“The film, the dancer, the choreography of Afterwardness expand the silent spaces of the poem into the inner drama, the strenuous struggle of the body and mind freed into lyric motion. “ Dancing Words, Mimi Khalvati
PREVIOUS PERFORMANCES
2024
JULY
TRBB Performances: 5th July Bourne Free Pride Festival, Bournemouth, https://www.bournefree.co.uk/the-festival
TRBB Rehearsals 8th – 12th April Open Source Arts, Leeds
TRBB Performance 21st April – Huddersfield Literature Festival (9am) (performances at 12pm-1pm and 3pm-4pm)
12pm: https://www.huddlitfest.org.uk/event/the-rainbow-butterfly/
3pm: https://www.huddlitfest.org.uk/event/the-rainbow-butterfly-3pm/
Workshop: https://www.huddlitfest.org.uk/event/rainbow-butterfly/
TRBB Performance – 27th April 2024 – Now Northwich: https://nownorthwich.co.uk/
https://nownorthwich.co.uk/family-trail
MARCH
Utopia event with Ella online Friday, March 29 · 7 – 8pm GMT https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/utopia-grand-tour-with-ella-mesma-company-tickets-788590694997
FEBRUARY
11th February Fireside Chat: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/utopia-fireside-chats-with-ella-mesma-company-tickets-816727573157
TRBB Performance – 16 & 17th February – Bicester (Times 10:30 & 1pm on the 16th & 10:30, 1pm, 3pm on the 17th) https://www.themillartscentre.co.uk/shows/the-rainbow-butterfly-glory-farm-school/
JANUARY
A Jellyfish Lovesong Workshop Week 4-10th January – The London School Of Contemporary Dance, London
Utopia event with Ella online Friday, January 26 · 7 – 8pm GMT https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/utopia-grand-tour-with-ella-mesma-company-tickets-788590694997
2023
NOVEMBER
OKAN Creation 30th – 3rd November – The Place, London
Okan Creation 6th – 17th November – Yorkshire Dance, Leeds
OCTOBER
Guest Artist: Inquiring Bodies:
An insight into Ella’s practice: a combination of movement, mindfulness and wellbeing practices that help Ella create the best environment for creativity – 5th October 2023 – John Archer Hall, 68 Upper Hill St, Liverpool L8 1YR
TRBB Performance 22nd October –
Hastings Storytelling Festival
SEPTEMBER
OKAN Creation 4-15th September – PDSW, Bournemouth
AUGUST
Saturday 5th August, Arboles del Mar, CAT Fabric, The Patrick Studio Birmingham
Home
JULY
4,5,6,7th July
Performance Week The Place
https://theplace.org.uk/events/grad2023
JUNE
3rd June
TRBB Sharings and filming London
MAY
13th May & 14th May 2023
The Rainbow Butterfly at Skipton Town Hall
https://skiptontownhall.co.uk/whats-on/the-rainbow-butterfly/
and Settle
https://www.settlevictoriahall.org.uk/eventsandshows/the-rainbow-butterfly-140523
15th-24th May 2023
Okan went to Italy and performed at the Nardini in Rosignano Marittimo
APRIL
12th April 2023
14th April
GODDXX CREATIVITY CIRCLE: A FREE 9 month online Creativity Circle
14th & 20th April
Sharings of TRBB in Leeds
22nd April
My Word, The World & A Journey To JOY is an event co-hosted by interdisciplinary artists Ella ‘Maya Gandaia’ Mesma & Akeim Toussaint Buck. Launching their books of the same name with a celebration of creativity including a sound bath, journalling and meditative invitations, poetry and book readings DJ and a creative Jam with music and dance (artists are welcome to sign up to join the jam too!) Expect prizes, live music, dance, film, live readings from both books and PARTY!!
FEBRUARY
11th Feb 2023
The Rainbow Butterfly at Yorkshire Dance
2022
26th November
The Rainbow Butterfly in person show 1pm & 3pm
Northern School Of Contemporary Dance, Leeds
Maja has a big imagination and would LOVE to be a Rainbow Butterfly and fly all the way to the Moon! Inspired by the four stages of the lifecycle of a butterfly, this interactive children’s piece tells a story of transformation through the eyes of a child using aerial silks painted by textiles artist Zephyr Liddell and a story book published, illustrated and written by the company.
Book Tickets Here
13th November 2022
Kundalini Yoga Immersion
Yoga Kula, Leeds
Plant seeds for growth, expansion & abundance with this Kundalini immersion. Kundalini is an ancient soul-nourishing practice which increases our physical vitality and expands our consciousness. The beauty of Kundalini Yoga lies in its truly holistic nature. The practice is in itself meditative, whilst simultaneously strengthening the physical body.
