Latest news from the Blog
Further Cancellations and Changes to Sunday's Programme
SUNDAY PROGRAMME UPDATE
Zelig are now performing in the 16:00 – 16:30 slot at The Flapper Pub Gig Room’ – replacing MTA Artist Management present Calais.
Stripped Down Theatre are now performing in the 17:30 – 18:00 slot in Birmingham Conservatoire – The Adrian Boult Hall – replacing Robson Piano Duo.
Cancellations and Changes to Sunday's Programme.
IMPORTANT SUNDAY UPDATE!
The BE Festival presents Move Me 2:30pm performance on The Broad Street Stage has been moved to 2:30pm in Dancing For the Games presents The Dance & Performance Marquee, Victoria Square.
Dave Boddison will now be performing on The Broad Street Stage at 2:30pm.
The BE Festival presents Move Me 5:30pm performance on The Broad Street Stage has been moved to 6:00pm on Chamberlain Square Stage.
Please note that The Broad Street Stage will now finish at 5:00pm.
Cancellations and Changes to the programme for Sunday 11th September 2011;
Cancellations and Changes to the programme for Sunday 11th September 2011;
12:00-12:30 at High Street Busking Spot – Faceometer and the Dapper Swindler
13:30-14:00 at Waterstones High Street – Jeiso and Platt
14:00-14:30 at Birmingham Conservatoire The Arena Foyer – Robert Lane (Solo Acoustic)
15:00-15:30 at The Council House – HMS Daring Room – SoulAttic
16:00-16:30 at The Council House Room 3 – Futuresonic
16:00-16:30 at Birmingham Conservatoire The Recital Hall – Sarah Ann Cromwell
17:00-17:30 at Bodega Bar and Cantina – Julianne Bastock
17:30-18:00 at Birmingham Conservatoire Adrian Boult Hall – Artist yet to be confirmed
18:00-18:30 at The Victoria Pub – Robert Lane (Band)
19:00-19:30 at The Flapper Pub Gig Room – Dinky
We will keep you posted of any other updates.
Ian Emes in The Electric Cinema on Sunday 11th September 2011
In the Electric Cinema we have Ian Emes an Oscar- Nominated, BAFTA winning director/ animator. After the screening, Ian Emes will partake in a Q&A with Ros Sinclair, Lecturer in Visual Communication at the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design, as part of ArtsFest’s In Conversation strand (see page 7).
Emes’s career took off when Pink Floyd saw the animation he’d made to their track, ‘One of These Days’. They loved it, and consequently commissioned Emes to make a number of other films for them, including the iconic clocks sequence from ‘Time’. Emes went on to produce music videos for a number of hugely popular musicians and bands, including Duran Duran, Wings, and Mike Oldfield. In 1984 he won a BAFTA and was nominated for an Oscar for his short, Goodie Two Shoes.
Please note that we’ll also be screening Ian Emes’s short The Chain and his cult classic feature, The Yob from 7:15pm at The Crescent Theatre this evening. Come early to get a seat as it may be very busy! All synopses below are written by Ian Emes himself.
The Beard [1978] (6min)
For this last animated short before launching into live-action, I took an anti-technique approach, drawing directly onto paper and inventing each scene day-by-day in a stream of consciousness approach. The process became a monster in itself, requiring nine months of continuous drawing, in which I lived the character’s surreal confrontations with the beard, second by second, in a kind of super slow-motion action replay.
The Dreams of Jung [1976] (3min)
Shooting live-action scenes in studio, I projected the footage onto cells and traced them, distressing the images with paint and sandpaper, to create vague, impressionistic sequences. The resulting ambiguity is something akin to a dream, open to interpretation.
A Secret Life [2010] (3min)
This Mini-DV video diary of Bucharest, treated with After Effects, points to my continuing interest in random moments and non-narrative storytelling, and the moods and feelings that can come from that. Regardless of, or perhaps because of the intuitive approach, something personal comes through.
International Airport Plastic [2010] (3min)
Something curious happened while shooting this film at various airports during my travels. I captured moments I hadn’t seen. While initially attracted to the architectural atmosphere of airport lounges late at night, twilight zones that belonged neither to country nor time zone, it was the people that took the attention, drifting souls, coming and going with dreams in their pockets, floating by in a ghostly ballet.
