Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company
Encyclopedia
Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company is a British
dance group based in London
and founded in 1988 by the company's artistic director and choreographer, Shobana Jeyasingh. The company has toured internationally including in Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, New York and throughout the United Kingdom
(UK). It is also a regular participant in the Dance Umbrella
festival in London. It has received three Digital Dance Awards, two Time Out Dance Awards and the London Music and Dance Award. Its work is part of the GCSE syllabus for dance in the UK. For example, Faultline.
The dancers are a mix of national backgrounds, including British, Malaysian, American, Italian, Indian and Spanish. As collaborators, they are asked to draw on their personal cultures in the creation of choreography.
The company provides school and community education through apprenticeships, workshops, technique classes, and residency programmes.
, Graham Fitkin
and Kevin Volans
.
She states that her work is rooted in her experiences as a British Asian and explores the conflicts between diverse personal and cultural origins. Her choreography draws upon various sources, including Ballet
, Bharatnatyam and contemporary ethnic dance forms.
In 1995 Jeyasingh was awarded an MBE
for services to dance. She holds an Honorary MA from Surrey University, an Honorary Doctorate from De Montfort University
, and is a Research Associate at Middlesex University
’s Research Centre for the Performing arts. In 2005 Shobana was the recipient of a NESTA Dream Time Fellowship. In 2008 she was named Asian Woman of Achievement for her contribution to Britain’s cultural life.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
dance group based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and founded in 1988 by the company's artistic director and choreographer, Shobana Jeyasingh. The company has toured internationally including in Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, New York and throughout the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(UK). It is also a regular participant in the Dance Umbrella
Dance Umbrella
Dance Umbrella is an annual festival of new or contemporary dance held in London each October. Founded in 1978 as a showcase for emerging choreographers, Dance Umbrella now ranks highly among Europe's leading international dance festivals...
festival in London. It has received three Digital Dance Awards, two Time Out Dance Awards and the London Music and Dance Award. Its work is part of the GCSE syllabus for dance in the UK. For example, Faultline.
The dancers are a mix of national backgrounds, including British, Malaysian, American, Italian, Indian and Spanish. As collaborators, they are asked to draw on their personal cultures in the creation of choreography.
The company provides school and community education through apprenticeships, workshops, technique classes, and residency programmes.
Founder
Jeyasingh has produced more than 50 dance works. She often works in collaboration with other artists including contemporary composers such as Michael NymanMichael Nyman
Michael Laurence Nyman, CBE is an English composer of minimalist music, pianist, librettist and musicologist, known for the many film scores he wrote during his lengthy collaboration with the filmmaker Peter Greenaway, and his multi-platinum soundtrack album to Jane Campion's The Piano...
, Graham Fitkin
Graham Fitkin
Graham Fitkin is a British composer, pianist and conductor. His compositions fall broadly into the minimalist and postminimalist genres...
and Kevin Volans
Kevin Volans
Kevin Volans is a composer associated with the post-minimalist movement in contemporary composition. He was born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa on July 6, 1949, and even though he has spent most of his life outside his native country, is the best known South African composer active today.In...
.
She states that her work is rooted in her experiences as a British Asian and explores the conflicts between diverse personal and cultural origins. Her choreography draws upon various sources, including Ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
, Bharatnatyam and contemporary ethnic dance forms.
In 1995 Jeyasingh was awarded an MBE
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
for services to dance. She holds an Honorary MA from Surrey University, an Honorary Doctorate from De Montfort University
De Montfort University
De Montfort University is a public research and teaching university situated in the medieval Old Town of Leicester, England, adjacent to the River Soar and the Leicester Castle Gardens...
, and is a Research Associate at Middlesex University
Middlesex University
Middlesex University is a university in north London, England. It is located in the historic county boundaries of Middlesex from which it takes its name. It is one of the post-1992 universities and is a member of Million+ working group...
’s Research Centre for the Performing arts. In 2005 Shobana was the recipient of a NESTA Dream Time Fellowship. In 2008 she was named Asian Woman of Achievement for her contribution to Britain’s cultural life.