Black History Month

Spread Your Wings

Spread your wings is a programme that Movema designed in response to the Black Lives Matter movement 2020, a response to create a platform for black communities and dance artists to be celebrated, listened to and supported. With the ambition of creating and developing channels of communication for ongoing support, networking and opportunities. 

This year we are bringing the programme back, with some exciting new additions.

Our focus is about reconnecting with our communities who have experienced isolation, financial hardship and/or other issues that have affected their physical and mental wellbeing as an impact of COVID and the BLM resurgence. For full accessibility the programme below is FREE to all members of the communities who are not in full time work, and locations are based in community venues where our communities feel safe and that can be easily accessible. 

We are working with our outreach partners Liferooms at Merseycare, British Red Cross, and Refugee Women Connect to ensure that the most isolated communities can access information and engage with these opportunities.

The programme is three-fold, including a community dance performance, masterclass and conversation to celebrate black communities and dance. 

Jump Up and Be Seen

Movema are bringing back their community performance group for Black History Month.  Jump Up and Be Seen, funded by ACE, and Liverpool City Council will be part of Roots and Routes a Festival of the African Diaspora lead by Katumba.

This project will explore the history of carnival, and how it is used as a vehicle of expression, visibility and protest. 

Workshops

We will teach a series of dance workshops leading to a performance!

There is an exciting and new creative team that will be lead by Ithalia Forel, Movema including Wendy Okoli, Kerry Ankarah Lucas (Staged Chaos), Felix Ngindu, Blu Saint and Afro Dance Nation; multidisciplinary artists who specialise in Afrobeats, West African and Caribbean dance, drumming, spoken word and theatre. 
Workshop Location: VideOdyssey Studios, Toxteth TV, 37-45 Windsor Street, Liverpool, L8 1XE

Dates: 30 September, 7, 14, 21, 28 October 6-7.30pm

9 and 16 October 1-3.30pm


Performance

Katumba Halloween Carnival 31st October A showcase of professional groups and community participants &  BlaST’s official launch which The Mayor is attending!

Location: Bombed Out Church 

Times: 5pm-9pm

To be part of the performance group email: info@movema.co.uk

M: 07548 365869

We are looking for 20 performers from Liverpool’s culturally diverse community to get involved. All ages and abilities welcome.

Participants will take part in exploring, learning and sharing dance. Exploring movement from the African diaspora including, soca and afrobeats and reflecting on the traditional forms, the roots of popular movements today.

Whilst having dedicated time to discuss, explore and create a performance that represents who they are and what they want to say as part of our poly-cultural community today.

The International Dance Masterclass Series

Masterclass: 6 October with Alesandra Seutin

10-12pm: West African dance based on Germaine Acogny Technique 

1-3pm:Choreographic process and Repertoire from Alesandra Seutin, Vocab dance, Boy Breaking Glass  

Location: Invisible Wind Factory, 3 Regent Road, Liverpool, L3

Aleasandra Seutin will launch Movema’s International Dance Masterclass series as part of our new associate artist development programme “Wildfire Rising”, a programme co-delivered with Cheshire Dance and funded by Arts Council England.

Alesandra Seutin, is Ecole des Sables’ newest Artisitic Director.
International performer, choreographer and teacher, Alesandra Seutin (daughter of a South African and Belgian couple) was born in Harare, Zimbabwe. She grew up in Brussels and now lives between London and Brussels. She has studied dance all over the world, in Europe, Africa, Asia and the United States. She has a degree in theatre-dance from Trinity Laban Conservatory and in choreography and performance from Middlesex University in London. She also trained at the École des Sables in Senegal, where she was a student of Germaine Acogny, who passed on her technique to her. Seutin is now an ambassador of this technique, which she teaches at the École des Sables and all over the world.

Other master class dates: 
DateArtist GenreLocation (Hybrid – online link Available)Times
6 OctoberAlesandra Seutin, Ecole des SablesWest African dance based on Germaine Acogny Technique Invisible Wind Factory, Liverpool10-12, 1-3pm
21 OctoberSheetal Maru, MilapBollywood and BhangraTBC 10-12pm
9 NovemberShinyin Huang Chinese classical dance and creative processInvisible Wind Factory, Liverpool10-12, 1-3pm 
23 NovemberNii Kwartey Owoo, Irie Dance TheatreKpanlogoVideOdyssey, Toxteth TV1-3pm 
27 NovemberTBC Collaboration with Global GroovesAfro BrazilianInternational Carnival centre, The Vale, Oldham10am  – 12

The Conversation

Date: 9 November 6-8pm 

Location: Hybrid online and In-Person at VideOdyssey Studios, Toxteth TV, 37-45 Windsor Street, Liverpool, L8 1XE

Movema will host a conversation that will be facilitated by two dance specialists from the global majority, a panel of dance artists from the Wildfire Rising Programme, educators, scholars and programmers to provide a safe, open and structured environment for global majority dance artists to share and discuss barriers and challenges within the dance sector. Information will be used to inform the sector of future support, training and opportunities, necessary to support global majority dance artists career potential. Delivered in collaboration with Cheshire Dance.

This will be a hybrid event that will place in person and on YouTube Live www.youtube.com/user/MovemaDance