PREVIEW for a MUST SEE performance: THE DEN 10.09.15-12.09.15

Gbemisola Ikumelo creator of Faith Drama productions is  collaborating with a large talented team of people to create an incredible immersive theatre performance from Thursday 10th September- Saturday 12th September 2015 in an all encompassing warehouse setting in Hackney Wick. 


Gbemisola is the writer and director of the show and talks us through how it got to this point and what the show is about. 

After sitting in on a rehearsal, I felt totally drawn into the drama and conflict that was unfolding before me,  and Gbemisola's directing style was engaging and sharp. The actors I chatted with discussed how useful and progressive it was working with her as a director, and I could see how she knew exactly what she wanted from the actors and how this would lead to a hard-hitting well considered performance. 


It was a pleasure to talk to Cindy Claes who, as you know, has already featured in an exclusive interview on the blog (read her interview here.) She's not only an incredible dancer, but a movement director who is contributing her expertise to this show. 


A little teaser of the show....

90 years after the London riots the governments laws

controlling childbirth has seen many children flee.

The Den becomes the only place of solace left but in a world where

"adulthood breeds corruption"

What happens on your 18th birthday?

 It's a must see! I've seen the set and its overwhelmingly well thought out...and what's more...there's even parkour to add to the mix. Get your tickets now! You can book by clicking the link below:

http://stratfordeast.com/whats-on/all-shows/the-den

UTOPIA LIVE LATES- Roundhouse: 12.08.15

Arlene Philips

The last time I stepped foot into the Roundhouse was for a January performance of 'Fuerzabruta' which took me from sub-zero temperatures to beautiful Braziliana over a dreamy evening of wide entertainment. Roundhouse are known for making their events feel exclusive and bespoke, and I was expecting to be captured after hearing the title of the performance.

Initially drawn to the night because of the dance names involved (Arlene Philips, Tommy Franzen and ZooNation) I have to admit that the installation was a second thought. However, the wonderful thing about 'mash-ups' is that the people behind it don't just mix together different forms and genres, but they bring you into the blender and combine your tastes with something new, expanding your horizons and world view at the same time.

Utopia was an idea conceived in collaboration with artist Penny Woolcock, who's work focuses on telling stories, the grittier, real stories that surround us and make our world what it truly is. It became immediately apparant that the installation was a red siren raising awareness about our obsession with material objects, celebrity and wealth. It's just what I needed, as I had spent the last few days browsing for new threads, trainers and Brazilian blow-dry's, I appreciated a gentle slap in the face to put me back on a humbler path and not get too tied up in the curation of my outer self.

Walk-through areas had been set up with tables of paraphernalia that created a message or image of someone with a history you wanted to hear more about. Upon touring through the masses of boxes which displayed branded labels such as 'wealth, 'happiness', 'spirituality', 'popularity' and 'exclusivity' narratives were being activated and voices told stories of how they had been affected by money, job issues and class difference. The irony was too much to ignore upon walking around and hearing some girls discussing which boxes they want in their flat; 'These boxes look nice y'know, I would want, wealth, happiness and spirituality, what about you?'  

Walk-through Installation

Walk through Installation

I was deeply drawn in to a narrative from a boy who attended a local Camden school, and talked about his observations of middle and working class people. How could he achieve the same standard of homework in a one bedroom flat with his mum and baby brother that another pupil could achieve in a house with three bedrooms and a study? What about the tutors that his friends had for their GCSE's? The cross section of classes mixing together in London schools can be wide, and yet we wonder why people who come from homes with certain privileges are the ones who are doing well.

Arlene gave an inspirational and down to earth speech, talking of her days growing up with limited money and resources and her compassion for those who live in poverty today. She talked passionately about the 'blame culture' that has been adopted so freely and her own Father's difficulties meaning he struggled to work. She quite rightly pointed out that he would have been given a more derogatory label in 2015 than he did all those years ago. 

As the night drew into the performances, we were treated to money themed dances by Tommy Franzen, who was joined by ZooNation Youth Company and Street Circus Collective. A sweet and heartwarming segment was added to the evening by the lovely ballroom and Charleston dancers, who proved that when it comes to dance, age ain't nothing but a number. Franzen leant his quirky locking and popping that was reminiscent of his Charlie Chaplin performance in 'Smile' earlier this year, whilst the younger dance members supported and packed a punch in their street sections. 

