Published 3rd July 2023
Inspire Youth Arts will showcase some of their best and recent work on Thursday 6 July at Nottingham Playhouse including The Mother of Tension Hip Hop dance theatre piece, alt rockstars ALT BLK ERA, the first disabled led orchestral project the Able Orchestra, award-winning inclusive dance company SANDance, and more.
The Mother of Tension is a ground-breaking Hip Hop dance theatre piece accompanied by an original music score and visual motion design, first performed at Lakeside Arts in March 2023. The piece has been created from an exciting collaboration between Inspire Youth Arts and Inspire Nottinghamshire Archives, and is part of the IWM 14-18 NOWLegacy Fund, a national partnership programme of 20 artist commissions inspired by the heritage of conflict. Led by Imperial War Museums, the IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund was created following the success of 14-18 NOW, the official UK arts programme for the First World War centenary.
Informed by resources from Nottinghamshire Archives and Imperial War Museums’ collection, The Mother of Tension explores themes of conflict and highlights lived experiences created by people who documented the major conflicts of the twentieth century. Archival materials inspiring the performance include the diaries and drawings of Raymond Pegg – a teenager during the First World War, and the tribunal papers of conscientious objector John Edward Hammill of Forest Town, Mansfield.
ALT BLK ERA are an alternative music sister duo from Nottingham, consisting of Nyrobi and Chaya aged 16 and 19. The duo played Glastonbury on 24 July, and recently sold out The Bodega. Their genre-bending music is filled with heavy basslines, electric guitars and tongue-twisting rap, where their softer tracks compile of dark strings, haunting harmonies and a chilling, circus-type sound.
Members of the award-winning Able Orchestra including Jess Fisher and Marshall Fairbrother will be performing a new piece in collaboration with Khris Halpin from Dyskinetic, percussionist and pianist Sarah Fisher and players from the Riot Ensemble.
The audience can also enjoy dance performances from SANDance, an inclusive dance company based in Bassetlaw aimed at disabled young people, Nottingham Contemporary Youth Dance Company made up of talented young dancers aged 11-18, and Burton Joyce Dance Company based at Burton Joyce Primary School.
Peter Gaw, Chief Executive Officer at Inspire said; “At Inspire, we believe all young people can make great art and we are excited to showcase the best of talent from across our county to the people of Nottinghamshire. We have been thrilled to work with the Imperial War Museum on The Mother of Tension piece over the past few months. I’m looking forward to seeing the performance once again on the stage of the Playhouse”
Rebecca Newell, Head of Art for Imperial War Museums said: "The IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund builds on Imperial War Museums’ rich and longstanding history of commissioning art. We are delighted by the diversity of exceptional arts experiences that have been created and shared with audiences”.
Councillor John Cottee, Cabinet Member for Communities at Nottinghamshire County Council, said:
“Our county is full of talented young people and the Inspire Youth Arts Showcase is an opportunity to see a few of them take to the stage and show off their skills.
From a performance inspired by resources from Nottinghamshire Archives featuring talented young dancers, to local music sensations and dance troupes, this will be a spectacular evening, so I encourage you to come along and support our rising stars“.
Inspire Youth Arts Showcase
Thursday 6 July, 7.30pm
Nottingham Playhouse, Wellington Circus, Nottingham NG1 5AF
Tickets £5
