DANCE TEK WARRIORS - Union Dance

1 DANCE TEK WARRIORS Education Resource Pack 2 RESOURCE PACK CONTENTS Union 3 Corrine Bougaard, Artistic Company 6 Chronology of Collaborations and DANCE Styles and Union DANCE Contemporary Martial Art 19 Street Sensing Change ..24 General Notes by Corrine Interview with two of the Press and Audience Choreographic 33 Mavin Bharat Rafael 36 Choreographic Body Design for Sensing Change ..42 Set About Design Light Further Union DANCE Workshop 3 Background This is a company excited by on the cutting edge of contemporary DANCE .

2 They provide a mixture of pop culture and street DANCE moves in a fresh and interesting mix that invigorates the Stage, May 2005 Union DANCE s founder and Artistic Director is Corrine Bougaard. The Company s first performances took place in 1983, and in the last two decades Union DANCE has become internationally acclaimed for its eclectic mix of contemporary DANCE , hip hop, martial arts and streetwise wit, communicating the world s rich cultural diversity through breathtaking movements and stunning visual effects.

3 The Company's philosophy is to explore movement as a multifaceted language to reveal, celebrate and question perceptions of modern society. The Company is remarkable for its stylistic versatility. The Times Former members: Michael Joseph, Jedda Donnelly, Garry Benjamin, Simone Noblett, Will Thorburn, Susanna Cole Photo: Charles Dragazis In 1992, a DANCE journalist observed, Contemporary DANCE companies are struggling to keep their niche in this increasingly conservative ecology. Only those with something urgent to say are likely to survive.

4 Union DANCE should be among them because its Director, Corrine Bougaard, is determined to present work that reflects cultural influences outside the white European mainstream. Jan Parry, The Observer, 1992 4 Unity through diversity The Company has developed a strong style and identity, which has been contributed to by the dancers and the choreographers who have worked with Union DANCE over the years. Artistic Director Corrine Bougaard actively seeks to collaborate with artists from a variety of cultures, frequently non-Western.

5 The dancers tend to remain with Union DANCE for a significant part of their career and their diverse backgrounds and experience considerably influence the Company s productions. Throughout its 20 year history Union DANCE has focused on collaborations with choreographers, composers and designers, often presenting a multi-media performance on stage. Due to the range of different artists and art forms involved in its productions, Union DANCE has evolved an eclectic style, which is informed by many DANCE techniques and styles, and also draws on martial art forms.

6 The Company trains primarily in contemporary techniques, but is also influenced by hip-hop, club styles and capoeira, and has used African and other world DANCE styles in its vocabulary. (See the section on Styles p. 16 - for further information.) Union DANCE has collaborated on original productions with a range of artists including dub poet Benjamin Zephaniah, composer / musician Steven Williamson, Kora player Tunde Jegede, major choreographers such as Afro-American Bill T Jones and from the UK, Laurie Booth.

7 In addition some of the Company s highly successful touring and education projects have included collaborations with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, English National Opera, The Serpentine Gallery, The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) and The Tate Gallery. The Company tours nationally and internationally, recently performing in Malta, Italy, New York, Bosnia, Barcelona and Vienna. 5 Corrine Bougaard - Artistic Director Corrine founded Union DANCE with a mission to explore and express an identity through DANCE which reflects the growing cultural fusion of contemporary British society.

8 I created Union DANCE because I wanted to explore, as a dancer and choreographer, the varied cultural references that make up my background. This need resulted from a long-standing sense of concern at why these important creative traditions had become misunderstood and discriminated against, consequently downgrading them and making them seem less valuable. (Corrine Bougaard, 1993) Born in South Africa, Corrine trained at the London Contemporary DANCE School and at the Alvin Ailey School in New York.

9 After performing with Ballet Rambert (now Rambert DANCE Company) from 1975-6, Corrine became a founder member, choreographer, teacher and Associate Director of Extemporary DANCE Theatre. Awarded the first Arts Council bursary for an Artistic Director of DANCE , she identified the need to promote DANCE which would speak to a contemporary culturally diverse society. Corrine was a recipient of the Winston Churchill Fellowship and became the first British choreographer to research contemporary DANCE in Cuba.

10 She most recently choreographed DANCE Divine Dreams for DANCE in House, Union DANCE s 2001 production and for the Henley Festival 2004. Corrine is also interested in the developing field of new technologies with DANCE , which she is currently exploring as a senior lecturer on the MA course in Design at Central St Martin s College of Art & Design, London. Corrine Bougaard (right) dancing with Henrietta Harris in 1983. 6 DANCE Tek WARRIORS To become a spiritual warrior means to develop a larger vision, a special kind of courage, fearlessness and genuine heroism.