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X.trax 2003 showcase was a collaborative project with the Arts Council England's Decibel Team. The four-day event took place, in Manchester, from Friday May 2 to Monday May 5 and featured some of the best of British culturally diverse performance. Over 400 delegates from Britain, Europe, the Americas, Australia and Asia came to see a packed timetable of over 80 shows.
The overwhelming response from promoters following the showcase has been that the event was incredibly enjoyable and a fantastic success and over 77% of artists have received bookings as a result. We are in discussion with the Arts Council England about bringing the showcase back in 2005.
    
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Jonzi D – Aeroplane Man
dance/physical theatre/music
The story of a black man's journey on a global quest to find his spiritual homeland. With a unique fusion of rap poetry, lyrically motivated movement, classical and modern black dance forms, plus live breakbeats, the universal theme of displacement is delivered with Jonzi's trademark ironic wit.
Jonzi D has been at the forefront of British underground hip-hop since its inception in the early 1980s.
“He is an issues-driven performer but has the technique, the skill and the charisma to pull off thrilling entertainment pieces that give voice to the alienated. Prepare to be amazed.” The Metro
www.jonzi-d.com
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Nitro - SLAMDUNK
STOMP with a story - BOUNCE with balls
theatre/dance/music
Basketball is the most popular game on the planet. SLAMDUNK is a fast-moving, all action game. The object - get the ball into the opposing net; but you've got to have STYLE…Beats are the rhythm of the game, the music, the speech, basketball, hip-hop & rap.
Brotherhood is the team, the bond that unites these young black men against the opposition, against the outside world, against traitors. SLAMDUNK - an exciting new dance musical about Basketball, Beats & Brotherhood.
Co-directed and created by Felix Cross and Benji Reid with music by Jason Yarde and Soweto Kinch. The performance for the showcase will be shown as a 30 minute preview of the full show, which will open at the Edinburgh Festival in August 2003 and then tour middle scale venues.
www.nitro.co.uk
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Kazuko Hohki – My Husband is a Spaceman
theatre/live art/music
The leader of pop performance group Frank Chickens makes another multi-media solo show telling the story of a Japanese office girl who marries an English University lecturer. Based on an old Japanese love story Kazuko uses storytelling, music, songs, videos and computer animations in this tale of loneliness and how to survive it.
“Polite, naïve, insecure yet ironic, spiky and occasionally smutty, she commands the intimate studio space with an understated, wide-eyed authority…her performance is a very quiet tour de force.” Mark Skinner, What's On in London
www.kazukohohki.com
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Segun Lee-French – Bro 9
theatre/live art
Agent Scally is a CIA agent based in Moss Side with a licence to destabilize British society by any means necessary. One night he has a close encounter with 10 foot tall Black aliens who reprogram his cerebral cortex leading him into a web of dark intrigue. Bro 9 is a one man show performed in the form of lyrical ballads using live video projections, simultaneous webcast and live CCTV footage.
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Theatre of Darkness – In Session by Tyrone Huggins
theatre/music
Set in a grubby basement recording studio four characters gather to record one track that will change their lives. Written as a 12 track album…In Session uses state-of-the-art music technology to achieve stunning theatrical effects, weaving a multi-layered drama where sexual, artistic and racial tensions merge in musical contusion.
Theatre Of Darkness was founded in 1987 with the aim of producing adventurous New Theatre that explores contemporary British life, informed by an African-Caribbean world view and modern culture. Their next series of productions will be The Inheritance Quartet by Tyrone Huggins.
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Vayu Naidu Company – South
theatre/music/dance
A mesmerising mix of storytelling with music by Orphy Robinson, bharata natyam and contemporary dance, evocatively drawn together into compelling drama. South weaves a cross-cultural carpet transporting the characters and audience to different time zones across the globe where east meets west and all points south.
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Yellow Earth Theatre – Rashomon
physical theatre
Exploring the deceptive nature of truth and inspired by Kurosawa's Oscar winning film of the same name Rashomon is a dynamic modern version of the classic Japanese ‘whodunnit' combining Yellow Earth's unique brand of martial arts and physical theatre with Kazuko Hohki's songs.
“Fizzes with energy and physical invention…visually sparkling, morally robust and imaginatively adventurous.” – The Times
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Creative Origins & UK Arts International - Ragamuffin
theatre/music/dance
Welcome to the Supreme Court of African Justice.
Ragamuffin,the ultimate bad boy with irresistible charm and gangster attitude, is standing trial for crimes against the African community. Against the backdrop of the Haitian revolution, the struggle for the establishment of the first black republic in 1804 and the British inner city uprisings of 1985, the audience (the jury) is about to decide his fate. Incorporating drama, African ritual, comedy, music, dance and film Ragamuffin offers powerful insight into the Black experience within Britain today, played out against the rhythms of dance hall, raga, hip hop, drumming and Haitian Vodou sounds.
