Concert | Dance

The Rainbow Concert

A packed house at the Exeter Phoenix Arts Centre were treated to an evening of poetry, dance, song and big band jazz on Wednesday 30th June. All the work grew from classroom projects undertaken by teachers who made the trip to Cape Town in October 1998.

 

 

Torquay Girls Grammar

Debbie Priestley, head of English at Torquay Girls Grammar School drew on the work of Cape poet Mike Cope to teach her year 9 class. They reworked his poem Everybody Needs and performed a selection of finished works to different musical settings.

 

 

Bradley Rowe First School, Exeter

Year 3 pupils opened Bradley Rowe First School's set. Their dance was based on South African steps learned at the Music and Dance workshop run for Crossings project teachers by the University of Cape Town Music department. It was choreographed by Dawn Channon.

 

Julie Tippett worked with Year 3 pupils, teaching them three songs which drew on African rhythms - including one which she had written specially for the concert called "The Balloon Song".

 

Bradley Rowe's headteacher Clare Wesson studied the music and dance of the South Africa while in Cape Town. She taught some of her pupils these songs which they sung in Xhosa.

 

 

Bradley Rowe Middle School

Bradley Rowe Middle School caught the South African bug from their neighbour! PGCE student Kate Cowley worked with pupils who to devise another African dance piece.

 

 

St Luke's High School

Dance teacher Lorraine Beresford learnt a lot from both the Dance workshop she attended at the University of Cape Town and the visit to the South African National Gallery. She brought ideas back to develop with her GCSE Dance group.

 

One group worked on "The Gumboot Dance" - a dance created by black miners and dockers, using the boots they were given by their employers.

 

An eerily effective piece by the boys in Lorraine's dance class performed "The Butcher Boys" - based on a sculpture by Jane Alexander.

 

 

Devon Youth Jazz Orchestra

with Keith and Julie Tippett

The second half of the concert was a moving tribute to South African exiled musicians. Keith Tippett worked with DYJO on charts of his own as well as those from his South African friends. Joined by his wife Julie, a highly charged set of big band jazz brought a very successful evening to a storming finish.