Dance Festival Croydon 2023 showcases and celebrates contemporary dance.
Curated by Beeja, the festival was planned with four events at four venues in Croydon. The first event was at the Shoestring Theatre, CYTO on 9 September 2023, the second at the Whitgift Centre was on 23 September and third was at the Stanley Arts on 1 October. The fourth and final event was at Fairfield Halls on 28 October.
It was an exciting programme of performances and workshops by talented and renowned Croydon based national and international companies and performers. We had a fantastic audience response.
The festival also had photography exhibition by Vipul Sangoi at each of the venues of photographs from past editions of Dance Festival Croydon.
After the last edition of the festival in 2019, we are resuming after a break due to the pandemic. We were excited to bring back the festival on this special year, with Croydon being recognised as London Borough of Culture 2023.
Dance Festival Croydon gratefully acknowledges support from Arts Council England (ACE), Croydon Council, and London Mayor’s Office. We also acknowledge the artists and venues who supported the festival.
9 September 2023, Shoestring Theatre, CYTO
Jose Agudo Dance Company
Drawing inspiration from Joseph Campbell’s iconic work “The Hero’s Journey,” this personal and introspective dance piece invites audiences to witness a profound exploration of self-discovery.
Jose Agudo Dance Company
Rooted in the Sanskrit word for “discovery,” the performance follows the transformative voyage of an artist unncovering the art form of kathak.
Belinda Roy and Pallavi Anand
“Between the poles of the conscious and the unconscious, there has the mind made a swing; Thereon hang all beings and all worlds, and that swing never ceases its sway”. Kabir Das
Nandita Shankardass, Mithun Gill and Preetha Narayanan
This work explores expressions of individuality, the dynamics of partnership and the support and comfort we can offer each other, when we are close and even through the distance when we are far from each other.
Shreya Vadnerkar
“So like, were you from?” – How many times have you heard that one? Have you ever felt stereotyped, boxed in or labelled? Never Indian enough, nor western enough. But what happens when we remove these labels?
Shriya Sharma
The dichotomy of Western upbringing & Asian heritage. The music and the dance. What can be found in the intersection between these two worlds?
23 September 2023, Whitgift Centre
Folk Remix
A fresh, quirky, colourful and magical collision of traditional and Hip Hop dance and music: high-energy, with a unique remix of Maypole, Clogging, Ceilidh, Street, House and Breakdance with a hint of African & Bollywood.
Garba Flow
Feel the pulse of tradition with Garba Flow’s exquisite medley of Garba and Gujarati Folk dance.
Croydon Folk Ensemble
Folk dance encompasses a rich diversity of dance forms, having developed over centuries in various communities across the world. This show is a showcase of both traditional folk dance and its contemporary interpretations, presented by community groups.
1 October 2023, Stanley Arts
SLiDE, Shyam Dattani and Chandenie Gobardhan, evening performances at 7.30 pm
Sanskruti children’s performance and workshop 3-4.30 pm
Chandenie Gobardhan
As hymn-like whispers grace the air, tear-filled skies witness the unravelling of loss in an unforgiving world. Rudra transports the audience into a realm unknown, where destruction’s power is fearlessly embraced and experienced.
Slide Dance
Crosswor(l)ds explores a quest for solutions in an ever-changing world, dealing with themes of agency and identity.
Shyam Dattani
Dvihīna, Sanskrit for ‘devoid of gender’. Dvihīna hopes to, through the choreography, de-gendered costume and original score, allow an appreciation of the movement itself over the body wearing the movement.
Sanskruti Dance
Young Maya loves to draw and read and harnesses her own magic with the help of the celestial being Saraswati. But behold, her foe Miss. Tusra! Come join Maya’s world of Magical Honey with dance, magic, storytelling and live music.
Jose Agudo flamenco workshop, 5.30pm-6.30pm
Jose Agudo Workshop
Jose’s class is fun inclusive and has a dynamic quality. Come and join this workshop if you are Intersted in learning a style that is an interesting mix of Kathak, Flemecon and contemporary dance.
28 October 2023, Fairfield Halls
Ceyda Tanc Dance, Feta & Hannah, SE19 Dance project and Grand Gesture at 7pm, The Rec
Bird Gang Ltd. and The Place, iInteractive performance for children, 10.30 am
Ceyda Tanc Dance
A celebration of what it means to be female, Kizlar is an aesthetically driven exploration of femininity and masculinity, strength and vulnerability, creating a visually stunning dance work.
Splice
Splice is an exploration of connection and architecture between two bodies as they configure themselves between restriction and possibility,
SE19 Dance Project
While the future is difficult to imagine, preparing for it is also vital and needed. Through this work we would like to consider what we can expect from the future on a personal level.
Grand Gesture
In 1969 a new spirit of change was dancing across the world. Grand Gesture takes a leap back into the year of liberation, rebellion and exploration that defined their generation.
Bird Gang Ltd. & The Place
BOOK 4 SHORTS is a Hip-Hop dance adventure where two friends need your help! Join in with the dancers and get the chance to finish telling their story in this interactive and lively show.
