Elixir Extracts 2022 Workshops and Talk
15 June & 17 June
The Elixir Extracts Festival features workshops for professional and non-professional dancers.
What dance styles are the workshops and how do you get to attend one?
We work with dancers from all different backgrounds, five of which have been invited to lead masterclasses into their dance styles. The workshops are for older dancers from all backgrounds, no dance experience is necessary to take part. Booking is essential.
Workshops will be held in Studio B at Sadler’s Wells. Access is via the Stage Door entrance on Rosebery Avenue. The Artist Talk will be held in the Rosebery Room which is accessible via the main entrance of Sadler’s Wells. How to get here
Header image © Ellie Kurttz
Age on Stage with Charlotta Öfverholm
Wednesday 15 June, 11:00 – 12:00
Sadler’s Wells Studio B
£7.00
Charlotta Öfverholm offers Age on Stage workshops for anyone over 65 years old.
She has created a unique form of working with movement and creativity no matter your age or who you are. The workshop requires no prior dance experiences and is adjusted after the group, at the same time as it challenges the individual. The workshop is about exploring movements in our own body and how we can express ourselves through it. We work both on a physical level with warm up and exercises as well as on a creative level with improvisations, text and music.
Kathak Workshop
Friday 17 June, 10:00 – 11:00
Sadler’s Wells Studio B
£7.00
You are all invited to join Showmi and explore the traditional temple dance of North India. Kathak, which has since been developed for stage, with a unique dimension like no other Indian Classical Dance Forms brought about by the Royal Courts of the Mughal Emperors. This session will take a look at the basics of the hand gestures, spins and the intricate footwork, as well as exploring both pure dance and storytelling through Kathak.
Showmi Das is a choreographer, performer and teacher. She has trained in Kathak under Jayashree Acharya and now under the guidance of Sujata banerjee MBE. Besides being the Artistic Director of Showmi Dance company, she runs a non-profit initiative called the Rokeya Project which works on bringing awareness to issues of feminism through arts. She has performed and represented various forms of South Asian Dance to a wide range of audiences on different platforms, and has worked with a number of well known dance companies and organisations both nationally and internationally. She is passionate about making dance accessible to everyone and strongly believes on the positive contribution dance provides to ones mental and physical well being.
Artist Talk – Dance, Age and Internationalism
Friday 17 June, 11:00 – 12:00
Sadler’s Wells Rosebery Room
The talk is free but capacity is limited and a ticket is required to ensure entry.
Participants: Charlotta Ofverholm & Laura Böttinger, chaired by Joce Giles, Director of Learning & Engagement at Sadler’s Wells.
This talk is in partnership with Dance East, Sadler’s Wells and Yorkshire Dance. Between May and July 2022 each venue will present an artist-led conversations on dance and age. The conversations will be filmed and made into short films that are planned to be released on 1 Oct to coincide with International Day for Older Persons.
House and Vogue Workshop with Bagsy
Friday 17 June, 14:30 – 15:30
Sadler’s Wells Studio B
£7.00
In this special workshop you’ll meet Bagsy, a professional dancer and choreographer who specialises in Waacking, Locking, House, Vogue and New Style Hustle.
Improvisation Workshop with Susan Kempster
Friday 17 June, 16:00 – 17:00
Sadler’s Wells Studio B
£7.00
The session is open to novice and expert practitioners alike. We will begin with a somatic exploration to arrive in the space together, to notice sensations, and awaken and enliven physical awareness.
The session will be guided by prompts and imagery, to ensure that the focus of attention is kept in the doing and being, rather than with unhelpful thoughts deriving from self-consciousness. One of the keys to successful and joyful movement and dance improvisation, is how we place our attention. We will also give importance to the joy and pleasure in moving in a space together with other people.
Susan Kempster is a choreographer, teacher, performer and theatre maker. With a career that began in Sydney, Australia, she has worked dancing, performing, teaching and choreographing in Tokyo, New York, Madrid, Barcelona, and London. As a teacher she has worked with a wide range of people, from those in vocational training institutions and professional dance companies, to movement work with actors and musicians, to community groups. She regularly delivers workshops in improvisation and movement for actors. As a facilitator she enables participants, irrespective of the level of experience, to be fully present, and to feel confident to explore their own range of ability.