Tag Archives: arts

The Arts

#cardiffwithoutculture – join the march to protest cuts to arts funding, Saturday 6 Feb

2 Comments

On Saturday, the #cardiffwithoutculture campaign will march against the council’s proposed cuts to the arts.

The march starts Saturday 6 February, 2pm at National Museum Wales.

cardiffwithoutculture

The theme for the march is a New Orleans style jazz funeral procession, and music students from Cardiff University have invited any musicians to join them in a scratch band rehearsal also on Sunday 31st January from midday-5pm.

Information from the organisers:

Arts and culture are facing a potential funding crisis and we would like to raise our voice.

Culture makes life worth living. And Cardiff a city worth living in. Cardiff Council want to cut £700,000 from the arts budget. Which threatens the future of culture in the city.

As Europe’s youngest capital city, Cardiff enjoys national arts organisations and institutions including two symphony orchestras, the National Museum, the Welsh National Opera, Wales Millennium Centre, National Theatre Wales, National Dance Company Wales, St David’s Hall; and high profile events such as Artes Mundi, Cardiff Singer of the World, and Cardiff Contemporary. Not to mention countless grassroots and community arts projects.

This kind of activity keeps the city alive, and demonstrates how much it values creativity. It provides rich ground for new ideas and innovation, grassroots engagement and renewal. This is what attracts both people and investment. Where would a city be without this?

Our burgeoning reputation for arts and culture, built over many years, impacts on education, social services, employment, community cohesion, criminal justice, tourism, refugee agencies, youth services, the third age, library services and more.

Culture is all around us from the moment we wake to the moment we sleep. If the next generation of designers, makers, musicians, artists, writers, actors, dancers are placed in an environment that does not encourage them, what kind of Cardiff will we live in? Wales prides itself on its cultural heritage. We need to ensure that our future heritage is as strong.

Join us on Saturday 6th outside the National Museum to call upon the Council to cancel arts cuts and to celebrate Cardiff WITH culture. Bring your banners, signs, instruments, energy.

We will end outside the Central Library.

Made in Roath protest workshops

Made in Roath will be holding pre-protest workshops at the g39 gallery in Roath, for people to get and help make banners, badges, placards and a ‘float’ on the following dates:
4pm – 9pm, Thursday 28 Jan
11am – 5pm, Sunday 31 Jan
g39, Oxford Street (just off City Road), Cardiff CF24 3DT

Materials will be provided, but any unwanted picture frames would be welcome, we’ll be using them to make protest plaques so donations of frames in any state, the bigger the better, would be wonderful.

Tea and biscuits will be provided, but if you plan to stay all day, please bring sandwiches etc. Despite the serious message, we hope this will be a fun day for all, so please forward this on to any contacts and share with anyone who cares about Cardiff’s cultural life, this is important for everyone.

Cardiff Without Culture march: Saturday 6 Feb, Facebook event

***

Sign up for the weekly We Are Cardiff newsletter

Check out what’s going on with We Are Cardiff Press

The Arts, Whats on

Creative Cardiff: a new network for the city’s creative economy…and a Christmas party!

1 Comment

If you’re creative and are based in Cardiff, it makes ALL THE SENSE to join the wonderful new Creative Cardiff network. Plus, they’re having a Christmas party on Wednesday 16 December in Chapter – go along and get involved! Here they are to tell us more about it.

Christmas party flyer

Over the last year we’ve been working to build a new city-wide network that connects people working in any creative organisation, business or job. You may have been to our freelancers’ breakfast, to our event at The Abacus, or have met with one of our team to share your thoughts about what this should or could be.  

And now we’ve launched Creative Cardiff – a network which provides information and promotes new opportunities as well as enabling its members to find new people to work with, build their audience and promote their work. There’s already lots going on in Cardiff and there are many creative networks but, unlike other cities such as Edinburgh, Bath and Dundee we didn’t have something here which pulls it all together in one place and encourages people to work together across all the different creative sectors. We believe that by playing this connector role Creative Cardiff can help to make our city the most creative place it can be.

