DANCE MIGRATION:
BODIES - ARTISTRY - IDENTITY

From ‘one off’ visits to festivals or theatre seasons to international co-productions or for artists who move to chosen new homes or face exiled existences, dance migration is a reality.

Dance Migration will consider how the experience of migration affects dance creation. Invited artists and speakers from the UK and Africa will discuss artistic ownership, cultural identity as well as how imaginative and social perceptions of dance are changing for audiences and local communities.

The conference is open to all dance practitioners, promoters, dance organisations, academics, students and people interested in dance and international exchange.

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE:

10am: Arrival

10.20: Welcome and Introductions

10.30 – 11.15: Keynote speech: Venu Dhupa, Director, Creative Innovation Unit, South Bank Centre

Public Policy and Creativity in an International Context
An individual view on .... Who sets the Agenda? Who makes Policy? How and where to the arts and artists fit? And Do We Care?
Session Chair: Jean Johnson-Jones – University of Surrey

11.15 – 11.40: Inside Time:
Award winning dancer Andreya Ouamba and Fattou Cisse from Cie Premier Temps (Senegal) will share their experience of sharing experiment studio-time with UK-based dancers Laila Diallo (ex Random) and Matthias Sperling (ex Random). Session Chair: Jennifer Jackson – University of Surrey

11.40 – 12.00: Break

12.00 – 12.45: In Between Here and There:
Award winning choreographer and cultural catalyst Opiyo Okach (Kenya) discusses his artistic work spanning different continents and the development of dance in East Africa.
Session Chair: Eckhard Thiemann – Woking Dance Festival

12.45 – 13.00: Choreo-lab:
A personal reflection by Gill Clarke of the International Choreography Laboratory, held during Woking Dance Festival with ADAD (Association of Dance from the African Diaspora).
Session Chair: Eckhard Thiemann – Woking Dance Festival

13 – 14.00: Lunch

14.00 – 14.30: Terms of Entrapment:
Francis Angol presents an extract from his solo ‘Terms of Entrapment’ and discusses notions of identity in his work.
Session Chair – Eckhard Thiemann – Woking Dance Festival

14.30 – 15.00: Technique talks:
A conversation with H Patten and Funmi Adewole about transmitting African dance techniques in new contexts.
Session Chair: Kate Lawrence – University of Surrey

15.00 – 15.15: Break

15.15 – 15.45: The Same and Different:
Nelson Fernandez - Director Cultural Operations, Visiting Arts – shares his thoughts of dance in a speedy globalised world.
Session Chair: Angela Kane – University of Surrey

15.45 – 16.30: Who is watching?
A panel of festival artists from Senegal, Kenya, Tunisia and the UK debate curatorial practices and audience interaction in an international context, inc. Imed Jemaa (Tunisia), Kebaya Moturi (Kenya), Cie Premier Temps (Senegal).
Session Chair: Rachel Fensham – University of Surrey

16.30 – 16.45: Closing remarks

16.45 – 17.00 Networking Opportunity

SPEAKERS' BIOGRAPHIES:

VENU DHUPA
Leading the development of a new Creative Innovation Unit at the South Bank Centre, Europe’s largest cultural centre. Former posts include: Fellowship Director at The UKs National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, Chief Executive at the Nottingham Playhouse, Producer (Mobile Touring) at the Royal National Theatre. In 1999 she was appointed as the inaugural Chair of the East Midlands Cultural Consortium by the Secretary of State at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport a role she held until 2002. She has been awarded the prestigious Asian Woman of Achievement Award for her contribution to the Arts and Culture.

She is or has been a: Trustee of the Theatres Trust, a Governor of Guildford Conservatoire, a Council Member of Loughborough University, a Member of the Institute of Ideas; a member of Chatham House; a participant in the Power Enquiry; a member of the London 2012 Culture and Education Committee and the European Cultural Parliament. She is a patron of the Asha Foundation and the Minorities of Europe.


‘H’ PATTEN
‘H’ Patten is artistic director of Koromanti Arts and has developed both a national and international reputation for his work in African and Caribbean arts over the past 21 years. An experienced choreographer, filmmaker, storyteller and performer, he has worked with top Black dance companies in Britain, Africa and the Caribbean.

