Good Sunday morning!
I am sitting in my new Jasmine Street Studio listening to Janis Ian - funny how we get drawn to different music to match our mood - we all do that don't we? Music is so powerful in transporting us to so many imaginal places and spaces. My Iphone offered me Janis's song Honour Them All this morning - such a great song about family,friends, personal and collective histories and enduring respect and love for those who touch our lives. Thank Janis - just did the trick for me this morning as I posted my friend Ros's guest blog on friendship.
And yesterday was full of friendship. Its so lovely to have Maciej staying with me for a few days to help me connect with people in Barking and Dagenham to share news of the ARKA Teatr visit. Josh had done his homework for us in locating all the Polish and Eastern European shops in the borough, so trusty list in hand Maciej and I piled flyers and posters into my car and set off to meet and talk to people, particularly those from these communities.
We stopped of for some cold borscht at Lithuatca - a shop just off the market. The soup was yummy - and we left our flyers and put up our poster. Then we popped into the Barking Bathouse located in the Learning Centre by the Town Hall. Rachelle and Farah are there and we set too to share the ARKA project. They are enthusiastic and characteristically full of ideas. They are hosting a well being day on August 17th on Abbey Green, and invite us to bring the ARKA actors to perform a snippet from their show The Ball at Stephen Hawking's - nice idea. Farah talks a lot about the arts in the borough saying that she hears it as a faint heartbeat- getting stronger by the day. She compares the borough to Shoreditch and Dalston a few years ago - a hidden pulse emerging here now.
Maciej had hurt is leg and with some insistence (a great deal actually) I persuaded him to have a massage from the wonderful Bob. Reluctantly he agreed - but then he did have three of us on his back (not literally!).
I took off to the Abbey Green opposite the theatre to the U Barking Dagenham celebration Reasons to be Proud. An eclectic mix of people soak up the sunshine and learn how to juggle and dance! I bump into a number of friends and colleagues, and Maciej gets to meet the Polish Yoga teacher who has just started classes at the Bathhouse - turns out she is a neighbour of mine. So Maciej and she gabble on in Polish, sharing places and people.
David Heinemann has done a great job over the past few months in making this project happen with local people with and for the Council, and I see Monica Needs who works tirelessly to create such projects in spite of dwindling council funding!
I turn my attention to the green and see a young man - Jed Kenny teaching a motley crew of all ages the choreography for a hip-hop dance. Its a joy to watch young and old with concentrated faces following his every move. Later he tells me that he is passionate about dance and wants to set up classes, but at the moment he is unemployed. We have a chat about how it might be nice for him to pop over to Jasmine Street to see if we can help each other. I look forward to that.
And then to my delight I bump into Seun Oshinaike Show - a real shining star in the Barking and Dagenham firmament. He runs a great project called http://www.brightersteppings.co.uk/
Their homepage says: Brighter Steppings is a social enterprise that equips young people aged 10 -16 with employability skills such as self confidence, communication skills and team work. Our focus is based on developing intuitive, educational and exciting programmes for young people.
So that's it from me today - Maciej and I are off to promote ARKA further in the borough today.
Have a great Sunday y'all!
Ps. My new business cards which arrived on Friday!
I am sitting in my new Jasmine Street Studio listening to Janis Ian - funny how we get drawn to different music to match our mood - we all do that don't we? Music is so powerful in transporting us to so many imaginal places and spaces. My Iphone offered me Janis's song Honour Them All this morning - such a great song about family,friends, personal and collective histories and enduring respect and love for those who touch our lives. Thank Janis - just did the trick for me this morning as I posted my friend Ros's guest blog on friendship.
And yesterday was full of friendship. Its so lovely to have Maciej staying with me for a few days to help me connect with people in Barking and Dagenham to share news of the ARKA Teatr visit. Josh had done his homework for us in locating all the Polish and Eastern European shops in the borough, so trusty list in hand Maciej and I piled flyers and posters into my car and set off to meet and talk to people, particularly those from these communities.
We stopped of for some cold borscht at Lithuatca - a shop just off the market. The soup was yummy - and we left our flyers and put up our poster. Then we popped into the Barking Bathouse located in the Learning Centre by the Town Hall. Rachelle and Farah are there and we set too to share the ARKA project. They are enthusiastic and characteristically full of ideas. They are hosting a well being day on August 17th on Abbey Green, and invite us to bring the ARKA actors to perform a snippet from their show The Ball at Stephen Hawking's - nice idea. Farah talks a lot about the arts in the borough saying that she hears it as a faint heartbeat- getting stronger by the day. She compares the borough to Shoreditch and Dalston a few years ago - a hidden pulse emerging here now.
Maciej had hurt is leg and with some insistence (a great deal actually) I persuaded him to have a massage from the wonderful Bob. Reluctantly he agreed - but then he did have three of us on his back (not literally!).
I took off to the Abbey Green opposite the theatre to the U Barking Dagenham celebration Reasons to be Proud. An eclectic mix of people soak up the sunshine and learn how to juggle and dance! I bump into a number of friends and colleagues, and Maciej gets to meet the Polish Yoga teacher who has just started classes at the Bathhouse - turns out she is a neighbour of mine. So Maciej and she gabble on in Polish, sharing places and people.
David Heinemann has done a great job over the past few months in making this project happen with local people with and for the Council, and I see Monica Needs who works tirelessly to create such projects in spite of dwindling council funding!  |
| Jed Kenny in action! Not a great pic I am afraid |
I turn my attention to the green and see a young man - Jed Kenny teaching a motley crew of all ages the choreography for a hip-hop dance. Its a joy to watch young and old with concentrated faces following his every move. Later he tells me that he is passionate about dance and wants to set up classes, but at the moment he is unemployed. We have a chat about how it might be nice for him to pop over to Jasmine Street to see if we can help each other. I look forward to that.
And then to my delight I bump into Seun Oshinaike Show - a real shining star in the Barking and Dagenham firmament. He runs a great project called http://www.brightersteppings.co.uk/
Their homepage says: Brighter Steppings is a social enterprise that equips young people aged 10 -16 with employability skills such as self confidence, communication skills and team work. Our focus is based on developing intuitive, educational and exciting programmes for young people.
Seun's company won an award last week in the Barking and Dagenham Business Awards last week. I have been enjoying his updates on Facebook so it was great to meet him and to be able to buy a copy of the book written by young people that that they have just launched. LIFE @ SCHOOL BOOK
Guide for Secondary School - full of insight into transitioning from primary to secondary.The perfect interactive book for school students from 9+ on sale
£4.99 at Seun's website.
Guide for Secondary School - full of insight into transitioning from primary to secondary.The perfect interactive book for school students from 9+ on sale£4.99 at Seun's website.
So this is Seun getting into the groove at the celebration!
And below Seun and some of his young authors posing with Maciej who appears to have grown two horns!
And a photo of Seun and I together! What an inspirational young man.
So that's it from me today - Maciej and I are off to promote ARKA further in the borough today.
Have a great Sunday y'all!
Ps. My new business cards which arrived on Friday!
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