Over the first year we’re offering a programme of ‘52 Things’ which we want to make with and for the city’s creative community. Online we’re profiling the people and places in the city which give it a unique identity (look out for our forthcoming city guide which we’ve worked on with ‘We Are Cardiff’ and ‘I Loves the Diff’). And we’re running events – so far we’ve held a ‘Show & Tell’ event where people shared their work, we’ve had an ‘In conversation’ event with Dick Penny from Bristol’s Watershed and later this month we’re having a Christmas party. 

Come and join us at Chapter for a Christmas party for the creative community on Wednesday 16 December from 7:30-11:30pm. We’ll have music from DJs, GRLTLK, and live performances. And we’ll have a few surprises up our sleeves too! Celebrate the work you’ve done in 2015 and you might even meet some new people to collaborate with next year. Tickets are just £10 and include a glass of mulled wine and a hot buffet. Buy tickets.

Creative Cardiff is free to join. You’ll receive our fortnightly newsletter, invitations to our events and the opportunity to list yourself on our members’ directory. To find out more about the network and join for FREE visit: www.creativecardiff.org.uk
Creative Cardiff is run by Cardiff University with support from BBC Wales, the City of Cardiff Council and Wales Millennium Centre.

***

Sign up for the weekly We Are Cardiff newsletter

Check out what’s going on with We Are Cardiff Press

The City

Getting back to Grassroots – a creative Cardiff institution for young people in the city

Leave a comment

Grassroots Cardiff is a youth project that has been based in Cardiff city centre for over 30 years. They offer support, advice, training and positive creative options to disadvantaged young people aged 16-25 years old in Cardiff  and surrounding areas. Grassroots has been a stepping stone for artists like the Super Furry Animals, Stereophonics, Cerys Matthews, Sian Evans (Kosheen), Andy Cairns (Therapy?), Bullet For My Valentine, Young Marble Giants, Astroid Boys, and many others.

Helia spoke to Mike Botzaropoulos, a youth worker at Grassroots to find out more about this Cardiff institution for young people in the city.

grassroots cardiff

Grassroots is a youth organisation helping young people 16-25 years old. We endeavour to instil optimism, promote self-awareness and self-worth in young people who often see themselves in a negative light. Grassroots offers training and experience in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, available in the areas of music, video, digital arts and media. This training can lead to qualifications or a progression to other more advanced facilities. We also run various other events and activities from time to time.

There is a low cost coffee bar where young people are welcome to drop in to socialise or find out more about current activities or workshops. Grassroots Advice Office provides a free drop-in service, where youth specific advice is available. The project aims to listen to young people’s problems and help solve them together.

We often deal with young people who face extreme poverty, adversity and despair, we offer positive relationships to all young people whatever their gender, sexuality, social or mental health status. Grassroots is not just about keeping kids off the streets, but engaging them in worthwhile activity, making them resilient and giving them a meaningful role to play in society.

grassroots cardiff

The organisation is partly funded by Cardiff Council and partly funded as a charity from various sources. Volunteers join the team from time to time. I volunteered back in 2007 before eventually being hired as the Youth Music Tutor. Now I run the Music Department.

I studied Music Engineering and Production at Glamorgan Uni, so I was going around music studios for work experience. I started in Grassroots in February 2007, and the tutor that ran the studio back then was leaving the month after so I took over for three months, then got the job full time.

It thought it was a great environment and something I wasn’t familiar with, as opposed to working in a commercial studio. Working with young people starting out was more rewarding than working with older artists that might have already been established in the local scene.

I’ve had a lot of stand-out moments since working at Grassroots. I’d have to say a very memorable one was the National Museum Takeover. British Council sent Mutle Mothibe (South African poet) to spend a week with our young people and at the end of the week we did an event in the National Museum, with singing and poetry ending with a collective song with the young people and the museum visitors (we handed out lots of percussion to people!)