The Wall [1990] (4min)
Roger Waters asked me to shoot a film for the global broadcast of the biggest rock concert ever, to be staged on a dusty Potsdamer Platz, previously a ‘no-man’s land’ dividing East and West Germany. I shot the film in an eerily deserted East Berlin, projecting the Marching Hammers onto what remained of the Berlin Wall from a giant projector mounted on a flatbed truck, escorted by East German police.
Pink in Berlin [1990] (1min)
This sequence for Roger Waters’ The Wall was filmed shortly after re-unification, and follows the masked figure of Pink as he staggers through a night time Berlin.
Flightpath Tegel [2009] (4min)
This film is a music poem to Spaghetti Junction, the infamous intersection that dominates our city. Living in it’s shadow for most of my youth, only later did I realize how profoundly it’s monumental structures had permeated my aesthetic.
Egg Art [1994] (1min)
The most illogical of all of my commercials, this is an attempt to make a satire about the pretentiousness of the art world, by making a film that is itself pretentious.
Space and the Woods [2008] (2min)
Making this video for Late of the Pier was a revelation, in that I was recreating a style from 3 decades ago, using digital technology. Scenes that had previously taken months to animate, took only days. It confirmed my suspicion that simplicity wins through, and that for all the complexity and bluster of special effects, it is a pure idea that has the power to affect the viewer.
Gynophobia [2011] (4min)
Originally intended to be in 3D, this open ended collaboration with dance artists Flockdance and sound designer Steve D’Agostino, is a work in progress.
Sex is Death is Flying [1977] (3min)
My most technically ambitious hand-animated 2D film, which many people thought to be computer generated. Taking a year to produce, I drew, painted and airbrushed every frame. With the digital revolution about to happen, this was my penultimate animated film before moving into live action.
The Chauffeur [1982] (3min)
I wrote, designed, edited and directed this film in the absence of Duran Duran while they were on tour. I asked Gilly Taylor to shoot it. Gilly had shot Roman Polanski’s black and white films of the sixties. It was my intention to colourise segments of the film, but Gilly’s cinematography was so beautiful that the band decided to let it stand on its own merits.
The Dark Side of The Moon [1974] (4min)
Pink Floyd’s masterpiece, and one of the greatest albums of all time. Having seen my film French Windows on BBC’s The Old Grey Whistle Test, the band commissioned me to make their first-ever animated film, which subsequently toured the world.
French Windows [1972] (4min)
My first animated film, inspired by the track ‘One Of These Days’ from Pink Floyd’s Meddle album. The film was a continuation of my work as a painter. I was self-taught, inventing my own techniques through trial and error. The film went on to win awards across the world and lead to an invitation to work with Pink Floyd.
Saturday 10th September 2011 Update
Hi All
We hope that all participants, staff and the public had an enjoyable time at ArtsFest today!
Despite a few last minute changes to the programme we hope that you all got the chance to see as many different acts as possible in a variety of venues around the City Centre.
The weather seemed to hold up for most of the day for many of the performances however due to bad weather we got later in the evening The Royal Ballet performance had to be cancelled on Centenary stage.
To end Saturday night we have Classical Fantasia with City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Birmingham Opera Company with a fantastic firework display to end the day.
Sunday 11th September 2011 is filled with more exciting performances from various artists who all showcase different talents.
We have a Arts, Health and Wellbeing performances, workshops and exhibitions from 12:00-17:00 in The Council Banqueting Suite, which has been brought together by Praxis Arts and Health Network.
In the dance marquee at 17:00 -18:30 we have Folk Dance Fest which features dance, movement and Martial Arts from around the world. From Brazilian Martial Arts to Bhangra and Belly Dancing to Scottish Dance.
In the Electric Cinema we have Ian Emes an Oscar- Nominated, BAFTA winning director/ animator. We will post a separate blog post about his work shortly.
We hope to see even more of you tomorrow to help finish the festival with The Best of Birmingham with Kerrang and Q Radio with the headlining act – The Guillemots!
