Tuesday 4 April 2017
Delighted to be featured in London Live! Read all about West London's only dance festival here.
Ignition Dance Festival - Featured in London Dance
Tuesday 4 April 2017
Fantastic feature on our festival Ignition in London Dance. Read the feature here and more on the choreographers selected.
Ignition Dance Festival - Choreographers Announced
Monday 3 April 2017
Now in its fourth year the festival supports community dancers, emerging artists and mid-career choreographers to create new choreography. After a nation-wide search and an overwhelming 725 applications, DanceWest is delighted to announce the seven recipients of prestigious bursaries to mid-career choreographers. The line-up includes artists from a Kathak, Contemporary, Neo-classical and Dance-Theatre background producing new work for the same stage. Ignition 2017 demonstrates the extraordinary breadth, depth and diversity working in the UK today and the appetite for the festival.
Fond out who the commissioned artists are here
DanceWest & Russell Maliphant
Sunday 26 March 2017
Over fifteen recent graduates and early career professional dancers took part in a weekend workshop led by Russell Maliphant Company dancer Dickson Mbi. The workshop looked at choreographic development and ways approach to the material in maliphantworks.
Ignition Dance Festival 2017 - Emerging Artists
Friday 10 March 2017
Ignition Dance Festival is able to award two £500 bursaries to emerging choreographers & dance companies to create work for the Community Dance Platform. Our professionally produced Community Dance platform will be hosted with a compere and include work by community groups from across West London.
Ignition will award £500 to two choreographers or companies to create the work. One piece would be performed at the Community Dance Showcase on Saturday 3 June Lyric, Hammersmith and one piece selected for the Community Dance Showcase on Saturday 17 June at Rose Theatre Kingston.
Ignition Dance Festival 2017 - Community Dance Platform 2017
Tuesday 7 March 2017
Calling all community dancers! Do you want to perform on stage at the Rose Theatre Kingston or the Lyric, Hammersmith? Now in its fourth year, Ignition is west London’s only Dance Festival.
Dance groups of all ages, abilities and styles are welcome, we want to showcase the talent, and diversity that west London has to offer. Each group will be given access to a technical rehearsal, a professionally produced event with top class MC Hakeem Onibudo and the opportunity to invite family and friends to a ticketed performance.
We are delighted to be able to offer community dance groups the chance to perform at either Lyric, Hammersmith on Saturday 3 June or Rose Theatre Kingston on Saturday 17 June.
More information here
Dancing Books
Thursday 2 March 2017
Dancing Books - encourages everyone to get on their feet and get inspired about reading! Taking place across Tri-borough libraries the programme offers free dance classes to pre-school children and their families. Dancing Books encourages the development of literacy skills and inspires storytelling.
The programme launched on 2 March (World Book day) with a book swap in Lyric Square and the opportunity to vote for your favourite Children's book. The winning titles will be used as inspiration for a series of free dance classes taking place in Libraries across the Tri-Borough for pre-school children and their carers.
Russell Maliphant at The Print Room
Tuesday 28 February
Young people from our Youth Dance Company & Contemporary Dance Classes attended Maliphantworks a curated evening of different works by Russell Maliphant! The young people said it was 'Amazing, cool, fiery, mesmerising and mind-blowing'.
Ignition Dance Festival - Choreographers Platform
Thursday 23 February 2017
Read about Ignition Dance Festival in London Live! Today we announced news on our seven commissions for Choreographers. Read all about it here
Ignition Dance Festival 2017 - Choreographers platform
Wednesday 22 February
Now in its fourth year, Ignition Dance Festival returns in June 2017 as an expanded dance festival for the whole of west London, with professional choreographic and community dance showcases scheduled to take place at the Rose Theatre, Kingston and the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith. Commissioned by the Royal Borough of Kingston and produced by DanceWest, this year’s festival is supported by Arts Council England, Kingston University and new partners, Hammersmith and Fulham Council and HammersmithLondon.
The festival is able to offer seven commissions, the opportunity to work across two venues and a supportive professional development package ensuring choreographers are supported throughout their creative journey. We are seeking applications from mid-career artists to create new works across seven scaled commissions. Read more here
Photos by Gigi Giannella: Ignition Choreographers 2014-2016 John Ross, Salah El Brogy, Cindy Claes, Antoine Marc, Patricia Okenwa.
DanceWest & Musiko Musika
8 February 2017
Musiko Musika accompanied our Bolder not Older class in Hammersmith - Live!
DanceWest, Russell Maliphant & Print Room
Wednesday 1st February 2017
DanceWest is delighted to announce a new partnership with Russell Maliphant and Company and Print Room at the Coronet.
Internationally acclaimed choreographer Russell Maliphant has today announced the programme for maliphantworks featuring world-renowned collaborators and works spanning his hugely celebrated 25-year career. DanceWest will deliver a community outreach programme which includes opportunities for Schools and a programme for students and recent graduates. More information to follow!
New for 2017 Bolder not Older (Kensington & Chelsea)
Wednesday 11 January 2017
DanceWest is delighted to be launching a second group at the Second Half Centre (Ladbroke Grove) in partnership with Open Age & the Royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Bolder not Older is a programme offering free weekly dance classes to adults 65+. Please see here for further information.
Tis the season!
Monday 19 December
It's been an incredible term, thank you to everyone who supported us! Our offices are closed and we will return on Monday 9th January 2017.
Move-it Monday's End of Term sharing
Monday 12 December
Every Monday, DanceWest deliver two inclusive dance classes for non-disabled and disabled young people 11-25 years at Lyric Hammersmith and Caxton Youth Centre. On Monday 12 December, young people from both groups shared work they had been developing over the autumn term. The event also included a guest performance from the Sardines Collective Laura Dajao and Charlene Low.
Contemporary Dance Classes - End of term sharing
Thursday 15 December
DanceWest delivers Contemporary dance classes at the Lyric Hammersmith every Thursday to young people 9-15 years.
On Thursday 8 December, our young people shared the work they had been developing over the autumn term to an audience of family and friends. Check out our short film..
End of term sharing events
Monday 12 December
On Thursday 8 and Monday 12 December, our young people from our Contemporary dance classes and inclusive dance class programme shared work they have been developing over the autumn term. We are incredibly proud of the young people and would also like to thank everyone who attended.
International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2016
Monday 5 December
Our Move-it Monday's dancers performed at an exclusive event on Saturday 3rd December to celebrate IDPWD - 2016. Hosted at the Lyric Hammersmith, the event brought together charities, local authorities and businesses that support people with Disabilities. For many of the young people it was the first time they had performed to a live audience, it was 'nerve wracking' but they commented how they 'felt like a celebrity' and that they loved that the 'crowd went wild'.
Move-it Monday's is delivered in partnership with Action on Disability.
Dancing Books
Monday 28 November
DanceWest and Hammersmith & Fulham council have been awarded significant funding from Arts Council England to expand and deliver Dancing Books.
Dancing Books will be launched on World Book Day on 2 March 2017, the programme will see DanceWest delivering free dance classes, inspired by children's literature. “Do you have a favourite story which you’d love to share with others?”, said Cllr Wesley Harcourt, H&F Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport and Residents’ Services. “If you vote for it at your local library you could see the characters come alive through creative dance routines. Read more here
November News!
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