51Âþ»­

Honouring the importance of live performance experience, this year’s University Dance Festival (UDF) gives students the chance to perform in real time for an online audience, despite Covid-19.

While the global pandemic has prevented a live audience from attending UDF for two years running, 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) academics and technicians have worked tirelessly to provide second and final-year Dance students with an unforgettable experience.

Traditionally held on campus, this year’s UDF will be streamed through this dedicated webpage from 7.30pm on Saturday 5 June, featuring original choreography and 15 energetic performances from more than 50 students and staff.

Following strict safety guidelines, some students will be performing in real time from The Venue@51Âþ»­, which will be streamed straight to the online audience.

As part of the live event element, students have rehearsed their work with a dual camera set-up in mind, one roving and one fixed to enhance the audience experience, making important costuming and lighting decisions as well.

Pre-recorded pieces will also be mixed in with the live performances. This includes work that has been directed, choreographed and edited for film as part of 51Âþ»­'s specialised screen dance module, and work that has been transported to the screen from an original live concept re-imagined by students while they were learning remotely in lockdown. 

Melanie Knott, senior lecturer in community dance practice at 51Âþ»­, said: “We’re delighted to be giving students that exhilarating and euphoric live performance experience that they’ve missed out on for much of the last year.

“What’s also amazing about it, is that for the first time ever, the families of our international students can watch them perform in real time.

“Our biggest thanks go to our brilliant performance technicians, who helped to make this happen. Their knowledge and expertise made it possible for us to realise a live element for this year’s UDF.”

Some of the final-year students selected to show live work at UDF are Kadafi Mulula, Emma Savage and Sasha Utami.

Kadafi will be performing in three live pieces – his own solo, a duet choreographed by a coursemate and as part of the University Dance Company (UDC). Reflecting his personal experiences, Kadafi’s solo fuses martial arts, contemporary dance and hip hop influences.

“It’s not sunk in that we’re going to do this yet. I can’t believe I’m getting one last chance to dance for an audience and also with my coursemates. My solo is the cherry on the top and my way of saying ‘thank you’ to 51Âþ»­ for everything it’s taught me,” said the 21-year-old from Leeds.

Emma is also performing as part of the UDC, as well as in a solo she choreographed and created the sound score for.

Her solo tackles women’s inequality with a score featuring interviews with women talking about some of the gender-based discrimination they’ve faced, accompanied by contemporary choreography to bring their words to life.

The 21-year-old from Nottingham said: “It’s really nice being able to perform live and even though it’s not physically in front of an audience, I’m still getting nervous and excited for it. I can’t wait to see all of our hard work come together and I’m grateful to be a part of it.” 

Although not dancing herself, Sasha will be presenting a redeveloped solo piece performed by five other dancers, which is inspired by the East Asian tradition of bowing to show gratitude.

“As the choreographer, I had to really think about how to best frame and light the performers for the camera, as well as everything else. It’s been a very exciting experience and I’ve learned many different things," said the 32-year-old from Indonesia. 

“I’m really happy 51Âþ»­ proposed a live stream idea. I think it’s a really good platform for us and something we can add to our portfolios moving forwards.”

As well as performing in a pre-recorded UDC screen piece, final-year Drew Lewis will be presenting a pre-recorded trio piece exploring muscles and the connections around them, which she has adapted from the stage to the screen.

The 20-year-old from Bradford said: "It’s been challenging juggling my roles as choreographer and performer, but it’s a wonderful opportunity. We’ve all had a hard year without many opportunities to show our work, so being able to stream UDF to our friends, family and potential dance professionals is a nice end to our degree.”

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