A number of dance organisation from across the country have come together to form MOKO Dance, an initiative to be launched in March to bring dance to young audiences and their families, an audience group generally regarded as overlooked.
The programme starts with a double bill of world premières, MOKO Mix, for age seven and over which will tour with a complimentary offering of front of house activities, workshops, games and a young critic scheme, aimed at helping children and young people to be inspired by dance.
The groups involved in MOKO Dance are DanceEast (Ipswich), Dance City (Newcastle), Lakeside Arts Centre (Nottingham), Pavilion Dance South West (Bournemouth), Sadler’s Wells (London), South East Dance (Brighton and Hextable) and Theatre Bristol (Bristol). MOKO Dance has received the first grant from the strategic touring fund of Arts Council England.
The Suitcase Story, about a little girl, an invisible friend and a magic suitcase, devised and choreographed by Christopher Marney, and adventure The Rock, devised and choreographed by Tamsin Fitzgerald will tour to:
- Jerwood DanceHouse, DanceEast Ipswich – 27 February-1 March
- Pavilion Dance South West Bournemouth – 8 April
- Dance City, Newcastle – 10 April
- Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury – 23 April
- DanceXchange, Birmingham Hippodrome – 4-5 May
- Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham – 12-13 May
- Déda, Derby – 31 May