Cancellations and CHanges to the programme for Saturday 10th Setember 2011;
Cancellations and CHanges to the programme for Saturday 10th Setember 2011;
12:00-12:30 at BMAG Gallery 20 – SoulAttic
12:30-13:00 at BMAG Round Room Gallery – Rob Fellows
11:00-13:00 at The Council House HMS Daring Room – Leon Sparkes and Deborah Brogden – Drawing Workshop
13:00-13:30 at Birmingham Conservatoire Adrian Boult Hall – Class mates ( From the full Barbershop Chorus)
14:00-14:30 at Chamberlain Square Stage – Zumba central there is no longer a signed interpretation
14:00-14:30 at Chamberlain Square Stage – The Drum there is no longer a signed Interpretation
15:00-15:30 at BMAG Gallery 20 – B City Collective
16:15-17:00 at The Council House Banqueting Suite – Soun It Out is now a music making workshop
16:30-17:00 at Café Blend – SNM Rapper – Equality Records
16:30-17:30 at The Council House Room 3 – Fashion Show
18:00-18:30 at The Flapper Pub Gig Room – Troopa
18:00-19:00 at Town Hall – Aston Performing Arts Academy
18:30-19:15 at Symphony Hall – The Notebenders
18:30-19:00 at Mint Hotel Birmingham – Robert Lane (Solo)
19:00-19:30 at The Prince of Wales Pub – Bear County Band
20:30-21:00 at The Flapper Pub Bar – Jeiso and Platt
TOM MURPHY is no longer showcasing his disco guillotine in Waterstones New Street
MOVE ME!
Move Me
Birmingham-based dance company Kiviki dance is looking for enthusiastic
people who love to move! You will assist our dancers for the outdoor
performance of a new project: Move Me. Move Me is an event in which
professional dancers teach the audience choreographies that have been
specially created for everyone and anyone. It’s somewhere between a dance
class, a Flashmob and a party. It’s an opportunity for the audience to
participate, challenge themselves and release the dancer in each of their souls,
without being judged on their abilities – and you will play a vital role in this!
The next outdoor performance is at Birmingham’s Arts Fest 2011 and is taking
place in Centenery Square. And will be hosted by Birmingham’s first Lady
Barbara Nice.
You don’t need to be a dancer – all you need is a bit of free time and a desire
to move and be part of something unique! Assistants play a vital role in the
event – you will be taught the dance at a training evening, and then you will be
among the audience, supporting the two dancer/teachers on the day. We will
need you to be free on the dates below:
• Saturday 10th September: Training: More info follows later
• Sunday 11th September: 2Performances: 2.30pm and 5.30pm at
Centenary square
If you are interested and available then please send an email explaining your
interest in the project to Melissa at: kivikidance@gmail.com.
Cultural Crossings
New to ArtsFest 2011, ‘Cultural Crossings’ features a range of artists in venues across the festival, celebrating Birmingham’s diverse cultural makeup and intercultural collaborations through music, dance, drama and spoken word. Below is a list of events within the Cultural Crossings strand and below that further information about these performances and events.
Saturday 10th September
• 11.30 – 12.00
ZeroSeefr and the Drum
The Maharajah and the Kohinoor
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery – Round Room Gallery
• 14.30 – 15.30
Offene Handlungen
Bodies in and of crisis: take two (Performance workshop)
The Council House – Room 4
• 15.30 – 16.00
Sampad South Asian Arts
Presents Hummingbird performed by Dawn Jackson & Lee West
Dancing for the Games presents The Dance & Performance Marquee, Victoria Square
• 15.30 – 16.00
Chamberlain Square Stage
17.00 – 17.30
The Old Joint Stock Theatre
Moqapi Selassie
Blackheart Man
• 18.00 – 22.30
Global Fusions Concert featuring: Julian Powell’s Solo Vibes, Sonia Panesar, Paradigm Jaunt, Jon Sterckx and Weapon of Peace.
