Moving Words with Ffion Campbell-Davies

Join movement director, Ffion-Campell Davies, for a one day workshop exploring the connections between movement and words. Learn about the relationship between body and voice and explore ways in working inclusively through a creative process.

Open to creatives from the global majority working across dance, theatre, choreopoem, poetry, writing, directing, dramatherapy, physical theatre and beyond.

What to expect

Based around the choreopoem, Saturn Returns, this workshop will explore the connection between movement and words, unlocking the relationship between body and voice. The workshop will help you develop your practical skills in devising and creating with words and the body. You will be invited to learn about flow writing exercises, vocal explorations, guided meditation and to explore through improvisation tasks. Blending poetry with movement, you will have the opportunity to create mini solos as well as discover the process of working with others.

We will ask open questions around, what is community and how do we understand it, sustain it and nourish ourselves through nourishing each other? We may also talk about experiences of racism, discrimination, mental health, poetry. The workshop may explore themes around discussions about racism, discrimination, disability, gender and mental health. Through an inclusive and supportive environment the workshop may also examine the Black body experience/white spaces/otherness as well as decolonisation/generational trauma vs societal violence. Working inclusively throughout, this workshop is facilitated with care and attention to the people taking part.

About Ffion Campbell- Davies

Ffion graduated in 2013 from London School Of Contemporary Dance. Exchanged with Calarts, Los Angeles in her final year to study Balinese Dance and Gamelan with Nanik Wenten and Nyoman Wenten, North Indian Vocals with Aashish Khan, and Latin percussion with Aaron Rafael Serfaty. 2014 she traveled to Brazil and Cuba and studied Afro Brazilian, Afro-Cuban dance, Orixa’s and Candomble ritual influences, trained with Nildinha Fonseca Compania Balé Folclórico de Bahia, and Vero Pasos, Tatiana Campelo, Rosangela Silvestre at escola FUNCEB, Salvador. Involved since 2015 in the ‘London Underground Hip Hop’ scene, working with House Of Absolute Company in Contemporary Theatre and Waacking under Director Julia Cheng. Winning a few battles in waacking, krump vs’ waacking by Crooked District, most recently BLOC battles organized by Kwame Asafo-Adjei in experimental.

Ffion has developed experience with music production and management, shadowing and working alongside singer artist Lula Mbaretu with movement direction, backing vocals, percussion, collaborative performances and production assistance. Since 2017 krump and Indonesian Silat Martial Arts have been introduced as artistic practices, and beginning 2018 working with Paleta CalmQuality on a music video for music artist Roxanne Tataei. Artistic development has evolved into multi disciplinary practices strengthening skills in acting, dance and singing for ‘Vault’ festival working with Chris Reyes, his immersive theatre production ‘Caravan’. Within 3 months she has presented 3 new solo works, and a duet, self produced, music, costume design and conceptualized from experience. A duet presented at Shoreditch Town Hall for IDENTITY. An Exhibition solo presented at Deli Theatre. An Afro-latin contemporary piece presented at Richmix for RootsOfRumba, and a hiphop contemporary south Asian influenced solo presented at Redbridge for Artist4Artist. Ffion is expanding and developing work as a performer and choreographer, as well as music producing and writing.

“Gateway Arts is always reaching out to include as many people as possible, and showcase the widest variety of creative exploration.” Past participant

Photo credit: Viktoria Szep

This is part of our Black History Month 2022 programme