Toby Campion (Poetry Slam runner up 2015) gave us two spoken word pieces, the second one humorously written about struggles and being at the Job centre and Caleb Oluwafemi (Poetry Slam winner 2015) told us a story about his Grandfather and his philosophies on money.

Toby Campion

Caleb Oluwafemi

At the end of the evening we got an insight into the world of extreme fame through a Q&A session with a professional George Clooney lookalike! I'm not sure this was a strongest way to end the evening but it did tie in with the flow of thoughts that were already shaping up over the night.

Block9 have done an incredible job on the installation giant that stood at the back of the theatre. It provided a Hollywood-esque backdrop to the night and had that unique element that Roundhouse always does so well. I was lucky enough to be involved in a project for the Olympics in which they created an enormous 'Tree of Light' that was powered a lit up by cyclists inside the construction. It had a similar gigantic feel and I felt privileged to be in front of their work again. 

Utopia will run until Sunday 23rd August 2015 with a varied programme of events on different nights. You can find out more and book by clicking the link below.

www.roundhouse.org.uk/utopia

Jonzi-D Edinburgh show 5.08.15-31.08.15: The Box 6.15pm

 The Letter: To Be Or To MBE

Assembly, George Square, The Box

Jonzi D, the UK’s best known exponent of Hip Hop theatre, presents his acclaimed solo show The Letter. This true and topical tale of one man’s dilemma regarding a proposed MBE honour is told via Jonzi’s sharp and often hilarious portrayal of his friends, colleagues and family. 

Showcasing his signature verbal and physical skills, Jonzi D utilises movement, political observation and humour to explore the concept and prospect of this unexpected accolade. As an authentic East Londoner of Afro-Caribbean descent, his own feelings are as diverse as the various characters he brings to the stage. 

The MBE letter requires a response and just to complicate matters, everyone has an opinion. From the impressionable, husband-seeking house guest to the East London rhyme-spitting weed dealer, Jonzi is confronted by opposing views and gut reactions. His childhood neighbour thinks one thing, a militant friend uncomfortable with an Empire-related honour another. Should Jonzi be swayed and what does an MBE represent anyway? What will his esteemed supporters in the arts think if he rejects it? More to the point, what will his family say? Whilst his eldest sister might not reside in Buckingham Palace she does after all, reign supreme within Jonzi’s family. 

Colourful & warm yet outspoken and at times subversive, The Letter paints a highly personal picture of the ultimate predicament: To be or to MBE? 

Jonzi D is a renowned MC, performer, choreographer and director. He’s been actively involved in British Hip Hop culture and performance since the 1980s and is artistic director of Breakin’ Convention, Sadler’s Wells’s international festival of Hip Hop dance. Breakin’ Convention has been a runaway success since starting in 2004, travelling as far afield as Harlem’s legendary Apollo Theatre. Jonzi’s own devised work includes Aeroplane Man, Tag and Markus The Sadist. The Letter successfully toured the UK in 2013-14. 

As an MC and poet, Jonzi has worked with The Roots, Steve Williamson and Lenny Henry and toured with Gangstarr. He has appeared on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, Channel 4’s Faking It and his pieces Silence da Bitchin’ and Aeroplane Man have been screened by Channel 4. Recently Jonzi presented his inaugural Ted Talk: Recognition Without Permission. Jonzi D is a Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist. 

“This is a great piece of theatre about the struggle of keeping it real. There is nothing like it. Check it. Jonzi is brilliant. I hate him”. Benjamin Zephaniah 

“The name Jonzi D shouts respect in circles of hip hop dance theatre” The Independent 

“Treads a fine and funny balance between personal and political' The Guardian on The Letter 

Web: assemblyfestival.com Twitter: @jonzid Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonzid 

Venue: Assembly George Square Theatre, Box, EH8 9JZ 

Time: 18.10 Running Time: 50 minutes 

Dates: 5 – 31 August. No shows August 12 and 24 

Tickets: August £6 (August 5,6,7) £10 Mondays £12 All other dates. 2 for one tickets available on August 10, 11. 

