Magpie Dance were delighted to welcome an audience of 300+ to their annual full company production Our Land at Langley Park Centre for Performing Arts on Sunday 28th July 2024. 

This production was a culmination of this years artistic theme Our Land which looked at issues of climate change through the lens of the four elements; earth, air, fire and water. Magpie Dancers have explored different aspects of climate change, from blue carbon to air pollution to saving the bees. 

Over the course of this theme Magpie Dancers have worked with visiting artists including Akademi, Akram Khan Company, Alondra Galvan, Elsa Perez, Flamenco Con Gusto, FLUX Moving Science, Greener and Cleaner, Jessica Luong, Muraldo DC, Saatchi Gallery and United Moves to learn about climate change. From these workshops Magpie Dancers and facilitators have developed their ideas to create live and digital performances. 

In line with the projects theme, Magpie Dance recycled, re-used and modified old costumes in order to buy nothing new for the costumes. Magpie Dancers visited the Wandsworth Scrapstore to collect materials to create and upcycle costumes as well as bringing things in from their homes. 

The event began with a multisensory exhibition, where audience members could learn all about the Our Land project, play musical instruments, try on costumes, learn about climate action and through immersive virtual technology explore a landfill site, experience life as a bee and more! You can now visit this exhibition virtually – click here. 

Youth and Adult technique dancers also taught classes to the audience inspired by the movements of animals, plants and the elements. 

This was followed by a full company performance where 100+ Magpie Dancers aged 3+ with learning disabilities performed on stage accompanied by a live band, they also premiered their new dance films Home, Breathe, Sparks Fly! Fire and Flames and 1000 voices, the latter being a collaboration with 1000 students from SEN schools across London. 

Among the audience, Magpie Dance were delighted to welcome the Deputy Mayor and Mayoress of Bromley, who enjoyed the exhibition, joined in workshops and greeted dancers. The Deputy Mayor said: 

"The Deputy Mayoress and I were delighted to attend Magpie Dance's performance of 'Our Land' at Langley Park School for Boys last month. We had the pleasure (and indeed honour) of front-row seats for an incredible (and incredibly moving) performance, and it was also brilliant to see some of the rehearsals in action. We also got the chance to speak in person with staff, trustees and some of Magpie's incredibly talented dancers and performers about their work with the charity, and also very much enjoyed taking part in some of the very interesting exhibits set up in the hall, each with their own theme of nature and protecting the environment. A very successful and enjoyable afternoon and a fantastic event all-round."

Speaking of the whole Our Land project, Magpie Dance’s Executive Director Laura Graham said: 

“This is the only time of the year that dancers from across all our sessions come together, it’s also the culmination of our years artistic theme (Our Land – looking at our carbon footprint) so a very special time for us - and I’m thrilled at how wonderful the event went.  Our dancers were amazing, they looked so confident and completely rose to the challenge of performing on a professional stage - it was an absolute joy to watch.? I must mention our amazing team of talented facilitators, musicians and volunteers along with our office team, trustees and parents, whose passion and dedication to Magpie Dance makes our small charity the success it is today.  Next year we celebrate our 40th Anniversary and I can’t wait to see what it will hold – please do get in touch if you’d like to support us”. 

A huge thank you to all who attended Our Land and to those who made the event possible, Magpie Dance staff, volunteers and musicians, the venue and technical staff, Magpie parents, carers and support workers and of course all of the wonderful Magpie Dancers! 

"This about a lot more than just the dancing. The dancers clearly do a lot of research into the theme and think about what it means in practice so that they are being enriched in mind as well as body. I think this is amazing and the staff are to be applauded for the creativity and sheer hard work that goes into it all. " – Audience member 

The Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayoress of Bromley with Magpie Dance Executive Director Laura Graham and Chair Chris Wicks