Talented young dancers from Brune Park and Crofton School will present their own choreographed dances alongside outstanding professional dancers Natalie James and Paris Crossley.
Inspired by local Brent Geese, they considered their 3,000-mile migration from Siberia to escape the sub-zero temperatures and winter in Gosport.
Led by choreographer Natasha Khamjani, their original dances reflect the determination and resilience of these extraordinary birds, exploring patterns of flight as well as shapes that the birds make and their physical appearance and movements. Each school worked for two days with Natasha learning a mix of choregraphed sections and the students devising sections for themselves using their own skills and experience.
Many of the students are taking GCSE Dance as an option and others have no prior dance experience and have embraced the experience and chance to work together on this project with Natasha.
The final pieces will be performed as part of our Festival at The Fort in July 2024. They will come together on Thursday 18th alongside professional dancers Natalie and Paris to put the piece together for the first time before presenting it to an audience.
Natasha Khamjani worked on all four opening and closing 2012 London Olympic Ceremonies as a Mass Movement Coordinator and Choreographer, responsible for the four Maypoles in Danny Boyles ‘Green and Pleasant Land’ in the Opening Ceremony. In 2013 she was part of the creative/mass team for the Rugby League World Cup and in 2014 was part of the audition/flash team in Glasgow for the Commonwealth Games and the New Years Eve Parade in Newcastle.
Other commissions in 2014 included work for the Southbank, Big Dance and choreographing Beauty and the Beast at Theatre Royal in Stratford.
As a workshop leader/education specialist, Natasha has led on projects for the Royal Opera House, Sadlers Wells, Southbank, Glyndebourne Opera, Garsington Opera, The Grange Festival, London Studio Centre, Urdang, East London Dance, Mimbre, Swindon Dance’s CAT’s and many other schools and colleges.
She is currently touring with the company that she is Co Founder and Co- Artistic Director of ‘Folk Dance Remixed’ .
Natalie Nicole James is a multi-disciplined circus and dance artist. She attended the National Centre for Circus Arts from 2012 to 2015 on a full scholarship, focusing on double bar dance-trapeze. She immediately began working with Metta Theatre on a street dance circus theatre performance after receiving her BA Honours in Circus Arts. She was cast in the main part of Mowgli and ensemble in an adaption of Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book. From 2007 to 2023, Natalie has been a regular performer in Jonzi D’s Breakin’ Convention programmes alongside many other leading platforms within dance, circus and theatre.
Natalie has also recently worked with Tom Dale Dance Company, English National Opera, Cosmopolitan Arts, and Ockham’s Razor. At different points in her career she has received mentorship from Irven Lewis, Robert Hylton, Sean Graham, Benji Reid, Jonzi D, Henri Oguike, Hakeem Onibudo, Kenrick Sandy, Louise Katerega, Akosua Boakye, Anthony Ekundayo Lennon and Jasmin Vardimon.
Paris Crossley is a movement artist specialising in Popping. Her artistic journey began with the street-dance community in London, nourished by internationally renowned and home crew Fiya House. She has actively participated in competitions where she has won, competed and judged at several events across the UK and internationally.
Not a stranger to the street-dance scene, Summer Dance Forever 2023 gave further global recognition to her battle capabilities and skills as she succeeded close to the final stages of the competition.
Paris then went on to win another outstanding event, Random Circles shortly after and has recently won Break Ya Neck 2024 in Paris.
Alongside completing her BA in Psychology and MA in Ethnomusicology at SOAS, Paris seamlessly transitioned into the performance industry of theatre and commercial showing her range as a dancer and on a professional level. Different positions she has taken on as performer, choreographer and creative director have made her a multifaceted force.
Paris has since worked with several award winning artists such as Rita Ora, Dua Lipa, Brittany Howard and Benjamin Clementine as well as companies, including but limited to Cirque Bijou, Just US Theatre, House of Absolute, Boy Blue, Fabian Prioville, Kadir ‘Amigo’ Memis and Russell Maliphant. Some of which she has also toured with globally.
Most recently, Paris had partnered with Wow Festival by The British Council in Turkey where she taught, mentored and judged an event for disadvantaged womxn in the Turkish arts community.
Paris is currently occupying the position of Associate Artist with Dance East over the next couple of years where she will be collaborating with them to produce her own creations.