Bookings: assemblyfestival.com, 0131 623 3030 or Assembly box offices at Assembly Hall and Assembly Roxy, Assembly George Square and Assembly Checkpoint 

Post provided by Anna Goodman from Abstrakt Publicity.

Boy Blue Ent: Freestyle Live @ Rich Mix- 11.07.15

And so to Rich Mix again! Yesterday evening it was Boy Blue Entertainment's turn to host the 'Whose Line is it Anyway' style show in the Main Space. Home Bros provided laughs and quirks for us in the audience (African accents and banter included) whilst the dancers sat either side of the DJ on sofas ready to step up for each round. Now although this was supposed to be the under 18's edition, the dancers ranged from 14 to well over 18. Each team had to send up a member of their three-strong group to compete in games which included:

• Mallet's Mallet
• Charades
• Speed cup stacking
• Dance battles to cartoon theme tunes
• Improvised dance on a theme from the audience
• Rap battles using audience contributions
• Dance knowledge Quiz

There were guest performances from the spoken word and dance world, including a brilliant rap rendition from Tyrus McKenzie who I reviewed as a promising dance talent back in February at the the Future Elements night at Sadler's Wells.

Overall, a swell night was had by all! My tummy hurt from laughing on the night, and Home Bros were an excellent choice of hosts for the evening. However in agreement with the hosts, I would consider dropping the 'Yo Mamma' Jokes' round, it didn't quite work and lost a bit of momentum during the evening.

In true Jendubbz style I took an opportunity to chat to some of the dancers in an attempt to keep spreading the word about young dancers and their commitments in the dance/theatre world. Also in true Jendubbz style the sound quality ain't that great, so do bear with! 

Note to self: Take them outside next time! Hip-hop events = LOUD MUSIC EVERYWHERE!

Boy Blue Entertainment present-Freestyle Live: Rich Mix 11.07.15

Freestyle Live: Rich Mix

See lead players in the hip-hop dance world ‘Boy Blue Entertainment’ host a ‘Who’s Line is it Anyway’ style show at Shoreditch’s favourite arts venue. Watch the performers use their dance skills to answer each other back in a dance battle format! This vibrant participatory event, will give you ‘charades with a twist’ and hosts Home Bros will hype the audience and dancers in what will be a comical marriage of hip-hop, dance and theatre. Only one performer will be crowned the FREESTYLE LIVE Champion.

Saturday 11^th July

8pm

Main Space £7, £5 concessions

Book now!

B-CONVENTION: FREESTYLE FUNK FORUM-RICH MIX-18.06.15

Starring dancers Tasha Gooden, Frank Wilson, B-Boy Mouse and Dickson Mbi, DJ Psykhomantus, human beatboxer Marv Radio, and violinist Amanda Drummond.

Audience members getting involved

Last Thursday, I headed to Rich Mix in Shoreditch to see Jonzi- D, the Breakin' Convention creator host Hip Hop's answer to 'Whose line is it anyway'. We were all involved in the process of creating the entertainment for the evening. Jonzi came to use for the stimulus and the dancers were the entertainers who brought it to life. 

Highlights from the evening for me included the 'textures' section; we shout out a texture such as 'rough' or 'smooth' and then choose which dancer can bring it to life for us. We settled on 'velcro, bubbly, spiky and slimy' which much to our delight were danced out and improvised by the dancers impressively. Frank Wilson had me in stitches with his rendition of 'velcro', moving his body as though he was completely stuck to the floor and to himself! The 'stories' section was also a creative addition. Jonzi asked the audience for stories which were then improvised/danced out by the performers and music makers. The dancers worked cleverly as a team to portray the characters in a humorous way, becoming cartoons of people in the audience to provide a cheeky re-telling.

Jonzi-D breakin' it down

Impressive accompaniments were provided by pro Beatboxer Marv Radio who has just launched his album 'Change The Radio' and violinist Amanda Drummond. 

I must give a shout out to Tasha Gooden, who is a sharp dancer. I adored seeing her talents flourish in 'Some like it Hip Hop' as the lead female and her ability to embody character in her dance is captivating. It's no wonder she is the Breakin' Convention poster girl!

