'Roots To Rise': Dance by Nandita Shankardass

Join us for the first outdoor sharing of a dance work in progress at the gardens by artist and choreographer Nandita Shankardass, created in residency at 101 Outdoor Arts - the National Centre for Arts in public space, in partnership with OmVed Gardens.

'Roots to Rise' (working title) explores ancestry, agriculture, ecological activism and the inherent wisdom of women, and will be performed by dancers Anjana Bala, Vidya Patel and Tulani Kayani - Skeef.

Within the partnership, Nandita has facilitated and curated gatherings and experiences for shared learning, exchange and reflection at OmVed Gardens leading up to this date, informing her research and development process. These experiences and the dance work aspire to build awareness around our contribution to the ecosystem to regenerate and deepen our relationship to the earth, evoking freedom, resilience and community.

The sharing will be followed by a Q&A with Nandita and her collaborators for an opportunity to learn more about the process of developing the work, plans for the future and to offer feedback and reflections.

Schedule:

Session 1 

12:30pm Sharing
1pm Q&A

Session 2

15:30pm Sharing
4pm Q&A

*Please book for either session 1 or 2

About the host

Nandita is a performing artist, choreographer, educator, interdisciplinary facilitator and speaker. She is the founder of Welcome Movement® created to generate wellbeing, stimulate creativity and empower freedom of expression through movement and dance. Nandita is a 2024 Seedbed Artist in partnership with OmVed Gardens, supported by 101 Outdoor Arts - the National Centre for Arts in public space, and Akademi.

About OmVed Gardens:

Since 2017, we have been carefully restoring a previously tarmacked land in Highgate Village, north London, to provide a space to explore food, creativity and ecology for health and climate resilience.

We are a community interest company featuring a permaculture garden, a creative zero-waste kitchen and a growing educational, events and exhibition space. Our aims are to realise our deep entwinement with each other and the more-than-human, through thinking around food, gardening and ecological awareness, to improve diversity at all levels (seed, food, species, participation) and to use creativity and nature-led knowledge to help tackle the climate emergency.

www.omvedgardens.com · @omvedgardens

Practical Information:

There is no visitor parking so we encourage you to cycle, walk or take public transport. Google Maps Directions

Our glasshouse and gardens are wheelchair accessible, but there is currently no step free access to the toilets.

Health & Safety Information:

Children are the responsibility of their parents or guardians and should not be left unattended at any time when they are on site.

Only assistance dogs are permitted.

If you have an allergy to a particular plant or insect, please get in touch before attending our site.

The gardens are a habitat for a variety of pollinators, including busy bees. Please respect them and do not approach the beehives for their safety and yours.

We have ponds - members of the public are not permitted in the pond at any time.

Do not ingest any plants, mushrooms or fungi that you find on site.

There are two first aid kits on site, one in the glasshouse and one in the dome