dancedigital, in partnership with the University of Bedfordshire, is to present the dancedigital Festival from 25-27 April. dancedigital is one of the UK’s leading dance organisations based in Bedfordshire and Essex, renowned for leading the dance field in the development of technical innovations in choreography and dance. In April, to celebrate the latest achievements and best work of an outstanding group of dance practitioners, the organisation will stage its first digital dance festival at the University of Bedfordshire.
The festival will showcase the best and most exciting digital performances and installations by a range of dancedigital’s Associate Artists and Catalyst Artists, who will be showing their work in public for the first time. Performers and filmmakers will follow the festival’s theme of how digital technologies can transform the experience of choreography onstage, online, inside, outside. Performers include the award winning filmmaker Rachel Davies, choreographer and dancer Annie Lok, dance practitioners Luke Pell and Jo Verrent, dancer Tim Casson and video technologist Tom Butterworth, and visual artist Rachel Cherry.
This fantastic cohort of artists will bring together the arts, science and technology to create meaningful, touching and rich experiences for audiences, utilising the meeting of arts and science in performance to create new views in a technological culture. The festival will not only bring cutting edge performance to the area but will also provide exciting opportunities for the students and nearby arts communities to explore innovative approaches to performance.
Performances, workshops, learning and participation events are just some of what is on offer over the weekend. In particular, panels and workshops will be led by distinguished practitioners and teachers including Professor Helen Bailey, pioneering DJ and filmmaker Alex Reuben, Anthony Lilley, Chief Creative Officer and CEO of Magic Lantern, the award-winning interactive media and multiplatform creative house and consultancy, Kerry Franksen dance and intermedia artist and Nina Martin, international teacher, dancer and choreographer as well as performances and installations.