Wednesday 2 April 2014



Tavaziva Male youth company 


Sessions start on Monday 28th April 2014 at Leyton Sixth Form College from 6 - 7.30pm. Tavaziva Male is a Contemporary/African based youth company Age 14 - 19. We are still looking to recruit more dancers for the summer term. We have an exciting programme over the next few months for Tavaziva Male including a performance at the end of term collaborating with various guest teachers and master classes. We have had a successful spring term performing at various venues including Lilian Baylis Studio at Sadler's Wells, Bernie Grant Arts Centre and Laban for 'Pick up the Pace'.

For more information on the company please contact us via email or telephone:
emily@tavazivadance.com

T: 020 8365 9150


Tuesday 21 February 2012

Workplace Visit Tuesday 21st February 2012

On Tuesday 21st February 2012 Tavaziva Dance piloted their first Workplace Visit which was attended by 6 participants and 1 teacher, 4 participants being A level students from Beaconsfield High School, 1 participant who currently attends London Studios Centre and 1 participant who dances at Dance Works and currently teaches dance.  Having marketed and administrated the event it was great to see it in reality and gain invaluable feedback from the participants.

The workplace visit started with a short tour of the Bernie Grant Arts Centre which gave the participants an insight into the life and backstage work of an arts centre and see where the company rehearse, relax and where the management team is based.  Then for half an hour the participants observed company class which was led by Douglas Thorpe.  Douglas Thorpe is a former dancer for Phoenix Dance company and has had a successful career as a performer and choreographer in the dance industry .  In 2008, Thorpe founded his own company Mad Dogs Dance Theatre and joins Tavaziva Dance for selected performances of ‘Sensual Africa’ this season as a musician.  The class was engaging and gave an insight into how the company dancers train and maintain their fitness and technique. 

Following the company class, the participants were given the opportunity to take part in a Question and Answer session with Bawren Tavaziva, the Artistic Director of Tavaziva Dance.   It was great to gain some understanding of Bawren’s choreographic work and find out about his personal dance training path in Zimbabwe.  Following on from this Iyshea Hunte, Executive Director for Tavaziva Dance gave a talk about ‘How to Manage a Dance Company’ which covered in depth, issues about Artistic Product, Funding, Fundraising and Sponsorship, Tour Booking and Tour Management, Marketing and Press, Merchandise and Education and Participation.  This in-depth presentation was detailed, informative and would help those interested or considering setting up their own company, working behind the scenes for a company or interest in the management of a successful business. 

Then the participants went back into the studio and their was an informal discussion with the dancers, which gave participants a chance to ask what it is like to be a professional dancer and be part of Tavaziva Dance.  To conclude the workplace visit the dancers performed the first half of ‘Sensual Africa’ which was incredible.  This was the first time I had ever seen the first half in full and I was blown away, which I think was shared by the participants.  It was fierce, intimate and sensual and to hear Douglas Thorpe perform live with the company added a new dimension of excitement, exhilaration and sense of connection which united the dancers on stage. 

It was great to have completed our first workplace visit and give students the opportunity to see Tavaziva Dance in a different light away from the stage and see the training, rehearsal which goes into Tavaziva Dance producing high level productions like ‘Sensual Africa’. 
These are some of the comments which our participants said about our workplace visit:

‘It was very inspiring and insightful.’
‘The relaxed atmosphere made it comfortable.’
‘It was awesome.’

If you would like to book a workplace visit with Tavaziva Dance at The Bernie Grant Arts Centre, Haringey, the dates for booking are September  (11, 13, 18, 20, 25, 27), November (13, 15, 20, 22, 27, 29) and December (4,6,11,13).   The cost per participant is £10 and bookings must be made in advance.  Please contact Tavaziva Dance at office@tavazivadance.com or 0208 365 9150 for more details.

Wednesday 15 February 2012

Apprentice Dancer Lauren Wilson’s blog - Spring 2012


The spring tour of ‘Sensual Africa’ has begun and everyone is working together to fulfil the potential of the piece.

The opening night of ‘Sensual Africa’ was at the South Holland Arts Centre in Spalding and as we started the day’s rehearsal, the reality of touring began to sink in. The change of space and floor was a big difference to that of our production week at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre. However we all powered through and made the most of the space we had. Soon after it only was five minutes before we were due to step on stage for the first performance of the new piece and the nerves started to kick in, nevertheless there was a great sense of excitement amongst the group. After the performance we all felt that it was a great start to the spring tour and we hope it will continue to progress and develop.


