

If you are interested in being involved in this research, please contact Susan Norwood at:

theprojectvolume@aol.com

Youth Dance at Aspire, Stanmore for 14-25 yrs

2009-03-14T07:00:00+00:00

with Candoco Dance Company

Candoco are the leading contemporary dance company of disabled and non-disabled dancers and were recently seen performing at Handover Ceremony of the Olympic Games.

Sessions take place at Candoco's own studio in Stanmore at Aspire, the National Centre for Spinal injuries Candoco runs their weekly Youth Dance Company every Friday from 6.00-8.00pm.

£4 per session

Aspire, ANTC, Wood Lane
Stanmore, Middlesex
HA7 4AP

To book Tel our Education Manager on 0207 704 6845

Candoco Youth Dance Company Term Dates Spring 2009

2009-01-17T07:00:00+00:00

All groups are for disabled and non-disabled young people 14-25 yrs.

Sessions at Siobhan Davies Studios and Aspire are for young people with a range of experiences interested in Contemporary Dance.

Please see attached PDF for more information.

Sessions at the Place are for those with more experience interested in performing and making dance work.

Please note there is a special one-off session for all youth dancers on Tuesday 24 February at the Southbank Centre.

Overture 2012

2008-09-26T10:17:00+00:00

Over the last three decades Dance Umbrella has gained an international reputation for producing unique dance events, with its declared mission to “bring dance to people and people to dance.” This November, they will bring 120 young Londoners to the stage of the legendary Royal Albert Hall, in its most ambitious project to date.

The 8 to 17 year olds are drawn from 31 of the capital’s 33 boroughs, with a once in a lifetime opportunity to work with a world-class choreographer and a world-renowned orchestra. In a matter of a few weeks under the tutelage of Royston Maldoom and his creative team, the youngsters will have become a cohesive, disciplined dance company ready to deliver two remarkable performances on the vast stage of the UK’s most iconic venue.
The piece is set to Shostakovich’s 10th Symphony, a complex 50 minute work exploring the composer’s turbulent relationship with Stalin and the Soviet State, performed live by the London Symphony Orchestra.

Maldoom is considered one of the founders of community dance in the UK.
Anyone in doubt of Maldoom’s ability to turn such a challenge into an overwhelming success should look at the inspiring documentary Rhythm Is It!.
The film documented his work with Sir Simon Rattle – another artist well known for his passionate and successful community outreach work –, the Berlin Philharmonic and 250 young people in Berlin. The individual transformative journeys of the young people taking part are astounding to watch, as is their final performance of The Rite of Spring.
His perception of ‘community dance’ is “to dance with anyone, anywhere, at any time” regardless of their experience, age, gender or social or ethnic background. He particularly enjoys working with groups that are intercultural, differently-abled, and inter-generational.
Of Overture 2012 he says, “It’s great to be working in London again. Dance Umbrella and Youth Dance England have between them created an extraordinary project, which allows me to do what I enjoy most: create challenging, serious dance for young people. It’s not easy. I am extremely demanding. But I also have an unshakeable belief in the potential of every young person and they never let me down.”

With support ranging from the City of London to over one hundred individual donors, this world premiere event has been especially commissioned by Dance Umbrella as part of the festival’s 30th anniversary celebrations. Dance Umbrella’s Artistic Director Betsy Gregory is emphasising the role of dance in London’s Games and their legacy: “In the year that the Olympic flag passed from Beijing to London, Overture 2012 will make a major statement about the impact dance can have on the lives of young people, providing them with a physically demanding, rigorous, non-competitive alternative to sport. Dance Umbrella received almost 500 applications for the 120 available places and I want to congratulate London’s youth for their commitment, enthusiasm and dedication in coming forward.”

OVERTURE 2012
Sat 1 Nov 2008 @ 7.30pm and Sun 2 Nov 2008 @ 3pm

Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, London SW7
Dance Umbrella Ticket Line: 0844 412 4312
Tickets: £5 - 35

http://www.danceumbrella.co.uk

Brent Dance Month (BDM)

2008-09-25T07:00:00+00:00

July in Brent was all about dance with people dusting off their dancing shoes and bopping their way through summer. The Council’s first ever Brent Dance Month (BDM) got underway by offering a fantastic range of dance sessions for all ages across the borough.

BDM was part of the Momentum initiative and the council’s objective to make as many residents as possible involved in BDM and develop a passion for dancing: from absolute beginners who had never set foot on a dance floor, to professionals showing their wonderful skills. There were over 100 different dance workshops, dance classes, performances that took place throughout the month of July, with something to suit everyone.

The Momentum dance Tent at the Respect festival in Roundwood Park on 6 July was one of the highlights in the BDM calendar.

Hundreds of people were taken on a dancing journey by the widely acclaimed DJ Mr Wonderful; they got to experience the glamour, glitz and colourful costumes of Bollywood and tried out some sizzling Cuban salsa. Each session started with a demonstration before giving everyone a chance to join in a workshop.

In addition to this crowds gathered to watch and were invited to join in the fantastic Fusion Spectacular, a combination of Indian and British traditional folk dancing. Brent’s ENCEE Academy’s dancers worked with Westminster’s Donna Maria’s Maypole dancers to create a visually stunning performance. Both dances are celebrations of the seasons, as was shown in the array of pastel colours in the beautiful May Day dresses and the autumnal rusty shades of the sparkling Navratri costumes.

The Momentum Disabled Dance Networking Day

2008-09-25T08:00:00+00:00

In time for the Beijing Paralympics here is our account of the Momentum Disabled Dance Networking Day:

The event was held in one of Brent’s Leading Arts Venues The Patidar House. The event offered an introduction to disability equality training and a forum of discussion around disability and the arts. A session was led by Arts and Disability consultant Lynn Cox provided attendees with an insight into different models of understanding disability, presented questions around the social conceptions of disability across the dance sector and the Arts. Attendees were given information on ‘best practice’ when facilitating dance projects and working alongside individuals with disabilities.

Guest speaker Luke Pell, Education Manager at Cando Co Dance Company acquainted attendees with the background of Cando Co and its aims to produce creatively ambitious and exceptional contemporary dance performances that entertain and inspire audiences as well as introduce the Education project work he leads on. The second part of the day was a dance workshop, run in association with Everybody Dance as part of the Dancing Wheelchairs project. The project, funded by Brent Council, enabled two Brent residents to become Wheelchair Dancesport instructors with the UK Dancesport Association who have gone on to become the first people in London to set up a wheelchair dancesport group in Ballroom and Latin dance.

Workshop leaders Ruth Burgess and Layla Smith led 5 dancers from Brent’s Day Care Centres in their performance of Ballroom and Latin wheelchair dance. Additional wheelchairs were provided so the non disabled participants taking part in the workshops had the option of dancing with a wheelchair dance partner or trying out wheelchair dancing for themselves. Momentum would like to thank all those who attended the Disabled Dance Networking Day and contributing to the overall success of the event, we hope you found the day useful, enjoyable and informative.

West London Festivals Calendars

2008-09-25T07:00:00+00:00

The Western Wedge Partnership is publishing the Winter 08/09 edition of their excellent West London Festivals Calendar at the end of this month; the printed version will be distributed across west London, and an online version will be available from http://www.westernwedge.org.uk. It will hold information about arts events from Oct 08 - March 09.