 Rhythms of the CityUnder Artistic & Musical Director, Barak Schmool, RoTC perform at carnivals and festivals across Europe - including; Notting Hill, Thames Festival, WOMAD, Glastonbury Festival, the Big Chill, Lovebox, Wireless, Pride and the Great British carnival events. Each year at Night of Festivals Rhythms can be seen in a different guise….performing on top of a milk float, riding in a rickshaw or simply roaming the street to accompany an extraordinary band of costumed performers and giant puppets. |  Springboard EastSpringboard East provides drama workshops, interactive theatre and theatre in education programmes. Its latest production is a work of interactive theatre aimed at primary school children called ‘Everett Mann in Destination Democracy’. In this production the lead character is transported back in time to learn about key events in the development of parliament and democracy in the UK, including the Suffragette movement. The show will be seen at Night of Festivals events in Barking and Leicester. |  Kev SutherlandA comedian and comic strip creator, Kev Sutherland has drawn for various publications including The Beano and Marvel comics. Kev has also produced shows for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe such as The Sitcom Trials and The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre. Kev will be contributing to this year’s Night of Festivals by working with children and young people in Lincoln and Barking to create The Freedom Comic which will explore the themes of democracy and freedom. |
---|
 RezRez Kabir is an actor, storyteller, drama tutor and also the artistic director of Tamarind Theatre Co. Rez performs stories in English but also incorporates other languages such as Bengali into his performances and features elements of both traditional and modern sources. Rez uses music, movement, mime and puppetry to create layered and visually engaging pieces. |  Tongue FuChris Redmond and Riaan Vosloo created the spoken word performance night, ‘Tongue Fu’ in 2007 by bringing together poets, musicians and an audience with no rehearsals or preparation, just an organic experiment in improvised art. |  HaymanotHaymanot (an Ethiopian singer), Arian (an Egyptian ney flute, kawala flute and oud player) and Mina (an Iranian daf and tonbak drummer) all combine their various musical styles and influences for a unique and harmonic World Music performance. |
---|
 NGOMAA band comprised of members from various different nations from Angola to Zimbabwe, NGOMA plays a versatile range of music incorporating Afro ethnic rhythms and Western styles in its performances |  Anjali Dance CompanyAnjali Dance Company provides both vibrant dance performances, and professional dance training. The ethos of Anjali Dance is to empower learning-disabled artists by supporting their creative and professional development. |  BalkanA traditional Turkish band whose music fuses Balkan fanfare dynamism with the ‘blues’ depth of Anatolian influences. The band features gayda (Bulgarian bagpipes), clarinet, saxophone, accordion, tuba, percussions, and drums. The voice of Asli Dogan adds an emotional intensity to the band’s music. |
---|
 Three the Hard WayJean Binta Breeze, Shruti Chauhan, and Lydia Towsey launched Three the Hard Way – Part One in 2014, and following this success were awarded funding for Part Two by Arts Council England. Three the Hard Way derives from Jamaican culture where DJs would respond to each others’ sets in collaboration and competition. The idea was adopted by UK dub poets in the early 80s. Part Two will once again re-appropriate this format, exploring contemporary women’s issues, politics, culture and diversity. |  Alinah AzadehAlinah Azadeh is a British Iranian artist whose work, Freedom Square (pictured above), was commissioned for Night of Festivals Touring 2013-2014 and is a textile based participative work, comprising up to 1,500 multi-coloured flags installed against the white canvas of the Night of Festivals Touring Performance Dome. The title of the work ‘Freedom Square’ references the use of cloth in protests for freedom and democracy in the Middle- East. |  Sandeep RavalDrummer extraordinaire and multi-instrumentalist composer; Sandeep Raval’s musical styles range from jazz to Indian classical influences to a more experimental and alternative sound. He has also contributed to the production of musicals such as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Bombay Dreams’. |
---|
