Signatures and Black British Dance Platform

Two platforms in one evening of dance. SIGNATURES and BLACK BRITISH DANCE PLATFORM come together to showcase emerging and developing dancers and choreographers locally, nationally and internationally for a unique mixed bill performance.

SIGNATURES

TETHERED – Jameel Hendricks

TETHERED is a new ballet centred around a particular sector of the human experience expressed through the music selection, and the virtuous efforts of the dancers. Conceptually, the work embodies the current state of mental health in society and the impact of the aftermath of the pandemic, racial tensions and inflation. Daily reports of mass shootings, domestic violence, hate crimes and murder are at the forefront of news outlets and social media. Yet despite these occurrences, the public are still held to the functional expectations of a society that existed prior to the traumatic events of the past four years.

TETHERED is a ballet that reflects the social masks that people wear every day, so as not be perceived as unstable, when the reality is one of instability.

MIXTAPE– Liam Francis, FranDanCo

MIXTAPE is a provocative exploration of music, the body, and brotherhood – a visceral performance that celebrates the dynamic synergy between dance and sound, showcasing the intimate bonds among three young Black men.

Choreographed by Liam Francis, the performance explores what it takes for an individual to become part of a community. Invitation, resistance, acceptance and pleasure all play a part in this short performance that draws on Francis’ own experiences of slowly allowing feelings of isolation, threat and competition to be replaced by trust, intimacy and friendship. Just as communities are built through the development of shared experiences, landscapes and languages – here the soundscape, mixed live by music composer Chloe Mason, is created by capturing the sounds of the dancing bodies. Together they build a unique and spontaneous ‘mixtape’ – a compilation of sounds that speak of the joyful complexity of a life lived fully – together.

The dancers draw effortlessly from the dance canon, nodding at hip hop, ballet, disco, contemporary and jazz, all held gently within a fluid and playful language completely his own.

BLACK BRITISH DANCE PLATFORM

DON’T STEP ON MY SHOES – BlacBrik

DON’T STEP ON MY SHOES is a work from BlacBrik that captures the pride and emotional connection in Black culture tied to iconic footwear – representing more than just fashion, but a profound expression of identity, respect, and cultural pride.

BlacBrik is led by Nahum McLean. Based in London, is a choreographer, dancer, and rehearsal director, his career spans contemporary dance, commercial theatre, and film. He began his training in Manchester under Darren Pritchard and Imani Jendai, continuing at The Hammond School, under the direction of Sarah Durrant.

Blake Arts

Blake Arts is an independent dance and mentoring program, providing high quality performing arts experiences through a comprehensive training program and the Blake Arts Ensemble. They contribute to the development and presentation of diversely capable artists with the skillsets to sustain their careers in an ever-changing global arts environment. Blake Arts is led by David Blake, an international performing artist, lecturer and choreographer with more than 25 years’ experience in the entertainment industry appearing in commercials, TV shows, film and print. A former principal dancer with the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica and formerly a company member of Disney’s award-winning musical THE LION KING playing, Blake he is currently Academy Director at Urdang.