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Music and the Deaf - 2008
SAA-uk
and Music and the Deaf teamed up to create a programme of music and
dance workshops for deaf children and their parents from birth to 6
years old.
The programme was aimed at enriching children’s lives with new methods of communication.
The artists delivering workshops on this programme were:
Rushia Uzmi and Devika Rao- South Asian Classical and Folk dance.
Gunwant Kaur, Surmeet Singh, Kamaljeet Ajimal and Upneet Singh- South Asian Music.
The project ran for 7 months with workshops in two primary schools and two early years’ centres. After the workshops had taken place the children teamed up and created a performance for the rest of the school. This project not only gave the young people a fantastic experience, but also helped to create links between different areas in the community.The link found between the hand gestures used in Classical Indian Dance and the signs in British Sign Language have been extraordinary. There is a level of communication between the dancers and children that nobody could have predicted and the children, parents and teachers alike gained so much from the experience.
"All the children were involved and focussed for the hour long session. The pace and range of activities was perfect for our deaf children" - Teacher from Girlington Primary School, Bradford"The sessions are useful and give me ideas for myself to use at home" - Parent of deaf child, St Edmunds Children Centre, Bradford
MARCH 2008
CELEBRATING WORLD MATHS DAY 5th MARCH 2008
South Asian Music and Dance meets Maths
SAA-uk was invited by Carlton Bolling College in Bradford to provide a two-day residency exploring South Asian music and dance in relation to maths. The project was for gifted and talented Year 7 pupils and started with an introduction to both art forms culminating with a school performance showcase. This innovative project coincided with World Maths Day, when students from across the globe united in a celebration of numbers over the internet.
Artists leading the project were Rushia Uzmi delivering Kathak dance sessions, a classical story telling tradition originating from Northern India. This dance form reinforces literacy skills and cultural awareness, offering the participants a chance to learn how to dance with fast footwork incorporating ‘mesmerising’ spins and simple hand gestures. While highly-esteemed musician Mohamed Abbas Assani led a number of percussion sessions that introduced the students to elements of rhythm, pattern and structure driven by an adept style of tabla playing. Both were achieved by practicing counting and working closely within the mathematical framework of ‘Teen-taal’ - a 16 beat rhythm cycle.
This exciting initiative was aimed at lifting not only numeracy standards but also literacy skills as the artists used alternative languages used in South Asian Music and Dance. The students listening, concentration, coordination and memory skills were tested by responding to rhythms played on the Tabla and footwork patterns.
The project proved a huge success for both students and teachers, as the group performed for their whole year group on the last day ending with a Bollywood number for everyone to join in on!
This venture was one of the first of its kind and SAA-uk was delighted to be involved in such an ambitious, yet rewarding project, We live in one of the most diverse societies the world has ever seen and this project only highlights how culturally diverse art forms can be used to enhance and improve on key curricular areas.
"The artists were incredibly patient and inspiring throughout!" Francis Regan (Music Teacher)
A BOLLYWOOD EXTRAVAGANZA IN ROCHDALE!
Over the past 3 years SAA-uk’s resident artist Zoobin Surty has been working at a cluster of schools in Rochdale leading Bollywood Dance sessions. This March saw the grand finale of the 2008 project at Falinge Park High School, with a spectacular performance by artist Zoobin Surty to kick-start the show and providing a chance for all to see a professional in action!
Zoobin Surty is a dance artist with a diverse portfolio to offer. He trained in India in classical and folk dance and graduated from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds. He is now pursuing a Masters Degree in Choreography. Zoobin has extensive experience in the Contemporary / Bollywood Dance industry in Mumbai, India. Zoobin teaches weekly Bollywood classes at Yorkshire Dance in Leeds and York. He runs Contemporary, Kathak and Bollywood dance projects for all ages in Yorkshire, Lancashire and all over the UK.
Schools involved in this exceptional project included Heybrook Primary, Spotland Primary, Greenbank Primary, All Saints Primary and Falinge Park High. The project being something new for Rochdale giving the children an experience they will never forget
‘The project on the whole has worked on so many levels; it has created confidence in the children, an insight into dance as an art form and shown the discipline of making a performance piece. Children from all ethnic backgrounds benefited from the opportunity to wear South Asian ‘Bollywood’ dress. It has created a great atmosphere of sharing’ Jenny Wystawnoha Specialist link teacher of Dance Falinge Park High School
‘It really has been a fantastic barrier breaking project, we have found that some of the schools in which there has been a lot of rivalry and conflict in the past have become friends simply through doing the dance sessions’ Mike Diggle of Education Action Zone (part funders of the project)
SAA-uk hopes to carry on this excellent Bollywood barrier breaking work in Rochdale and other regions in the future!
SUMMER 2008
10th ANNUAL COMMUNITY MUSIC SUMMER SCHOOL
In Partnership with Leeds College of Music & Moortown Primary School
A week of fun music making, meeting new people and catching up with old friends; since 1997 SAA-uk has brought together internationally renowned musicians and music lovers from Leeds and all around the world to spend a week together learning or developing their music making skills in an professional, yet relaxed atmosphere. Once again, we invite you all to join us and celebrate 10 years of music making on Sitar, Tabla, Santoor and Vocal with Dharambir Singh, Ustad Harbhajan Singh, Harjinderpal Singh, Jayasree Sen Gupta and Bhupinder Singh Chaggar. So, whether you feel like having a week long musical holiday, or want a fun and stimulating start to your children's summer holidays, check out SAA-uk's 10th Annual Community Music Summer School - you'll be glad you did !Photo: Helen Moore
Brilliant, Great Venue, Great Atmosphere, Great Music! (P.N. Germany)
Excellent! Coming next year! (D.S. Leeds) “
The Teachers are remarkable! (W.J. Leeds)
12 Young people who were struggling with their next step embarked on a 5 week journey to explore the world of the Arts.
SAA-uk worked alongside Philip Charles of PiPeline Productions, Anil Banger of Nachda Sansaa and Charlotte Bhardwaj, to create a training programme full of workshops, trips, events and challenges.
The programme was based around Hip Hop and Bhangra and how these art forms can be fused to create something special. During the project the 12 young people learnt about every aspect of creating a performance piece. The participants wrote all the material, choreographed the movement, designed and created the set, discussed the technical requirements and performed live at the Carriageworks Theatre in Leeds. In order to gain inspiration we visited a temple and many Indian shops and even had a professional photography shoot and a session in a recording studio. The performance went down a treat and all the young people really enjoyed the chance to shine. Many said that it opened their eyes to other cultures and that they couldn’t believe how far they had come and how much they had learnt.
"The young people exceeded my expectations with Passion, Drive & Enthusiasm" (J.V Leeds)education
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