Another time was when two of my young artists got to perform a song with Sian Evans of Kosheen at Clwb Ifor Bach. It was a fundraising gig for Grassroots with the support of Sian who did her first ever recording here and the audience gave the biggest applause for our young ones.

We have a great variety of young people from various backgrounds and walks of life and with various skillsets. The majority of our young people are in need of support for issues like housing, relationships, mental health. The young people I deal with in the music department might be more motivated than others (again not necessarily). However, each and every young person we’re dealing with is unique in their own way.

I’m originally from Athens, Greece. I moved to Wales 10 years ago. It feels like yesterday! I studied MSc Music Engineering and Production at Glamorgan Uni when it was in Trefforest, then moved to Cardiff a year later, got the job in Grassroots a year after that. I live in Swansea now to be closer to family, but travelling everyday is a testament to my commitment to Grassroots! I used to live 10 mins on foot away from Grassroots, ah – the good old days!

Also if you want to pop in for a coffee, our legendary coffee bar is alive and kicking. this is the same place where Cardiff post punk legends Young Marble Giants played and recorded for the first time ever. Without that coffee bar we might have not had Nirvana, Hole, REM, Garbage (greatly influenced by YMG). Crazy thinking about it really! But yes it’s still here and it’s the main social hub for our young people and a great little venue for starters to experiment with audiences up to 50 capacity. It’s a place for anyone within our age range 16-25, and is a platform for young artists that don’t have the experience or the confidence (or the status for that matter) to play a commercial venue.

grassroots cardiff

I absolutely love Cardiff. If I had people visiting for the weekend, I would take them for a walk around the arcades, to Sophia Gardens, around Roath Park – I do love Cardiff more than Swansea!

My favourite Cardiff pub is the Traders Tavern, it’s like the official pub for Grassroots staff. I love the atmosphere especially before a gig. I’ll extend my answer by naming my fav place for burgers and that’s The Grazing Shed behind Grassroots. You’d swear they don’t let me walk far from work haha!

I used to I lived in Adamsdown, so literally 10′ walk from work. Now it takes me an hour and a half!

If people want to support Grassroots, anyone can volunteer whether it’s for the coffee bar or the music and digital arts departments. Fundraising-wise, people can donate items or organise events. Any bright idea that can help is welcome!

You can also donate money, if you can spare any cash – details are on the Grassroots website.

grassroots cardiff

Thanks Mike! Tune in for more of Cardiff’s creative institutions soon …

***

Sign up for the weekly We Are Cardiff newsletter

Check out what’s going on with We Are Cardiff Press

The Arts

Cirkopolis at the Millennium Centre: fast, funny, sexy and unmissable

Leave a comment

Cirque Éloize’s Cirkopolis turns greyscale to technicolour in a heartpounding performance that traverses circus, dance, comedy and theatre. 

With echoes of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis and 1984, even flashes of The Hudsucker Proxy, the show portrays a drab, grey world punctuated with joy and colour. Mechanical movements and tightly-performed dance routines make way for fluid, effortless acrobatics within a few minutes and it doesn’t lose pace for the entire 90 minutes. 

From an electro-swing Andrews Sisters-style juggling routine, to the solitary, mesmerising cyr wheel, the first half is incredible. It also includes the sexiest German wheel performance that you’ll ever see (I guarantee).

Photo credit: Cirque Eloize

If it’s even possible, the second half is better. It begins with a perfect tandem trapeze routine (I’ve been learning trapeze for half a year, and I don’t think audiences really appreciate just how hard it is to make it look so easy!). 

The Chinese pole performance was easily the best of the night- the twirling, fast-paced climbs and HUGE drops harvested so many gasps from the audience that I’m surprised there weren’t a few asthma attacks. The three primary performers didn’t make one wrong move, and did it all in time to banging music. This scene is worth the ticket price alone. 

The finishing routine, complete with seesawing, flying acrobats is fast, perilous and fun, just like the rest of the show. None of it wears thin, and the whole thing passed in an instant because of its unfaltering magnetism.

The CGI scenery gives the set a depth that I’ve never seen on stage before – from rising skyscrapers during the handstand tower to the twisting door panels in the comedy interlude.

