Throughout the Winter months we have been busy making/sustaining spaces for dance to happen. As we move into Spring and Summer we continue to host events and sessions by independent dance artists and programme activities that bring visibility and value to artists and practices historically underrepresented at SDS.
Kicking off the 20th Anniversary of SDS in January was our Artists Archive Film Night the latest iteration of our Artist Archive programme. We screened a collection of thought and emotion-provoking films that invite us to rethink dance and archive through the lenses of 16 incredible artists, many of whom have never been presented at the studios before. The atmosphere was cosy and committed as attendees and artists mingled and experienced the films in a curation that worked actively with and against the hierarchy of spaces throughout the building.
Re-making/ Breaking Traditions II gave space to BPOC/Global majority artists working with performance to come together and explore how rituals of cultural tradition can/not be translated into rituals of performance. We look forward to our third session in the summer with Ailin Conant from New Earth Theatre returning to co-facilitate. Our Lunar New Year celebration took place straight after with Yuyu Rau where participants of all ages learnt about the calligraphic origins and tried writing the Chinese characters for Fire and Horse then translated these into creative dances and performed them to the group – the results were both experimental and impressive!
We had some great Unscary Saturdays – our popular monthly BSL interpreted classes that introduce a new dance style each time. This term welcomed the return of Reclaiming Ballet with Adesola as well as Waacking with The Lionesse and Lindy Hop with Cookie and her Black Mambas.
NEXT 2026 saw this years’ cohort of young artists take over the building with film, live performance and installation. Stay tuned for an upcoming write up by our friends at DAJ if you missed it.
Finally, we walked with Maymana from Fungi Futures and explored the herbs which grow around SDS then gathered for tea together at the studios.
Looking ahead to the first half of our summer programme:
Our Unscary Saturdays in April and May bring us Krump with British/Palestinian dance artist Sasha Mahfouz Shadid and Dominican Bachata with Gabriel Bravo Rivera.
April also sees the return of our partnership event with Pembroke House: The Underscore for BPOC/Global majority Dancers II at the end of the month co-led by Nathaniel Parchment and Annie Pui Ling Lok.
SDS will also be hosting a talk by Ranjini Nair at the end of May – An Overlooked Story: Indian Temple Dancers in Victorian London exploring the first Indian temple dancers who arrived in London in 1838, the spaces they performed in, and their overlooked histories.
Regular sessions continue with dance artists running their own independent classes at SDS and include exciting new additions: move. with Joy Miracle and Timea, Dynamic Hatha Yoga with Emily Tan and To Move Together with Akeim Toussaint Buck.
If you are looking for studio or working space, don’t forget to check on our Town Square Studio and Town Square Co-working sessions this summer.
Read on and hopefully see you very soon at SDS,
Warm sunny wishes