Our amazing third-year students graduated from the Dance City Training Academy this week, celebrating with the grand finale of their self-created Fuzion Festival—a vibrant three-day event that captivated audiences from the North East and beyond with its dynamic showcase of dance and the arts.
The festival spanned across three days on the 29 May until 31 May. The festival was designed, organised, and led by the BA3 co-hort. The programme included the work that BA1, BA2, and BA3 students had been preparing throughout their course this year, with permanent faculty and visiting artists, including the Gillian Dickinson Foundation awardees. The festival aimed to showcase the future of professional dance.
Students cross all years of the BA were involved in the creation, planning and present on the day of the festival. Jobs were given out between the students ranging from;
- Marketing (either Promo and Copy Team or Social Media Team)
- Production (either Scheduling Team or Production Management Team)
- Technical (Technical Assistant Team)
Photographers Tom Banks and Saya Naruse captured the event in some fantastic photographs that we love and have to share with you along with the details of the wonderful dance pieces and dances.
PERFORMANCES AND WORKSHOPS AT THE FESTIVAL
AN INTRICATE SET OF NERVES
A creative response about what heals our mood. Choreographer – Sophie Douglas and BA3
Dancers – (Dance 1) Tilda Andrews, Charlotte Bannar-Martin, Jessica Boyko and Cara Hogarth. (Dance 2) Georgia Irvine, Daisy Knowles, Katie Ovington, Courtney Pearse-Ward, Kieron Wilson.
FADED
Faded explores the emotional journey between two loved ones, where as one’s essences fades away, the other one remains.
Choreographer – Georgia Irvine
Dancers – Tilda Andrews and Jessica Boyko
NOW WHAT?
To the energy we find after we’ve already spent it:
Where do you come from?
What do you leave behind?
Choreographer – Guilia Coti Zelati and Year 2
Dancers – Emily Armstrong, Kaitlin Eglintine, Emily Girdwood, Scarlett Keech, Tilly Jobson, Hannah Sturman, Tara Watson.
THE ONTOLOGY OF THE MIND AND BODY
Choreography and dancer – Kieron Wilson
Drawing from personal experiences of mental health. Movement inspired and informed by the anatomical exploration of panic.
Year 2 Reflective Practice
The Choreographic and The Creative Indusustries module.
Choreographers – Kaitlin Eglintine, Emily Girdwood, Scarlett Keech, Hannah Sturman
Dancers – Millie Cook, Kaitlin Eglintine, Emily Girdwood, Scarlett Keech, Tilly Jobson, Charlotte Lumb, Hannah Sturman, Tara Watson
SABOTAGED
By Lucia Piquiero and Year 1
From ballet to Beyonce, the role of female identifying people are expected to play in society is explored.
Dancers – Deane Ali, Erin Atkinson, Madison Bell, Daisy Bell, Francesca Avril Coulson, Evie Demetriou, Sarah Grace Hodgson, Charlotte Lumb, Anushkar Parmar.
F*** ACCEPTANCE, DRINK WATER
Choreography – Yewande 103 (HEMSLEY, MOLEYA, TATGE) and Year 2
An invitation to hold one another in our watching and changing.
SUPERFICIAL THINKING
Choreography – Katie Ovington
This piece explores the duality of a person through internal and external perception; the audience are an observer seeing two minds of a mind from the outside.
NEAR AND FAR ARE ALL AROUND
Choreography – Patrick Okenwa and Year 3
Dancers – Tilda Andrews, Charlotte Bannar-Martin, Jessica Boyko, Cara Hogarth, Georgia Irvine, Daisy Knowles, Kate Ovington, Courtney Pearse-Ward, Kieron Wilson
It all started with a play of breath and the sensations in the dancer’s bodies. By paying attention to the emerging and possible patterns and explore ways to unite, evolve and disrupt them, the acts of rebalancing and reconnecting became our material to observe and sculpt.
RESCTRICTING SPACE
Choreographer – Courtney Pearse-Ward
Dancers – Emily Girdwood, Scarlett Keech, Daisy Knowles
To the naked eye, barriers aren’t always visible. Restricting Space: Navigating Movement aims to uncover hidden barriers through contemporary dance, physical objects, and restrictions to movement Observe the dancers as they weave, spiral, and navigate through the space and body discovering and overcoming barriers with the support of one another.
FORM, LINE, DOT
Choreographer – Daisy Knowles
Dancers –
Kaitlin Eglintine and Hannah Sturman.
Form, Line, Dot is a contemporary dance piece exploring the visual artwork of artists Antony Gormley, Shantell Martin, and Yayoi Kusama. Split into three sections, this promenade performance leads the audience through different spaces of the Dance City building, portraying ideas based on the sculptural work, line drawings and circular patterns of the focused artists through movement.
NURTURE
Choreographer – Jessica Boyko
Dancers – Scarlett Keech and Kieron Wilson
Nurture was created in collaboration with Kieron and Scarlett as an exploration of care and how we can care for those in our care.
NIRVANIC BODIES
Choreographer – Cara Hogarth
Dancers – Cara Hogarth, Georgia Irvine and Kieron Wilson.
In a relentlessly physical duet, dancers intertwine, seeking nirvana through pulsating beats of house music. Their movements blend seamlessly, embodying the essence of euphoria. Each step resonates with passion, transcending earthly boundaries. Through synchronized motion, they unravel the soul’s journey, igniting a transcendent experience, where rhythm and harmony converge in an embrace.
REASONS
Choreographer – Charlotte Bannar-Martin
Dancers – Charlotte Bannar-Martin and Tara Watson.
A contemporary dance performance that explores how we use dance for emotional release. This performance will show how processing and and navigating these emotions can be beneficial to our mental health, whilst helping us experience catharsis.
UNSEEN – DANCE FILM
Choreographer – Tilda Andrews
Dancers – Cara Hogarth
Unseen is a dance film that focuses on the unknown and quiet moments of the queer experience and discovery, which is usually only seen by those who experience it. It illustrates an exploration of identity and the emotions that come with it.
The whole festival was a testament to the hard work of the students here at Dance City, and we hope they are endlessly proud of everything they achieved. The festival will continue year after year, picked up by the third-year students on the BA Hons Professional Dance course. We look forward to seeing future cohorts bring their unique creativity and passion to the Fuzion Festival, ensuring it remains a vibrant celebration of dance and the arts for years to come.
