No images? Click here Updated |Newsletter | January 2020From the Directors' desksAnd we’re off.... My first weeks at Akademi have been all about joining the team and joining the dots: discovering the full scope of what we do, how we do it – usually with a lot of fun! – and who we do it with. Although it has been full on, it’s also been filled with laughter, support and a real collaborative process with Kirsten and the wonderful Akademi task force of Apollonia, Antareepa, Catherine, Christina, Syd and Peter. I have been out and about watching lots of great work by artists working with South Asian dance forms mostly at the breath-taking Resolution 2020 at The Place. It has also been a real joy dropping in on artists’ works in progress – and a treat to be able to discuss their process and see work develop. I was in Glasgow and Edinburgh to meet with artists working with South Asian dance forms, dance teachers and directors, hoping to find out how Akademi could support the artists. One of the most humbling experiences I have had this month was visiting two of our artists working in a care home for people living with dementia. The engagement the artists had with the residents was meaningful, tapping into their innate wish to engage with each other. I have been slowly finding out about all the incredible work our artists are doing in hospitals, schools and community centres. I was genuinely shocked to find out just how much work Akademi is currently doing in so many different settings as part of its Learning and Participation programme. We are very excited to have secured funding from UCL Culture to collaborate with the Intelligent Mobility’s Lab at UCL. More about that in the News section below. It has been a fascinating, stimulating, captivating month but knowing what we’re cooking up here at Akademi there is much more to come. And Kirsten says…Apart from having my head buried in company management accounts (which is actually much more satisfying than it sounds – or perhaps that’s just me?), it’s been wonderful this month to do a bit of dreaming and imagining with Suba and the team about Akademi’s future. I’m now translating those wonderful conversations into a business plan for the next few years – shaping up exciting ideas into a blueprint for Akademi and for the development of our amazing associate artists and audiences present and future. 2020 will also be Akademi’s Heritage Project year – generously supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. We’ll be building on the 40th anniversary celebrations with a huge range of community heritage, oral history and performance projects culminating in archiving our comprehensive collection for the Victoria and Albert museum. Warm wishes, Suba and Kirsten NewsIdeas workshop supported by the D’Oyly Carte FoundationOur special new initiative exploring how young people with neuro-differences - their own unique way of looking at the world and making sense of the everyday - have inspired some brand-new choreographic ideas and approaches. We commissioned choreographer, Anusha Subramanyam, to visit Manor School and Cambridge School and observe movement ideas. Later, in an exploratory studio session with artists Suhani Dhanki and Taylor Han, Anusha wove them into some new choreographic concepts. Together, they reflected on how the young people moved, how they expressed themselves non-verbally and made up a string of playful sequences, infused with fun and a sense of wonder. Performing Place funding from UCL Culture: The Dancing BrainA cross-disciplinary collaboration between Akademi and the Intelligent Mobility’s Lab at UCL, The Dancing Brain will combine hand gestures and
rhythm with mind-controlled virtual robots to enable improved social interaction and coordination amongst older people. It will also introduce robotics to primary school pupils and excite them about STEM subjects in a fun way. Where all have we been...We attended the sharing of new works by Ashwini Kalsekar at The Bhavan and Kamala Devam at University of East London on 17 January. We were at CW+ charity's Community Bridge programme launch on 21 January. The event was attended by The Mayor of Kensington and Chelsea. Artist Jesal Patel displayed some of the work we do with the charity in ChelWest and West Middlesex Hospital. Suba was invited to the 'Female Leadership and 10 years since the equality act 2010' event organised by Pavilion Dance South West in Taunton on 24 January. We have been watching some wonderful pieces at Resolution 2020 at The Place this month and are especially thrilled to see more South Asian dance work being programmed. What's On at AkademiLearning and participationWhile it may be a slower start for some in the New Year, things at Akademi are steaming ahead. HospitalsAkademi provides regular public performances and participatory sessions in London hospitals. These are open to staff, visitors and patients and provide a welcome distraction, bringing colour, music and dance to the hospital. Currently we are working with:
Reach Out and RevealOur pioneering initiative placing South Asian dancers ‘in residence’ at schools for young people with Special Educational Needs, kindly supported by BBC Children in Need and John Lyon's Charity. These are a mix of 1:1 and group sessions with young people aged between 5 and 19. We are proud and honoured to be working with:
Dance WellWith generous support from City Bridge Trust and The Linbury Trust, Akademi continues to deliver weekly dance and movement workshops at:
New Project: Move WellWe are starting a new project in association with Ageing Better in Camden where our experienced artists will conduct free weekly movement sessions for older people in Camden. These are suitable to people with all abilities. PerformancesWhy Dance? at The PlaceOur Dance Well group from Holborn Community Association will be performing at Why Dance? - The Place’s first ever platform dedicated to adult recreational and community dance. Sat 22 February 2020 Akademi at 40 in collaboration with Pagrav Dance Company: |