GDIF 2024 | London’s free, annual outdoor performing arts festival 23 August-8 September 2024
You & Me
9 & 10 September | 2.40pm & 4.30pm | Westferry Circus, Canary Wharf
Duration: 30mins
What to Expect: Dance | Speech free
Free
This high energy piece combines the traditions of kathak with the intensity of contemporary dance, to tell the story of a same sex relationship, where an ordinary guy wrestles with everything that prevents him from being with his lover. Featuring live music for tabla and cello, this powerful and entrancing performance delivers emotional power and new perspectives on South Asian dance.
More information on You & Me
Site Access
All shows in Dancing City are free to attend. Just show up.
Assistance Dogs Welcome
Level Access
There is level access to all Dancing City show locations.
Some sites are accessed via public lifts.
Access Viewing areas
A priority area for disabled audiences will be marked with a sign or flag. Space for wheelchair users and various seating options will be available at each performance site.
Distances between shows
The festival site is across the Canary Warf Estate. Performance sites are 5-15 minutes away from each other. Each site has multiple performances throughout the day. Check the map and brochure to plan your route.
Quiet Space and Access Areas
There will be a covered Quiet Space available. The Access Area will have volunteers and staff available for access information throughout the day.
Assisted Access Routes
On Sunday 10th September GDIF volunteers will guide audiences on the following access routes:
1）BSL/Captioned/Speech Free performances
2）Audio Described performances
3）Performances with Easy Read available
Meet at 12.30pm Outside Canary Wharf Underground w3w.co/dangerously.wool.tells
Accessible Toilets
All these locations have accessible facilities. The accessible toilets in Canada Place and Churchill Place have changing places hoist facilities.
・Cabot Place, Mall Level -1, near City of London Drycleaners & Leon
・Canada Place, Mall Level -1, at the end of the corridor opposite Robert Dyas * Changing Places
・Churchill Place, Mall Level -1, behind James Shoe Care * Changing Places
・Jubilee Place, Mall Level -1, adjacent to Seoul Bird
・Crossrail Place, Mall Level -3 via lift adjacent to the Notes Coffee Roasters & Bar
Blue badge parking
・Cabot Square Car Park
・Canada Square Car Park
・Jubilee Place Car Park
・Westferry Circus Car Park
Access drop-off point
Canary Riverside
Contact
For Access questions, contact [email protected] // 07899 893 935
For other audience questions, contact our Box Office: [email protected]
Show Access
Speech Free
Gallery
Credits
Nominated for the National Dance Awards 2022 for Best Independent Dance Company, Amina Khayyam Dance (AKDC)’s mission is to make touring dance theatre work using the South Asian dance Kathak as the core narrative. It works in collaboration with those who are culturally least engaged, economically challenged and societally disenfranchised – with a focus on the marginalised female voice, not just from the mainstream but from within their own community – a place from where its founder and AD, the critically acclaimed dancer and choreographer, Amina Khayyam comes.
The Company adds theatre, live art, and technology, striving to make relevant, engaging work through a process of collaboration, participation, exploration, and opportunities for creative and cultural expression- shaping a process that empowers women creatively as stakeholders. The work’s dramaturgy is explored through the sub-culture context of this process, and made to transpose to the mainstream audience, so that the targeted sector’s perspective, aspiration and voice is heard widely. AKDC treats Kathak as a contemporary form thereby transcends any ‘classical’ or ‘modern’ precepts to its approach. It uses Kathak vocabulary to transpose it on a modern body dialogue, in the process subverting its many facets to carve out an emotion performed to a contemporary narrative. It believes the dance form is evolving with progressions demanded by the contemporary zeitgeist, in the same way it did so from the demands of the Mughals, the last time it took a major step forward.
At its heart, AKDC emphasises Kathak as a storytelling form – an approach that has allowed it to use its uniquely placed and equipped vocabulary to tell new and urgent stories of global importance. Based in UK (Slough), the Company, since its formation in 2013 has made 15 pieces of work, performed over 130 performances in 40 venues & digital platforms.
Supported by
YOU & ME at GDIF 2023 is supported by Canary Wharf Group, Without Walls and Arts Council England and commissioned by Certain Blacks.
Where to find it
Westferry Circus, E14 4HD