There is little to complain about- the performance was essentially flawless but for a few imperceptible hiccups, and the music is hit and miss. 

Don’t miss your chance to see the show, which is on at the WMC until Saturday. You’ll never look at office furniture the same again…

The People

“Unity Festival’s visiting acts always comment on how much they love coming to Cardiff” – Ben

Leave a comment

Ben Pettitt-Wade photographed by Adam Chard

For the last nine months I have been planning and organising Hijinx Theatre’s annual Unity Festival – a two week event that sees a variety of award winning inclusive arts companies descend upon Cardiff. I have to say I’m exhausted! We’re a Cardiff-based inclusive arts company with a very small team. In reality we don’t have enough staff or resources to be doing this, thank goodness for volunteers! But every hour spent is worth it for Cardiff, the arts and the performers.

Having worked in Liverpool, London and Seville (albeit briefly) and Cardiff, I can honestly say that Cardiff is on a par with these cities in terms of the inclusive art scene and the work being produced, but it’s the audiences that differ. I’ve sat in packed 1,000 seat theatres in Seville watching a piece of inclusive dance, we wouldn’t get that in Cardiff, and that’s something we are trying to change through Unity Festival. We believe in the work we present and believe it should be enjoyed by everyone.

We started in 2008 with an audience of 1,500 people and year on year the festival has grown in both size and ambition to become one of the largest inclusive arts festivals in Europe, with more than 7,000 people enjoying performances in 2012. Last year will always be unforgettable. For the first time we received £100,000 of funding from the Arts Council of Wales which meant we could start thinking big and turn what were pipe dreams into a reality. We brought Back to Back Theatre from Australia over for the Festival; they performed for three days in the middle of Queen Street. It was incredible.

This year we’re lucky to have secured the same funding and as a direct result of the Paralympics we are welcoming more home grown acts than ever before. Our mission is to build on the Festival each year while staying true to its core – to provide a platform for the inclusive arts, offer more opportunities within the spotlight for disabled artists and expose their amazing talents.

For the first time, Cardiff audiences will be able to enjoy spectacles including modern fable The Iron Man (a colossal iron puppet the size of a double decker bus) from London-based Graeae Theatre Company, who can be credited with kicking off the whole movement in disability arts in the 1970s. As well as Three Acts of Play from Candoco Dance Company, UK pioneers of inclusive contemporary dance; it will twist your perceptions of who can dance and who enjoys it!

We are also showcasing international acts, Sevilliano flamenco Cia Jose Galan, back by popular demand following a near sell out last year and jaw-dropping acrobatics from French company Cirque Inextremiste. I saw this show in Marseille and I guarantee it will blow you away.

More than anything I love the feel good vibe that the Festival creates and can’t wait to experience it again. Our visiting acts always comment on how much they love coming to Cardiff, how friendly people are and the great reception they get. So, people of Cardiff, I’m asking you to come and see for yourself the brilliant theatre dance, music and comedy on offer and help make this year the best yet with the biggest audience!

Ben Pettitt-Wade was born in London, grew up in Carmarthenshire and has lived in Riverside for the last six years. Following completion of a drama degree, Ben’s acting career was cut short when he broke his ankle in rehearsals; he then joined Spare Tyre Theatre Company in London where he co-ordinated inc.Theatre, a training course for learning disabled actors. It was here that Ben discovered a passion for working inclusively and specifically in drama with learning disabled performers. Since then he has amassed over 10 years experience in this field, in Cardiff, London and Seville. Ben is responsible for the Hijinx Academy, the Hijinx Pods, the community projects,  forum theatre pieces, and the Unity Festival. He currently lives in Riverside.

Unity Festival runs from 12-22 June 2013, and offers both free and ticketed performances across the city at Wales Millennium Centre and Sherman Cymru. Visit www.hijinx.org.uk/unity for a full programme or see @HijinxTheatre on Twitter. 

Ben was photographed in Cardiff Bay by Adam Chard

***