Written by Amani Naphtali
“With a smattering of Caribbean dialogue, slapstick humour and a healthy disregard for right-on politics, Amani manages to get into the situation of Britain's Ragamuffin generation.” The Guardian
www.ukarts.com
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Tamasha Theatre Company and Lyric Theatre Hammersmith
present: Strictly Dandia
theatre/dance/music
A dance theatre comedy set in North London, Strictly Dandia is a jubilant and fascinating look at Navrati, the Hindu festival of dance. It takes us into the competitive and brutal world of the ‘garba' dance competitions, where regional and caste rivalries abound in a desperate bid to impress the judges with smart moves and step variations. West Side Story meets Saturday Night Fever, Asian style.
Formed in 1989, the company has produced eleven new plays, five of which have been adapted for Radio Four. The 1996 production East is East, was nominated for an Oliver award, won a Writers' Guild award and was made into the hugely popular British film.
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H. Patten Dance Theatre and Koromanti Arts presents
Ina De Wildanis
dance/theatre
Ina De Wildanis traces the journey of the African spirit from its source, through slavery and migration to its present destination: Europe. With dance, drama, carnival, puppetry and live music, H Patten's Ina De Wildanis gives one man's account of displacement and confusion within his search for belonging and the ultimate quest to own his culture.
“An epic solo performance” The Guardian
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Benji Reid – 13 Mics
dance/physical theatre/music
The rising star of the UK performance scene astral travels from bebop to hip-hop and all stops in between. Using the hi-energy of freestyle body popping, text and rap, Benji creates a montage of the 20th century working as a human sampler to create 21st century hip-hop.
Benji Reid has performed with breakdance champions The Broken Glass Street Crew, won the European Body Popping Championship, toured worldwide with Soul II Soul, and worked with numerous companies including David Glass Ensemble, Trestle Theatre and Black Mime Theatre .
Performed by – Benji Reid
DJ – Master Wong
Bass Player – Steve Ojay
Drums – Myke Wilson
www.benjireid.com
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Colin Poole – Bad Faith
dance
Two dancers embark on a prolonged mating game, driven by a collage of sound from Bossa Nova to Britney Spears. Distinctive contemporary dance that is challenging, thought provoking and humourous.
"The quality of Poole's work has become the single predictable thing about him. His subversiveness goes beyond easy parody, he is a challenger and dance could use more of those.” The Independent on Sunday
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Union Dance – Permanent Revolution (V2R)
dance
Take a physical and spiritual journey with Union Dance as they explore the circular nature of migration, cultural transition and rhythms of life. International choreographers Doug Elkins (USA) Vincent Mantsoe (South Africa) and Bawren Tavaziva (Zimbabwe) collaborate with multimedia artists Thomas Gray and Derek Richards to create a rich and sensory world where identity is explored through a multitude of real and virtual migrations.
Formed in 1985, the company has created 17 new shows and has toured throughout the UK, Netherlands, Italy, Malta, Northern Ireland, Germany and with the British Council to Bosnia and Turkey.
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Kompany Malakhi – Hip Hopstory
dance/music
A history of hip hop as you've never seen before. Kwesi Johnson's Kompany Malakhi featuring Clyde Evans' ILL Children present a gritty, fast paced story of one mc's mind blowing quest to find The Perfect Beat, to ultimately save the life of his dj. Using the four elements of hip hop, he dives into dj turntablism, grapples with graffiti , battles with b-boys and mixes it with mc's. His dilemma then pulls him back in time to a place where the elements of hip hop were unfused, fuelling his knowledge to propel him back to the future. Interactive film, the streets, illusion, the unexpected and an all star cast ..... make this fuzion of hip hop and theatre a true milestone.
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Gauri Sharma & Sonia Sabri Company
Nina Rajarani & Pali Chandra
Sujata Banerjee Company
Anurekha Ghosh and Company
Angika
Saraswati Academy of Indian Dance
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Milap Festival Trust
Nritya - Anand: The Joy of South Asian Dance
Dance/Music
The UK's premier South Asian Arts Festival presents seven of the best British South Asian dance companies with excerpts from their current work. A colourful, captivating and visually stunning programme, a simply unmissable visual and musical feast.
Featuring Gauri Sharma Company, Nina Rajarani and Pali Chandra, Sonia Sabri Company, Sujata Banerjee Company, Anurekha Ghosh and Company, Angika with Mayuri Boonham, and Saraswati Academy of Indian Dance.
Gauri Sharma – ANKH
presents Kanya – Daughters of Lakshmi
The language of kathak dance is used to depict the eight aspects of Lakshmi, Goddess of Abundance and good fortune, accompanied by live music.
