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‘…..just a jump in my day when out shopping to see such a lovely piece of dance’.

Saturday 17 August saw Dance Woking’s last activity in 2024 take place in three locations around the Borough made possible with funding support from Surrey Community Foundation. New Adventures received funding from Arts Council England to create and tour this work.

One of Dance Woking’s aims is to provide high quality opportunities to watch dance, providing new experiences that inspire artists, participants and communities. We achieved this today by partnering with Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, bringing ‘Doorstep Duets‘ to Woking. A partnership started in 2021 when the company first originated the idea of bringing free opportunities where people can enjoy short world-class performance in their local neighbourhood, on their street, in local parks, facilitated through community-based organisations. The aim of the project to bring joy, escapism, and connection, and make world-class dance more accessible to everyone.

Dance Woking CEO Sam McCaffrey toured with the company on Saturday 17 August and writes about her experience.

‘I caught up with the company at The Maybury Centre, a highly valued local community facility that was already a hive of activity when I arrived just after 10am. After registering my car details, a must if you want to avoid a fine, I found the 6 dancers, Producer and Stage Manager busy taking company class. Brief introductions and checking the days schedule followed before I set off ahead of the company to our first stop, Kingsleigh Care Home in Old Woking. Draped in British flags and pictures of King Charles III the Care Home staff were very welcoming. A large space had been created in the lounge where over 28 residents were already prepped for the performance.

Dance Woking has been partnering Kingsleigh Care Home to use dance to benefit residents to support their health & wellbeing through our Dance Gold (weekly dance classes for the over 65’s) and our very popular seasonal Social Travelling Tea Dance tours, a project supported by Surrey Community Foundation and Arts Council England’s Project grants.

The company arrived shortly after I did and prepped the performance space with the set, designed to be highly portable, so each member could carry it easily from place to place. The performance itself was beautifully crafted, a joy to watch and well received by the residents. Audrey, a 99 year old ex-ballerina found the piece ‘very interesting‘; Annie, who had recently celebrated her 100th birthday said it was ‘very unusual‘. Other resident comments included ‘Fabulous, Absolutely beautiful, fantastic lovely people, wonderful, lots of good interaction‘. Staff member Caroline said ‘what was lovely about the piece was the silence, I was mesmerized by it, not used to this type of performance, it’s very different‘. We left as the staff were getting ready for a foam party in the garden and the residents a glass of prosecco.

Next stop Jubilee Square Woking Town Centre. To encourage shoppers to the town the square has been furnished with fake grass, white picket fencing and deck chairs in front of a large screen, plus an inflatable surfboard experience. Luckily there was a sizeable space in front of the war memorial outside Mokka Bistro that was perfect for performance. Two performances were held in Jubilee Square at 12pm and 2pm; feedback was very rewarding, Sophie 10 ‘They’re dancing really good and I like how they expressed emotions in the dance‘; Betsy 10 concurred, I loved how the dancers all had something to do and the different emotions they used to express their mood‘ Meredith 12, ‘I liked how they involved the audience‘ Isla also 12 said ‘I liked how they included lots of different dance styles within the piece‘. Parents ‘Amazing thing to have, just beautiful and just a jump in my day when out shopping to see such a lovely piece of dance‘, ‘Loved it, dancing with storytelling‘.

New Adventures & Farnham Maltings: Doorstep Duets, Hum, by Anjali Mehra, photo: Dance Woking

Final stop, and fourth performance of the day, in Westfield, Liquorice Lane green, partnering with Thames Valley Housing Trust, a relationship Dance Woking has enjoyed for just shy of a decade using dance to enhance community cohesion and engagement.

