It’s that toe-tapping time of year when Commons returns to Stanley Arts. Launched in 2022 Commons Dance Festival showcases dance in all its diverse forms. From today (16 May) until next Sunday (25 May) you can expect live dance performances, workshops and more. Whether you just want to watch some dance unfold, or participate yourself, there’s something for everyone – with many different genres and workshops for all levels.

Here’s just a few highlights to whet your appetite.

Mixed Bill

7pm, Sat 17 May

This Saturday, the Mixed Bill takes place in Stanley Halls with four bold and high energy performances, exploring gender, relics, prejudice, and flamenco…

Damaged Goods by Pierre Babbage
This performance, inspired by ‘Paraguayan Sea’ by Wilson Bueno, Spider-man comic books and old stamps, first premiered at ICA london in February 2024.

Delilah and Other Disasters by Vinicius Salles
We enjoyed Salles’ immersive Shop for Mortals and Fools earlier this year, so expect Delilah and Other Disasters to be equally thought-provoking and quirky – this performance explores masculinity and gender through Tom Jones’ iconic songs, performed by four women. Using physicality and irony the piece reveals the stories beneath some of the UK’s famous pop anthems.

UNBOXED by Linden Dance Company
In UNBOXED the performers – a mixed-race man and a white woman – explore their battle with prejudice and judgement, drawing on Afro-fusion and Contemporary movement styles, to a pulsing soundtrack which intensifies the toxicity of the subject matter.

Farruca – A Flamenco Journey by Jose Agudo
Farruca is a form of flamenco dance, characterised by quick, intense footwork, dramatic poses, and quick turns. In this piece Agudo uses this powerful dance form to explore identity, discipline, emotional restraint, cultures and traditions.

Commons Family Day

Sun 25 May

The last day of the festival is Commons Family Day, which is jam-packed with dance shows, workshops and free crafts, perfect for all ages, inspired by themes of nature and sustainability.

The Rainbow Butterfly
This is an immersive experience for ages 3 and up, which juxtaposes storytelling with aerial circus, Hip Hop dance and more.
Centred around the lifecycle of the butterfly, this children’s story is performed by Ella Mesma Dance Company and celebrates how unique we all are.

1-Click Away
1-Click Away is an interactive performance for ages 6 and up, that explores the growing issue of waste and excess packaging. The show encourages the audience to build, dismantle, and reuse packaging materials to highlight the impact of waste, and discover creative ways to repurpose materials instead of throwing them away.

Rainbow Tile Craft Workshop
This workshop gives all attendees the chance to decorate their own tile, inspired by the themes of nature and transformation explored in 1 Click Away and The Rainbow Butterfly.

Mini Movers and their Grown up Groovers
There’s a special edition of the popular Mini Movers for Commons Family Day, which offers a fun and creative opportunity for children and their grownups to dance and move together. Led by professional dance teacher Rachele Rapisardi the class is suitable for ages 1 to 4 and their grown-ups.

Other dance workshops

Throughout the festival there’s the opportunity to try something new with a variety of dance workshops, including Flamenco (17 May), Queer Dance (18 May), Urban Line Dancing (18 May), Afro Dance (18 May), and South Asian Folk (24 May).

Dance photography exhibition by Chris Nash

From 15 May in the gallery bar

Whilst having a break between performances or workshops you’ll also be able to see an exhibition in the gallery bar, by local artist and dance photographer Chris Nash. He is exhibiting a selection of work spanning 45 years from his archive of photographs. If you’re not familiar with Nash’s work, he’s been photographing dance and performance since leaving Goldsmiths School of Art in 1980, and in 2022 he was awarded an MBE for services to dance and photography.

Feeling energetic? Commons Dance Festival runs from 16–25 May at Stanley Arts in South Norwood.

Check out the full programme and book your tickets here.

Images courtesy of Commons Dance Festival. Header image by Chris Nash from the Dance Photography exhibition.

Posted by Julia