BALLET NIMBA Ballet Nimba a UK based African Dance Theatre Company under the direction of Idrissa Camara from Guinea Conakry

"Ritta, come una guarriera, mediatrice inconsapevole tra due culture, Immobile, su un ponte con le braccia spalancate teneva due funi che la tiravano da un lato all'altro, correndo su quello stesso ponte si affannava nel passare messaggi tra il paese d'arrivo e quello d'origine, senza mai sapere se dove avesse posato i piedi, ne avrebbe mai acquisito diritto." (Qui Sanguinis, 2022 OO Balogun) “Figlie della Terra di Mezzo” tesse il filo di coloro che custodi d’altra storia filano gli elementi della propria identità, all'interno di una società che non ne accetta la sua presenza. A tutti noi è dato il compito di creare ponti tra mondi, di ricercare linguaggi tra più terre e più vocabolari, ritrovare frasi fluide e universali. Per riprendere tematiche contemporanee, viscerali, che riguardano la nostra vita di oggi, di corpi a volte esclusi, classificati e dimenticati a volte potenti, spontanei e capaci di trascendere. Figlie della Terra Di Mezzo significa: attingere ai propri elementi offuscati, per ritrovarne la linea di congiunzione. Elementi che l'occhio della storia vincitrice non nè percepisce le connessioni. L'intersezionalita' delle tue esperienze porta a una intersezionalita' di domande e risposte che creano nuovi ponti di significato. Percepire il valore di quelle connessioni e scegliere di seguirle è una scelta. Un rituale che unisce testimonianza poetica e danza teatro in un dialogo che ricerca una nuova consapevolezza tra le fessure del tuo essere: riconoscendoti in un figlia della terra di mezzo.

Ella Mesma Company collaborates with technology experts and composer Sabio Janiak to create a dance that crosses time, borders, cultures, oceans. Set within a TV Box, Foreign Bodies, is an Underwater Love Story which explores what it is to belong to one heritage or to belong to many… and the interplay between heritage and a person’s identity as a citizen of the world. Combining stunning choreography, a fantastic cast and a touch of humour, Foreign Bodies is a healing ritual to which you are invited and where the collision of difference becomes a dance of understanding and love overcomes discrimination and fear. With Brexit providing a pertinent backdrop, Foreign Bodies is set on two TV stations which contrast and connect the farcical world of a quiz show and the magic of a nature documentary about jellyfish.. In an age where the power and reach of the web connect and divide us, the anonymous quiz show highlights the absurdity of the British citizenship test, exploring what is gained and lost through cultural exchange. The healing world of the jellyfish documentary tells the stories of individuals, families, communities and echoes the bigger stories: ancestry, her-story and the haunting legacy of power structures. THEMES: Race, Racism, Gender, Identity, Love, Power, Fear, Brexit, Migration, Transformation, Colonialism, History, Herstory, Environment, Nature, Nurture, Society, Control, Orixás, Mythology, Healing, Shamanism... Dancers: Isaac Ouro Gnao, David Evans, Benedicta Valentina, Ofelia Balogun and we honour and love Patrick Ziza who was involved in the first R&D of the work and Elsabet Yonas, Franck Arnaud Lusbec and Lucia Afonso from the second R&D. Actor: Milton Lopes (plus the voice of Ama Rouge) Choreography: Ella Mesma and Dancers Script: Ella Mesma with input from Dr Edson Burton, Milton Lopes, Luke Pell, Isaac Ouro Gnao, Joe Williams Costume: Sabrina Henry Lighting: Alan Dawson Music: Written by Sabio Janiak. Piano, vocal, didgeridoo, ocarina, drums, programming, percussion, clarinet, electronica by Sabio Janiak. Duele vocal by Ella Mesma. Povo vocal by Nuno Silva Technology: Benjamin Winstone (Gentleman Octopus) (Initial stages) and Tarim Dramaturgical Support: Luke Pell (through South East Dance Collaborate: Dramaturg in Residence 2018) and Dr Edson Burton Photography and Videography: Jessica Mitchell (Earth Motion Photography), Ashley Karrell (Panoptical) and Ersen Ermis Funding: Arts Council of England, Metal Liverpool (Change Maker artist in residency 2018), South East Dance (Collaborate: Dramaturg in Residence 2018), Eclipse Theatre (Playpot), Audience members via Crowd Funding. Support: Trinity Centre, Bristol. Pervasive Media Studio, Bristol. Serendipity, Leicester. Dance City, Newcastle. Dance Umbrella, London. Sadler’s Wells, London. Northern Stage, Newcastle. Kala Sangam, Bradford. Yorkshire Dance, Leeds. Mentoring: Fergus Evans (Big Feast), Degna Stone (Slate Enabler), Theatre Bristol, Rachel Bradbear, Annie Rigby (Unfolding Theatre via Slate) Thank you: This work began in 2017 with 1 week of R&D, a further 2 weeks were funded in 2018, and this two week opportunity in 2019 (totaling 5 weeks creation period!) but has included extensive research spanning continents and crossing borders. A huge thank you to everyone who has been a part of this work, in particular to: Arts Council of England, South East Dance (Dramaturg in Residence 2018), Metal Liverpool, Crowdfunder donaters, Serendipity, Dance City, Patricia Stead, Jeff Dean, Kala Sangam, Northern Stage, Yorkshire Dance, Sadler’s Wells, Trinity Centre, Eclipse Theatre, Artists4Artists, Selfe, Hayleigh Sellors, Edson Burton, AIDF, Pervasive Media Studio, Gentleman Octopus, Fergus Evans, Patrick Ziza, Dani Sands, Ersen Ermis, Joe Williams, Ashley Karrell, Ciaran Cunningham, all the performers, Mum, Dad and Ama, Anna and friends who have supported.

Bollywest Fusion mixing Bollywood and hip-hop dancing on Britain's Got Talent 2016, Semi-Final 4.

Insight DProject Dance in search of recognizing dance as a tool of expression, self discovery, construction and reconstruction of life. "La danza e' la mia meditazione, la danza e' lo spazio dove dimentico chi sono per diventare infinite possibilita'..." "Dance is my meditation, Dance is the space where I forget who I am to become infinite possibilities..." For @insightDproject By @joebelial More about Insight D project: http://insightdproject.com/ https://www.instagram.com/insightdproject/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkk5fXDXkoAcI0yv4aDPQfw Ofelia Balogun is an Italian-Nigerian dancer based in London, United Kingdom https://www.instagram.com/dance_your_roots_/ She joined insightDproject in October 2017. Music: Navajo Horizon by Barry Gledden.

Ofelia O Balogun -Dance Your Roots in collaboration with @GriotItalia What is meant to be Italian and African? Ofelia Omoyele Balogun is a Dancer and Movement Artist that use dance as a tool to investigate topics like identity, perception of the self and race. Discover more: https://www.instagram.com/dance_your_roots_/?hl=en ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ * * * M I R R O R S The Show * * * is produced by GRIOT Italia/GRIOT and by the cultural association LIT [#LitCult] in partnership with the Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale, @Istituto Italiano di Cultura Addis Abeba, Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Pretoria ,#IstitutoItalianodiCulturaDakar for the #ItaliaCultureAfrica programme. #afroitalian #italianigerian #dance #afrocaribbeandance #danceyouroots #identity #italianiafricani #italiacultureafrica #afroitaliani