Hello from us at Ella Mesma Company!
Happy Autumn! The trees are showing us how beautiful it is to let things go, and I felt inspired to write!
How are you? What are you creating? And do you create intuitively?
One of our company dancers, David Evans once said “I think (Ella) is one of the most intuitive artists I have ever met, an artist who really uses dreaming as a tool” It really is true! I let go (I get out of the way of myself) so the work can come through. I let go of the need to know how, and instead, ask the questions to support me to follow my intuition so I can create from there. It’s a beautiful process and I believe it gives space for every artist involved to also connect to their own magic.
What are we creating right now?
We are currently creating two shows; Papyllon & The Rainbow Butterfly (the photo above is from a rehearsal shoot with Vikki Marie Page during our time creating the show at PDSW this summer). The shows are children, and a grown ups version of one initial idea, combining aerial, dance & singing to explore oral storytelling traditions & mixed heritage identity.
We are currently creating the indoor theatre versions of the two shows, working with Jay and Georgina Lance (and myself) as performers, Vicki Amedume (Upswing) as Dramaturg, Claire Harvey as aerial support, Rachel Bradbear as Producer and the amazing Beverley Thomas (as all around magic maker).
Next, we want to create outdoor versions, and a tour of libraries!
The shows also include;
A real life maypole (complete with a workshop for children with an arts award) which young people weave live in the show, and sit underneath for s
Incredible costumes (and silks) designed by Zepyhr Liddell,
Music by Marv Radio & Sabio Janiak,
Awesome Video Projection,
An online theatre space hosted by VTogether, Topia and built by Bryan Aldea,
An illustrated story book (illustrated by Jessica Rosas).
We will have three sharings on 10th December, plus a full show experience (complete with sound healing and other magic) on the 7th January. If you would like to come to one of our sharings on either date, just send me an email here.
We are also working on a duet (as yet it is nameless!) with Akeim Toussaint, inspired by an interview we recently did with Thomas Talawa Presto (We will publish the interview soon.. a little more revealed below…) and are very excited for Alex Pickford’s successful bid to explore an intergenerational version of the duet next year.
I close this years Goddxx Path on Sunday. The Goddxx Path is a 9 month coaching programme for creatives. I have been coaching 11 incredible humans this year (find out more at my instagram @maya_gandaia). Our 2022 programme opens on the 27th January 2022 and we have 11 spaces (there are 6 spots left). If you would like to know more or talk about getting you in line with your intuition, flow and creative abundance, Message me here
Meanwhile, here is some more magic to check out;
Our first pervasive Media Studio talk (Where I am a resident) happens next month on the 26th November Book Here
I have been working on company dancer Hsing Ya Wu’s Black & White which has been transformational! We would love to invite you to the sharing on November 13th Book Here
Bobak Champion (Company dancer who did a fantastic job in our summer performance of Little Amal: A Sleeping Child), and who also celebrates his birthday today (Happy Birthday Bobak!) has a show on the 28th October at one of our favourite locations in the UK, Kala Sangam in Bradford. Shows include a Q&A and a service of home made Iranian biscuits and tea (yum!) Book Here
I am an Associate Artist at the wonderful Geraldine Connor Foundation (and it was a pleasure and a joy to teach for their summer school in August). The Geraldine Connor Foundation invite you to join ‘Locks to Legacies’ on Saturday 30th October at Leeds Lock House, Armouries Drive, Leeds,where 10 young people uncover 500 years of unseen Leeds history. They’ll take you on a tour of Leeds Dock and expose histories never shared before! The project is free, and will bring alive this history for you to see and hear through audio tours, boat trips and an exhibition. Book here
Finally, yesterday we launched Season 3 of PowerUp! Podcast. Created with the amazing Ama Rouge, PowerUp! is a podcast that seeks to empower and dismantle, giving us the power and confidence to question, deconstruct, rebuild and expand in life.
We share our, and our guests journeys and tools to help you on your path to your authentic self. We recognise that we can’t dismantle and empower – or be empowered, without first learning ourselves. Diving deeper to unlearn the harmful, restrictive and unprogressive. It’s an ongoing practise and journey for us all, which is why we created this podcast.
Our show features guests doing the work to enlighten, deconstruct and power up in their own magical ways. We lead conversations around topics of healing, transformation, wellbeing and creativity looking at how they feed our personal and collective evolution. How they help us PowerUp! This Sunday, we interviewed Dr Emily Zobel Marshall, next weekend our guest is Iris De Brito, and the following week, Karla Thomas and Kristel Tracey talk Colourism. Catch us here
If you are ready to start collecting Christmas presents, why not gift my Journal To Joy to your loved ones?
Other things we are pondering…
Do gender and race impact the pressure experienced by artists and the interpretations of an artists success/skill/ability? Where might that manifest as internalised gatekeeping/self-doubt/override feelings of success?
How amazing it would be to bring back Ladylike but with a guest appearance from Bellatrix (who does an even better chicken than me (say what?!) and recently collaborated with Emma Houston to create the very dope show Like Mercury)
Is it really true that Salsa was originally a martial art? (Find out in our interview with Thomas Presto very soon!)
Sending you all my love, hugs and magic at this different time, and we will be back soon,
I love you!
Ella Mesma X
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