Success of dance classes for High Barnet seniors is inspiration for North London dance festival
High Barnet’s community dance group D2D — Dare to Dance — are one of the groups preparing for a North London dance festival early next year.
Generations Dance Day will be open to all ages and abilities with free entry at the artsdepot in North Finchley on Saturday 17 February.
“This will be a unique dance festival,” says organiser Maga Judd, a dance teacher and choreographer who leads the D2D weekly sessions every Thursday at the Wesley Hall in Stapylton Road.
“We want to bring local communities together, from the youngest to the oldest, in a festival of dance that will be a lot of fun.”
An appeal has been launched to help finance the all-day festival, which will include six multi-generational workshops with four dance teachers.
So far, a crowdfunding campaign has raised about 40 per cent of the estimated cost of £9,000 – but much more will need to be pledged by the deadline for the appeal of the 20th of December:
https://www.spacehive.com/generations-dance-day-in-north-london
The success of Dare to Dance, a weekly creative class for seniors established in High Barnet in 2010, is the inspiration for the festival next February which Ms Judd is promising will be a free, family-friendly festival in the spring half-term holiday.
“This will be a unique opportunity for children, parents, and grandparents to spend time together participating in and watching dance.
“It will be a chance to be dazzled by fantastic performances, learn new moves with brilliant dance artists and dance together in a jam session with musicians.”
The festival will highlight six performances by local groups of all ages and abilities.
D2D are planning to stage a specially created piece which will require weeks of rehearsal under the direction of Ms Judd who leads the sessions with the assistance of her father in law Nick Judd who is the rehearsal and performance musician on piano and percussion.
Ms Judd took over as the group’s creative director and choreographer in 2021. She is a lecturer in dance and professional practice at Middlesex University where a group of students are also starting to rehearse a special performance for the festival.
Earlier this year she was project manager and artistic director for the 9th annual dance festival in Poland.
She hopes the free workshops at the artsdepot festival will appeal to parents and children of low-income families and especially single parents.
“A dance festival brings together local communities in a creative and friendly environment and promotes healthy wellbeing, reduces stress and self-isolation and is lots of fun.”
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We would like to invite you to our family dance festival at half term in north London. Please see the details below. Hope to see you there.
Generations Dance Day Festival 17th of February at Artsdepot in North London.
This unique family-friendly event celebrates all things dance and brings together people of all ages and abilities. On February 17th, artsdepot will be taken over with a jam-packed day of entertainment for the whole family. The event offers a creative and friendly environment for local communities to come together. It will be a special day full of events and activities, both for children and grown-ups, providing a unique opportunity for parents and grandparents to spend time with their children and grandchildren. You will be dazzled by fantastic performances, learn new moves with brilliant dance artists and participate in a jam session with musicians.
Please see the link below bout the event:
https://www.artsdepot.co.uk/festival/generations-dance-day-a-family-dance-festival/
Dance performances:
https://www.artsdepot.co.uk/event/generations-dance-day-showcase/
Dear Sir/Madam at what time is the dance Festival on?
Thank you who came to our performance and workshop at the Chipping Barnet Library this Tuesday and thank you Barnet Library for inviting us and we are so grateful that the Mayor of the London Borough of Barnet watched our dance.
Thank you Neil for your comment, yes we really hope that this festival will be a wonderful family event.
Thanks
We are performing next week on the 19th of February from 3.15-4pm at the High Barnet Library Barnet Library It will be a performance and a short dance workshop open for everyone. Come and join us!
We are promoting movement and dance-related exercises for health benefits such as stretching, physical and cognitive training, learning new skills and reducing social isolation.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ribcage-the-performance-tickets-773253270347?aff=oddtdtcreator
Do you want to join our creative dance classes for seniors?
Dare2Dance Company is a creative dance company for seniors, formed in 2011 by Jane Judd. Based in North London the group is now led by Jane daughter-in-law, Maga Judd. Weekly classes take place at Wesley Hall in High Barnet, with live music accompaniment from Nick Judd. There are two strands to the company’s work: the first is focused on well-being, where movement and dance-related exercises help promote a variety of health benefits such as stretching, physical and cognitive training, learning new skills and reducing social isolation; The second is performance-based, where the group creates original choreography and have the opportunity to perform at various venues and events. D2D classes take place in an open and welcoming environment and are suitable for anyone with an interest in creative movement or community and participatory dance.
Company trailer: https://youtu.be/g8EFzE743Aw
D2D Youtube page: https://youtu.be/g8EFzE743Aw?si=5rDQXzdlEFigUSB0
D2D Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/D2Ddancecompany/
Contact details and info:
d2dcomapnycic@gmail.com
07469731801
I took part in an all-generations, all-abilities dance event in Southampton two years ago. I’d say it brought lots of togetherness, joy and growth to participants and audience.
Let’s fund this Generations Dance Day and bring the same to North London!
Thank you Trish, for coming to see us yesterday. It was great to see so many friends supporting us.
Good to see D2D’s performance at the Fayre yesterday. It was so much fun! and all ages in the audience joined in. Looks like the Festival in February should be really enjoyable, but only with our support can it happen.
Good luck, this looks fantastic!
Thank you so much for your support. It will be an amazing day of dance for all!
We are performing at the Barnet Christmas Fayre at the 3rd of December at 12.40 at the marquee on Barnet Collage forecourt.
We hope to see you all there!
Good luck with your fundraising: this festival sounds a great idea