The CBSO Centre
Sunday 11th September
• 13.00 – 13.30
Windsor High School and Sixth Form
An English Country Garden
Dancing for the Games presents The Dance & Performance Marquee, Victoria Square
• 15.00 – 15.30
Tabla in Music Entertainment
Global Folk
Centenary Square Stage
• 15.00 – 16.00
Equinox: Cultures in Harmony – a partnership between City Birmingham Choir, Ulfah Arts, Black Voices, World Music Youth Choir, Polish Folklore Choir, Bournville Young Voices and Sanchita Pal Ensemble
The CBSO Centre
• 17.00 – 18.30
Folk Dance Fest
Around the World in Dance, Movement & Martial Arts
Dancing for the Games presents The Dance & Performance Marquee, Victoria Square
• 17.30 – 18.00
FRUTALOKA
The Yardbird Jazz Club
ZeroSeefr and the Drum
The Maharajah and the Kohinoor
Where did the crown jewels come from? The Koh-i-noor diamond has had many keepers, many Kings and many Emperors but there was one who was very special…The young Maharajah, Duleep Singh who was brought to England with the jewel. Separated from his mother and deposed at the age of eleven, the Last Emperor of the Sikhs finds an unlikely but loyal friend in Queen Victoria. Their interwoven histories come to life in this vibrant true tale of how the diamond came to be part of the British crown jewels.
Offene Handlungen
Bodies in and of crisis: take two – Performance workshop
Maria Hetzer is a performance researcher based in Berlin and Coventry. She has been educated in theatre studies, anthropology and physical theatre in Dublin, Leipzig and Berlin and has been working within institutionalised theatre as well as off theatre, with an emphasis on physical theatre and performance. Maria is currently working on a practice-based PhD in Theatre and German Studies at the University of Warwick, centering on the body in German crisis experience of 1989. This project centres on the experience of 1989 by women from the GDR. Maria is interested in the daily exertion of change and re-adjustment. Away from the grand history talk, she looks at the everyday negotiation of the individual confronted with changing economic, social and cultural standards and the performance of high ethics. Maria’s artistic approach is to collect verbatim material through interviews with German women and physical material with British performers in laboratories to interrogate the possibility to translate historical experience across time and cultural space.
In the workshop during this festival, Maria is out to collect relational material from the workshop participants who are confronted with performance games based on pieces from the interviews. Participants are invited to physically, intellectually and emotionally create a brigade to women who actively lost their homelands (not wanting it back) and ask themselves about their performance in times of crisis.
Maria says:
‘What a nice freak show you have over here. Is she real? Can I touch her? Seems to be plastic, really. With the fall of the Berlin wall, hopes were high in the German Democratic Republic for a fundamental change. Starting out as a multiple cry for reform within the socialist state, soon the transition to a capitalist state became apparent. It was a new time indeed: qualifications useless, money valueless, securities and beliefs gone forever. We asked a couple of women of all ages, how they got along with life during these times. How did they cope with everyday life? How did they change? Within this workshop, participants are invited to look at a few answers and react to them. We created a game for you to ask yourself: Would you have done the same? Would you have survived?
Sampad South Asian Arts
Sampad presents Hummingbird performed by Dawn Jackson & Lee West
An intercultural work combining live music and dance by Aboriginal artist Lee West (Yamatji) and Indian classical (Odissi and Kathak) dancer Dawn Jackson.
Hummingbird is an evocative and exhilarating intercultural dance and live music performance. It takes a fresh view of the intersection between Australian Aboriginal and English Australian cultures. Indian Classical dancer Dawn Jackson (Odissi and Kathak) and Aboriginal musician Lee West (Yamatji) discover a new intimacy between diverse cultures and traditions through dance and music.
Based on an original song by Lee West titled Hummingbird, this contemporary performance work draws inspiration from the qualities of the hummingbird and the diverse skills and cultural backgrounds of the performers to discover a new intimacy between Aboriginal and English cultures.
Dawn Jackson is a unique artist on the Western Australian landscape who commenced her dance career with the WA Ballet Company in 1989. Dawn was a founding member and principal dancer with cross cultural Kalika Dance Company from 1992-97. In 2005 Jackson commenced her own choreographic practice with a residency in Orissa, India, to further study Odissi technique with Dr Ileana Citaristi. With a growing focus on cultural diversity in the arts in Australia, Jackson is noted as an artist devoted to exploring the challenging terrain where cultures meet. Jackson’s work represents an important contribution within contemporary performance to move away from the simple integration of diverse cultural dance forms within western dance to produce ‘intercultural work’, that is to say a performance that seeks a new intimacy.
