Inspiration - Victor Jara, Passmore Edwards, Doughnut Economics

 Lou asked me to write a few lines for Victor Jara dance film from Shallal2 and i found this https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/18/us/victor-jara.html.

So much to consider as the world goes through intense times and it reminded me of Passmore Edwards, "Fund the ladder and the poor will climb it themselves" 

https://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/leisure/theatre/15372034.shallal-brings-show-of-many-creative-talents-to-falmouth/

The need for systems change is so vital now, and we look to those who have gone before for inspiration.

https://environmentjournal.online/articles/cornwall-aims-to-achieve-a-doughnut-economy/

Shallal2 start again soon hoping to make another film for COP26. They have an established relationship with Falmouth filmmaker Adam Drake and we are pleased to have been working in Shallal dance Theatre with Bobby as well and so we hope to continue extending a platform for unique film voices as well as in all the other arts we touch on.  

A Thank you to our funder and partners in Shallal Dance Theatre

 A thank you letter

Thank you to Reaching Communities for our funding for three years pre-Covid, it came in just before the pandemic was fully recognised and meant we could continue our two well established performance groups and maintain our rental for our new art studio.

It led to even greater opportunities, recommending us to Rank foundation who then have funded our Time to Shine leader, Sapphire

Last year we all were so concerned to keep in touch,  maintain provision creativity opportunities..and this hasn't left us, we are now doing a doodle poll across Shallal to capture our responses and needs for groups 

Last year we experimented with film, and zoom and ... within it Barbara made a great short film, the Studios did Picture Post and Shallal Sketchbooks came into their own, showing a huge need especially via Social Prescribing and doing a Christmas card share from children to those in care homes.

So much

And yet our creative juices were rumbling to perform, to connect, as we normally do, so Big Thank you

To Newlyn Art Gallery

to Blair for working with Akullah together they identified Arinda Daphine and Shallal as a potential pairing

Re, Artistic Director, Jo and I understand you to be the Lead Artist, in collaboration with Shallal Dance Theatre. Its your project, developed with Shallal, who are directed by Jo, for an exhibition that I have curated. It’s a large multi-faceted collaboration 

and a providential commission as Lou and Phoebe had contacted Kresen Kernow, who had thought to contact us but hadn't yet and the thrill of being involved in a small way with The Homecoming Project and the wonderful Ordinalia, Community Arts, Cornish Culture and cross art form! what more can you want and though i don't like 'themes' ( many of Shallal do) I'm just more abstract, symbolic or humour/dramatic.

Without the funding to keep regularly meeting we wouldn't have been able to participate and enable these fantastic opportunities challenging and stretching us even in lockdown.

We have been able to commission Bobby and Pep both multi arts skilled and performers to explore their film making.

I'm so pleased with all the work produced so far, Arinda's prompts and themes have opened a glorious door of responses, Love and betrayal or loss, nature and our relationship responses, deep connections and chanting your family lineage. "Okwevuga' example... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Vmw643XieU 

 So much going on, so will say some of it in pictures...

Zoe celebrates her 50th Birthday this week and is the last founding performer still in Shallal, we started when she was 19.

Anna was 21 two weeks ago and started in Shallal Dance Theatre aged 7.

Anna gave our second Shallal Artists Talk for Back Lane West remote residency 2020 and Zoe gave the third one recently. 

It was a real success, so well received with a fantastic Questions and Answers.

You can see Zoe's presentation on you tube.

h

 Grab a Hat! we were practising for Zoe's Fancy Dress lunchtime zoom party 12.30-1.30pm this Friday!

On to the real work!

Getting ready for the 24 July In your Hands at Newlyn Art Gallery - without too many spoilers

1. Art & Production zoom

butterfly

2. Shallal Dance Theatre film chat with Bobby and Pep and all....

Debs showing us her painting - scale is so important.

We were joined by Arinda (lower right) we all shared news about all the work being created including film ideas with Pep (below), and Bobby (lower left)

Zooming in from....Catalonia, Spain and Uganda, and west to mid Cornwall.

Following on, Arinda 'zoomed in' on Monday to Newlyn Art Gallery, where we chatted with Blair about the possibilities for the exhibition..which will be three part: Arinda's inspiration, prompts and voice, Shallal's responses and Blair's curation. 

Welcome to Chris Gardner our new general manager.

News

my notes....

 New website about to launch and oh my so much: 

new general manager post

Dance Deliveries gift a dance

Connect and Dance

Regular Zoom Tuesdays 10.30-11.30 starts June 8th?

In Your Hands

Homecoming

Forget me nots

Back Lane West

Mentoring for Business plan

 a week later ....

In your hands

feedback from Arinda on Star's short film!

The video is amazing. I love the sepia mood. It accentuates the realness of nature,. And the dancing, I love the tactile appeal when Star touches the feathery trunk.

