Destino: A Contemporary Dance Story

12th Jul 2010; 18:30

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RSA Screens & Arts Council England
In association with Dance United as part of T-Mobile Big Dance

Present:

Destino: A Contemporary Dance Story

“I believe I can do something. I can change the community, the country. I am an artist”. (Addisu Demisse, principal dancer, DESTINO)  

Twelve years ago Junaid Jemal Sendi and Addisu Demissie were working children on the streets of Addis Ababa. Last year they starred in DESTINO on the main stage of Sadler's Wells Theatre.

Staged through a co-production between Dance United and Sadler's Wells, DESTINO was a tribute to these two talented young artists and their extraordinary journey through dance.

The RSA, Arts Council England and Dance United welcome you to a screening of DESTINO: A Contemporary Dance Story - a film which brings the DESTINO story vividly to the screen. Filmed on location in London and Addis Ababa and with Junaid and Addisu at its heart, the film explores a unique artistic process including international chorepgraphers Hofesh Shechter, Russell Maliphant, Adam Benjamin and 140 non-professional performers aged 9-90.

Following the screening of DESTINO at the RSA, our panel will debate the range of themes that the film brings powerfully to the fore.

As DESTINO clearly shows, Junaid and Addisu see no contradiction between performing professionally at Sadler's Wells and using dance to transform the lives of the most disadvantaged in their society.

How can the lessons of DESTINO inform and challenge future arts policy and practice at local, national and international levels?

Speakers to include: Junaid Jemal Sendi, principal dancer, DESTINO; Alan Davey, chief executive, Arts Council England, Matthew Taylor, chief executive, RSA; Tara-Jane Herbert, artistic director, Dance United.

Chair: Dr Tiffany Jenkins, visiting fellow at the LSE’s Department of Law, and Director of of the Arts and Society programme at the Institute of Ideas.

Suggested hashtag for Twitter users: #rsadestino

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