Lee West is an Australian Aboriginal artist (Yamatji Country). Lee West was introduced to the arts when he acted alongside the late Jack Davis in a short documentary in 1985 about Aboriginal sign language. In 1994 he learnt to play didgeridoo. He has since played in various rock, reggae and folk bands, playing with traditional music from other countries. In 2004 Lee completed his Certificate IV with Abmusic and was awarded Student of the Year. Lee was a dancer with the group Wadumbah for a decade, and has toured internationally to Italy, Germany and Mauritius.
In 2007 he led his own dance group Common Ground to share Aboriginal culture through education based workshops and performances. They toured to Malaysia where they performed at Kota Kinabalu Festival. The group has also performed at the Birruk Yeedee Dreaming Festival, The Blues and Roots Festival, as well as numerous welcoming ceremonies for visiting politicians. Lee has recently completed two series of TV production Waabiny Time, as a co-host hailed as a landmark in Australian television, a kid’s variety program that uses Noongar language from Western Australia.
Moqapi Selassie
Blackheart Man
‘Ticka di Blackheart Man little children don’t go near him,’ so sang the legendary Bunny Wailer. Now here he is in Brum!!! Blackheart Man is a powerfully compelling one man show that examines growing up in England as a Black youth and a Rastafarian. Set within ‘No Man’s Land the travelling Blackheart Man stumbles across ruins which reminds him of his humble beginnings in Birmingham, England. Taking a rest from his arduous journey, he reminisces – recalling his past, as his Jamaican parents make a new life for themselves in the Mother Country, less than a decade after the end of the 2nd World War. He explains his upbringing as a Black British born youth, raised in the back to back housing of the 1950s and 60s, the racist taunts on the streets and in the playgrounds and the clash of two cultures when trying to make sense of your everyday world. Blackheart Man examines the rise in youth consciousness during the 1970s, as Black British born youths began to seek out their own identity. Not shackled to the moral and social constraints of their parents, they embraced the teachings of Marcus Garvey, the lyrics of Bob Marley and the doctrine of Rastafari. With peace and love in their hearts and hope and unity in their veins, they embarked on their own journey. For the Blackheart Man it meant leaving the family home at the age of 18 as his father in particular disapproved of his grammar school educated son becoming ‘a dirty Rasta’.
See Moqapi perform a preview of the piece on Chamberlain Square stage before his later full performance at The Old Joint Stock Theatre.
Global Fusions
ArtsFest returns to the CBSO Centre for their Saturday evening ArtsFest concert, this year portraying the sounds of musical cultures from around the world with The Global Fusions Concert.
Performing within Global Fusions is:
18.00 – 18.30
Julian Powell’s Solo Vibes
The ever evolving percussionist Julian Powell returns to ArtsFest and will be bringing an exciting blend of Jazz styles as well as world music, with his vast array of percussion ranging from orchestral percussion including gongs, cymbals and Marimbas as well as Jazz and World music instruments such as the Vibraphone, congas and a myriad of effects as played simultaneously by the one performer. This creates a stunning range of musical effects and soundscapes. The Pieces that will be played are a mixture of original tunes and Jazz standards always engaging, always exciting and entertaining.
18.55 – 19.25
Sonia Panesar
Sonia is a Singer/Songwriter & Composer performing original songs in Hindi and Punjabi fusing with drum n bass, Punjabi folk, jazz, ghazal, pop, world fusion and Hindi pop. Sonia describes the beautiful results of these fusions as ‘eastern electronic music’ which was performed in Birmingham for the first time in March this year.
Sonia boasts versatility, confidence and individuality, fusing a variety of music and singing styles creating the perfect masterpiece for her melodious songs.
19.50 – 20.20
Paradigm Jaunt
Hard Times
Paradigm Jaunt is a soulful blend of jazz, blues & ska, and a melding of cultures and sounds to create a cool relaxing vibe to chill out to. Jazz / Soul / Blues / Reggae / Ska are the major influences for the band and their aim is to meld the talents and influences of the individual players into a new whole. The band says:
‘The material we perform reflects the multi cultural diversity that the region holds and also delivers a message that relates to the audience.’