Send my gratitude and admiration to Star for her work.

New Zoom

Shallal are pleased and excited to launch our new regular Zoom

Dance Connection

Tuesdays 10.30 - 11.30am in term time

is a drop in session for anyone who likes to dance and move, that you can take at your own pace

 Free - donate what you can

As many dancers begin to be able to meet up again, we want to keep the joy of dancing with friends near and far from our own homes and stay connected.

Shallal Style Improvisation

Aiming to be Fun & Accessible, 

The session works with those who come along in an open spontaneous workshop style.

We welcome artists to draw, play music etc.

Shallal has an eclectic style welcoming different inputs.

Warm up with Sapphire Sumpter followed by working with Jo Willis Shallal's Creative director

Hope to see you soon in 'Zoomland'

Sapphire Sumpter - has recently graduated from Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance with a BA (Hons).Working under Wolfgang Stange in AMICI Dance Theatre transformed how I view dance and showed me the endless possibilities of connecting with others through movement.

Jo Willis - has worked for over 30 years in creative dance ( also inspired by Wolfgang Stange) and enjoys the freedom of creativity and cross art forms, developing ways to increase range of expression for dance artists and devising open improvisation prompts.

We danced with...

Miles - Flushing      Andrew - Portcurno   Lily, Xanthe and baby - Southern Spain.  a good start and more to come!

We welcome Chris Gardner as our new General Manager and more to come soon as everything gathers momentum including G7! oh my we are overrun! in this spanner at the end of Britain. Uploaded Toby's film to instagram this morning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YLzq2P6z8Y&t=5s

Conversation with Mary Ann Bloomfield re Ordinalia yesterday and so much creativity as we work towards In your Hands. 

And a big thank you to everyone behind the scenes especially Theresa Elgar our new finance manager and our Trustees and Lou and Barbara who have held so much while we transitioned from one Business manager role into Finanace and General Managers as Shallal expands and consolidates.

 

AMICI, Shallal and upcoming interview with AMICI’s director Wolfgang Stange

Hello Shallal blog readers – it’s Sapphire here. This is just a short piece about our connections to AMICI dance theatre and an exciting announcement!

Most of you know that our own Jo Willis started Shallal after studying under Wolfgang Stange, AMICI dance theatre’s Artistic director.

Photo of Wolfgang Stange. Description: Photograph is in black and white and shows an older man wearing a black T-shirt with an octopus on, he has short white hair and pale skin, and is smiling broadly at a younger man who wears a patterned T-shirt and has short black hair and pale skin and appears to be yawning.

I also found Shallal through working with Wolfgang and AMICI and wanted to let you all know that I will be interviewing Wolfgang about how he started AMICI, how he runs his dance sessions, how he creates shows and much more!

Some of you have met Wolfgang in AMICI’s open house workshops or in the sessions I taught over zoom last year called ‘Sharing AMICI’.

Anyway, I need your help to get together questions to ask him. So, if there is anything you would like to know about Wolfgang or AMICI please email me your questions to sapphire@shallal.org

Here are some questions I will ask him:

*How did you start dancing?

*Could you tell me how AMICI started?

*What inspires you to create work?

*Why do you use ballet in your AMICI classes?

Here is a short BBC radio interview that Wolfgang did last year https://vimeo.com/411004227

Photo of a rehearsal in AMICI when I was dancing with them in 2019 – in this scene I got to dance a Romeo and Juliet style duet with David (centre of the photo).

Description: photo is in black and white. 8 dancers of different ages and appearances huddle round another dancer who is sitting in a wheelchair and is in the centre of the photograph, they all have their arms extended to his chair and have expressions of anguish and urgency.

Next time it’s a rainy day and you don’t know what to watch, have a look at this video of 35 AMICI Drive – a wonderful and uplifting AMICI show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YSy60ETk_Y

Lots of love,

Sapphire

Birthday cards and Connect & Dance creation

 May 24th blog posted late!

Eddie's birthday cards. 

I recently chatted with an old teacher of Sam's, my how time flies, it's great to have worked together this long! Sam and I met when he came to the first Open House sessions at The Acorn as a school leaver.

Toby was filming with Jade in Penzance on Wednesday and we are excited to see the result.

This week has seen the completion of shoots for the 'Victor Jara' film, led by Terri and Sapphire with Miles, and ably assisted by Bobby, Sam and George, filmed by Adam

We have a general manager interview coming up.

Dance Deliveries give me a lot of joy, even though i haven't seen them yet except in photos.

from this week...

from this fabulous Dance Delivery arranged for Pete and David and Esme delivered by Sapphire, their enthusiasm for more has created Connect and Dance. Sitting between a Dance Delivery and a Community group session, this is a casual outdoor dance meet up, inspired by all those involved, with our Outreach dance co-ordinator Sapphire.

