Press Release: Participants announced for Making Moves choreographic project

[Jan McNulty]

Participants announced for Making Moves choreographic project    Sadler’s Wells’ Making Moves, a choreographic project for schools and youth groups to engage young people across England in dance, announces its first participants.      There are 16 youth groups and 34 schools taking part this academic year, from all over the country. Participants will create new dance works inspired by some of the world’s most exciting choreographers and have a chance to perform at Sadler's Wells. Each year 50 school and youth dance groups will be selected to take part in the project for young people aged 11 - 18 (up to 24 years for d/Deaf or disabled young dancers).     Making Moves provides participating groups with digital toolkits created by four professional dance artists connected with Sadler’s Wells. The four choreographers for the inaugural year are Alesandra Seutin, Dannielle “Rhimes” Lecointe, Jordan Douglas and Oona Doherty. The toolkits include a theme, suggested music, sources of inspiration such as poetry or visual art, and creative ideas for generating movement.    Group leaders will work with their young dancers to create a new dance work, which will be performed at their school or youth group during the autumn term and at a venue local to them in spring 2024. Sadler’s Wells staff and guest dance professionals will provide verbal and written feedback.    Eight groups will be invited to perform on one of Sadler’s Wells’ stages on 24 July 2024, to a public audience and a panel of professionals from the dance sector. One group will be given an award for Best New Choreography.    The project began with a training weekend for group leaders at Sadler’s Wells on 16 and 17 September.    Choreographer Jordan Douglas said: "Making Moves is an exciting and inclusive opportunity for schools and youth groups to understand how we make hip hop dance theatre for world class stages. It means the world that all types of children, from all walks of life, are able to access the arts and on their own terms.”    Tory East, group leader for Hampshire Youth Dance Company said: “I think what has been really beautiful about the weekend is the space for teachers and artists to come together and connect. It’s really rare if you work as a freelance artist or teacher that you have the luxury of that time and space to connect with so many people from so many backgrounds and from across England, and to really delve into the artist’s toolkit because you spend so much time as a freelance artist by yourself creating your own choreographic ideas. So, to have that inspiration is gold.”    Joce Giles, Sadler’s Wells’ Director of Learning & Engagement said: “'We were delighted with the level of interest from groups applying to take part in the first year of Making Moves and are excited to be working with such a diverse range of schools and youth dance companies from across England. The teachers and youth dance leaders involved in the project are such a committed and inspiring group and we are looking forward to watching the work they create with their students.”    The groups taking part in the inaugural year are: Kesgrave High School in Ipswich; Thomas Gainsborough School in Sudbury; Obsidian School in Dereham; The Boswells School in Chelmsford; 28 Dance Company in Welwyn Garden City; Sharnbrook Academy in Bedford; St Angela’s Ursuline School in London; Studio3 Arts in Barking; Goop! Dance Company Park High School in Stanmore; Haringey Shed in London; Langley Park School for Boys in Beckenham; Acland Burghley School in London; The BRIT School in Croydon; ACE Youth in Birmingham; Curve Young Dance Company in Leicester; Northampton School for Boys in Northampton; Ascension Youth in Coventry; Burton and South Derbyshire College in Burton-on-Trent; The Redhill Academy in Nottingham; Barbara Priestman Academy in Sunderland; Dame Allan’s School in Newcastle; Fallibroome Academy in Macclesfield; Preston Youth Dance Company in Preston; Shockout Academy in Manchester; Altrincham Grammar School for Girls in Manchester; Stockport Grammar School in Stockport; Taciturn Youth Dance Company in Liverpool; The Orpheus Centre in Godstone, Surrey; Davison CE High School for Girls in Worthing; Ceyda Tanc Youth Dance in Brighton; Woking College in Woking; Priory School Lewes in Lewes; Ash Manor School in Ash; FuzzyLogic Male Youth Dance Company in Southampton; ORB Youth Dance Company in Eastleigh; Hampshire Youth Dance Company in Hampshire; Castle View Academy in Portsmouth; X Drive Company, John Wallis Academy in Ashford; Ivybridge Community College in Ivybridge; Stacked Wonky Youth Group in Porlock; Matravers School in Westbury; SGS College – Bristol Institute of Performing Arts in Stoke Gifford; Exeter College Dance Academy in Exeter; Coast Youth Dance Company in Dorset; York Youth Dance in York; Phoenix Youth Academy in Leeds; Resi/ Dance Youth Company in Bradford; High Storrs School in Sheffield; CAPA College in Wakefield and Explosive_UK, Leeds City College in Leeds.    