Our second performance was at the Stamford Arts Centre Lincolnshire, we all knew after the good start we had in Spalding, this performance had to step up and get better. A few of us also had the added pressure of family and friends watching. Personally this performance was a breakthrough in terms of my character. For weeks we have all been searching for a certain character to bring to ‘Sensual Africa,’ to give each of us a little individuality and to portray the true meaning of the piece. As a group we all had a great night performing and in our words, we were ‘buzzing!’


Our most recent performance was at The Dock, County Leitrim, Ireland. It always feels like a bit of a holiday when we fly to Ireland, and although Ellen, Katie and I had a slight detour on the way to the airport (Katie put us on the wrong train, yes Katie!) we all got to Ireland and settled into our apartments. This was definitely the most fun so far, Lisa and I both played housewives for the evening, cooking dinner whilst Anna and Katie were teaching a workshop. I am proud to say the dinner Lisa and I made was ‘delish.’

The next day we were in the theatre rehearsing for the evening performance, unfortunately without Travis as he had injured his hamstring. This was definitely the smallest venue we had visited so far, but we all managed to pull together. We gave each other a lot of encouragement throughout, we used the speakers on the side of the stage as props to sit on and interact with our fellow dancers. Thankfully Travis was able to pull through and dance the majority of the piece, well done Trav!
As of now the piece is going well and we all hope that it will continue to excel and reach its full potential by the end of the tour.


 Take a sneak preview of Sensual Africa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j31SdFCRZJI

You can see Lauren and the rest of Tavaziva Dance perform this Spring at the following venues!
16 February – Brunton Theatre, MUSSELBURGH - www.bruntontheatre.co.uk
24 & 25 February – Pegasus Theatre, OXFORD* - www.pegasustheatre.org.uk
6 March – Backstage Theatre, COUNTY LONGFORD - www.backstage.ie
9 March – Buxton Opera House, BUXTON- www.buxtonoperahouse.org.uk
13 & 14 March – The Place, LONDON* -   www.theplace.org.uk
22 March – Bridport Arts Centre, BRIDPORT* - www.bridport-arts.com
24 March –Bernie Grant Arts Centre, HARINGEY* - www.berniegrantcentre.co.uk

*Performances with live music played by Douglas Thorpe

Monday 30 January 2012

Production Week!

Last week the company worked in the Bernie Grant Arts Centre theatre as Bawren Tavaziva unravelled his intriguing and inspirational choreographic work of art.  The dancers worked exceedingly hard and looked incredible on stage as they performed the strikingly seductive and remarkable ‘Sensual Africa’.

It is extremely exciting to see everything come together and have the opportunity to watch ‘Sensual Africa’ performed on stage with lighting and costume. With all of the key components of the piece coming together I was able to be enticed and feel part of a voyage that Bawren had experienced when visiting Malawi.

The company’s lighting designer Antony was working in the theatre all week with Bawren to capture the correct lighting and image for ‘Sensual Africa’. The lighting used created warm tones on the dancers bodies and smoke was also used on stage creating a sense of mystery and ambiance. Rosie our costume designer was also on stand-by to make sure that the dancers were secure in their costumes and to fix any final problems. Bawren wanted to capture the rawness and rich culture though the dancers costumes by using neutral earthy colours. The traditional style of the Tumbuka and Chewa tribes is also emphasised by the authentic necklaces, dresses and masks worn by the female dancers, which will give dancers a striking appearance on stage.

During the week the company also had their promo video filmed for ‘Sensual Africa’. The filming was shot from different angles and specific solos and parts of the work were chosen in order to give a thrilling insight into the work. I look forward to sharing the link for the promo video in my next blog post! It is exhilarating to see the dancers and Bawren in action during production week and the amount of support that they give one another is amazing. The dancers nerves are kicking in as the tour is only round the corner… first stop South Holland Arts Centre – to book please visit http://www.southhollandcentre.co.uk/live/events/Sensual+Africa.htm!

I also had the exciting opportunity to interview one of Tavaziva’s Dancers Katie Cambridge and get an insight into production week. Katie joined Tavaziva Dance in August 2009 as part of LCDS's Post Graduate Apprenticeship Scheme. During her time as an apprentice, Katie was also involved in Tavaziva's Education Programme, creating works for Cornwall Youth Dance and the Wycombe Swan's United in Dance project. Following her apprenticeship, Katie joined Tavaziva Dance as a full time dancer in September 2010.

Q&A Session with Katie Cambridge

How was production week for you and the dancers?
Production week was great! The piece has really developed and everything has come together so well. I wish we had some more rehearsal time to really explore the characters and clean some of the newer movement, but I'm sure it will all come together on stage!

How does this compare to your last production week?
Previously we have always had to go away for the week of production, which has been hard because you’re never really able to fully relax. The company residence status we have at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre meant that this year we haven't had to travel! This has been amazing mentally and also for our bodies as we have been able to eat properly, relax and make sure that we are prepared for the rest of the tour. 

