Join us for a live dance double bill with DU Festival debut dance artists Dani Harris-Walters and Kesha Raithatha, part of the Dance Umbrella Watermans Takeover, 16-17 October.
Traces by Kesha Raithatha, photo Videl Budhev; Happy Father’s Day by Dani Harris-Walters, photo Sophie Bradbury
Traces by Kesha Raithatha
Approx. 25-30 minutes
Travel on an abstract journey of human experience, DU debut artist Kesha Raithatha explores rejection, abandonment and loss in her stirring solo work Traces.
Repelling formal structures to build an extraordinary dance language, Raithatha purges the body of memory and traces of the past, to find herself without form and floating in flux. Traces is an urgent and vulnerable physical enquiry.
Embodying Kathak and Contemporary movement, dancer and choreographer Kesha Raithatha creates work that experimentally reconsiders South Asian dance. Training and working as an independent artist between India and the UK since 2009, Raithatha is Associate Director of Aakash Odedra Company, Work Place Artist at The Place in London and a Curve Resident Creative at the Curve Leicester.
Happy Father’s Day by Dani Harris-Walters
Approx. 25-30 minutes
Hip-hop dance vocabulary, rap and narration are wondrously crafted in solo work Happy Father’s Day; a reflective coming-of-age story with a comedic edge.
Through anecdotal sketches, Dance Umbrella debut artist Dani Harris-Walters takes audiences on a heart-stirring journey exploring a vital relationship from an unexpected point of view.
Immersed within the realms of Hip Hop culture and theatre, Dani Harris-Walters is an experienced performer, choreographer, teacher and DJ. Touring nationally and internationally Harris-Walters has worked with leading industry figures including Olivier Award Winner Botis Seva | Far From The Norm, Ivan Blackstock, Just Us Dance Theatre and Boy Blue Entertainment.
“A beautifully studied performance exploring memories and how we process and learn from them.”
Dance Umbrella Watermans Takeover
Sat 16 – Sun 17 Oct
Join DU as we take over Watermans Arts Centre building for two days of dance
Venue & Access Info +
Venue
Address
Watermans
40 High Street
Brentford TW8 0DS
Getting there
We are in Brentford, West London and are well served by public transport as well as having on-site parking.
Bus: 65, 267, 237 all stop right outside. The stop is called ‘Watermans Centre’
Train: We are only a short walk from either Brentford or Kew Bridge stations, served by South Western Trains
Tube: Gunnersbury and South Ealing are the nearest tube stations. From Gunnersbury it’s a short bus ride on the 237 or 267. From South Ealing, take the 65 and you’ll be with us in 5 minutes.
Car: We have a covered on-site car park. Parking is free for 30 minutes so you can drop off and pick up or pop in to collect tickets – please ensure you enter your car registration number and display a ticket. Thereafter, a charge of £1.50 for up to an hour will apply (up to a maximum of £8). There are spaces reserved for disabled visitors on the upper level, but a BLUE BADGE must be displayed if you use one and you must register your number plate at our Box Office in order to validate your free parking. On occasions when the venue is full parking can become congested so please leave a little extra time when attending these events. Additional parking is available in the multi-story carpark 300 metres to the west of Watermans behind the Premier Inn.
Bike: There is secure cycle parking on the terrace outside the Box Office
Access information
Our building is fully accessible. If you have any specific access requirements please inform the Duty Manager or Box Office Team on 020 8232 1019, before you arrive if possible.
We have added a pop-up Box Office outside the cinema to reduce the amount of travelling you need to do within the venue and to aid audience flow as part of our Covid-secure measures. You are able to give your vehicle registration number and book carer tickets at this Box Office if you wish. We do recommend you book ahead wherever possible by phone however.
Visit Watermans’ website for detailed access information.
Covid safety
Production Credits +
Traces by Kesha Raithatha
Choreographed and performed by Kesha Raithatha
Costume Design Giulia Scrimieri
Choreographic Mentor Eva Recacha
Dramaturgical Advice Lou Cope
Creative Advice Gurdeep Sian & Aakash Odedra
Original Lighting Design Andy Hamer
Sound Design Kesha Raithatha, Moon, Michael Tedstone, Devesh Sodha
Producer Ian Abbott (2021-), Seetal Kaur (2018-2020)
Technician Ellis Keates-Bowles
Co-produced by Curve Theatre, Leicester
Originally Commissioned by Akademi and Esmée Fairbairn Foundation
Supported by Phizzical, Arts Council England & Pavilion Dance South West
Happy Father’s Day by Dani Harris-Walters
Performer & Writer Dani Harris-Walters
Producer Lucy Pittaway
Lighting Designer Ali Hunter
Dramaturge Ashley J Francis
Animator Jerome Rodgers-Blake
Fine Artist Lee Putman
Biographies +
Kesha Raithatha
Photo Thaxnay Kapdee
Kesha is a dancer and choreographer who embodies Kathak and Contemporary movement. She creates work that is rich in detail and experimentally reconsiders contemporary South Asian dance. Her curiosity and exposure to a wide range movement training informs and invigorates her dance-making vocabulary. In 2021, Kesha was appointed as one of the Associate Directors at Aakash Odedra Company; Work Place Artist at The Place Theatre London and a Resident Creative at The Curve Leicester.
Her primary Kathak training began under her mother, Priti Raithatha and Smt. Nilima Devi M.B.E. with whom she accomplished 6 National ISTD examinations.
Since 2009, Kesha has divided her time between India and the UK training in Kathak under Smt. Nirupama Rajendra of Abhinava Dance Company and Smt. Daksha Sheth. She also trains in Contemporary dance, whilst exploring various Indian movement forms including Kalari Payatt, regional folk styles and physical theatre. Kesha has been a company dancer for India’s celebrated Classical and Contemporary Dance companies: Nritarutya Indian Contemporary Dance Company under Mayuri Upadhya and Daksha Sheth Dance Company.
Her most recent choreographic projects include; Virtual Ghost – A dance film in collaboration with Gurdeep Sian supported by Akademi’s Seed Commission 2021; Synapse (Dance for Screen) by Aakash Odedra 2 Young Company 2020; Bollywood Jane (Musical) Curve Theatre 2019; Phoenix Dance Youth Company’s Heritage Project Black Waters 2020; BBC 4’s My Asian Family musical documentary 2018 and Bandish Projekt’s Common Tongue 2016.
Dani Harris-Walters
Photo Sophie Bradbury
Dani Harris-Walters is a Dance Artist, performer, choreographer, teacher & DJ who immerses himself within realms of Hip Hop culture and theatre. An experienced figure in the industry, he loves to experiment, reform and restructure movement from many dance styles to create a unique and distinctive dance language.
Graduating from University of East London with a BA Honours degree in Dance: Urban Practice, Dani propelled into the Hip-Hop theatre world working with Tony Adigun’s Avant Garde Dance, touring nationally and internationally both The Black Album and Fagin’s Twist co-produced by The Place, touring the UK & China.
His first job came as a professional dancer in the London Olympic Games 2012 Opening Ceremony being a part of the Second to the right, and straight on till morning cast, performing with NHS workers choreographed by Temujin Gil.
Within the theatre world he has also worked with many of the leading names in Hip Hop Theatre including the Olivier Award Winner Botis Seva | Far From The Norm, Ivan Blackstock, Just Us Dance Theatre’s Born To Manifest, and the infamous Boy Blue Entertainment in their production Blak, Whyte, Grey touring the UK, America and Taiwan.
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