20.45 – 21.15
Jon Sterckx
Jon works as a freelance musician, primarily as a performer, but also works as an instrumental teacher, session musician and delivers workshops in schools & colleges & is an Associate Lecturer at the University of Plymouth. Jon’s music often explores combining rhythmic ideas and techniques between different instruments and musical forms, both in his solo work and in collaborations. He also combines this with technology through computer based studio recording and his unique live sampling performances. Jon has performed with various artists and groups including multi instrumental duo Taaliqa, the duo Tandj , based on South Indian devotional music, as well as Indian classical music, and ‘Drumscapes’ – his unique solo multi-percussion live sampling performances that will be performed at ArtsFest.
Jon’s journey with percussion began in the late 1980’s. After buying a darabuka in Cairo, Jon initially learned through playing with musicians he met during his travels.
In the early 90’s Jon’s travel took him to India, where he encountered Indian tabla. This began several years of study & practice with tabla teachers in India and the UK.
Since the early 1990’s, he has explored and experimented with instruments and concepts from various musical forms, particularly drawing from the North Indian, Middle Eastern and West African rhythmical traditions.
During ArtsFest Jon will be performing on a variety of instruments including: tabla, tabla tarang, darrabouka, daf, cajon, riq, udu, mouth harps, djembe, shakers, woodblocks etc.
21.40 – 22.30
Weapon of Peace
Weapon of Peace are a pioneering reggae-fusion band, blending reggae, jazz, blues and funk. After 28 years out of the spotlight, Wolverhampton-based Weapon Of Peace return to the stage with their sophisticated blend of roots reggae, jazz, blues and funk which is adorned by incisive social commentaries and mature reflections on matters of the heart. Hailed as ‘the next hope for multi-cultural Britain’ by the mainstream music press in the early ’80s, the band released two critically acclaimed albums – their self-titled debut and Rainbow Rhythm – and a string of singles, including Children Of Today, If, Jah Love and Hit And Run. Meanwhile, they earned a reputation for dynamic live performances on a series of British and European tours, both as headliners and sharing the stage with the likes of UB40, Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Duran Duran, Stiff Little Fingers, Robert Palmer, Fashion, and Haircut 100. They were also featured on the BBC television programmes Look! Hear! and Sight & Sound, while a number of their singles gained considerable airplay on Radio One. The pressure of relentless touring led to the band splitting up in the summer of 1983. However, they have recently reformed, featuring original members Mick De Souza (vocals / guitar), Clyde McKenzie (keyboards), Clive Brown (drums) and Colin Palmer (percussion), plus new recruits – Sony recording artist Alvin Davis (saxophone / vocals), Charlie Maiden (saxophone), Bonna Brock (lead guitar) and Derrick Ritchie (bass).
Windsor High School and Sixth Form
An English Country Garden
‘An English Country Garden’ represents what it is to enjoy England portrayed through a range of dance styles. It begins with a stereotypical maypole dance and abstract movement to the National Anthem leading onto a piece which shows our dancers enjoying themselves through a street dance piece with added humour. The dancers continue to take the audience through what they enjoy about being English. This includes a post modern pedestrian movement section based on travelling on the tube and shopping in London. Following this the pupils perform contemporary and jive pieces to well known British music and then finish with extracts from musicals performed in the West End, This piece has a section and style of dance for everyone to enjoy. The piece is performed by year 11 and 12 dancers from Windsor High School and Sixth Form in Halesowen who created the piece for an exchange trip to Baltimore, USA.
Tabla in Music Entertainment
Global Folk
Global Folk, led by tabla and percussion maestro Mendi, is a dynamic and powerful sound of musical cultures from around the world merging together in harmony. Mendi Mohinder Singh is a classically trained tabla player and music composer. He is a disciple of the legendary master Ajit Singh Mutlashi. Mendi was born and brought up in Birmingham, UK and has made unprecedented strides in bringing his instrument to a global audience. From a very young age, Mendi started performing with westernised Asian bands. By the age of eighteen he had completed many successful international tours. Being brought up in the multi-cultural city of Birmingham, his music has been inevitably inspired by the rich and diverse musical styles he has been exposed to.
Equinox: Cultures in Harmony – a partnership between City Birmingham Choir, Ulfah Arts, Black Voices, World Music Youth Choir, Polish Folklore Choir, Bournville Young Voices and Sanchita Pal Ensemble
Open Rehearsal
An exciting project featuring City of Birmingham Choir, Bournville Young Singers, Ulfah Arts Collective, Sanchita Pal Ensemble, Black Voices, World Music Youth Choir, Polish Folklore Choir and a Chinese/South Asian Choir. The project, which has been awarded the Cultural Olympiad Inspire Mark, will culminate in a concert in Symphony Hall on 17th March 2012. At ArtsFest, the groups will come together for the first time to work with local composer Christopher Long, who has has written a new piece especially for the project. Come along to see how the different choral traditions come together
and hear the piece take shape.
