Derby Festé Invites Local Communities To Be Part of Launch Evening

Derby Festé Invites Local Communities To Be Part of Launch Evening

Derby Festé: Friday 27 and Saturday 28 September 2019

Local people are being invited to be part of a special community performance on the opening evening of this September’s Derby Festé – highlighting the festival’s theme of ‘Space, Moon and Tides’.

A community workshop will be held at Déda in Chapel Street on Saturday September 7 between 1pm and 2.30pm.

Participants will learn a simple choreography and create a ‘Space, Moon, and Tides’- inspired costume for the performance of ‘One Moon’ on Friday September 27. There will be an additional workshop for people who would like to creatively support the performance on Wednesday September 25 between 4.30pm and 6pm.

Workshop participants will then join pupils from special educational schools and local community groups to create a choreographed human wave.  This will connect the spectacular ‘Museum of the Moon’ suspended in Derby Cathedral to the River Derwent, highlighting the unbreakable connection between the moon, tides and humanity.

The unique performance will see a beautiful moon crafted out of bio-degradable materials, designed by Maria Terry, flowing down the human wave to the river where it will be set afloat. The wave will be accompanied by music, movement and circus performances from a diverse range of people who live and create in Derby and beyond.

‘One Moon’ is a special Derby Festé commission, supported by Foundation Derbyshire, created to celebrate the diversity in the city and highlighting some of the work which is already taking place in Derby’s SEND Schools as part of This is Derby essential life skills programme.

‘One Moon’ has been created by Hubbub Theatre Company’s Artistic Director Jen Sumner who said: “One Moon reminds us that, no matter who we are and where we come from, we live together as human beings on one planet under One Moon. We are all inter-connected.

“We want more than 250 people to be part of the wave and the community workshop is for people from all local communities - particularly those with physical and learning disabilities - to bring everyone together and be part of a very special performance.

“We will be asking people to wear white, blue and silver for the performance and people will be invited to wear a Space, Moon and Tides inspired headpiece that they make in the workshops with visual artist, Theresa Hempsall, to have additional impact.”

The choreography and craft information will also be available digitally for anyone who cannot attend the workshop.

For more information on the workshops or event please contact Jen at Hubbub Theatre Company info@hubbubtheatre.org 01332 374665.

‘One Moon’ will start at 6.30pm and follows a high-energy family show ‘Splash’ by integrated circus company Extraordinary Bodies on Cathedral Green at 4.30pm.

The company is the UK’s leading circus company that brings together deaf, disabled and non-disabled artists to create bold and radical performances that focus on individual’s abilities and strengths.

Splash! is a beautiful story about growing up, family and independence – brought to life in a multi-sensory way with circus, puppetry and British Sign Language.

The audience will follow the journey of Flo - a young girl on a fearless journey of discovery - who dives into a mysterious underwater world, meeting new characters and challenges along the way.  

Everyone will then be invited into Derby Cathedral for a special viewing of ‘Museum of the Moon’ – a touring artwork by UK artist Luke Jerram.

Measuring seven metres in diameter, the moon features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface. At an approximate scale of 1:500,000, each centimetre of the internally lit spherical sculpture represents 5km of the moon’s surface.

The installation is a fusion of lunar imagery, moonlight and surround sound composition created by BAFTA and Ivor Novello award-winning composer Dan Jones.  

After ‘One Moon’, those with tickets can watch one of two performances (7pm and 9.30pm) that evening of ‘UduL’ by Catalan circus company Los Galindos in a small yurt erected on Cathedral Green – full of circus-style acrobatics, trapeze and contemporary dance.

The finale of Friday evening is the ‘Full Moon Parade with Dutch company, Close-Act Theatre parading their giant futuristic silver creatures through the St Peters Quarter and Cathedral Quarter – finishing in the Market Place at 9pm.

The procession will be a taster of Close Act’s Saturday night showcase performance of Close Act’s performance of ‘Malaya’ at Bass’ Recreation Ground which will take the audience through a journey in time moving from dream-like tranquility to explosive nightmares.

Earlier on Saturday – the city centre streets will come to life with a full programme of free street entertainment including music, dance, theatre and circus skills.

Derby Festé is produced and presented by Déda, Derby LIVE, QUAD and Derby Theatre in association with the Without Walls Touring Network Partnership – the UK’s largest commissioner of outdoor arts shows, taking inspiring new work to audiences all over the country and beyond.

The two-day festival is funded by Arts Council England and Derby City Council with sponsorship from Derby Cathedral, St Peters Quarter, University of Derby, Cathedral Quarter, Foundation Derbyshire and intu Derby.

Tickets for both ‘Malaya’ and UduL’ are available online at the Déda Box Office 01332 370911; www.deda.uk.com  and for information about all the performances at Derby Festé please visit www.derbyfeste.com and follow on social media.

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