Emily Labhart

thinking about dance, arts management and cultural representation

2017

I’ve had some amazing opportunities come my way since I moved back to London a year ago and joined Greenwich Dance as Project Producer (Supporting Artists and Events).

It’s given me a reason to reflect on the things I’ve seen and done that have made me feel motivated, curious, sometimes disappointed, but mostly inspired.


Achievements whilst at Greenwich Dance

Producing for super amazing artists including Wendy Houstoun, Boy Blue Entertainment, Frauke Requardt and Lea Anderson.

Project Managing two summer festivals – Greenwich Dances and Greenwich World Cultural Festival, which took place June-July 2017.

Taking over programming of morning Professional Class from Autumn 2017 and inviting more top artists who had never taught with us before (plus some familiar faces) such as: Freddie Opoku-Addaie, Shelley Maxwell, Antonio Borriello, Alleyne Dance, Sara Dos Santos, Luke Birch, Joseph Toonga, Theo TJ Lowe and more.

The Borough Hall at Greenwich Dance. Photo by Chris Nash.

Published in “What Moves You? Shaping Your Dissertation in Dance”, authored by Lise Uytterhoeven and Charlotte Nichol, in March 2017. A guide to writing undergraduate dissertations for dance students, I was invited to contribute to the final chapter of the text – focusing on research of cultural aspects of dance performance. It has always been one of my goals to be published and I was so excited to have achieved that last year.

Selected to join the prestigious Clore Emerging Leaders programme, taking part in an intensive residential course during September 2017 with 24 other brilliant ELs working in the cultural sector (museums, galleries, publishing, theatre, music and dance). I left feeling inspired and motivated, armed with a lot of new knowledge and confidence in my skills, plus a hive-mind of excellent friends.

Representing Greenwich Dance at Festival Quartier Danses in Montreal, Canada in September 2017. My role was to support dance artist Tim Casson to premiere his digital dance project Fiend; alongside creating a new participatory work Carte Postale with local Canadian artists in outdoor spaces. This project was funded by the British Council and worked in partnership with co-commissioners FQD and Dance East.

Developing the GD programme to feature and support Hip Hop work more regularly, including:

  • A Krump & Waacking Battle led by Crooked District Events – where Waackers battled Krumpers (and came out victorious!)
  • POPCITY UK vol. 3 led by FiyaHouse, an international event where dancers competed in Hip Hop, Popping, Afrobeats and U16 categories for a chance to represent the UK at an upcoming battle in China
  • Continued support for Artists 4 Artists through residencies (including Artists 4 Growth), rehearsal space in-kind, and upcoming performances.


Shows I’ve seen outside of work

I’m really passionate about live performance and believe it’s important for me to see as much dance as possible, to support artists, to keep up to date with current trends in the sector and to build relationships with key venues.

Around 70% of tickets for the shows I see are purchased by me, the remaining 30% are through comp tickets that are gifted to me/Greenwich Dance, or are given in exchange for a review on behalf of Underdog Reviews.

Be sure to check out each artist and stay up to date with what they’re doing next.

03 MarchBallet Black – The Barbican
04 MarchArthur Pita – The Place
05 March1000 Pieces Puzzle Showcase – Rich Mix
28 MarchEnglish National Ballet – Sadler’s Wells
11 AprilCrystal Pite – Sadler’s Wells
19 AprilNational Youth Dance Company – Sadler’s Wells
20 AprilRosie Kay Dance Company – Laban Theatre
28 AprilForeign Bodies Orchestra – Rich Mix
10 May – One Dance UK’s Trailblazers Showcase – The Place
20 MayRambert – Sadler’s Wells
24 JuneAfrobeat Dance Championship – Spotlight Centre
04 July – Sound Moovz Launch – OXO Tower
07 July – Chris Reyes Caravan preview – Redbridge Drama Centre
08 JulyImpact Dance Fundraiser – Rich Mix
09 July – Boy Blue Entertainment Adult and Alpha Blue Sharing – Spotlight Centre
13 JulyDorrance Dance – Sadler’s Wells
21 July – Artists 4 Artists Scratch Dat! – Rich Mix
13 August – Boy Blue Entertainment Project Rebel – Spotlight Centre
25 August – Batuke! – Rich Mix
31 August – Show and Prove – Rich Mix
15 SeptemberN’Da Dance Company – Rich Mix
06 OctoberAlexander Whitley – Laban Theatre
19 OctoberDance Umbrella Out of the System – Rich Mix
02 December – Live Vibe – The Place
12 January – Mathiue Geffre Dance / Kendall Farrell / Lucy Palmer Dance (Resolution 2018) – The Place
17 January – Le Mirabellier / J7S Dance Company / Rugged Estate (Resolution 2018) – The Place
20 January – Hannah Cameron Dance / Lewis Cooke / Pierre & Baby (Resolution 2018) – The Place


Classes/Workshops/Events I’ve attended

I try to attend as many classes as I can each week, usually within Dancehall or Afrobeat styles. There are lot to choose from in London and I feel very lucky to be able to learn from so many different dance artists to develop my own practice.

Click on the links to find out more about the artists and where they teach.

Weekly Classes:

*read my review of these classes here.

 

Workshops:

Lectures/Seminars/Events:

I’ve attended a real mix of events, each with a different aim – either as CPD for my work as an independent Producer, to enhance my practice as a dancer/teacher, or to keep the dance scholar in me alive until I can do my Masters.

Escape Dance Holiday 2017. Photo by Robert White


I think it’s fair to say I’ve kept busy in 2017(!), and made the most of being back in the capital.

Sometimes I find it quite hard to juggle all of these things with my full-time job at Greenwich Dance, plus my independent project Dancehall Origins – which takes up most of my free time. (I’m going to write a separate post reflecting on DHO17 – we had four events and I want to give enough space to do them justice!)

There’s still lots more classes, shows and events I want to attend whilst I’m here, and plenty more I want to achieve at GD.

Do you know of anything I should be going to? Let me know by visiting my contact page.

Looking forward to what the rest of 2018 will bring!

 

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