Whether its a performance for one or a crowd, New Adventures dancers are just as committed to the performance experience of their audience. Despite the heat, the dancers didn’t disappoint and highlighted their professionalism. The one resident who did venture outside to watch, (whilst others were spotted watching from their balconies) said afterwards ‘Very good, really enjoyed it, excellent idea, pity the residents missed a treat!‘ Rosemary – Westfield Resident

New Adventures & Farnham Maltings: Doorstep Duets, Hum, by Anjali Mehra, photos: Dance Woking

Etta Murfitt, Associate Artistic Director, New Adventures, joined the company in Jubilee Square, and spoke to Carol Deakins, Dance Woking Trustee, and myself. Etta shared her joy of how this project has taken the company back to its roots when they toured small community venues in a van, a bit like today. Current company dancers find the experience of this tour humbling, sharing duties such as carrying their set, and being able to get up close to their audience, (unlike a stage performance in a theatre where you can’t see the audience due to the bright lights), making it a thoroughly enriching experience for them. The project also enables the company to offer ex company dancers other opportunities such as producer roles and older dancers to keep dancing. I was heartened by how the company have maintained networks, offer valuable opportunities and training for their dancers post their time with the company and continue links with community organisations like ourselves.

For further dates and tour details: Click HERE

News

Highlights from Sat 13 July Lakeview Fun Day

Dance Woking partnered with Lakeview Community Action Group to produce Lakeview fun day on Saturday 13 July. Despite a weather forecast that looked like it might derail the event, the weather was perfect and allowed for an uninterrupted programme of performances to delight the local community.

Dance Woking with funding from a Surrey Community Foundation grant was able to deliver targeted schools outreach dance clubs during the summer term and bring our ever popular Maypole dancing workshop to various events this summer and produce a series of community dance platforms.

Taking part in the community dance platform was Beaufort Primary School Dance Club KS1 & KS2, Alexandra Dance Company Juniors & Seniors, Cremona Dance School Seniors, Amala Dance & Bellytricks Bellydance.

Alongside the dance there was music to enjoy too; from Salvation Army, Graham Kirkby & Friends, Goldsworth Park Monday Club, GKR Karate, and drumming workshop with Langton from Global Grooves.

Liberal Democrat MP Will Forster & Woking Mayor Cllr Louise Morales were also enjoying the stalls & activities at the fun day.

Photo highlights from the day taken by Dance Woking:

Beaufort Primary School

Beaufort Primary KS1

Beaufort Primary KS2

Alexander Dance Company Seniors

Amala Dance

Cremona Dance School Seniors

Bellytricks Belly Dance

Maypole Dancing sessions with Dance Woking

Alexandra Dance Company Juniors

Music performed by:

Salvation Army

Graham Kirky & Friends

GKR Karate

Liberal Democrat MP Will Forster & Woking Mayor Cllr Louise Morales

News

New Adventures heads to Woking

Saturday 17 August, Jubilee Square, Woking Town Centre, 12noon & 2pm

Dance Woking is delighted to be once again partnering with Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures to present their highly popular ’Doorstep Duets’, on Saturday 17 August in Woking Town Centre. This will be Dance Woking’s last activity this year, whilst the organisation takes a break to give us time to consider new ways of working and funding.

Dance Woking has for the past thirty years enjoyed the support of regular funding from Woking Borough Council (WBC), and delivered a series of highly valued programmes, adapting and changing these over time to best serve the local community and environment. More recently Dance Woking’s programme has sat under the ‘Inspired’ brand, including our Inspired Learning Programme. Following WBC issuing a 114 Notice last year, and only being able to support statutory provision, the financial support Dance Woking received ceased. The lack of this regular funding has meant our current way of working is unsustainable and as an organisation we have had to make some difficult decisions rethinking how we might work differently in the future. As part of this process we will be taking a break from delivering activity this autumn.

It is with great pride that Dance Woking is able to bring Doorstep Duets, originally created in 2021 by New Adventures and Farnham Maltings as a response to social isolation. This project offers free opportunities where people can enjoy short world-class performance in their local neighbourhood, on their street, in local parks, and through community-based organisations, the aim of the project is to bring joy, escapism, and connection, and make world-class dance more accessible to everyone.

New Adventures, Doorstep Duets this summer is ‘Hum’ by choreographer and movement director Anjali Mehrawith with original music by Luke Brady. Just as the actions of the hummingbird, the smallest bird in the world, are essential to life in the towering rainforest, in Hum one small gesture of kindness to a stranger ripples out to create a community for those who need it most.

Bring your friends and family to join us and experience free, world-class dance on your doorstep. There will be two performances in Woking Town Centre on Saturday 17 August at 12pm & 2pm

Details: https://new-adventures.net/doorstep-duets#overview