community engagement

YOUTH DANCE PERFORMANCE MARKS START OF NORWICH CASTLE’S REDEVELOPMENT

National Youth Dance Company (NYDC) and hip hop theatre company Far From The Norm joined forces with Norfolk Museums Service to mark the launch of Norwich Castle’s four-year renovation project with a site-specific performance.

Made by and for young people, Fight or Flight combined a variety of movement languages including contemporary dance, hip hop, capoeira and choreographed combat to reflect on the physiological state known as the fight-or-flight response.

NYDC dancers Mollie Stebbing and Sekou Diaby worked with local dance groups – including Capoeira Communities, Knight’s Tower Medieval Combat, The Garage, in-house dance company Passion Productions and inclusive dance group In Cahoots – to share movement language from MADHEAD, choreographed by NYDC 2018-19 Guest Artistic Director Botis Seva. They were helped by Victoria Shulungu and Jordan Douglas, members of Seva’s company Far From The Norm.

Flight or Fight project. Video: Eye Film.

Their visit to Norwich served as inspiration for each partner organisation to choreograph their own, seven-minute interpretation of the fight-or-flight theme. The performance brought together these individual sections, with each group handing over to the next one, culminating in a finale where they all performed repertoire from MADHEAD together with members of NYDC.

Sekou Diaby and Mollie Stebbing in Fight or Flight at Norwich Castle.
Image: Joseph Hayes.
MADHEAD. Image: Tony Nandi

Bringing together local and national creative partners to showcase the unique ways in which different movement practices can co-exist within the walls of the 900-year-old historic building, Fight or Flight celebrated the castle’s historic past and impending transformation. Children and young people from a diverse range of backgrounds took part in the performance, which attracted hundreds of visitors over two showings.

3-D images of Mollie Stebbing, Sekou Diaby and young participants during Fight or Flight project at Norwich Castle. Images: Joseph Hayes.

National Youth Dance Company (NYDC) is supported by the Department for Education and Arts Council England.

Over-60s Tap into dancers’ knowledge

Australian dance company The Tap Pack enthused members of our over-60 Lilian Baylis Arts Club (LBAC) last week with a workshop inspired by the smash hit show they recently presented at The Peacock.  Three dancers from the troupe entertained 20 LBAC members, sharing their in-depth knowledge of tap with them and leading them in a practical dance session.

Cast member Jesse Rasmussen has previously toured with Beyoncé and ran two hip hop dance companies. He has a wide range of professional credits in live entertainment, commercial dance and within the film and television industry, including on Australia’s So You Think You Can Dance, the Australian tour of Hot Shoe Shuffle, Peter Jackson’s King Kong and George Millar’s Happy Feet.

Thomas J Egan, another of the The Tap Pack dancers, worked as a commercial dancer in Sydney with Kylie Minogue, Delta Goodrem, Timomatic, Jessica Mauboy, X-Factor, Australia’s Got Talent, So You Think You Can Dance and Channel V. He also appeared in Baz Luhrmann’s film The Great Gatsby, landing his first world-wide tour with Tap Dogs in the same year.

Kevin Smith is Company Stage Manager with The Tap Pack and has over 18 years’ experience in the entertainment industry. Kevin has performed in worldwide venues including the Sydney Opera House, the Vaudeville Theatre, the National Theatre Wales, Wales Millennium Centre and Birmingham Hippodrome.

Jesse, Thomas and Kevin pooled their experience to offer a memorable and exciting session for all involved. See the video below for a glimpse of the infectious energy they brought to the LBAC.

 

From Tap workshops to behind the scenes talks with musical directors, LBAC is our weekly over-60s session. Running on an academic timetable (Sep – July), membership costs £20 which can be paid over the counter at our Ticket Office. To find out more – visit the Sadler’s Wells website