Tavaziva x Step into Dance Big Top Showcase
During the May/ June half term Tavaziva worked with some of our dancers to create a new piece that they performed in the Big Top Tent as part of Wandsworth Arts Fringe Festival on Wednesday 30 June!
The dancers worked with Bawren Tavaziva to develop their very own performance piece, which they shared live at this year’s festival. The piece created was based on their experience of dance and movement to achieve a high-quality piece with the same production values as Tavaziva’s company work.
The work was performed as part of Tavaziva’s Big Top Showcase at Wandsworth Arts Fringe on Wednesday 30 June. Taking place at King George’s Park, the performance showcased both professional dance companies and friends of Tavaziva Dance, and there was also a performance from our very own Step Companies.
About Tavaziva
Tavaziva is one of the UK’s leading contemporary-African touring dance companies and is led by Zimbabwean-born Bawren Tavaziva. The company creates and tours original new productions that portray challenging and current topics rooted in African cultures.
Established in 2004, our vision is to make original contemporary African choreography that excites, transforms and enriches people’s experience of dance. Bawren is passionate about giving young people the opportunity to dance and through performance, training, learning and participation, Tavaziva aims to share a culture of creative exchange, opportunity, excellence and innovation.
The company tour a production every other year, delivers a range of education and training programmes for young people and professionals, and is regularly commissioned to make work and create projects for organisations.
About Bawren
Bawren Tavaziva was born in a rural village near Masvingo in Zimbabwe. At the age of 12 he attended an outreach ballet project with the National Ballet of Zimbabwe at his local community centre which led him to a life-long passion for dance.
He danced with Tumbuka for five years and toured Africa and came to England to join Phoenix and Union dance. In 2004 he presented his own choreography and music as a finalist at The Place Prize with a deeply moving quintet entitled Umdhlalo Kasisi, in memory of his sister who sadly died of HIV.
After this, Bawren formed his own company and became Artistic Director of Tavaziva Dance going on to produce Soul Inspired, Bophelo, Chatsva, Heart of Darkness, Wild Dog, Double Take, Sensual Africa, Greed, Tavaziva Ten, Africarmen and Izindava.
Step Into Dance is a Royal Academy of Dance programme in partnership with the Jack Petchey Foundation, a grant giving youth organisation operating across London and Essex.