Please note that audience spaces at this event are limited to 50. Please arrive early to avoid disappointment.
Folk Dance Fest
Around The World in Dance, Movement & Martial Arts
A celebration of traditional folk dance and martial arts movements from around the world. Featuring: Belly Dance Elements (Egyptian & Turkish traditional dance); Capoeira Conviver (Brazilian martial arts & dance); Gabhru Academy (Traditional Indian Bhangra dance); LatinMotion Salsa Promotions (Latin American dance styles); Royal Scottish Country Dance Society Birmingham (Traditional Scottish dance); Wiesniacy (Polish folk dance); IWIC incorporating BICF (Traditional Irish dance); Heijoshin Dojo (Japanese Sword martial arts); Glorishears of Brummagem (English folk dance); Yang Tai Chi School (traditional Chinese Martial art)
FRUTALOKA A 9-piece Latin / Funk / Soul / Reggae/ World music band from Birmingham. Formed four years ago in Moseley, the collective of talented musicians come from different musical and cultural background to create a sunny celebration of global diversity in the heart of Midlands.
Every song the band performs is named after a fruit and has its own unique blend of styles. They are a conscious band with a positive message and the inspiration for their songs derives from a deep vision for peace, love, unity, equality, fair trade, environmental issues, individual revolution, will power and others.
From the first listening through their work, it’s obvious that FRUTALOKA is a genuine band with ultimate originality and unique sound. They create their own market, instead of trying to copy already established bands. The way that rhythms, melodies and chords are blended together, is opening new horizons for a global musical understanding, yet with a clear, easy to follow structure and catchy choruses. The contribution to Birmingham’s music scene is major and the effect on the audience is staggering. Every gig is full of people dancing spontaneously and expressing themselves freely. Many fans have said that it reminds them of summer holidays on a sunny beach, relaxing but dynamic as well. The energy that FRUTALOKA is passing to the audience is fresh, positive, fruitful and uplifting!
Town Hall & Symphony Hall
Town Hall & Symphony Hall are presenting a fantastic weekend of free events as part of ArtsFest 2011.
On the Saturday of ArtsFest Town Hall presents showcases from it’s Associate Artists and Symphony Hall presents tasters of regular Symphony Hall events. On the Sunday, following a performance by Black Voices, a range of ArtsFest artists perform in Town Hall as they do in Symphony Hall throughout the day.
Please note that there are slight changes to the Saturday listings for Town Hall / Symphony Hall to those published in the hard copy ArtsFest brochure. For details of these changes please see below:
Saturday 10th September
Symphony Hall
N.B. Symphony Hall’s programme starts at midday NOT 10.00 hours.
12.00 – 13.00
Orchestra of the Swan
Following today’s earlier rehearsal, Orchestra of the Swan take you around The (Musical) World In 60 Minutes
14.30 – 15.30
Mid Day Mantra
Rekesh Chauhan
Taster for free monthly South-Asian chill series.
16.30 – 17.30
Folk For Free
Bonfire Radicals
ArtsFest special. of Symphony Hall’s outstanding Folk for Free series
18.30 – 19.15
The Notebenders
Community big band with standard and new repertoire.
N.B this event has changed from that listed in the ArtsFest brochure.
Town Hall
12.00 – 12.45
Organ Demonstration
Andrew Fletcher plays the awe-inspiring organ.
13.30 – 14.30
Ex Cathedra
Get Singing With Ex Cathedra Vocal Tutors
Fun, participatory performance for all ages.
16.30 – 17.15
Rush Hour Blues
Birmingham Jazz Ensemble
The weekly jazz series moves into Town Hall.
18.00 – 19.00
Aston Performing Arts Academy
An upbeat selection of music.
N.B this event has changed from that listed in the ArtsFest brochure.
