Dance Umbrella, London’s contemporary dance festival have announced further details for Touch The Floor. A multidisciplinary event at Rich Mix on 24 October, curated by Anthea Lewis. Exploring the history and evolution of Black British social dance and music cultures, the day will consist of talks, movement workshops, music, and communal dance.
The day begins with The Common Space, curated in collaboration with dance artist Natifah White and cultural producer Dwayne Church-Simms. It invites attendees to gather, connect and exchange ideas throughout the day, with a pop-up library, community playlists and a growing collection of stories and memories, alongside a film installation by Gary Nurse.
Natifah White will also be working with attendees to create a digital zine and growing community archive in Mapping The Dance Floor. People will be encouraged to share their story of their relationship with dance and music through their personal items and materials that evoke a memory. Items could be a piece of fabric, a colour, a texture, a pattern or an object which connects them to movement, music and gathering.
The first panel Sitting in Limbo, a conversation with Dwayne Church-Simms explores how Black cultural histories are remembered, preserved and passed between generations. Artist, curator and cultural producer Dwayne Church-Simms will be joined by curator, researcher and public historian Dr Aleema Gray and dancer and choreographer Stuart Thomas.
In the evening, Memory in Motion begins, a selection of stories, dancing, music and participation. Including We Come Together; a conversation hosted by former director of the Black Cultural Archives Lisa Anderson, with DJ and music curators Cyndi Handson, musician and Roundhouse trustee for young creatives Spider J, music executive Dean Bryce, interdisciplinary artist Amarnah Ufuoma Cleopatra and visual theatre maker Benji Reid. Later on in the evening, performance artist, poet and teacher Paradigmz will host an interactive exploration of social dance through archival footage, music, live demonstration and participation in Step to It. Finally, the evening ends with Come We Go – A Closing DJ Set with Cyndi Handson; which invites everyone to move together through a shared music journey, celebrating the joy, connective and collective memory held within social dance.
NEED TO KNOW: The event is now on sale here.
