Ella Mesma Company

I had a wonderful time, you are absolutely a joy to watch and your class is a true reflection of our beautiful culture
Ana Terra CarvalhoBrazilian Embassy, Pretoria, South Africa (as part of Joburg Afro Latin Festival teaching Samba Technique)
The safe atmosphere she created, interacting with everyone, making her points, explanations and directions very clear, accessible to everyone. It felt like we were entering into a different universe, more chilled than the outside world
Lia, Bristol(As part of The Path For Series at Trinity Centre in Bristol)
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The EMC Technique class is called: Embodied Alchemy: Movement Meditation Mantra and Mudra: This session is a physical and meditative flow to move to a place of heart. The class focuses on shifting and articulating the whole body with a focus on breath.

This class uses the floor and draws origins from contemporary dance, yoga and Brazilian and Cuban dance practises, whilst also allowing room for flow and individual experimentation.

Using the universal language of dance, Ella Mesma Company seek to champion an environment which is inclusive, collaborative and empowering, using diaspora dance theatre (a term they created to communicate this unique meeting of dance styles) to allow transformation in the studio and on stage.

We offer a range of classes and workshops listed below, as well as wraparound activity with each production we present.

Our interest in dance for transformation and giving voices to the unheard extends to our engagement and community work. 

Who can study with us?

We can cater for all ages from 4 to 100… we have taught in nurseries, schools, universities, congresses, youth groups, care homes and in both community and professional dancers and settings.

Technique Classes:

We offer technique dance classes in all of the styles listed in our ‘Dancestyles‘ page, as well as out own technique class.

The EMC Technique class is called: Embodied Alchemy: Movement Meditation Mantra and Mudra: This session is a physical and meditative flow to move to a place of heart. The class focuses on shifting and articulating the whole body with a focus on breath.

This class uses the floor and draws origins from contemporary dance, yoga and Brazilian and Cuban dance practises, whilst also allowing room for flow and individual experimentation.

We also offer The Path For Series or the HOME Series with our sister company Maya Gandaia, which we describe as an embodied path back home: learning to open our hearts, to create the life we would love and living a life in line with our true purpose.

Production workshops:

With each show we have also developed a workshop and education package which can be booked in schools and dance venues.

The Masks We Wear

This movement workshop explores our identity on and off stage. Sometimes the performance we put on in life can be more restrictive than our stage performance: from how technology allows us to create our self-image, to the sides of our persona we choose to show or to leave out. In this workshop we talk and dance makeup, filters and masks, to explore the shadows that we hide from ourselves.

Ladylike (Consent workshop)

Created with support from The Dance Consultancy, this workshop is aimed at young people to accompany the current National Curriculum sex education syllabus. (SACRED from the PathFor series also accompanies the LADYLIKE production)

Foreign Bodies (Our Story workshop)

We offer a workshop called ‘Evolution’ as well as a workshop created using enneagram work and archetypes inspired by the Orishas. Both of these workshops offer an insight into the creation of the piece (HOME and HEART from the PathFor series also accompany the FOREIGN BODIES: AN UNDERWATER LOVE STORY production)

Papyllon (Dance and poetry workshop)

This workshop was developed in South Africa with poet Toni Stuart and combines the techniques we used to create this collaborative conversation between two different art forms. (CREATE and FLY from the PathFor series also accompany the PAPYLLON production)

Where have we taught? Ella Mesma Company have been teaching dance since 2003. She has taught for the National Dance Teachers Association, ADAD, Sadler’s Wells, Yorkshire Dance, Dance X Change, Birmingham Hippodrome, Trinity Centre, Dance City, U4, The Place, Drumming 4 Business, Global Grooves, Salsa Congresses across the UK and internationally (Spain, Denmark, Serbia, Greece, Turkey, South Africa), York University, Newcastle University, Leeds University, University of East London, Rise Youth Dance Company, Dare to Dance, Big Dance, London School of Samba, Move It, Step into Dance, Burlington Danes Academy, Elizabeth Garrett Academy and many more schools across the UK.

Homage To: Every bit of my nine lives training as a dancer/yogi has informed these workshops (which I created on my dance company over a number of years) and so I want to pay homage to all my teachers 

Ella Mesma Company

Ella Mesma Company is a British dance theatre company who use a diverse range of folkloric dance styles, inspired by director Ella’s background in Afro-Latin, Breaking and Contemporary dance, as well as the skills of each individual who has joined the company.

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