(2007 - 8)
UKFD is the project co-ordinator (January 2007 to Autumn 2008) for the MOMENTUM initiative, funded by Arts Council England and John Lyon's Charity, to promote dance across six West London boroughs (Kensington & Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham, Brent, Ealing, Harrow and Richmond). The aim is to celebrate, profile and develop the infrastructure of dance ctivity across these six boroughs, including a website-based "virtual"¯ dance agency.
SAVIOUR IV: SUBLIME EPIPHANIES
(OCT 2006)
A unique and unusual opportunity for UKFD was the invitation to act as producers for the fourth total-theatre performance Saviour IV: Sublime Epiphanies by J-Art from Fukuoka City, Japan, for two performances at the prestigious Banqueting Hall in Whitehall, London. Directed and choreographed by Mitch Sebastian (of West End Rat Pack fame), with musical direction by Andrew Peggie, the production brought together a Japanese and English cast of dancers, singers and musicians to present the exceptional vision of Japanese performing artist and designer Hiroaki Omote, whose "Neo-Japanesque¯" mission to modernise Japanese culture while honouring its traditions, enjoys the support of the Japanese government.
Credit: Ness Sherry
THE BIG DANCE
(JULY 2006)
One of UKFD's biggest ever contracts was with Mayor Ken Livingstone's Greater London Authority, to project-manage and deliver the exciting and innovative BIG DANCE in London and nationally in Summer 2006. With co-producer Sara-Ellen Williams of Really Red Shoes, Greenwich & Docklands Festivals www.festival.org, in partnership with Arts Council England, Visit London and BBC, THE BIG DANCE was a 10-day celebration of dance events across London and nationally.
UKFD's focus, among this wide-ranging and all-embracing dancefest was to produce three major events:
Funded by Transport for London's Platform for Art took two teams of three dancers each on Monday 17 July 2006 to give free performances of percussive dance at targeted stations on the Jubilee and Piccadilly lines, to the surprise and enjoyment of London's underground travellers during the July heatwave! Dancers Saulo Garrido, Cid Shaha, Matt Cross, Seeta Patel, Rebecca Lee and Francis Angol showcased African, Indian, Spanish and American tap dance styles, all managed by UKFD.
A BBC1 TV prime-time programme, the culmination of which was a live broadcast from Trafalgar Square on Saturday 22 July 2006, hosted by Bruce Forsyth and Zoe Ball. Choreographed by Jeanefer Jean-Charles www.jeanefer.com, the 8-minute performance by 752 dancers set a new Guinness World Record for the most (44) dance styles performed simultaneously to one music track. Apart from 18 professional dancers, the BBC TV Ballroom Dancers and celebrity guests, 36 dance groups took part, performing dance styles from around the world, from Ballet to Bhangra, Salsa and Street to Synchronised Swimming, Charleston to Cha-Cha-Cha, Tap to Cheer-Leading.
(Sunday 23 July 2006)
Programmed and hosted by Tim Tubbs of UKFD, was the closing event of THE BIG DANCE, and offered a ballroom and workshop space, where thousands of Londoners and visitors took part in every kind of dance, from Israeli folk dance to Tango, from Street to Bollywood, African to Raqs Sharqi, Flamenco to Contemporary. The event was shared with BBC Blast on Trafalgar Square. Greater London Authority is planning a second BIG DANCE for Summer 2008, to coincide with the Beijing Olympics and Liverpool's City of Culture celebrations. Watch their space!
CHINA IN LONDON
(JANUARY 2006)
As part of its major celebration of the Chinese New Year 2006, Greater
London Authority invited UKFD to company-manage a one-week visit by 30
young dancers from Beijing - The Golden Sail Dance Company, who danced
their way across London, from Trafalgar Square, The British Museum,
Stratford Circus and Royal Opera House Linbury Theatre to a range of
West End stores (Debenham's, Austin Reed and The Trocadero), including
visits to the London Eye and Madame Tussaud's. China's ambassadors to
London, Golden Sail made front page news as the 'face'¯ of China in
London 2006 and were enthusiastically greeted everywhere they went in
the capital.
DANCE UMBRELLA GALAS (1999 & 2003)
UKFD was delighted to co-ordinate all the artist, technical, onstage and backstage aspects of two major fundraising gala performances for DANCE UMBRELLA.
WOKING DANCE UMBRELLA GALA
New Victoria Theatre, Woking -Sunday 7 March 1999
Hosted by: Bonnie Langford
Artists appearing included: RJC Youth Dancers, English National Ballet's Simone Clarke & Yat Sen Chang, CanDoCo, Cas Public, Martin Padron Danse Compagnie, Sakoba Dance Theatre, Doug Varone & Dancers, Tobias Tak, The Woking Pop Dancers and Smokey Joe's Cafe.
DANCE UMBRELLA 25TH BIRTHDAY GALA
Sadler's Wells, London - Sunday 28 September 2003
Hosted by: Deborah Bull
Artists appearing included: Scottish Ballet, Trisha Brown. Mark Morris, Bill T Jones, English National Ballet's Thomas Edur & Agnes Oaks, Wayne McGregor, Matthew Bourneā€™s New Adventures, Zenaida Yanowsky, and Shobana Jeyasingh, Richard Alston and Siobhan Davies dance companies.
www.danceumbrella.co.uk
DANCERS' TRUST CATS ROYAL GALA (1995)
In the year after they formed UK Foundation for Dance, Tim Tubbs and Nicole Penn-Symons undertook a commission to event-manage the first fundraising gala for THE DANCERS' TRUST. The 14th Anniversary performance of the long-running West End musical CATS, in the presence of HRH Princess Margaret, was generously donated by Really Useful Group and Cameron Mackintosh Ltd.