Who we are excited to announce hopes to continue working with us after her year funded Time to Shine lead post, so more positive planning to be done...

She has written a blog i need to put up, so posting this one and on to the next!

 

A Day and the day of Trevor's funeral

What a day!

I realise as Shallal gets so much bigger than the projects i'm involved in, that i often resort to the quick fix of an instagram story, a diary in images than come to write in here. Writing not being my first love, however i do chat, ( as those who work with me know!) and this blog is more chat really!!

And instagram stories don't capture memories and thoughts I can to return to this blog often proves to be so helpful for reflection and memory.

So i think i will just go through this day...it's now really the next day, as its after midnight, and my cup of chamomile tea also highlights i could do the day by drinks, but lets go for sequence...

wear 'posh' clothes at start of day as fear i won't have time to change, got to look good for Trevor! run around garden trying to find white flowers and greenery ( spend too long on base to lie them on ) and mount Eddies card to be taken to Trevor's funeral and remember Yvonne's card as well

by Eddie

by Yvonne

9am .herbal teas..our lovely new financial manager Theresa Elgar meets with myself and Claire of Shallal Sketchbooks untangling for her the threads of funding that have supported this wonderful and now embedded project, many thanks to all who have supported it in many ways and as i end the day Laura Menzies writes to let me know she is on the search for new funds and there are lovely ideas brewing, for digital development, a short film to be made with Adam Drake...

10.15 -11.15  Tuesday morning is now Colin and my catch up time allowing others to join us ..oh dear my brain feels already fried only an hour into the day! here is where the drinks come in coffee - yes and we start again refuelled. The new website is nearly for viewing and we have something to edit for Lou for it and so much to chat about, i sometimes can't remember it all. Most importantly Colin phoned Giles, Trevors very close friend from Waterloo House to let him know Trevor has died and we have been sent  a link to the funeral so he can tune in to watch. Giles and Trevor (with Duane who brought them along) were such a duo/trio so comfortable and funny together. Dance Deliveries chat next week. Zoom on Mondays, one more and then maybe we start our Tuesday afternoon regular zoom offer.

11.15 Phoebe and Lou of Shallal Studios join us, Phoebe and i are having regular chats now as so much going on and planning so we need to keep connected. She and Lou are working flat out with website designer, new website launch soon and with wonderful mentors for a Shallal business plan. We are chatting about cover for Krowji Summer Open Studios 27-30 August, we will all do it voluntarily and invite others to join us, exciting chat and lots of ideas and support identified.

12.10 Colin reminds me to leave and I'm now glad i got dressed and had flowers and cards ready.

1pm Oh my Trevor ...

It was a fab funeral! not an adjective one associates with funerals, but so well considered and delivered.

Firstly a piper! greeted by bagpipes - bliss, anyone who knew Trevor would instantly smile!

I'm not going to be able to write about it as tears come. 

Great to see Star and Debs and see how Shallal was a part of Trevor's life through photos and reminiscences, and two people saying how they loved to see his films - big thank you to Barbara, who made them and edited the Doorways duet with him and Giles.

We all sat with the wonderful Steve Tanner photo of Trevor looking at us and the entry song Cheek to Cheek's opening words were "Heaven, I'm in heaven."

3pm After chatting for so long to (3D people- not 2D zoom world people) Debs and Star, I sat in my car and sent some photos to Amy and Shallal instagram story, then pottered on home.

Star went on to deliver the flowers they are holding to Katie and Kerry J as Amy gave them to be shared to those who knew Trevor.

Tea - herbal, again

Quick home time and then 

6pm Trustees meeting, I kept meaning to take a photo..so good to see them all. A lot to talk about and listen to, so grateful to have such good people behind us and excited to be interviewing for our new general manger post next week!

Zoe Wilton will represent Shallal members ( i will email her now) and David Cox will be on the panel with Nick as trustees.

AGM 14 September Gyllyngdune Gardens!

red wine and a walk, the joy of living in Cornwall and the colours of dusk on sea and sky at Nansidwell

This evening photos coming in of todays filming with Miles, Terri and Sapphire with Adam and thank you to Bobby for organising the morning film site with George and Sam joining them. 

Miles up and about and dancing in his garden for Victor Hara piece, Adam filming

                    so good to see Miles up again after a foot injury that needed a long rest for recovery

"wonderful! So much energy in the studio at the moment ! so exciting" :)
from George with Sam in studio today!

A meeting with Blair and Arinda next week, and catch up...

If you've got to the end, well done and to leave on the drinks, Star was toasting Trevor with champagne tonight, only the best, the man had style! 

We are so grateful to have had the privilege and pleasure to have known him and danced with him.

Which links a conversation at sunset and one after the funeral, the quality of soul in the arts, Trevor had it and he shared it, love is generous.