CURVE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
SAT 1 AUG 2020
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Welcome to your weekly newsletter from Curve. We hope this finds you well on this lovely, sunny Saturday.
We would like to begin by wishing Eid Mubarak to everyone celebrating Eid across Leicester and the county this weekend. We hope you are able to find ways to connect and enjoy the occasion with your family, friends and loved ones.
We are missing our Curve Young and Community Companies (CYC) very much during this ongoing period of closure, and that’s why our newsletter this week is dedicated to our magnificent young people and community participants.
Nothing compares to the spirit, connection and feeling of being together in the building, however, we are thrilled our groups have been able to meet over everybody’s favourite lockdown friend, Zoom! Our acting, musicals, dance, kids and community cohorts and their respective tutors have been meeting weekly online throughout this time. We extend our biggest thanks to our freelance CYC practitioners, staff and guest speakers for working with us to make these sessions happen; these weekly sessions have ensured our CYC members have been able to continue meeting and developing their skills across a variety of disciplines.
Our CYC Kids group met digitally with local designer Kate Unwin in a recent session to learn about scenic design and what goes into creating a visual concept for a production. The group transformed an array of household objects into model boxes inspired by a variety of themes and we’re delighted to share their brilliant creations in our online gallery below.
Dancers Grace Richardson and Connor Cropley provide an insight into our Curve Young Dance Company with two new blogs, reflecting on their experiences as part of the company and how they’ve been keeping movement flowing at home.
You can also watch our dance groups in action with two outstanding pieces of digital work – Watching Me: Waiting Days and …the pulse remains. Both pieces have been created by the dancers with group leaders Mel Knott and Laura Bryan in between their weekly technique and creative sessions. We’re proud both pieces will be showcased in a digital youth dance festival curated by Flexus Dance Collective on Thu 6 Aug 2020, alongside an incredible line-up of 22 youth dance companies. Thank you to Mel, Laura and all of the young people taking part.
Outside of CYC, we aim to inspire children and young people with our Made at Curve productions. Towards the end of the newsletter we’ve re-shared a link to our free, show-inspired activity pack, featuring George’s Marvellous Medicine, The Cat in the Hat and Giraffes Can’t Dance, to keep imaginative young minds (momentarily) occupied during the summer break.
Finally, we’re very excited to share our Curve t-shirt collection created for Cool As Leicester‘s Leicester Merch Aid campaign. Available in three colours and a variety of sizes, this vibrant t-shirt features an exclusive design by Curve Creative Colin Richmond, and profits from each sale will be donated straight back to our theatre.
Thank you again to each and every one of you, Leicester City Council and Arts Council England for your on-going support.
Onwards! Sideways! And hopeful Upwards! before too long!
As ever,
Chris & Nikolai
Coronavirus advice from Leicester City Council
Find the latest information and advice on the coronavirus restrictions in Leicester on Leicester City Council’s website at leicester.gov.uk/coronavirus. You can also sign up to receive regular updates from the council at leicester.gov.uk/yourleicester.
The current advice is to stay at home as much as possible, keep washing your hands and stay 2m apart from others when you do go out. As of Fri 24 Jul 2020, it is also mandatory to wear a face covering when visiting enclosed public spaces, and you can find the full guidance here.
If you have symptoms of coronavirus, get tested.
THE SHOW MUST GO ON-LINE
Introducing the next generation of set designers
Our CYC Kids group were joined on a recent digital session by Set Designer Kate Unwin, who inspired the group to create their very own model boxes.
Take a look at the full gallery of fantastic, imaginative and fun-filled designs at the link below.
CYC Dancers on keeping moving during lockdown
Although we haven’t been able to get together in the building for the last few months, our Curve Young Dance Company have kept the movement flowing with their online sessions.
In our latest blogs, CYC dancers Grace Richardson and Connor Cropley reflect on their experiences as part of the company, and keeping their creativity going during lockdown.
Curve Young Dance Company get creative at home
Between virtual Zoom sessions on technique and developing creative ideas, our two CYC Dance groups – Elevate and Enhance – have been set tasks to do at home, and you can watch the results of their ‘homework’ online now!
Elevate’s Watching Me: Waiting Days is inspired by Gogglebox, and is a screen re-imagining of the group’s piece for Leicestershire Youth Dance Platform, Mass Movement 2020.
Meanwhile Enhance’s …the pulse remains (pictured) draws inspiration from Gary Clarke Company’s Wasteland, a piece that looks at the rise of the UK rave subculture in the wake of the Miners’ strike in the mid-1980s.
Download our free Made at Curve Activity Pack
Keep busy this summer with our downloadable activity pack based on three of our Made at Curve family productions – George’s Marvellous Medicine, The Cat in the Hat and Giraffes Can’t Dance!
From dot-to-dots and wordsearches, to drawing characters and creating potions, there’s plenty to keep young minds engaged during the school holidays.
CURVE T-SHIRT COLLECTION AVAILABLE NOW
Support Curve with a colourful new t-shirt from Leicester Merch Aid
We’re delighted to share these vibrant Curve t-shirts, designed by Curve Creative Colin Richmond as part of Cool As Leicester‘s Leicester Merch Aid collection!
Available in Navy, Pink or White, profits from each sale will go directly towards supporting our theatre and other local businesses.
Share the love by tagging us in your pictures using:
Twitter – @CurveLeicester | Instagram – @Curve_Leicester
Thank you for your support.