On the 14th of June we launched Global Grooves 2008; an exciting and in-depth study of the Afro-centric roots of Brazilian and Cuban percussion, dance and song. Although we are only half way through the programme of work we have already exceeded our goals for the Master-class and performance programme. Global Grooves was set up to raise awareness of the African roots of many of the percussion and dance styles practiced and studied nationally. Many artists working in this area have little or no opportunity to continue their studies to an in-depth, professional level and our research shows that the few opportunities available have been too expensive and difficult to access from the North of England. Global Grooves has offered affordable training opportunities with tuition from the most knowledgeable and experienced percussion and dance tutors available in the UK. So far we have seen over 100 participants in the workshops from beginners to professional teachers and performers. The feedback from the workshop tutors and participants has been outstanding and we have reached artists locally and nationally. By the end of the programme of work over 300 artists will have attended the weekend Master Classes.
In addition to the weekend workshops and master-classes we have organised showcase events with over 500 performers and 600 audience members. We have showcased 6 different styles of percussion and dance (not normally seen in the northwest of England) and supported local groups in the development of their performance, arrangements and choreography.
Many of the particpants wanted to develop their technical skills and cultural understanding of the different styles and so in addition to the weekend workshops we also developed an eight week course to assist music leaders and performers to devleop their delivery, understanding and technique. The first of these courses started on 31st July with 25 participants.
As well as the percussion and dance elements within Global Grooves we developed a visual arts project using photography and video. Throughout the weekend workshops and showcases we have used photographers and video artists to document the work. This has been a great success and we are pleased to announce the Global Grooves exhibition in November. So far we have developed an exhibition of over 100 A3 mounted prints showing the development of the workshop groups and documenting the performances from local groups. By the end of the Global Grooves 2008 will have an exhibition of over 250 prints at a new community Gallery opening in Salford, and a growing, ongoing exhibition at the Zion Arts Centre (Manchester) between now and November.
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