Past Performances
Over the past 30 years, Magpie has created a number of memorable performances across London, Canterbury, Birmingham and beyond. Enjoy a selection of Magpie’s archived productions below:
Positive Vibez
July 2016
Magpie’s Saturday Youth Group Technique performed at Broadway Theatre as part of Positive Vibez, ‘Take It To The Stage’ for one night only! A show highlighting the exceptional talents of young people in the performing arts industry.
The group performed an adaptation of their piece’ Tilt’, on 23rd July 2016
Big Dance 2016
July 2016
Magpie’s Adult Group debuted their new piece made in collaboration with Complicite.
The piece was performed at The Churchill Theatre on July 9th 2016 as part of Big Dance.
Big Dance 2016
July 2016
Magpie’s Highfliers Dance Company performed an excerpt of their piece, ‘There Were Definitely Swans’, at The Baylis Studio at Sadlers Wells on 8th July. This was part of their Summer 2016 tour.
The piece was written by Lost Dog’s Ben Duke & the six Highfliers Dancers: Hannah Dempsey, Hannah Westerman, Daisy Garrett, Owain Taylor, Jamie Gregory, Daniel De Mendoza
U.Dance London Regional Platform
March 2016
Each year Youth Dance England runs a national festival, U.Dance, that draws together some of the best youth dance work from across the country. Hundreds of young people join together to perform in high profile venues, take classes with leading professionals and have fun.
Magpie’s Saturday Youth Group Technique’s choreographic work, ‘Tilt’, was shortlisted to perform at the U.Dance regional platform in March 2016.
'The Strictly' live on The One Show
23rd November 2015
Magpie dancers were invited to the BBC’s New Broadcasting House to dance’The Strictly’ live on The One Show. 31 Magpie dancers, family members, volunteers and facilitators joined the fun alongside the Strictly stars and other London Dance companies.
To see pictures from the day click here. Keep Dancing!
Celebrating Three Decades of Inclusive Dance
1st November, 2015
Magpie celebrated 30 years at the Langley Park Centre for the Performing Arts with a full showcase of live music and danceworks created collaboratively by our Youth Group, Adult Group, Community Class and Highfliers dancers. There were 8 dance pieces total including a special guest performance by Cando2 and a creative video submitted by Dance Ability (Trinity Laban).
Moby-Dick Unabridged
4th October 2015
Eight Magpie dancers performed creative choreography during a live reading of Moby-Dick as part of the London Literature Festival at Southbank Centre. Click here for pictures.
New Moves
17th September 2015
Three Magpie Adult Group dancers presented an abridged version of their piece ‘Made by Many’ to an audience of arts enthusiasts who attended the New Moves event, University of Kent.
Charity Fundraiser
9th July 2015
Magpie Dance Youth Group Technique performed Speakeasy at Magpie’s 30th Anniversary charity dinner in July 2015 with thanks to 3 local businesses; Bailey Ahmad Business Recovery, Metro Bank and CWJ (Clarkson Wright and Jakes Ltd).
Mind The Gap
2nd May 2015
Mind The Gap provides a performance platform for the stars of tomorrow at the Changing Britain festival. Magpie’s Youth Group technique dancers performed ‘Speakeasy’ – an excerpt from Magpie’s Flying High production, choreographed by David Willdridge from Stopgap Dance Company.
Flying High
24th March, 2015
Magpie Dance was invited to perform ‘Flying High,’ at the Gulbenkian. Magpie presented a mixed programme including ‘Made by Many’ created as a collaborative effort by Magpie’s Adult Group as well as new commission, ‘The Story So Far’ which saw David Willdridge from Stopgap Dance Company choreograph on Magpie’s Youth Group and newly launched professional performance company, Highfliers.
Co Motion Inclusive Dance Youth Platform
24th March, 2015
Co Motion performance platform brought together inclusive contemporary dance performances from a variety of mixed-ability dance groups and companies including Cando2, Trinity Laban, Magpie Dance, alongside participants from local Greenwich and Lewisham primary and secondary schools. The event began in 2009 by Trinity Laban as a performance platform, the only one of its kind in London and the UK.
The platform provided disabled young people an exceptional performance opportunity in the internationally renowned Laban Theatre. The platform included specially commissioned works as well as invited performance pieces.