Has production week given you a better understanding of the stimulus and movement (i.e. not just rehearsing movement and going through steps – a deeper understanding)?
We went into production week this year with the whole piece complete which meant we had time to break down each section to find out the meaning and intention behind some of the movement. This has really helped the piece to develop and I'm excited about taking it on tour and seeing what people think. 

Has Bawren changed much of the piece after seeing it on stage?
He made a whole new ending for the piece, and he has padded some sections out with extra movement to fill the stage or to increase the intensity, but not too much has changed this year. I can remember doing Wild Dog production and he was changing and making whole new sections because it looked so different on stage than in the studio!

How are all of your bodies coping? Do you have any rescue remedies?
I get home and have a really hot shower and then I always blast my legs with cold water and lay with them in the air for 10 minutes. I seem to not be in so much pain the next day, so I think it does something! Also a glass of wine sometimes helps!

How do you cope with touring? Do you have any traditions/superstitions that you do before a performance?
This tour is quite full on it doesn't look like it on paper, but there is a lot of education work that we do with each venue! We are constantly on the go and having to keep fit and healthy for the next performance. 

You are going to make me look crazy now! I have a few - two I have done from when I was small dancing in competitions and festivals and it's just kind or stuck. When I warm up I make sure I look at every single seat in the theatre, just so I'm aware of my surroundings and audience. As we leave the stage to let the audience in I always let out a bit of vocal noise to let off some steam. 

The last one is just before I go on stage as I'm about to perform I hold my shoulders up to my ears for 10 seconds and then release and I repeat this twice. I was told to do this by my ballet teacher so that I didn't dance with my shoulders up. I hope I don’t dance with my shoulders up anymore and it's just a familiar thing I do to make me feel comfortable. 

In 3 words how would you describe the work?
Fun, intimate and intense...Definitely a must see!



Tuesday 24 January 2012

Tavaziva's Sponsored Silent Disco!

Thursday 23 February 2012
Bernie Grant Arts Centre, Tavaziva Dance Office,
Town Hall Approach Road, London, N15 4RX
 
 

Tavaziva Dance  office staff and dancers from the company will be spending 6 hours dancing and bringing the greatest silent disco experience into the Tavaziva office!

The office will be set up to a live feed, allowing supporters to keep a close eye on our dance moves and to see whether we can rise to the challenge! Supporters are welcome to participate in this unique experience and either watch or bring along a set of headphones!

Suggested donation £2.50*
 

All funds will go towards company development.

To make a donation please visit:
http://www.justgiving.com/sponored-dance
or
 you can also donate by text as follows:
Text the code- TAVA76 and the amount you want to donate to 70070
 
If you would like to be involved in this event please send an email to: info@tavazivadance.com and insert Sponsored Dance in the subject line.

*All donations can be Gift Aided
Registered Charity No. 1139967

Monday 23 January 2012

Weekly Update!

This week was the last time the dancers were able to rehearse in the studio before production week kicks off! The dancers have been giving 110% in the studio as the final touches of ‘Sensual Africa’ are made and the work is completed. They also had their final costume fitting, stage makeup trial and hair appointments to get them prepared for next week and the Tour!
 If you haven’t already booked your ticket for ‘Sensual  Africa’ I urge you to do so, as this is a performance not to be missed! First stop for Tavaziva Dance will be the South Holland Arts Centre, Spalding  2 February and we will also be visiting Stamford, Oxford, London, Ireland, Musselburgh, Bridport ... and for full listings visit www.tavazivadance.com!
This week in the Tavaziva Dance office we have been sending mail outs for ‘Sensual Africa’ to those of you on our mailing list, so keep an eye out for more information on our Spring 2012 Tour! We are also excited to announce our partnership with Creative Dance 60+; a dance group for people aged 60 and above who have a passion for dance!  They are such an inspiring company to work with and we are looking forward to sharing ideas and workshops with this exciting group that love to dance!  For more information on Creative Dance 60+ visit www.simonascotto.com.
Tavaziva Dance also had the fantastic opportunity to be involved and have a stall in the Tottenham Arts Market this week! The Arts Market was a free event and an evening where Haringey artists, venues and organisations had the opportunity to showcase their creative projects to the residents of Tottenham. The dancers also had the opportunity to perform and showcase a sneak preview of ‘Sensual Africa’ for audiences at the Arts Market. This was also a great way to meet, see and be inspired by Haringey’s arts and culture!
Production week is quickly approaching and the whole company is going to be working extremely hard to get prepared for the World Premier of ‘Sensual Africa’ ! I look forward to sharing the on goings of production week and the final stages of preparation for the Tour next week! 
Laura