Over the years ‘H’ has developed his own technique using both traditional and popular movement vocabulary from out of the African & Caribbean dance idiom. Since obtaining his masters in TV Documentary 1998, he has developed his filmmaking skills, through ‘Dance for Camera’ style work, writing and producing 'Kwaito Ragga Jam' (ETV music pilot, South Africa) and his work with many of the popular international Dance-hall and Reggae artists including Buju Banton, Bounty Killer, Capleton and Spragga Benz, which coupled with his development of the Jamaican dance-hall style has earned him great respect in relation to urban youth culture.

In 2002 ‘H’ collaborated with F. Nii-Yartey to create Elements which successfully toured the UK in 2002 and 2003. Most recently as artistic director for the British Council’s Diamond Jubilee dance project in West Africa, ‘H’ choreographed The Calling an international production, drawing artists from Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone where he created three national pieces, with additional artists from Senegal Cameroon and the UK, as part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Abuja.

Recently ‘H’ has carried out research and development in Benin, Ghana, Haiti and Jamaica for Ritual and The Cotton Tree his latest and most exciting projects to date set to tour in autumn 2007 supported by The Sea of Hands education project tour. His years of experience working with national educational agencies has, kept ‘H’ at the forefront of arts education within the field and will be an integral aspect of his current projects.


‘FUNMI ADEWOLE
‘Funmi Adewole is a performer and writer. She studied Modern European Languages with Theatre and Communication arts in Nigeria and worked as a TV producer and freelance writer before moving to England in 1994. She toured Britain with several companies including Horse and Bamboo Mask and Puppetry Company, Adzido Pan-African Dance Ensemble, Artistes-in-Exile and the Chomondeleys. As a freelance artist, she experiments with fusions of African dance forms, post-modern compositional strategies and storytelling traditions/text. At present she works mostly in educational contexts and is currently undertaking project at De Montefort University, Leicester exploring ways of teaching experimental African based dance in Higher education. She is researching the notion of ‘African dance’ as a theatrical practice and is studying for an M.A in Postcolonial Studies at Goldsmiths College.


NELSON FERNANDEZ
Nelson Fernandez joined Visiting Arts in 1997 after a twenty-five year career in the arts as an artist, teacher, and producer working in dozens of countries throughout the world. In this time, he has worked with arts organisations of every conceivable size and profile in the fields of dance, drama and opera.

Now Director of Cultural Operations at Visiting Arts, he has responsibility for a broad spectrum of programmes seeking to develop intercultural dialogue between the UK and the rest of the world through arts-focused programmes involving artists and cultural operators from the UK and overseas. He is a regular speaker at seminars, conferences and symposia on issues relating to the arts, cultural diplomacy and intercultural dialogue.

He is Director of Riverside Studios in London and until recently served on the board of DanceEast in the East of England and of. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

LAILA DIALLO
Laïla was born in Québec, Canada in 1976. After training at L’École de Danse de Québec, she travelled to La Rochelle where she studied with physiomotricist Jacques Garros and choreographer Régine Chopinot. She joined London Contemporary Dance School’s postgraduate performance course in 1996 and was awarded an MA in performance (distinction) in 1998.

A member of Random Dance Company from 1997 to 2005, Laïla created roles for all of the company’s productions in that period, touring and teaching extensively through out Europe, Asia, and North America. Film performances include Chrysalis (Productions Heures d’Été) for Random Dance, Channel 4’s dance film, Dice Life, directed by Nick Mead (choreography: Wayne McGregor) and The Source by poet/director Roxana Freeman.

Her choreographic work comprises the solos Out of sight in the direction of my body and waiting fleeing, as well as a duet with Theo Clinkard, Between the Shingle and the Dune. For television Laila choreographed for Channel 4’s How Music Works series. In 2005, she choreographed the re-staging of Scottish Opera on Tour’s Hansel and Gretel and was Movement Director for the same company’s Macbeth production. Her credits as Assistant Choreographer include Cleansed for the Royal Court, Aladdin for the Old Vic in London and Midsummer Marriage for the Lyric Opera of Chicago. She was also a Choreographer’s Assistant on Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. She recently worked as Assistant Director and Choreographer for Dido and Aeneas at La Scala and was Movement Director for Thérese Raquin at the National Theatre

Current projects include Movement Direction for Days of Significance at the RSC and the touring of her recent dance works. Laila also teaches technique classes and creative workshops for children, young people, dance students and professional dancers on a regular basis. She was awarded a Rayne Fellowship for Choreographers in May 2006.