Book Ticket
5th November 2022
Utwopia: Online show & Party: The Rainbow Butterfly
Online
From the comfort of home, in an online adventure experience, meet live artists, connect, discover & experience Ella Mesma Company’s newest children’s show: The Rainbow Butterfly (featuring Maja).
Book Tickets Here
16th – 21st October
Kriyativity
Olhão, Portugal
Reawaken your creativity with art, dance, kriyas, Ayurveda and intuition at beautiful locations in Olhao & surrounding nature on a 5 day journey to connect with your creative JOY!
Find out more here
22nd September 2022
Embodied Alchemy Course Start Date
Online
Go from exhausted, overworked, underpaid to becoming an abundant master of flow, creativity and life.
Embodied Alchemy is a 7 week course for professionals who would love to be more creative or creatives who would love to be more professional!
Sign Up Here (Or try a taster meditation here)
- 14th August: Wellbeing Festival at TCR Hub
- Alex Pickford Project: working with a founder of Phoenix, a founder of RJC and a 73 year old Royal Ballet dancer
- 11th July 2019: Anansi: Leeds Library
- 16,18,19,20th July 2019: LADYLIKE at Arcola, London
- 17th July 2019: Press Launch The Masks We Wear, Harehills, London
- 18th July 2019: The Masks We Wear and the books that inspired its creation, Chapeltown Library, Reginald Centre, Leeds
- 19th & 20th July 2019: Foreign Bodies at Festival of Audacity, Birmingham
- 21st July 2019: THE MASKS WE WEAR at Vamos, Leeds
- 27th April 2019: Foreign Bodies at Croydon Dance Festival
- 19th April 2019: Foreign Bodies, Trinity, Bristol
- 30th March 2019: LADYLIKE at IETM in Hull: Ferens Gallery
- 15-17th March 2019: Joburg Afro Latin Festival, Johannesburg, South Africa
- 8th March 2019: : The Masks We Wear at Encounters at Yorkshire Dance, Leeds
- 3rd November 2018, We Created Our Life (Following on from She Created Her Life)
- 15th September 2018, Roots of Rumba London Afterparty, Costs: free to ticket holders or £5, Times: 9.30pm onwards, Richmix, London, E1 6LA, Book: https://www.richmix.org.uk/events/dance/roots-rumba-after-party-0
- 15th September 2018, Roots of Rumba London Performance, Costs: Full day and evening ticket (11am – Close): £15 full / £12 concessions, Performance only: £12 / £10 concessions, Times: 7.30pm, Richmix, London, E1 6LA, Book: https://www.richmix.org.uk/events/dance/roots-rumba-evening-only
- 15th September 2018 Roots of Rumba London Workshops:
- 10.00 – 11.00 Samba Masterclass with Orquidea Lima Felgueiras
- 11.00-12.30 Ella Mesma Company Class
- 12.30- 14.00 Rumba Masterclass with Luanda Pau
- 14.00-15.00 Lunchtime Talk (Pay as you feel: Speakers will be dedicating their time to give you a historic talk: Bring your lunch and your questions: Subject The Roots of Samba with Xavier Osmir)
- 15.00- 16.30 Orisha Masterclass with Miguel Gonzalez
- 16.30- 17.30 Kizomba Connection Class with Iris De Brito
- Venue: Richmix, London, E1 6LA, Book: https://www.richmix.org.uk/events/dance/roots-rumba-joint-ticket-day-evening
- 11th September, Roots of Rumba CPD day (Invite only), Richmix, London
- 5 & 9th September 2018,Papyllon, Open Book Festival, Capetown, South Africa
- 2nd September, Papyllon, Live Art festival (ICA), Capetown, South Africa
- 20th July 2018, Roots of Rumba Leeds Performance, Costs: Adults: £9.50 + booking fee*, Children £6.50 + booking fee*, Times: 6.30-7.15pm Rumba taster. 8pm Show, Yorkshire Dance Centre, 3 St Peter’s Square, Leeds LS9 8AH, Book Tickets: Roots of Rumba at Yorkshire Dance
- 20th July 2018, Roots of Rumba Leeds Afterparty (with the world renowned DJ Lubi), Costs: Free Entry, Times: From 9pm till late, The Wardrobe, Leeds LS9 8AH
- 8th July 2018, Roots Of Rumba : Horniman Museum, London, Costs: Free. Times: 2.45pm
