Ela Mesma Company

Dispora Dance Theatre

December Updates

Read the original post here

Olá, Hola, Bonjour, Pẹlẹ o,

Waaaah! It is nearly 2019!

Welcome all our friends and supporters to our December updates… the season of Sagittarius!

We have many things to share with you… plus an incredible discount on our classes (almost half price) for our loyal newsletter readers.

Sagittarius is a time to dream bigger and envision new possibilities, and we have been doing just that!

Above is a fabulous photo taken by the extremely talented and visionary Nathalie Teitler for part of her ‘Dancing Words’ series.

I danced for two poems this year: for poet Mimi Khalvati, and my absolute hero, Warsan Shire (who wrote some of my favourite bits of the Lemonade album for Beyonce herself!)

Sneak preview clips from Mimi Khalvati and Warsan Shire poems are below as well as info on how to come and see the full length footage.

Below you can also read all about next months workshops which I am super excited to be touring across the UK and further afield next year….
(plus get an exclusive discount available to subscribers only!)

And you can watch the trailer/interview below (which we made during the R&D for our new project Foreign Bodies). We are now in the planning phase for part two… excited doesn’t cut it… audience…promoters… the world… I don’t think you’re ready for this jelly!

Reflecting on 2018 before this year comes to a close, here are some of our highlights:

I graduated with an MA from LSCD (I still can’t quite believe it! Blog post coming soon!)

Tichea Brade and I curated WCOL at Richmix, a beautiful event sharing the talents of so many amazing artists from DJ to beatboxer to a chocolate yoga meditation!

I toured Roots of Rumba to 6 venues and sold out in London working with some incredible artists (watch the highlights here: It was such a delight to be able to tour some of my absolute favourite artists around the UK!)

I began touring a series of 7 workshops (which I hope to be touring much more in 2019 across the UK and further afield!)

Our team of wonderful women finished the Ladylike tour (Oh chickens I miss you so!)

We began the creation of a new work (Foreign Bodies: An Underwater Love Story) (as mentioned more below)

Toni Stuart (poet) and I premiered Papyllon in South Africa (It was also my first time ever to visit Africa:which was pretty life changing): If you haven’t already check out my blog posts about the experience here.

All this as well as lots of teaching dance and yoga, and moving to Leeds to work part time as a Dance Development Artist for Yorkshire Dances’ Dance On project. (We just take it all with big Martha Graham style strides)

We are also excited to announce our becoming a resident at Pervasive Media Studio in 2019 (we are doing the running man right now to celebrate) and Trinity Bristol Associate Artist. Plus I am super excited to be travelling back to Africa this month: I am headed to Nigeria with Global Grooves for a Christmas Carnival show!

Wishing you a beautiful and festive month creating what you love!

Much love,
Ella xxx

Foreign Bodies: An Underwater Love Story
We have begun the process of creating a new show: Arts Council funded project Foreign bodies: an underwater love story danced to
Fado,
Kizomba,
Kuduro rhythms by composer and magic maker Sabio Janiak (who also makes music for Hofesh Shecter)… check out some of his magic hereNarrated by Milton Lopes (who I first met as an apprentice with Upswing Circus and is also an incredible circus artist!),
Foreign Bodies is an interactive anonymous quiz show with technology by Gentlemen Octopus Limited (who are currently creating technology for Massive Attack), that explores:
“what does it mean to be a citizen of the world?”
Using Jellyfish as a metaphor (hence my newfound obsession with all things jelly: they are even getting into my dreams!),
we explored healing from trauma on planet earth.We had some wonderful artists join us:
Franck Arnaud-Lusbec
Lucia Afonso
David Evans
Elsabet Yonas
Isaac Ouro Gnao
as well as dramaturgy Luke Pell via South East Dance (thank you thank you thank you!). We hope to bring Foreign Bodies back in 2019… watch this space!
Dancing Words: The Ugly Daughter and Afterwardness
Dancing Words present 3 new poetry dance films featuring the work of 3 exceptional British poets:
Warsan Shire
Caleb Femi
Mimi KhalvatiThere will be a poetry reading by Caleb Femi, as well as a Q & A shared by Dfiza Afi Benson with panelists:
Poet Caleb Femi
Filmmaker Fiona Melville
Dancers Elsabet Yonas and myself
Costume designer Sabrina Henry
Creative director Natalie TeitlerTuesday 11th December

Free Word Centre

60 Farringdon Road

London

EC1R 3GA

Reserve Tickets

Afterwardness Trailer
Upcoming Workshops: HEART and HOME
Dates for your diary!

I am super excited about these 7 workshops which I began creating using both movement and meditation on my lovely company dancers. Each workshop is designed to heal, open and empower. and is inspired by a specific chakra:

HOME
WOMB
CREATE
HEART
SING
FLY
SPACE

I created these workshops to unleash the dancer inside all of us: to move uniquely, to create authentically, to respond, to lead, to follow. Just like nature, we all have our natural and unique talents to share with the world, and I love to use beautiful rhythms, magic and creative imagination to draw these out and come home to who we are together and how we move authentically.
12th January: HEART and HOME at Trinity, Bristol

19th January: HEART at Siendo, Lisbon (Watch out for more information!)

27th January: HEART at The Place
TIMES: 16.00-18.00

24th February: WOMB at The Place

31st March: CREATE at The Place

28th April: SING at The Place

HEART uses different techniques from contemporary and partner dances to get back in touch with ourselves and to remember how to communicate without words. Danced to Latin, Electronic, and other awesome tracks HEART includes lifting, one to one and group partner combinations as well as meditations to connect to the heart.

Prices:
Earlybird: £15 (Pay before 1st January)

Drop in class: £20

Buy four classes: £50 (£12.50 per class)

Receive your VIP Newsletter Readers discount
Dance On at Yorkshire Dance
I have also been working as a dance development artist on a lovely project in Yorkshire run by Yorkshire Dance. Dance On is a dance programme to tackle inactivity among older adults, delivered by a partnership of One Dance UK, Yorkshire Dance and darts (Doncaster Community Arts). It is a lovely project: there have been tears, laughter and meeting some many beautiful souls! Have a little look here (And if you know an older person in Leeds who might want to dance, send them along!)
Thank you for reading! Don’t forget to make use of our special and exclusive discount for our January workshop at the place (And let us know if you want to make it a Christmas voucher and we can post you out a beautiful printed voucher!)

Don’t forget to follow our facebook page and instagram accounts for insights and giveaways.

Have a wonderful month and closing of 2018 from all the team at EMC

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