Modern Moves Research Showcase
Pushing Boundaries: Resistance, History, Pleasure, Part I&II featuring:
Françoise Verges; Marissa Moorman; Ronald Cummings & Brady Smith in conversation with Modern Moves
Performances by special guest Choreographer Shailesh Bahoran; Powered By ISH Dance Collective en Korzo made possible by Dutch Performing Arts Fund and further performances by Francesca Negro and Emmanuel Ajilore, Carnival Improvisations & Ksenia Parkhatskaya, Jazz Dance solo
On May 25th 2017, Modern Moves as per usual celebrated in style and intellect our 4th birthday with a research showcase and evening celebration. The showcase, entitled Pushing Boundaries: Resistance, History, Pleasure, was a day dedicated to the scholarship and embodiments of and on the dancefloor, to think through historical resistances of the African diaspora and struggles of oppression as much as victories of reclaiming and transforming subjectivity and the body. Throughout the years, our research has consistently been haunted by a number of different aspects that continuously came up, and as such we decided to set up the first part of our showcase with papers and presentations that explored these concepts in the first part of our day entitled Pushing Boundaries: Research Call & Response.
The showcase was vibrant and the presentations around Nightlife/Maronnage, Retour-Allee/Black Atlantic, Creolite/Kreyolite and Alegria/Amplification were stupendously examined from intriguing and novel approaches. In typical Modern Moves fashion, we topped off the day with the second part of our showcase entitled Bodies in Motion Afterparty and celebration at the end with three different performances and our usual DJ set by our MM resident DJ Willy the Viper and dancing at the end. As usual, no one wanted to leave!
We had the honor to have Choreographer Shailesh Bahoran, Dutch of Surinamese decent bring his emotive and capturing dance piece “Blood” performed by himself and ISH Dance Collective en Korzo to the Anatomy Museum that evening. It was an incredibly moving piece which left the entire audience in an emotional silence, and as MM director Ananya Kabir put it herself, summing up a historical past so succinctly it left some in tears.
The evening continued with performances by Ksenia Parkhatskaya dancing a short history of dance throughout the decades in a 10 minute version, and did she master that! Our very own Francesca Negro and Emmanuel Ajilore performed ‘Carnival Improvisations’ bringing an incredible carnival vibe to the evening, and bringing us right into party mode! Of course, our canapes and cocktails were on the menu with our wonderful KCL catering throughout the evening.
The successful and innovative day of conversation and dance, cocktails and conversations opened for new ways to think and dance through pleasure and resistance, fun and research. What a great way to celebrate our 4th birthday and we hope to see you at our next event on September 28th to begin the next academic year!
Part I
Pushing Boundaries: Research Call & Response
The European Research Council-funded project Modern Moves (www.modernmoves.org.uk) celebrates the start of its fifth and final year with a full day of research presentations, cutting-edge performances, and social dancing: join us as we showcase and share our research state of art!
We begin the day with a range of discussions and presentations by range of scholar-dancers from the UK, Europe and the USA. Register for the event here!
REMEMBER: BOTH PARTS OF THE SHOWCASE ARE ABSOLUTELY FREE AND OUR GIFT TO THE PUBLIC. If you are a person who loves to move while you think and think while you move, this showcase is for you!
Anatomy Lecture Theatre
10am – 5pm
Madison Moore, King’s College London: Nightlife
Ronald Cummings, Brock University: Marronage
Elina Djebbari, King’s College London: Retour-Aller
Brady Smith, University of Chicago: Black Atlantic
Leyneuf Tines, King’s College London: Kreyol
Francoise Verges: Creolite
Ananya Kabir, King’s College London: Alegria
Marissa Moorman, Indiana University: Amplification
Attendees on the 25th are welcome to use the lunch break to explore the Strand and riverside with their own lunch arrangements. After the showcase, we will close our day with a drinks reception and chance to talk to all the participants. The Modern Moves team looks forward to welcoming you to our special event!
EVENTBRITE REGISTRATION FOR PART 1 HERE:
We continue the showcase with a specially commissioned range of spectacular dance performances: definitely sights not worth missing! And of course, with an afterparty!
PART II
Pushing Boundaries: Bodies in Motion Afterparty
Francesca Negro and Emmanuel Ajilore, Carnival Improvisations
Ksenia Parkhatskaya, Jazz Dance solo
‘Blood’: Choreographer Shailesh Bahoran; Powered By ISH Dance Collective en Korzo made possible by Dutch Performing Arts Fund
RECEPTION AND AFTER PARTY IN MODERN MOVES STYLE WITH THE RETURN OF LA VIPERE: MM resident DJ Wilfrid Vertueux (DJ Willy the Viper, Paris).
Come join the Modern Moves team, performers and fans for a night of innovative dance shows, rhythm loaded tunes, canapes and cocktails, and delicious moves!
EVENTBRITE REGISTRATION FOR PART 2 HERE:
Are you a dancing thinker/ a thinking dancer? Then you don’t want to miss this event!