Barclays is the headline Sponsor of Making Moves new National Choreography Competition     Notes to editors    About Oona Doherty  Oona Doherty has been performing dance theatre internationally since 2010 with companies including: TRASH (NL), Abattoir Fermé (BE), Veronika Riz (IT), Emma Martin/ United Fall (IRE), Enda Walsh and Landmark Productions (IRE).    Doherty’s ground-breaking choreography has earned her multiple awards and prestigious opportunities both in Ireland and abroad. Her solo work Hope Hunt and the Ascension into Lazarus (2015) earnt her Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival Best Performer Award in 2016 and won the Total Theatre Dance Award at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017.    Her first group piece Hard to Be Soft – A Belfast Prayer was voted no.1 UK dance show of 2019 by The Guardian. In 2019 she created Lady Magma: The Birth of a Cult and 2021 saw her first collaboration with (La) Horde collective at the helm for Ballet Nationale de Marseille (FR). Her second group piece, Navy Blue, was performed at Sadler’s Wells as part of Dance Umbrella Festival in 2022.    Oona Doherty was awarded the Silver Lion at the Venice Biennale Danza in 2021.       About Jordan Douglas  Jordan is a London-based performer, specialising in krump, house and hip hop styles.    In krump, Jordan has won OV Battles and D2C Ireland, and has helped push krump forward in the UK theatre scene, working with choreographers like UK krump pioneer Duwane Taylor, Theophilus O Bailey-Godson and Joshua Nash.    Jordan has been a core member of Botis Seva’s hip hop theatre company Far From The Norm since 2014. With them, he has toured internationally with the Olivier Award-winning work BLKDOG - performing in places like Sadler’s Wells, Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, Venice Biennale Danza, Adelaide Festival and Dansens Hus Stockholm. He has also been part of numerous film projects; REACH for Channel 4 Random Acts, Dancing Nation for BBC Arts, CAN’T KILL US ALL with BBC and The Space.    Keen to facilitate and develop the next generation of artists, his work spans further into teaching and assisting on projects with National Youth Dance Company, VERVE, Dance East CAT, Warwick Arts Centre Artist Development and The Place.     2023 will see Jordan touring Botis Seva’s latest work, Mama and the release of a film collaboration with Sadler’s Wells Digital Stage, Far From The Norm and director Douglas Bernadt.       About Dannielle ‘Rhimes’ Lecointe  Associate Artistic Director at ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company, Dannielle, well known as Rhimes, is a London based creative, choreographer, and entrepreneur.    Her stage performance credits include Rap-On-Zel in ZooNation’s critically acclaimed award-winning West End show Into the Hoods (2006 to 2009), Boy Blue’s Olivier Award-winning production Pied Piper and their Barbican sensation Over the Edge. On screen Dannielle has performed the role of Justine in the box office smash hit film Street Dance 3D.    In 2012 Dannielle led Boadicea Crew to reach the finals of Got to Dance (Sky One) and later onto the show as a Supercrew. Following this Dannielle joined forces with Ashley Banjo to take Boadicea on tour with Britain’s Got Talent winners, Diversity. Tours included Digitized, Limitless, Limitless The Reboot and ITV’s Up Close and Personal.    Choreographic work includes Assistant Choreographer for 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremonies, Choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance (BBC), Choreographer Into The Hoods Remixed, Associate Choreographer of Everybody’s Talking about Jamie West End, UK Tour, Motion Picture and Australian tour and Associate Choreographer on An Officer and a Gentleman (Leicester Curve), Choreographer Dick Whittington (National Theatre), In the Willows (Meta Theatre), The Sun, The Moon, The Stars (Stratford East). Her work on Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World included choreography, songwriting and script consultation.    