 Green Candle Dance CompanyProviding both, dance theatre productions, and instructional workshops, Green Candle Dance Company seeks to utilise the art-form of dance to improve people’s health and wellbeing, integrate marginalised groups into their local community and explore social issues such as isolation and discrimination. Recent productions include ‘No Fear!’ and ‘Falling About’: dance theatre productions that deal with the themes of fear and failure respectively, in a humorous and light-hearted way. |  Najma AkhtarA vocalist, composer and actor; Najma Akhtar is a leading figure in the World Music scene. Najma’s music is a versatile blend of Eastern and Western influences as her performances and compositions interweave modern jazz influences with Indian classical music. Najma’s work has featured a wide variety of cultural influences including the use of traditional Persian and African instruments. Najma’s voice and composed works can also be heard in a variety of motion pictures. |  London Tango OrchestraThe London Tango Orchestra was founded by Caroline Pearsall in 2009 and is the first of its kind in the UK. Their love of Tango music is expressed through live concerts, milongas, workshops, and cultural exchanges between musicians from Argentina and Europe. They have performed at Chelsea Arts Club, Ignite Concert Series at the Royal Albert Hall, the City Festival of London and various Tango festivals in Europe, and also made appearances on TV; in a BBC documentary on Tango and in Mr Selfridge. |
---|
 Wendy ShearerWendy Shearer is a professional storyteller who has previously worked as an interactive producer for children’s television. Performing in schools, children’s centres and public venues, Wendy uses props, illustrations and music to complement her oral storytelling for both children and adults. |  Nate MusiqA Slough based group formerly known as Nate Musiq. Featuring musical styles ranging from Soul and R&B to Jazz and Reggae. |  Natural Theatre CompanyNatural Theatre creates comic interactive street theatre, combining character comedy with surreal scenarios. Natural Theatre has performed in over 80 countries, picking up many international awards along the way, performing in busy streets, festivals, corporate events or to mark special occasions such as birthdays or weddings. |
---|
 MuhaNottingham based group, Muha is comprised of members from Ukraine, Lativa and the UK and their diverse cultural influences are reflected in the diversity of the band’s music. Muha play an eclectic mix of Eastern European folk, North Indian Kathak rhythms, Cuban beats and Western European influences. The music features original lyrics ranging from Hindi to Old Russian and modern Ukrainian. |  Beats of PolynesiaNight of Festivals Leicester marked the Tongan contingent at the the Rugby World Cup by showcasing traditional Polynesian music and dance! Five dancers and three musicians comprise this exciting group that will present a mxi of the rhythms and beats of Polynesia from Tonga to Tahiti! |  KGB JazzNight of Festivals SPECIAL EDITION Leicester enjoyed the smooth sounds of Leicester’s own Jazz Band, KGB. With a great line up of vocals, guitar, bass, sax and flute, KGB brought an exciting blend of jazz standards alongside toe-tapping swing and Latin. |
---|
 Michael NymanWitnesses, a 20 minute, experimental moving image piece from acclaimed composer Michael Nyman is a must see in the ArtReach Nanoplex at Night of Festivals. As one of Britain’s most innovative and celebrated composers, Michael Nyman’s work encompasses operas and string quartets, film soundtracks and orchestral concertos. Far more than merely a composer, he’s also a performer, conductor, bandleader, pianist, author, musicologist and now a photographer and film-maker. |  Rachael YoungRachael is a performance maker, writer, director and Co Artistic Director of First Floor Theatre based in the East Midlands. For Night of Festivals Rachael performed 'The Way I Wear My Hair' - What does it mean to be a strong black women? Rachael wasn’t sure so she asked Google and guess what it showed her… |  Romani VoiceRomani Voice is a four piece ensemble (three musicians and dancer), based in London, that performs traditional Roma folk music and dance, with the aim to share Roma culture. The ensemble is guided by the Roma Support Group (http://romasupportgroup.org.uk/), a registered charity working with East European Roma refugees and migrants. |
---|
 Ery NzarambaEry’s moving image piece Dambudzo was screened in the ArtReach Nanoplex at Night of Festivals Touring 2013-14. The piece is based on the acceptance speech of author Dambudzo Marechera at the Guardian Fiction Awards November 1979. Ery also writes and directs for his production company Maliza Productions as well as working as a freelance actor, write and director in London. |  Laura BelémLaura Belém lives and works in Brazil and studied a Masters in Fine Arts at Central St Martins College of Art, London. She is quickly gaining an international reputation for her work having shown at 51st Venice Biennale and Prague Biennale. Laura Belém’s interactive art installation Night of St John was a site-specific commission for Night of Festivals 2010. It led the audience to the Festival Hub, beneath a shimmering sea of 745 flags, accompanied by an audio montage of festival sounds. |  Folk in a Box (Dom Coyote)Folk in a Box is the UK’s smallest performance venue. You enter the box by crouching through a small, arched Alice-in-Wonderland door and then grope your way to a chair. Apart from one tiny pinpoint of intense light, the cabin’s interior, lined with serge curtain, is pitch-black. Opposite, only a foot or so away, sits an invisible unknown somebody with a guitar. The experience is compelling. |
---|
 Zoe KeatingZoë Keating is a one-woman orchestra. She uses a cello and a foot-controlled laptop to record layer upon layer of cello, creating intricate, haunting and compelling music.
