A evening of performance and conversation, presenting the inspirational journey of Kavina Pound: from bedroom dancer to Southbank Centre performer, as part of Artist Archive.
“I have lost count of the number of people who tell me that they can’t dance, and it always makes me smile. I can remember being one of those people and yet, here I am today.”
Kavina Pound is a dance artist with dyspraxia and arthritis, who entered the profession late in life. Her Live Archive presented her monograph Waiting, Relating, and Coordinating, from 2017, which describes how her journey in dance has been one almighty battle. Also a story of personal transformation, Kavina described how dance has developed her patience, improved her coordination, increased her social skills, and taken her to stages across the UK.
In addition to the presentation of her monograph, the evening included a dance performance and discussion. An improvised movement score presented memories and fragments of solos and duets from Kavina’s dance career. Following, there was a conversation between Kavina and long term collaborators Ellis Legg and Roland Carline.
Events
Live Archive: Waiting, Relating, Coordinating – 24 February 2024
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Responses
“It was lovely to hear from Kavina about her life and experience, and to see her commanding the room so effortlessly.”
“The Q&A was a key highlight, some really important/inspiring/comforting thoughts/conversations/shared comments.”
“Great that various and diverse voices are being heard and seen!”
Watch / Listen
Gallery
Photos by Philip Pound and by team at SDS. Click to enlarge.
REFLECTIONS
“…although I felt so joyous to be in this space with all of these like minded individuals talking about something that so many of us experience, I was also reminded of how little opportunity there is to share stories of disabled people and the full lives they lead.”
“Defying negative disability narratives, Pound’s autobiographical fairytale is a nuanced choreography that rewrites the ups, downs, starts, stops, turns and rolls of being a disabled dancer, mother and advocate.”
Credits
Carol (Kavina) Pound
Carol (Kavina) Pound is a dance artist and the co-creator of Danzability with her daughter Bethany. She uses her experience to inspire others and has spoken about her dance journey at various disability and well-being events. Kavina is a regular dancer with Freestylers and works freelance with SLIDE. She is also a Biodanza teacher, running a monthly class in Greenwich, and is a volunteer on the committee for Biodanza Association UK.
Project Credits
Project Support: Beth Pound Green
Conversation Collaborators: Ellis Legg and Roland Carline
Access Support: Hattie Harding
Thank You
Special thanks to the staff and students at The Dorset School and The London School of Biodanza, Gita Sootarsing, Guida Gama, Roly and all the Freestylers, Gemma and all the team from SLIDE, Corali, Luca Silvestrini and Protein, my two children Beth and Garry and everyone at SDS and Independent Dance. Thank you also to all the friends and colleagues at Stopgap, Candoco, Access all Areas and the staff at People Dancing, who have always been encouraging.