The Bloom Festival

To celebrate its 21st anniversary, ADAD is hosting its biennial 'Bloom' festival nation-wide throughout the summer.

The ADAD Bloom festival explores and celebrates dance from Africa and its diaspora through performances, workshops and discussions. This year, Bloom chapters will unfold across the country with tailored events in Liverpool, London, Bristol, Gateshead and Leeds.

Working with regional partners, Bloom festival 2015 includes a series of performances and workshops at Africa Oyé, Horniman Museum, Dance Village at Bristol Harbour Festival and with Yorkshire Dance.

The artist line-up showcases the exciting diversity that exists in dance of Black origin and includes the legendary Namron, Freddie Opoku-Addaie, Canada's Ghislaine Doté, Boy Blue Entertainment, Irie! Dance Theatre and Funmi Adewole.

Find out more about the Bloom chapters unfolding around the country:

Calendar of events

Bloom at Africa Oyé 2015

Saturday 20th June
Sefton park, Liverpool

In partnership with Movema's Active Zone for Africa Oyé 2015, we are excited to be on the panel for Unlock The Box Youth Dance Battle where young dancers will showcase their talents and win prizes, get support and opportunities for their future career development.
ADAD will also be there sharing information about our work supporting artists and raising the profile and visibility of dance of the African diaspora.
Come along and be part of this wonderful day!

Africa Oyé takes place in Sefton park and is the UK's biggest live festival of African music and culture.

African Dance performance

Sunday 5th July
The Horniman Museum and Gardens, London

ADAD is teaming up with the Horniman Museum and Gardens in a joint celebration of ADAD's Bloom festival and the Horniman's African Summer festival.
Join us for a day of music and dance performances celebrating the diversity of styles rooted from the African Diaspora. From traditional African and Carribean dance and drumming to specially-commissioned contemporary fusions, professional and community artists will have something for every age group to learn a dance step, a drum beat or to just sit back and enjoy the performances in the Horniman Gardens.
There will be live performances from Ella Mesma, Freddie Opoku-Addaie, Denise Rowe, Ghislaine Doté, Tavaziva, Ballet Nimba, Trinity Laban and Miishejeloi Dance Theatre. This is set to be an exciting event to mark the beginning of Bloom in London!

Bloom at Dance Village

Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th July
Bristol city centre

Bloom presents two days of free performances by local and visiting performers in Bristol city centre.
Featured artists include: Ballet Black, UpSwing, Laila Diallo, Funkamental, StopGap, Folk Dance Remixed, Trash Dollys, Mundi Dance, Irie! Dance Theatre and an excerpt of their Red Trilogy with an open workshop, and performances and workshops from Afi Dance's Mama Africa project.

Performances and workshops

Saturday 25th July, 11am-5pm
Caedmon Hall, Gateshead

In partnership with Gateway Studio Project, we are excited to present a fantastic mix of dance and audience participatory workshops, celebrating the creative and innovative vocabulary of dance of the African diaspora.
Renowned London Contemporary Dance Theatre performer and teacher Namron OBE, will be teaching a contemporary dance workshop based on an excerpt of Robert North's Troy Game. Traditionally a male choreographed piece, the workshop is open to any dancer, male or female, eager to experience this iconic and challenging work.

Keisha Grant will then be showing an excerpt from her dance film Head vs Heart as part of her own contemporary dance workshop, and to close the afternoon we are delighted to present a music and dance audience participatory workshop hosted by the hugely talented Ladies of Midnight Blue.
Come and join us for an afternoon of fun, dance and talent!

Jreena Green presents: Charleston to Hip Hop

Wednesday 29th July
The Horniman Museum, London

As one of the four workshops presented by ADAD, Jreena Green and Shango Edunjobi delivery a dynamic and exciting authentic jazz dance workshop and performance.
The workshop consists of movements taken from historic African-American diaspora dance styles such as Charleston, Cakewalk, Black Bottom and Lindy Hop, and combine them with contemporary Hip Hop dance moves.
the sessions will be fun-packed and everyone is welcome - from young to old and beginner to advanced, to people with physical or learning disabilities - this is for all to enjoy!

Workshops with Namron and Nathan Geering

Friday 31st July, 11-5pm
Yorkshire Dance, Leeds

We are delighted to present the first of two days of workshops run in partnership with Yorkshire Dance and Dance Studio Leeds, highlighting the innovation and creative richness of dance of the African diaspora.
Namron OBE, renowned London Contemporary Dance Theatre performer and teacher, will be teaching a contemporary dance workshop based on Robert North's Troy Game. Though this piece was originally choreographed for boys, girls are more than welcome to take part too!
Nathan Geering will also be delivering an exciting workshop for practitioners interested in creative technique with hip hop and visual imprairment, before finishing the afternoon with a collaborative sharing from Lucie Lee and Vilmore James around dance and digital performance.
This afternoon of taster artistic practice promises to be an engaging and shared experience for anyone who is interested in learning new creative skills whether artist or dance enthusiast - we look forward to seeing many of you there!

Workshop with Angelina Abel

Saturday 1st August, 3-5pm
Dance Studio Leeds, Leeds

We are delighted to present the second of two days of workshops run in partnership with Yorkshire Dance and Dance Studio Leeds, in which Angelina Abel will teach an Afro dance fusion workshop with live music. This open workshop is suitable for anyone who is interested in extending their African dance vocabulary or would like to experience this wonderful fusion of African traditional and Contemporary dance forms. See you there!

Abiebé Afrosambas dance workshop

Wednesday 12th August
The Horniman Museum, London

ADAD is teaming up with the Horniman Museum and Gardens in a joint celebration of ADAD's Bloom Festival and the Horniman's African Summer Festival.
Abiebé Afrosambas Dance is a fun, motivating, aerobic dance class that through the fusion of Brazilian and African rhythms and a large variety of movements created and adapted by Irineu Nogueira, develops strength, coordination, muscle tone, stamina , flexibility and an understanding and sense of rhythm.

Interactive story-telling performance and dance workshop

Wednesday 19th August
The Horniman Museum, London

Once again a part of ADAD's Bloom collaboration with the Horniman's African Summer Festival, Funmi Adewole presents this interactive workshop where she tells the story of a boy who uses his love of drumming and dancing to escape a threatening animal he meets in the forest.
After the story has been told, Funmi will lead a short dance workshop where people will learn to dance like the boy in the story.
Come along and follow the story!

A West African Dance Mix Workshop

Wednesday 26th August
The Horniman Museum, London

As one of the four workshops presented at the Horniman Museum by ADAD, Diene Sagna will bring Senegal to London in this fun and stimulating West African dance workshop with live drumming.
Experience the power and energy of West African dance. Feel rhythm and sounds of the pulsating beat of the drum and be inspired by this engaging style, celebrating life and self-expression.
Open to all levels, ages and backgrounds, so come and try something new in a friendly and motivating environment - you won't be disappointed!