In Conversation
New to ArtsFest 2011, In Conversation features 11 venues, 11 Conversations with keynote speakers from across the arts including Oscar nominated, Bafta award winning director/animator Ian Emes who showcases his films as part of Shortcuts with a personal introduction followed by him taking questions from the audience after the screening.
Other notable speakers include CBSO conductor, Michael Seal, Keri Davies, Series Producer/Web Producer for BBC Radio 4 drama The Archers, Paul Kaynes with dance choreographer Rosie Kay from the Cultural Olympiad, and gardening writer and broadcaster, Steve Bradley, compering a Q & A with a specialist panel of gardening gurus including Reg Moule, Frank Hardy and from BBC’s The One Show, Christine Walkden as part of FlowerFest.
A full list of In Conversation Events are below:
Saturday 10th September
11.00-12.00
14.00-15.00
16.00 – 17.00
City Centre Gardens
In Conversation @ FlowerFest
Get all your gardening know-how with help from the professionals when gardening writer and broadcaster, Steve Bradley, comperes a Q & A with a specialist panel of gardening gurus including Reg Moule, Frank Hardy and from BBC’s The One Show, Christine Walkden (Sunday only).
12.30 – 13.00
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery – Gallery 33
In Conversation with Tindal Street Press
Birmingham’s independent publisher of contemporary literary fiction presents Candi Milller, a fascinatingly interesting author who publishers her second novel this September. Candi presents a reading followed by In Conversation Q&A.
13.30 – 14.00
The Council House – Banqueting Room
In Conversation with Penny Jane Designs and Caroline Jariwala
Studying for their Masters in Art, Health and Well-being, Penny and Caroline discuss the sense of well being that can be gained through art
15.00 – 15.30
Waterstones New Street
In Conversation with Tindal Street Press
Birmingham’s independent publisher of contemporary literary fiction presents ‘To Asian, Not Asian Enough’, an anthology that brings together the freshest and most exciting new British Asian voices. One of the books authors Kavita Bhanot presents a reading followed by an In Conversation Q&A.
15.00 – 15.30
Waterstone High Street
In Conversation presented by IWIC incorporating BICF with Dereck McDonagh
The general manager of the Burlington discusses his time in Birmingham from an Irish perspective.
16.30 – 17.00
Dancing for the Games presents The Dance & Performance Marquee, Victoria Square
In Conversation presented by Dancing for the Games with Paul Kaynes & Rosie Kay
Paul Kaynes, Creative Programmer for the West Midlands Cultural Olympaiad, & Rosie Kay, Choreographer & Associate Artist for DanceXchange discuss all things dance in the West Midlands region.
17.15 – 18.00
The Council House Room 1
In Conversation with Michael Seal
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Conductor Michael Seal takes part in a special In Conversation ahead of tonight’s classical Fantasia concert.
Sunday 11th September
11.00 – 12.00
14.00 – 15.00
16.00 – 17.00
City Centre Gardens
In Conversation @ FlowerFest
Get all your gardening know-how with help from the professionals when gardening writer and broadcaster, Steve Bradley, comperes a Q & A with a specialist panel of gardening gurus including Reg Moule, Frank Hardy and from BBC’s The One Show, Christine Walkden (Sunday only).
12.45 – 13.05
The Electric Cinema & Sound Studios
In Conversation with Ian Eames
This year, we are extremely honoured to be presenting a retrospective of Oscar-nominated, BAFTA-winning director/animator, Ian Emes. After the screening, Ian Emes will partake in a Q&A with Ros Sinclair, Lecturer in Visual Communication at the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design, as part of In Conversation. Emes’s career took off when Pink Floyd saw the animation he’d made to their track, ‘One of These Days’. They loved it, and consequently commissioned Emes to make a number of other films for them, including the iconic clocks sequence from ‘Time’. Emes went on to produce music videos for a number of hugely popular musicians and bands, including Duran Duran, Wings, and Mike Oldfield. In 1984 he won a BAFTA and was nominated for an Oscar for his short, Goodie Two Shoes.
13.00 – 13.45
Birmingham Cathedral
In Conversation with Keri Davis
A very special In Conversation with Script Writer / Web Producer for BBC Radio 4 drama The Archers.
N.B. It is with regret that our In Conversation with David Massingham, due to take place on Sunday 11th September at Highlight Birmingham Comedy Club, has unfortunately been cancelled.