Zoë has performed and recorded with a wide range of artists, including Imogen Heap, Amanda Palmer, Tears for Fears, DJ Shadow, John Vanderslice, Rasputina, Pomplamoose and Paolo Nutini. |  Stephen JonStephen Jon immersed the City Arts Dome with the heroic tale The Maid of Mariposa. Inspired by the arts of Latin America his installation piece encompasses live action and shadow puppetry to enact the tale of our heroine’s adventures against monsters on land and sea |  The Storytelling CafeMatlock Storytelling Cafe is one of the most successful and best loved storytelling clubs in the country. Founded in 2003 it has a loyal local audience and an increasing number of fans from further afield. The resident tellers, Mike Payton, Rachel Murray and Helen Appleton all have years of experience, and their contrasting styles and tastes in tales make their monthly nights thrilling occasions. At Night of Festivals you'll find these guys in the Storytelling Yurt! |
---|
 United VibrationsUnited Vibrations are: Ahmad Dayes (Trombone & Vocals), Wayne Francis (Saxophone & Vocals), Yussef Dayes (Drums & Vocals), Kareem Dayes (Bass & Vocals) and YOU (Participant, Listener, Observer and Creator). Any linear perceptions of ‘genre’ or ‘style’ do the band’s sound no justice, so they call it 12Tone.
Inspired by Fela Kuti, Bob Marley and other great musicians, United Vibrations has sought ways to make the music it makes a part of a greater movement. |  Conjunto SabrosoConjunto Sabroso is one of the UK’s most established and popular Latin bands. Renowned for its authentic swing and lively presence on stage, the band is fronted by charismatic Colombian singer Luz Elena Caicedo, under the musical direction of renowned multi-percussionist Wilmer Sifontes from Venezuela. The band has brought together some of the most outstanding and experienced musicians in the Latin circuit, to produce its own distinctive and original sound. |  Emily Barker and The Red Clay HaloHailing from Bridgetown, Western Australia, Emily Barker is a compelling songwriter with a gift for weaving melody and words. Her talent is perfectly complemented by the magnificent arrangements of her band The Red Clay Halo, whose rootsy, ensemble playing underpins Barker’s agile vocal blend of strength and fragility. The group played on the main stage at Night of Festivals 2012. |
---|
 Rara LakayRara Lakay is a traditional Haitian Rara band, with some of the members now based in Miami. The band plays at carnival and festival events using its mixture of bamboo trumpets (vaksen), cornets metal bells and drums. In 2012 the troupe were in residence in Nottingham delivering workshops in schools and with community groups. It then led a Rara procession as part of the Night of Festivals 2012 carnival. |  VoiceVoice is a unique, London based a cappella trio that explores a wide repertoire, performing works by Hildegard of Bingen and other early masters; traditional songs and arrangements from around the world; as well as contemporary compositions. For Night of Festivals the group shared a programme entitled Megaphones for the Unheard, which explores the voice for women through music and poetry. |  FofoulahIn 2012 the festival hosted Fofoulah. The group features members of Outhouse Ruhabi, from the acclaimed Outhouse project, with Wolof drummers from The Gambia. The Melting pot of Fofoulah’s ever changing ideas has culminated in a joyful blend of African praise song and polyrhythm, cool grooves and jumpy melodies. Whilst continuing to explore the influence of West African rhythms, Fofoulah’s creative vision embraces each individual member’s musical personalities, |
---|