OPIYO OKACH
Opiyo Okach (1962, Kenya) is a contemporary dancer and choreographer, who is famed for his improvisation, timing, subtlety, simplicity and elegance. He works with East African traditions while creating modern reinterpretations and transformations that appeal to both local and international audiences. Okach maintains his place on the international circuit and divides his time between Kenya and France. He has toured extensively with his Company Gaara. His latest choreography, Shift… Centre, which premiered in Nairobi in August 2005 will be presented at the festival Les Francophonies en Limousin from 29 September to 2 October and the Centres Chorégraphies Nationaux of Orléans and Caen (France) on 2, 5 and 6 December 2005. Opiyo Okach has acted as a catalyst for a new depth of intellectual reflection and analysis within the East African dance community, and has encouraged the development of an open, international perspective, new vocabularies and professional standards.

FRANCIS ANGOL
Francis has now since his initial dance training been working in the field of contemporary African dance. A performer, tutor, choreographer and devoted advocate of the arts as a tool to facilitate change, Francis travels world wide promoting his unique language of expression. A language that utilises African dance forms as the basis for movement development and artistic expression, creating a movement signature that can best be described as a synthesis of traditional and contemporary sensibilities that offers an alternative approach to the production of African dance as a modern theatrical presentation. Presently Artistic Director of "Movement Angol Productions", Francis’ former role was that of Assistant Artistic Director/Choreographer and performer for Badejo Arts, Britain’s leading Contemporary African Dance Company, under the directorship of Peter Badejo - OBE.

A previous fellowship artist of the Arts Council of England, Francis at present, as well as directing his own company holds the position of Director of Dance at Islington Arts Factory, one of North London’s leading centres for the creative arts. Francis sits on the board of trustees at Dance UK and is one of the key steering committee members of ADAD, Britain’s representative body for the development of dance of the African Diaspora in Britain. Francis also operates in the capacity of artist facilitator, tutor and partner artist at various other arts centres around the London area.

Francis' work has taken him around the globe, holding the position of artist in residence in various countries such as Jamaica at the Jamaican School of Dance, a faculty of the University of the West Indies, across Africa and Singapore. In Singapore Francis worked with local Singaporean dance companies teaching and choreographing work for the WOMAD Festival. Francis has been commissioned on several major projects to produce work that has contributed to the development of dance in Britain by various organisations such as Merseyside Dance Initiative – Liverpool, Liverpool Hope University, Dance Initiative Greater Manchester in collaboration with Dance North West, Sadler’s Wells Connect, British Heritage Fund – “Urban Roots Project” to name but a few. In order to create a framework for his work Francis founded Movement Angol, a contemporary African dance company that has now become an established outlet for his choreographic works.

Francis most recent choreographic work has been “Ritual of Entrapment”, a solo choreographed by himself for himself and “Shakespeare The Drum”, an adaptation of Macbeth choreographed on local professional Liverpool based artists. These two productions were part of an evening of contemporary African dance which Francis was commissioned to curate by Merseyside Dance Initiative as part of the LEAP 2006 festival. Francis other choreographic works include company production of “Flat Feet & Impulses” – AfroVibe Festival – Dance Initiative Greater Manchester and Culti8 Festival – Liverpool, “Moments”" – New Currents – Royal Opera House, “moments of movements" which sold to packed audiences at the Lilian Baylis Theatre – Sadler’s Wells. Performance of “Seize & Settle”, commissioned by The FORWARD Foundation - Royal Opera House – Linbury Studio Theatre ,“Street Proverbs – Creating Dance”, commissioned by Sadler’s Wells connect unit as part of the Islington dance festival, “Voice Over The Echo”, choreographic commission set-up by Merseyside Dance Initiative – Liverpool and Dance Initiative Greater Manchester. “Dancing Proverbs Hidden Meaning” commissioned and supported by Merseyside Dance Initiative. This piece was also performed as part of the Hip Festival, The Robin Howard Theatre – London. Francis has also choreographed various works for Badejo Arts including “So What”, Spring Loaded (The Robin Howard Theatre), “Warrior At The Rivers Edge” – Tilewa choreographic platform. Francis also jointly choreographed “Emi Ijo” - (The Heart of Dance), Badejo Arts Millennium site specific project in collaboration with the South Bank Centre.

Other works include “D’Jembe Spirits” and “We Weaver” (Jiving Lindy Hoppers, Lincoln Centre, New York), “The Person Within” - The British Black Dance Festival and Resolutions. Francis also holds the position of resident choreographer for Islington Arts Factory youth performing arts Company “Moving Visions”.