=Dance
16th January, 2015
On 16th January, Magpie Dance was invited to perform at the Lilian Baylis Studio with a mixed bill, Flying High, for Sadler’s Well’s =dance festival. The programme included ‘Made by Many,’ created as a collaborative effort by Magpie’s Adult Group as well as a new commission, ‘The Story So Far’ which saw David Wildridge from Stopgap Dance Company choreograph on Magpie’s Youth Group and newly launched professional dance company, Highfliers.
In total, 23 people with learning disabilities from the Bromley and surrounding areas performed in this show. The ages of the performers ranged from 18-58. Audience reception to the performance was incredible. With a sold-out show and thought-provoking questions from audience members during the post-show discussion, it can be said that the evening truly inspired the performers, the public, and challenged mainstream expectations, thereby fulfilling Magpie’s fundamental ethos and mission.
International Europa Forum
30th October 2014
The Adult Group performed at the Lions Club International Europa Forum in Birmingham for 800 delegates from around the world.
Big Dance
11th July 2014
The Adult Group performed ‘Made by Many’ and the Youth Group Technique group performed ‘Flowers No More’ at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley for Big Dance 2014.
UDance
27th April 2014
Magpie’s Youth Group was shortlisted and performed for the UDance London regional heats.
Refresh
29th April 2014
On 29th April 2014, Magpie’s Youth Group technique dancers performed ‘Flowers No More’ to a sell-out audience for The Place’s Refresh platform.
Re:locate
November 2013
Dancers from Magpie’s adult group performed a specially choreographed piece for Re:locate magazine’s Christmas celebration at a night club in Leicester Square, London. The evening raised over £200 for Magpie.
Co Motion Inclusive Dance Youth Platform
March 2013
Magpie’s Youth group performed at the Co-Motion platform at Trinity Laban
Collected Works past. present. revivals
November 2011
Magpie performed ‘Collected Works past. present. revivals’ at the Albany Theatre Deptford. The choreographic showcase, which included five Magpie pieces, marked the end of the Reaching Communities grant that supported this programme.
Big Dance
July 2011
For Big Dance, Magpie made a new piece entitled, ‘The Ed Effect’, based on the well-known story of Edward Scissorhands in collaboration with New Adventures.
“The Ed Effect was one of my highlights of Big Dance Week. It was incredibly inspiring to see dancers of different abilities really rise to meet the opportunity of working with a leading professional dance company. It was wonderful to see a collaboration of this kind as part of the Big Dance programme” – Anne Hartley
Co Motion Inclusive Dance Youth Platform
March 2011
Magpie’s Youth Group also performed at the Co-Motion platform at Trinity Laban.
New Adventures
March 2011
Magpie Dance youth and adult dancers participated in a 4-day choreographic residency with New Adventures on Matthew Bourne’s ‘Cinderella’ story. This was the first time that Magpie worked with New Adventures and the first time that the dancers had worked from a starting point of delving into the characters from a story to influence the choreographic and contemporary dance processes.
The youth and adult dancers spent 10 weeks working together on their story of Cinderella and performed to a packed audience in Bromley with lighting and raked seating. Magpie’s Youth Group also performed at the Co-Motion platform at Trinity Laban.
Big Dance
July 2010
Magpie worked with Pari Naderi to make the piece ‘Orbital’ for Big Dance. Twenty-nine dancers from Magpie’s youth and adult company performed the dance on the main stage at The Churchill Theatre.
‘Orbital’ was created over a short period of rehearsals with Magpie facilitators and all learning disabled dancers that attend Magpie’s Youth Group and Adult Performance Group. Together, they created a piece through the concept of imagery and sound as a stimulus.
Dance@Magpie
March 2009
Magpie performed at the Albany Theatre Deptford for a matinee and evening performance of Dance@Magpie, which included two mentoring pieces choreographed by dancers from the adult group, plus other works by the adult and youth groups.
Rumble
January 2009
Magpie Dance Youth Group performed ‘Expressions’ at The Peacock Theatre in Holborn as part of Rumble – a dance platform for secondary schools and youth groups
The piece was accompanied by a specially created score and live music and explored the dancers’ interaction with the visual and aural stimuli. Above all the piece was an exploration and celebration of the young people’s creative, performance and technical skills.