Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, in partnership with Farnham Maltings, announce the return of Doorstep Duets, touring to communities across the South-East this summer from 13 August to 10 September 2024.
Now in its fourth year, Doorstep Duets offers free opportunities for people to enjoy world-class performance in their local neighbourhood, on their street, in local parks, and through community-based organisations, bringing the joy and wonder of dance to all and making dance more accessible to everyone.
Performances begin on Tuesday 13 August at Farnham Maltings, before visiting Woking, Faversham, Canterbury, Dover, Ramsgate, Margate, Colchester, Norwich and various locations throughout Surrey and Norfolk. This year, Doorstep Duets will visit care homes, youth clubs, libraries, children’s hospices, a men’s mental health group in Farnham and The Turner Gallery in Margate, to name just a few. In addition, Doorstep Duets will be livestreamed for the first time, taking the production to doorsteps all over the world. Please see listings for public performances.
This year, Hum, has been created by choreographer and movement director Anjali Mehra with original music by Grammy nominated vocalist and composer Luke Brady. Just as the actions of the hummingbird, the smallest bird in the world, are essential to life in the towering rainforest, in Hum one small gesture of kindness to a stranger ripples out to create a community for those who need it most. Hum features New Adventures dancers Anna Maria de Freitas, Luke Murphy, Holly Saw, Molly Shaw-Downie, Xavier Andriambolanoro Sotiya and Mami Tomotani.
Choreographer and Movement Director Anjali Mehra said: “Bringing dance to people that would not normally experience theatre is hugely important and Doorstep Duets is doing incredible things for many communities who, for a variety of reasons, would not otherwise be able to see live dance. I’d love for audiences who don’t normally experience live dance to join us at a performance of Hum, and discover how much dance can bring us together in shared joy.”
Anjali Mehra joined New Adventures in 1999 and has performed with the company in Play without Words, The Red Shoes, Swan Lake, Cinderella, and Nutcracker! Anjali happily hung up her dancing shoes to focus on her career in choreography and movement direction in 2019. As a choreographer, Anjali’s career highlights include Lord of The Rings at The Watermill Theatre, Flowers for Mrs Harris at Riverside Studios, “Daddy” A Melodrama by Jeremy O’Harris at the Almeida Theatre, The Ballad of Hattie and James at the Kiln Theatre, and Rumi the Musical at the London Coliseum. Anjali is currently Movement Director on the World Premiere of Tupperware of Ashes at The National Theatre written by Tanika Gupta and directed by Pooja Ghai starring Meera Syal.
New Adventures is thrilled to be working with its partners: Farnham Maltings, ARK Cliftonville, Creative Arts East, Future Foundry, Marlowe Theatre Canterbury, Mercury Theatre Colchester, Surrey Libraries and The Alex Faversham.
Created with support from Arts Council England.
Find out more www.new-adventures.net/doorstep-duets
