Tuesday 10 September 2013

Setting a New Course & The Company of Fellow Travellers


A year on, the Cultural Olympiad 2012 has been deemed to be a great success an excellent moment in British arts cultural history.  I am grateful for the numerous accolades; I now receive for my artistic creative work alongside my enhanced personal profile.  Therefore I am assured as a Cultural Leader- a Cultural Olympian and Choreopoet if you will.  I am often approached for my advice, views and opinions regarding arts and culture, by artists near and far.  I am also very keen to continue to build on the legacy of this marvellous programme the Cultural Olympiad 2012 and our very own contribution to it.   There have been a number of exciting developments, with regard to arts and culture in my own city.  Given its been such a long time since I have written on this blog, but everything in its time...  After climbing the mountain so to speak, of producing our hugely successful theatre show production. A period of reflection, consolidation, assimilation of experience and insights etc is required, before setting a new course and direction.  We are at a momentous point, to launch the next phase, of this illustrious project, in alignment with the original ambition for the music component. 

To date we have had difficulty, securing the resources needed to manifest the musical aspect of the original vision.  Whereas now we have secured fellow travellers, i.e. prestigious high profile partners, collaborators, champions and patrons, for this component of the project, poised ready to move forward. To help to begin to generate the resources required, to create a truly glittering spectacle, a true example of stunning excellence. A great work to combine the myriad artistic and creative talents, of a great number of culturally diverse people, into one great effort!  This music component will be much larger and grander in scale than the previous theatre project. Yet despite its huge ambition, the work is led this time by music.  Success we feel is more assured, as music has such a unifying power with people, with the potential prospect of a beautiful accessible venue.  So as we are at the threshold of this part of the journey, we do feel more confident this time round - so watch this space as more is revealed...

Other fellow travellers, in terms of increasing awareness of my artistic work include those I have been able to work with, in my choreopoem workshops at the massively successful SPRING event at Embrace Arts last Spring. In addition I am looking forward to leading further Choreopoem Workshops this Autumn, at the FALL Event at Embrace Arts.  Both these events are curated by the brilliant and energetic Bobba Cass aka Dr Robert Bennett. His interest in excellence in the arts include, cultural diversity, in translation (world languages & cross arts), accessibility and disability arts, informs these highly popular programme of events.  By my sharing and leading work around making choreopoems with other poets, spoken word artists, this therefore continues the legacy of our project.