The Production
Each concert will feature a locally or regionally-based artist, who will present songs, music, dance, visual arts and improvisation. There will be performances for you to enjoy and workshops (delivered via Zoom) for you to take part in and develop your own creativity. Links to each event will be advertised on this website in the New Year. Each performance will be available for one week so keep watching to see what is on offer and how you book your place.
Origins
The Dewsbury district of North Kirklees is often overlooked in favour of its larger cousin Huddersfield. Manasamitra has often worked in partnership with Dewsbury Minster, presenting not only local community and/or education-based work but also including the Minster in our national and international touring activity. Together we decided that it would be wonderful for Dewsbury to have a creative focus so we developed the idea of a regular event. We hope not only to develop the space for local creative practitioners, professional and community, but also to develop the public awareness of performances and events in that space; somewhere that is not a pub environment, which can exclude some.The original Dewsbury ‘Not-The-Fringe’ Festival was a pilot project, which we hoped would kick-start a regular series of events to showcase all the best that Dewsbury has to offer. We hope this new version will keep true to the original ideals.
Performance Dates
25-30 January
NORTHERN RASCALS
Young people’s dance. Through the Lens + The Aftermath
1-7 February
Samuel Hodgson
Original songs devised after a community cycling project
8-14 February
Savvy aka Asaviour & DJ Therealdemo
Original rap concert from Dewsbury Park Bandstand
17 February / 11am
Henry McPherson
Music / sound improvisation workshop
22-28 February
Pete Rosser
Performance featuring original songs based on the diverse communities in Dewsbury
1-7 March
Becky Johnson
EXHIBIT – dance / visual arts performance
4 March / 2pm
Becky Johnson
EXHIBIT workshop linking dance and visual arts
10 March / 11am
Jenny Walinetski
African drumming / body percussion workshop
8-14 March
Rohith Sakthy
Performance of original Hindi songs featuring artists in India
If you miss any of the performances, they will be available to watch from the 15 March to 30 June on Manasamitra’s YouTube channel
Festival Workshop Dates
In keeping with the original participatory concept of the festival, we are delighted to present 4 online workshops in different artforms; lasting 1-1.5 hours. To take part please contact jacqueline@manasamitra.com with your name and contact details. Jacqueline will send you the Zoom link and add you to the participant list so that workshop leaders will know who to expect.
Workshops
Wednesday 17 February / 11am
Henry McPherson
Henry McPherson will lead a session on improvised music, encouraging participants to create their own music and to take part in an impromptu performance at the end of the session. This session is aimed at adults.
Thursday 4 March / 2pm
Becky Johnson
Becky Johnson will lead an inclusive dance / visual arts workshop, which will explore the context and themes behind the piece EXHIBIT and how we can use other artforms as scores for our own creative output. Suitable for 14+ years.