- 7th July 2018, Roots of Rumba Northwich, Costs: Adults: £9.50 + booking fee*, Children £6.50 + booking fee*, Workshops Times: Pop up workshops throughout the daytime, Performance Times: 7.30pm, Lion Salt Works, Northwich CW9 6ES Book Tickets: Roots of Rumba at Lion Salt Works Roots of Rumba Northwich: Book via Cheshire Dance
- 6th July 2018, Roots of Rumba Bristol, Costs: £12-£10, Workshop Times: 6pm onwards, Performance Times: 7.30pm, Trinity Centre, Bristol,BS2 0NW. Book Tickets: Trinity Community Arts
- 13th July 2018, Roots of Rumba Newcastle CPD Day, Costs: By application only, Times: 9.30-5pm, Dance City,Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4BR,
- 13th July 2018, Roots of Rumba Newcastle After Party (with the world renowned Selectorchico TM and a free dance class) Costs: Pay as you feel, Times: from 9.30 pm till late, Kommunity, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 6BH
- 12th July 2018, Ladylike (An Evening with Ella Mesma), Costs: Adults: £9.50,Students & under 18s: £8.00, Times: DJ (Selectorchico TM) & activities 6.30pm performance 7.30pm, Dance City, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4BR, Tickets: An Evening with Ella Mesma: Dance City
- 23rd June 2018, Papyllon (Collabo) (extracts), Costs: £8, Circomedia, Bristol, BS2 8SJ. Book Tickets: Collabo by Avant Garde Dance Company,
- 21st April 2018, She created her life, Richmix, London, E1 6LA
- 10th May, 2018, Papyllon and Foreign Bodies (extracts) (Autograph: Lets Dance International Frontiers), Curve theatre, RR2, Leicester
- 24th March 2018, Ladylike, Trinity Centre: Bristol, Trinity Centre, Bristol,BS2 0NW
- 14 & 15th March 2018, Ladylike (VAULT Festival), The subterranean vaults (beneath WaterlooStation, London)
- 2nd February 2018, Sampled, Sadler’s Wells, London
- 26th January 2018, Inquiring Bodies, Chester University, Chester
- 19th November 2018, Ladylike (WOW) (extracts) Kala Sangam, Bradford
- 20th January 2018, Ladylike, (WIDL) (extracts), NYU Tisch, New York City
- 9th November 2017, Ladylike, Chester University, Chester
- 2nd November 2017, Ladylike (Festival of sex Love and Death), Pleasance Theatre, London, 2nd November 2017
- 28th September 2017, Foreign Bodies (Dance Edits)(extracts), Dance City, Newcastle,
- 21st July 2017, Foreign Bodies (Scratch Dat) (extracts), Richmix, London
- 2nd July 2017, Ladylike (Offbeat Festival), The Old Fire Station, Oxford,
- 8th June 2017, Guerreras (Wild Card), Lilian Baylis Theatre, Sadler’s Wells, London PREMIERE OF LADYLIKE
- May 26th 2017, Ladylike (Harambee Pasadia), Durham
- 4th May 2017, Papyllon (Signatures) (extracts), The Curve Theatre, Leicester
- 28th April 2017, Papyllon (Gateshead International Festival), Gateshead
- 23rd March 2017, Papyllon (Associate Artists Double Bill), Dance City, Newcastle
- 21st February 2017, Papyllon (Moving Frontiers) (extracts) Middlesbrough
- October 28th 2016, Ladylike, Richmix Theatre, London,
- October 14th 2016, Ladylike, (extracts) Redbridge Drama Centre, London
- September 15th 2016, Ladylike (Season Launch) (extracts), Dance City, Newcastle,
- May 18th 2016, Orixás, The Chelsea Theatre, London
- May 17th 2016, Ladylike (The Bench Conference) (extracts), Hippodrome, Birmingham
- April 8th & 9th 2016, Roots of Rumba, Richmix, London
- March 27th 2016, Ladylike (Rise) (extracts), Circomedia, Bristol
- March 5th 2016, Ladylike (Friday Firsts) (extracts), Yorkshire Dance, Leeds
- May 16th 2015, Orixás, Chelsea Theatre
- April 11th 2015, Roots Of Rumba, Richmix, London
- 14th March 2015, Orixás (Rise), Circomedia, Bristol
- 5th March 2015, Orixás (Friday Firsts), Yorkshire Dance Centre, Leeds
- 6th February 2015, Evol (Sketch), Northern School of Contemporary Dance
- 10th January 2015, Orixás (Resolutions), The Place
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