Directing credits include Resident Director on Some Like It Hip Hop and Everybody’s Talking about Jamie West End production, Artistic Director of ZooNation Youth Company (Birmingham Hippodrome) and directing remounts of Groove on Down the Road at Wolverhampton Arena Theatre, Birmingham Hippodrome and Southampton Mayflower Theatre. Dannielle has been nominated for the OFFIES best Choreography/Movement award and Black British Theatre and has been a Judge and Mentor on BBC Young Dancer. Dannielle most recently co-directed ZooNation’s 20th Anniversary show Mixtape at Sadler’s Wells and was the Associate Director of SYLVIA at The Old Vic.        About Alesandra Seutin  Alesandra Seutin is an International performer, choreographer, dramaturg and teacher. The daughter to South African and Belgian parents, Alesandra was born in Harare, Zimbabwe. She grew up in Brussels and now lives in London.    Alesandra founded Vocab Dance in 2007 and has built an international reputation for creating thought provoking and visually striking performances. Her creativity is triggered by issues that address and reflect social, political and economic circumstances and with movement, voice and music, she shares stories that induce conversations.    Past company productions have toured around the UK, Europe, Canada, West/South/East Africa and Brazil. Current works include Giant and a new group work Boy Breaking Glass, which premiered as part of Reckonings at Sadler’s Wells, London in October 2018.    Other recent choreographic commissions for Alesandra under Vocab Dance include, Icon for Studio Wayne McGregor, INA (Light) for Sadler’s Wells and Random Acts (Channel 4), Dare I speak for Company of Elders at Sadler’s Wells.    She has studied dance in different parts of the world holding a Diploma in dance theatre from Laban and a degree in choreography and performance from Middlesex University, London. Alesandra also further trained at the École des Sables, Senegal training directly under Germaine Acogny. Alesandra is a worldwide ambassador of the Acogny technique, which she teaches at Ecole des Sables and globally.    Alesandra was Guest Artistic Director for the National Youth Dance Company (NYDC) 2020-21 and 2021-22.      About Barclays  Barclays is a British universal bank.  We are diversified by business, by different types of customers and clients, and by geography.  Our businesses include consumer banking and payments operations around the world, as well as a top-tier, full service, global corporate and investment bank, all of which are supported by our service company which provides technology, operations and functional services across the Group.      For further information about Barclays, please visit our website www.barclays.com        About Sadler’s Wells   Sadler's Wells is a world-leading dance organisation. We strive to make and share dance that inspires us all. Our acclaimed year-round programme spans dance of every kind, from contemporary to flamenco, Bollywood to ballet, salsa to street dance and tango to tap.   We commission, produce and present more dance than any other organisation in the world. Since 2005, we have helped to bring more than 200 new dance works to the stage, embracing both the popular and the unknown.     Each year, over half a million people visit our three London theatres - Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Lilian Baylis Studio and Peacock Theatre. Millions more attend our touring productions nationally and internationally or explore our digital platforms, including Sadler’s Wells Digital Stage. In 2024 we’re opening a fourth London venue in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Sadler’s Wells East will house a 550-seat mid-scale theatre, as well as facilities for the Choreographic School and Hip Hop Theatre Academy.      Supporting artists is at the heart of our work. We have associate artists and companies, which nurture some of the most exciting talent working in dance today. We host the National Youth Dance Company, which draws together some of the brightest young dancers from across the country. Sadler’s Wells Breakin' Convention runs professional development programmes to champion and develop the world’s best hip hop artists, as well as producing, programming and touring groundbreaking hip hop performances.      Around 30,000 people take part in our learning and engagement programmes every year. We support schools local to our theatres in Islington and Stratford, designing experiences for children and young people to watch, explore and critically engage with the arts. We also run Company of Elders, a resident performance company of dancers aged over 60 who rehearse with renowned artists to make new work for public performances locally, nationally and internationally.     Sadler’s Wells is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.    www.sadlerswells.com    Stay up to date with everything Sadler’s Wells on social media   Facebook: @SadlersWells   Twitter: @Sadlers_Wells   Instagram: @sadlers_wells   YouTube: Sadler’s Wells Theatre