Laban students to hold contemporary dance workshop

Final year students on the BA (Hons) Dance Theatre programme at Laban together with Colin Bourne, Head of Undergraduate Studies, will conduct a contemporary dance workshop next Saturday and Sunday. It will be hosted by the Dance Counci Malta and be open to members and non-members.

Laban is an internationally renowned conservatoire for professional contemporary dance training, at the forefront of developing undergraduate, postgraduate and professional level courses. Based in a landmark building in Deptford Creekside, London, Laban's state-of-the-art facilities include 13 dance studios, a health suite, café and 300-seat purpose built theatre. (www.laban.org )

The workshop will be held at Central Academy of Ballet, 222 St Julian's Road, B'Kara, on Saturday 27 February from 3.30 to 5.30 pm and Sunday 28 February from 10.00 am to12.00 pm. The workshops will be divided into 3 age groups: 12-14 yrs, 15-17yrs and over 18yrs.

Following the workshops there will be a performance followed by a reception at the Excelsior Hotel on Sunday 28 February at 7.00pm.

During the performance students will perform work learnt during the workshops. There will also be performances by the Dance Council Dance Ensemble who will perform a piece choreographed by Ingrid Desira Buttigieg.

A Dance Film by Wireless Dance, an upcoming Maltese dance company, will be shown. Three founding members of Contact Dance Company - Sandra Mifsud, Giselle Calleja and Nicola Critien created Wireless Dance with the intention of furthering the contemporary dance culture in Malta and promoting this culture overseas. Their aim is to collaborate with different artists using various art forms such as dance and film to further demonstrate the local artistic talent Malta has to offer. This evening will mark the launch of this video production by Wireless Dance. The piece is called "Shadows" with choreography by Athanasia Kanellopoulou. "Shadows" is a collaboration between Wireless Dance and Falkun Films and was co-produced and directed by Pierre Ellul of Falkun Films.

Contact Dance Company directed by Francesca Abela Tranter will be showing a piece from their upcoming performance "Horizons". The work is called "Alternative Moves and Spaces" with choreographic direction by Francesca Abela Tranter and a music score commissioned to Renzo Spiteri who will perform live. The dance synopsis reads, "To improvise skilfully one must be aware of the responses that are available within each given moment. This kind of awareness takes practice, discovering and saying yes to what arises from the body and mind. Space within the body is a core element in this work."

The performance will be rounded off with the final year students from Laban performing a new dance work, "Hearth" especially commissioned by Laban with choreography by the British choreographer Kerry Nicholls. "Hearth", inspired by the music of David Lang, navigates the twenty-strong cast through a series of quixotic meetings and departures. Kerry Nicholls has taught and performed extensively for numerous dance companies and institutions including Laban as well as London Contemporary Dance School and DV8, Charleroi and Rambert Dance Companies.

After the performance Colin Bourne will award a scholarship to a promising Maltese dancer to the Laban Summer School.

The evening will finish with a reception where dancers and audience can mingle and share ideas with the Laban dancers.

The workshops, performance and reception are open to dance council members and non-members. More information is available through email on dancouncilmlt@hotmail.com