Southall Black Sisters (SBS) are delighted to welcome all to see the work of Amina Khayyam of Amina Khayyam Dance Company (AKDC), a choreographer and performer with whom we have a long association. AKDC will be performing a double bill of their critically acclaimed work YOU&ME/BIRD which will be on for one night only at The Place, London on Tue, 4 June from 7.30pm.
AKDC recently worked with the victim-survivors we support as part of our Inspiring Through Creativity programme. Over nine months, at a residency with our Support Group, Amina conducted workshops with victim-survivors to introduce them to the basic skills of Kathak dance with the aim of empowering them to explore creativity in a safe environment. The workshops culminated in a dance and movement performance sharing on Wed, 27 March, and forms part of an exploration into AKDC’s future work around patriarchy.
SBS have collaborated with AKDC previously too. Our earlier collaborations include the short YouTube film Catch the Bird Who Won’t Fly created during Covid-19 and the live performance of A Thousand Faces in 2019 which looked at the topic of acid violence on women. BIRD is the stage sequel to Catch the Bird Who Won’t Fly, and explores real-life stories of women navigating society after escaping domestic abuse.
Shakila Taranum Maan, Head of Legal Services and Community Engagement at SBS, said: “It was powerful and moving to witness Amina and other AKDC-associated creative artists interact with the victim-survivors from our Support Group. The Support Group is intended to nurture strong bonds among victim-survivors as a community with shared experiences and encourage personal and collective growth through skill-building. AKDC’s engagement with our Support Group helped the women gain confidence and learn groupwork while facilitating discourse around conditioned patriarchy through creativity. At the performance in March, it was clear that the workshops with AKDC had helped the women feel freer and flourish.”
SBS hope that you can join us on Tue, 4 June for YOU&ME/BIRD followed by Q&A.
Venue: The Place, 17 Duke’s Road, London WC1H 9PY
Date & time: Tue, 4 June at 7.30pm (90 mins)
Book online. Use SOUTHALL10 for a special offer price of £10 if you book before Fri, 24 May – Limited tickets available.
Media contact: Sanskriti Sanghi
T: 07771316138.