Leading Diaspora Dance Theatre in the UK
Choreography: Ella Mesma and Dancers
Costume: Sabrina Henry
Set Design and Costume Upcycling: Holly Miller
Performers: Amari Webb-Martin, David Evans, Ofelia Balogun, and Jummy Faruq
Lighting: Alan Dawson
Music: Written by Sabio Janiak, featuring piano, vocals, didgeridoo, ocarina, drums, programming, percussion, clarinet, and electronica by Sabio Janiak. Additional vocals include Duele by Ella Mesma and Povo by Nuno Silva.
Dramaturgy: Eva Martinez
And we honour and love, Isaac Ouro Gnao, Benedicta Valentina, Patrick Ziza, Milton Lopez, Elsabet Yonas, Franck Arnaud Lusbec and Lucia Afonso who were involved in an Research and Development of the work (before it became a Children’s show).
The choreographers and dancers acknowledge with gratitude that this dance piece is informed by Afro Cuban, Kuduru, House, Kizomba, Capoeira, breaking (breakdance) and Bachata.
We acknowledge the painful history of colonialism and enslaved people that led to the creation of these diasporic dances. We commit to honouring and respecting them and their history. We acknowledge all unrecognised cultural lineages and untold stories.
A Jellyfish Love song is a magical new dance and puppetry performance for families, inspired by Laurie Newman’s book Jessie The Jellyfish. This vibrant show celebrates the magic and wonder of the ocean while exploring ways we can all help protect our beautiful planet!
Filled with music, lights, singing, puppetry, and plenty of dance, A Jellyfish Love Song brings a powerful message about caring for the sea—all while tidying up the ocean!
Set in a utopian underwater world crafted entirely from recycled materials, this captivating adventure draws on dances of the diaspora and is designed for audiences ages 3-7 years old and their families.
Join us in a healing ritual as star-crossed jellyfish sing a love song, taking audiences on a uplifting journey from fear to love and JOY!
“Dive down to the bottom of the shimmering sea! At the deepest depths is where you’ll see Jessie the Jellyfish and family.”
Arrive early to explore our virtual underwater world, and stay afterwards for an interactive stay-and-play session with the dancers!
Some fun, pre-show questions…
Did you know that Jellyfish existed even before the dinosaurs?
Do you know what Dinoflagellates are?
Do you know about mutualistic relationships in the ocean?
That there are more than 200 types of jellyfish in our oceans?
Or that some types of jellyfish bring little bits of nutrients: food from the depths of the ocean floor all the way up to the surface of the water, feeding all sorts of creatures in the ecosystem on their way up?
This piece requires a minimum stage area of 55m.
Running time: 55 minutes
No. Performers: 4 (total on road 5)
Dramaturgical Support (before it became a children’s show): Luke Pell (through South East Dance Collaborate: Dramaturg in Residence 2018) and Dr Edson Burton
Photography and Videography: Jessica Mitchell (Earth Motion Photography), Ashley Karrell (Panoptical) and Ersen Ermis
Mentoring: Fergus Evans (Big Feast), Degna Stone (Slate Enabler), Theatre Bristol, Rachel Bradbear, Annie Rigby (Unfolding Theatre via Slate)
Participation: Contemporary Dance Workshop, Kuduru Dance, Sessions, Folkloric Dance (Orishas) Lessons, and Musical instrument making recycling plastic.
Funding: Arts Council of England, Metal Liverpool (Change Maker artist in residency 2018), South East Dance (Collaborate: Dramaturg in Residence 2018), Eclipse Theatre (Playpot), and Audience members via Crowdfunding.
Support: Trinity Centre, Bristol. Pervasive Media Studio, Bristol. Serendipity, Leicester. Dance City, Newcastle. Dance Umbrella, London. Sadler’s Wells, London. Northern Stage, Newcastle. Kala Sangam, Bradford. Yorkshire Dance, Leeds.
We create magic experiences using a diverse range of folkloric styles & aerial silks to bring the stories that we would love to have seen growing up to life