Nina Rajarani and Pali Chandra
present Khamoshi ki Awaaz – the Sound of Silence (20 minutes)
Internationally acclaimed Nina Rajarani and Pali Chandra have toured extensively as soloists and with their own companies. Here they present an abstract work in which the dancers express their interpretation of silence, where each sound can be deciphered by an individual based on their own personal experiences. Accompanied by A Sivamani, “The best pair of hands in the world of percussion”
Sonia Sabri Company
presents Drishti
Originally co-commissioned with London's South Bank Centre, DRISHTI is Sonia Sabri Company's groundbreaking production in which Kathak is revisited in a digital world. Featuring live music, it offers dancing of exquisite grace, intricacy and excitement. The dancers perform within a responsive digital environment, triggering aural and visual effects that draw the audience into haunting visual interpretations of the choreography. Amongst the brightest and most inspirational of British-born dancers working today, Sonia Sabri is one of a new generation of professional Kathak artists.
“…graceful…charming…an absolute electryfying performer.” – Pikomalan Sanomat, Finland
Sujata Banerjee Company - Dance Fiction
A new work which truly integrates tradition with technology, movement with music and excellence with energy. Six dancers and five musicians plus amazing camera and light technology tell the story of two rivers with the same source taking two very different journeys. Sujata Banerjee Company is know for its superb work in bringing the best in Indian and Spanish artists together in an integrated way . The percussive foot bears of Kathak and Flamenco, the tabla and guitar, the melodious Indian singing with the passionate Flamenco songs creates an unforgettable and spell binding experience.
Anurekha Ghosh and Company
‘Moments of Give' is a contemporary dance piece fusing east and west that explores psychological landscapes. Birmingham-based Anurekha Ghosh and Company was formed in 2001. Anurekha began training in classical Kathak dance in India at the age of five and has been teaching it in the UK since 1994. 'Ghosh is a graceful and stylish Kathak dancer…a powerful personality…that marks her out as one to watch' - Evening Standard
Angika - Pulse of Tala
Angika is one of the most exciting and successful British-Asian companies of the current generation. They will present a short extract from their critically acclaimed production Pulse of Tala - a breathtaking mix of ancient and contemporary Bharata Natyam dance featuring specially composed music by Mercury Music Prize-Winner Talvin Singh. This awe-inspiring performance radiates with interactive lighting, digital projections and custom-made ankle bells. Pulse of Tala was filmed and broadcast by Channel 4 in 2002.
Angika is the creative partnership between Bharata Natyam dancers and choreographers Mayuri Boonham and Subathra Subramaniam. Bold, beautiful, elegant and energetic, Angika are committed to regenerating classical Bharata Natyam dance imaginatively for the modern stage.
Saraswati Academy of Indian Dance
Presents a fast-moving, dynamic and colourful performance combining Indian folk, classical and Bollywood dance.
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RJC Dance Productions – J to R & B
dance/music
A dynamic performance illustrating the influence of Jazz Dance on today's club dance scene with reference to Latin, Hip Hop, Soul and R & B. An explosive showcase of jazz dance expression accompanied by the vibrancy of a live saxophonist.
Now approaching its 10th year, RJC is one of Britain's most popular and successful black dance companies. The name ‘RJC' stands for ‘Reggae, Jazz and Contemporary', three of the dance styles that form the backbone of the company's distinctive work.
“powerful & empowering” – The Guardian
“phenomenal dancers” – The Independent
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The British Chinese Artists' Association
Aayaa Circus Project - The Juggling Tea Party
circus/dance/music
A combination of circus acts, music, dance and poetry portraying the Chinese legend Whitebone Monster and her aspirations to become a human being. The multi talented troupe includes a contortionist, an aerial dancer, an acrobat and trapeze artist, and a singer and dancer.
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State of Emergency – The Mission
dance
State of Emergency brings you The Mission 2003, a fusion of dance from five leading young Black choreographers.
It's a slow burning, fast moving evening of sophisticated contemporary grooves…hip-hop and street dance...jazz...spoken word...satire and humour...that captures the freshness and daring of Black dance.
Choreographers Bawren Tavaziva, Irven Lewis, Maria Ryan, Michael Joseph and Robert Hylton take you on a journey of enlightenment. From the subtle moods of an island to the complexities of human relationships, The Mission 2003 exudes all the style, inventiveness, urban edginess and excitement of dance that will lift your spirit and stir all your senses.
Give yourself permission to join The Mission. Move and be moved.
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x.trax | 51 Old Birley Street | Hulme | Manchester M15 5RF | UK
Telephone + 44(0)161 227 8383 | Fax + 44(0)161 342 0741
Email: info@xtrax.org.uk
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