It was a pleasure to be a part of this Hip Hop theatre evening, and I'll be heading to more events like this this year. 

If you're heading to the U.S.A this Autumn, Breakin' Convention are going to be in Charlotte, North Carolina on the 9th and 10th October and in Harlem from Friday 16th-Sunday 18th October.

Find out more here:

http://breakinconvention.com/touring/nyc

BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM THE MUSICAL: PHOENIX THEATRE-02.06.15

When I turned up to the theatre on Tuesday, I was afraid. I was afraid that this play, an adaptation of one of my favourite films from my youth; a coming of age story which appeals to my Indian roots, and spotlighted issues I had grown up with seeing and hearing about, wasn't going to measure up to the films greatness. Then I looked at the poster and saw that Gurinder Chadha was directing the production-Hallelujah! This woman along with Kate Prince, is another one of my female heroes due to the fact that she has given a huge voice to British Indian females in the U.K, using her comedic films to also explore some of the wider social and emotional issues around Indians in Britain. So I had a good feeling about this- that it would be in trustworthy hands.

In brief- Bend it like Beckham follows the story of Jess Bhamra, who comes form a traditional Indian family, but lives eats and breathes football. Her family would love for her to attend University, get married and become a Lawyer. Jess wants to play football, and only football. She is talented and gets spotted to play for the 'Hounslow Harriers'  girls team. She secretly commits to the team, making 'acceptable' excuses to her family about where she might be. A strong friendship is created with her friend Jools played in the film by Keira Knightly. As the story progresses, Jess has to choose between taking opportunities to let her talent shine in football, or follow the path that her family want for her.

Immediately I was gripped, as the curtain went up and the stage was covered with a 'Goalie' gauze. 'Jess' was centre stage listening to the voiceover of football chants and Beckham commentary, then a huge burst of colour erupted as the opening scene began-set to uplifting music and storytelling through song about belonging to 'UB2'-Southall. A place where I have spent many days eating food (pretty much all day eating food. My family have been known to do two sittings in two different restaurants just for the joy of it!) and recognisable shop fronts spread across the clever set, including 'Jalebi Junction' which I was in a couple of days earlier buying Indian sweets with my cousin.

The show never loses it's pace as it goes from song to song quite rapidly actually, some more uplifting with the energy coming from the beat of the dhol drum, some more emotive with sweet lyrics and memorable melodies. The songs were well pitched and humorous, linking strongly to the humour in the film.

The set was so clever, with revolving panels that revealed Southall Broadway, the training ground, the German football pitch. The bedrooms of Jess and Jools came out from the wings on a raised platform and the highlight for me was the lit up recognisable Semi- detached in Southall with a picture of Babaji coming from the flys. Very cleverly done. I also loved the fact that we could see the orchestra all the way through, and they had chosen to place them at the top centre of the stage backdrop so that we could see them in all their glory-the glory that an orchestra deserves.

Some highlights from the show for me where:

• The football scenes with the girls team on the pitch- I thought the choreography was very clever. If someone told me to go and choreograph a football dance, I could imagine feeling quite limited at first, but the choreographer did a great job with this, and the song sung by Jools felt very liberating and fun!
• The 'engagement party' sequence was hilarious, and touching. When the families were discussing how they had arrived in England and what they had achieved, it made me think about my own Grandparents and how they had settled in Hounslow after moving from Bombay. I wonder what challenges they may have faced that I didn't know about? The song and music in this section were beyond brilliant! Celebratory, fun, very Indian, and made me want to get up and dance. 
• The musical 'mash up' arrangements throughout were fantastic. A brilliant mash up between Jools, Jess and both of their Mum's made for a sweet rendition that moved me, and the mash up towards the end of the finale between the Wedding song and Jess' final game was outstanding. Really outstanding.
• Jess' song before the interval where Beckham appeared and a light projection of a football was used to show the scoring of the goal-very clever!

I could go on, but I wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone who is going to go and see it. This is not a copy of the film (although classic moments such as 'Lesbian? I thought Jessminder was a Pisces' were left in thank goodness!) but a brilliant musical in it's own right. I left the theatre feeling elated, feeling proud of my mixed race roots, and very proud to be British. Book your ticket now!

http://benditlikebeckhamthemusical.co.uk/