decibel Performing Arts Showcase 2009 artist lineup announced

decibel Performing Arts Showcase has announced the line up for the fourth biannual showcase in Manchester from 15 – 18 September 2009. The showcase, an Arts Council England initiative, will offer a unique snapshot of England’s diverse performing arts talent to national and international arts professionals.

Artists and companies selected for the cross art-form four day event represent the cutting edge of music, theatre, dance, live art, circus and street arts from around the country. Chosen acts range from well established decibel names such as Tara Arts and Benji Reid, to rising stars including Freddie Opoku-Addaie and Hetain Patel. With a widened remit for 2009, the showcase also features integrated professional companies such as StopGAP Dance Company.

Nike Jonah, decibel Performing Arts Showcase Project Manager at Arts Council England, said: “decibel Performing Arts Showcase is a brilliant opportunity for international and national arts professionals to network, to discover new talent and to book some of the best artistic work that England has to offer. In just four days, programmers who are looking for a fresh perspective can see a whole month’s worth of new work.”

The 2009 programme gives delegates the opportunity to see innovative new tour ready acts, works in progress and creative pitches. Highlights include Yellow Earth Theatre, who return with a new adaption of China’s equivalent to Romeo and Juliet, A Dream of Red Pavilions, and Tin Bath theatre company. The latter are pioneering new methods of audience transcription, using inventive subtitles and animations that both deaf and hearing audiences can enjoy.

Produced with the support of x.trax, the showcase will take place in world class venues around Manchester including the Royal Exchange, Contact Theatre, Green Room and Library Theatre.

In between shows, promoters, artistic directors and producers will have time to meet each other at seminars, workshops and social events. The National Rural Touring Forum found the 2007 showcase such a good environment to network that they are even holding their AGM at the 2009 event in Manchester.

As a result of the 2007 showcase a number of companies have toured venues around the UK, including DJ/poet, Charlie Dark, live artist, Mem Morrison, and hip hop theatre group, Kompany Malakhi. The global reach of decibel has also been demonstrated with acts such as Rasa Theatre who embarked on a sold-out run at a theatre in New Jersey, USA, following the showcase.

Delegate registration for the 2009 decibel Performing Arts Showcase in Manchester is open from Tuesday 16 April 2009. Tickets cost £100 for early bird booking until 30 June 2009 and £150 thereafter. For more information please visit www.decibelpas.com

For further press information please contact:

Truda Spruyt / Helen Wharton / Chris Baker

Colman Getty / 020 7631 2666

truda@colmangetty.co.uk / helen@colmangetty.co.uk / chris@colmangetty.co.uk

1. The purpose of the decibel Performing Arts Showcase is to promote diverse practice in the performing arts sector. The showcase aims to more fully represent and reflect the different cultures and backgrounds that make our country unique in the world. Arts Council England welcomes submissions from all artists and companies with diverse practice. This includes, but is not limited to, artists from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, disabled people or any other artist who may have had limited opportunities to participate in the arts.

2. Arts Council England works to get great art to everyone by championing, developing and investing in artistic experiences that enrich people's lives.
As the national development agency for the arts, we support a range of artistic activities from theatre to music, literature to dance, photography to digital art, and carnival to crafts.

Great art inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves, and the world around us. In short, it makes life better.

Between 2008 and 2011, we will invest £1.3 billion of public money from government and a further £0.3 billion from the National Lottery to create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country.

3. x.trax is an organisation based in Manchester that runs a range of events and projects designed to promote and support the UK’s performing artists, with a particular focus on artists creating outdoor performance. These include the x.trax showcase, the UK's premier, international outdoor arts showcase that presents an outstanding selection of contemporary performance to local audiences and to national and international promoters, festival directors and arts professionals. x.trax has run 11 showcases since 1997 as well as organising conferences, online services and various other strategic events, development projects and festivals. x.trax produced the Arts Council of England's decibel Performing Arts Showcase in 2003 and 2005.

4. The artists and companies who will be performing and pitching at the 2009 decibel Performing Arts Showcase are:

Artist / Company Artform Category
A Thousand Cranes Theatre & Drama
Afro Groove Music
Akademi Dance
Anjali Dance Company Dance
Julius Ayodeji Theatre & Drama
Bannon, Jo Live Art
Beat Bazaar Music
Breaking Cycles Theatre & Drama
Chi2, Jiang Li, Kimho Ip Music
Chol Theatre Theatre & Drama
Company Chameleon Dance
Daphna Sadeh and the Voyagers Music
Decypher Collective Theatre & Drama
Dida Production Dance
Khadijatou Doyneh Music
Fittings Multi Media Arts Theatre & Drama
‘Frisko’ - Ali Gadema Theatre & Drama
Yasmin Gurreeboo Theatre & Drama
Lisa Hammond Theatre & Drama
Heart and Soul Music
Robert Hylton Dance
Mamoru Iriguchi Live Art
Tunde Jegede Music
Kali Theatre Company Theatre & Drama
Kazzum Theatre & Drama
Tony Kofi Music
Nick Makoha Spoken Word
Marcia Layne & Amanda Huxtable Theatre & Drama
Julie McNamara Theatre & Drama
Freddie Opoku-Addaie Dance
Hetain Patel Live Art
Pen-ultimate Spoken Word
Phoenix Dance Theatre Dance
Psychological Art Circus Live Art
Rosanna Raymond Live Art
Sabri Ensemble Music
Samay Music
Michael Scott Harding Theatre & Drama
Qasim Riza Shaheen Live Art
Sonia Sabri Company Dance
Stacy Makishi Company Live Art
StopGAP Dance Company Dance
TARA Theatre & Drama
Tavaziva Dance Dance
The Fathom Project Dance
The Harry Moyaga Band Music
The Teak Project Music
Tin Bath Theatre Company Theatre & Drama
Tomorrow's Warriors Music
Anya Ustaszewski Music
Yusra Warsama Spoken word
Trevor Watkis Music
Ayanna Witter-Johnson Live art
Yellow Earth Theatre Theatre & Drama
ZED U Music
Zendeh Theatre & Drama

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