COming up at Bell Square this AUtuMN

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Hello Hounslow, Let's Fill the Square

‍ Hello Hounslow! I am the artistic director at Bell Square, and I am thrilled to share what we have coming up for the rest of the season. Bell Square is our purpose-built outdoor performance space in the heart of Hounslow, and it exists for one simple reason: to bring world-class performances to everyone, for free. From circus to dance, theatre to music, there is something for the whole community to enjoy, and I want every one of you to know what is heading our way.

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We are building on everything that makes Bell Square so special. We have international artists, family favourites and some brand new surprises. Every performance is free, and every act is chosen with our local community in mind. S,  bring the family, bring your friends, or simply wander over from the town centre and see what is happening in the square. There is always room for one more person at Bell Square.

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A Space Built for Everyone

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Bell Square is London's only purpose-built outdoor performance space, sitting right in the middle of Hounslow and surrounded by the life of the town centre. We say it is a place for anyone aged 3 to 103, and we mean every word. The open design of the square means everyone can find a comfortable spot. Arrive early for a view right at the front, or settle in at the back with little ones.

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The programme is produced by Watermans, a local arts charity, and every event is carefully curated to bring some of the best outdoor performers in the world to our corner of West London. Performances run every other Saturday from May to December, so the calendar always has something to look forward to. And because every event is free, you can take a chance on something new without a second thought.

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Bell Square celebrated its tenth birthday in 2024, and that milestone made us all the more proud of what this space means to Hounslow. Over a decade, the square has welcomed audiences of all ages and backgrounds, and the joy of watching live performance in the open air never gets old.

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Summer of Culture Lights Up the Borough

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Bell Square has once again been part of Hounslow's Summer of Culture, the borough-wide festival presented with Hounslow Council. Summer of Culture is now in its fourth year, and it has grown into something truly remarkable for our community. Last year more than 160,000 people attended 120 events across more than 50 locations in the borough. That is a huge amount of shared joy, and Bell Square is proud to play a central part in it.

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If you were with us when the Summer of Culture launched in 2024, you will remember the incredible Pyrodise by the Firebirds circus group, as fire and movement filled the square. That is the energy we want to continue to recreate every season. The square comes alive with world-class dance, theatre, circus and art, and the best part is that everyone is welcome to join in for free.

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Our Highlights from now until October

Now for the part I always look forward to: telling you about the wonderful shows heading to Bell Square. Here is a taste of what to expect over the next few weeks. Mark the dates in your diary, and remember that every single show is free.

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Teatr Biuro Podróży's Eurydyka (Euridice) | 5 September, 8pm

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One of the highlights of the season is Teatr Biuro Podróży's Eurydyka, a production that Eurydyka recounts the fate of the two timeless heroes: Orpheus  and Eurydice. Their love is stronger than death. Unable to come to terms with the loss of his beloved, Orpheus sets out to find her.

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ACE Dance and Music - Echoes of Dust, 19 September, 3.30pm & 7.30pm

I am especially pleased to welcome audiences to this one, because Watermans has commissioned ACE Dance & Music to produce a new outdoor version of ECHOES OF DUST for Bell Square. ‘ECHOES OF DUST’ – a vision ofthe world as we see it... choreographed by Serge Aimé Coulibaly, with creative contributions by Sigué Sayouba. Human life is fleeting, the world is still unfolding…Redefining dance from the African Diaspora, ACE dance and music present a powerful vision of our world today.

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Bell Square Calling: France | 24 - 27 September

A new annual outdoor arts festival that spotlights the best companies and artists from France with a programme including circus, dance and music: bold contemporary dance from Cie Point.Bart with Fièvre; the challenge of creating a locally relevant choreographed work in a day from Sauf le Dimanche withAssemblée; stunning contemporary acrobaticsfrom La Triochka withTop Down; an exciting hybrid of contemporary dance, hip hop, and the visual arts from Cie Xuan Le withReflet and music with a visual twist from dynamic genius accordionists, Cie Les Rustines de l'Ange withCoraSon.

Sadiq Ali Company - Tell Me, Sat 10 October, 3pm

A powerfulcontemporary circus and dance show performed on three scaffold tubes and combining Chinese Pole with aerial work, Tell Me follows a woman navigating her HIV diagnosis, her hopes, her dreams, her fears and ultimately her reality - living with the virus in 2026. A highly physical performance, Tell Me draws on the lived experience of director Sadiq Ali as both a circus artist and HIV activist, creating intimate yet visually spectacular performances. Tell Me seeks to challenge outdated perceptions and offers audiences a fresh perspective on HIV, rooted in courage, beauty and possibilit

A Season for the Whole Community

What I love most about Bell Square is the mix of people it brings together. On any given Saturday you will find families with children, groups of friends, older residents enjoying a day out, and curious passers-by who have just discovered the show. That is the heart of what we do at Watermans. We believe high-quality arts should be part of everyday life, and that nobody should be excluded because of cost or circumstance.

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Our programme is deliberately varied, so there is always something different to try. Dance, circus, theatre and music all take their turn in the square, and the artists come from both the UK and around the world. That mix keeps the programme fresh and gives Hounslow audiences the chance to see performances they would not find anywhere else in London. It is a place where neighbours bump into each other, where children see something extraordinary, and where Hounslow shows itself at its very best.

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Plan Your Visit to Bell Square

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Bell Square is easy to reach in the heart of Hounslow town centre, so you can build your visit around shopping, a coffee or a meal nearby. All performances take place outdoors, so dress for the weather and arrive with time to find a good spot. There is no charge to watch any of our performances, and the full schedule with dates and times is always available on the what's on page before you head over.

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Some people stay for the whole show, while others dip in and out. Both are welcome. The relaxed, informal atmosphere of the square means you can enjoy world-class performance at your own pace, surrounded by the community that makes Hounslow such a special place.

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Stay in the Loop

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The best way to keep up with what's on at Bell Square Hounslow is to sign up for our newsletter. We send out event reminders and season updates, so you will always know what is coming and when. You can also follow @BellSquareLDN on Instagram for behind-the-scenes glimpses of the artists and plenty of inspiration for your next visit. Join the community, spread the word, and we will see you in the square very soon.

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ntly Asked QuestiAre Bell Square events really free?

Yes, every performance at Bell Square is completely free to attend. The programme is produced by Watermans, a local arts charity, working with partners who share a commitment to making world-class arts accessible to everyone. You can enjoy theatre, circus, dance and music in the open air without paying a penny.

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When do performances take place at Bell Square?

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Performances take place every other Saturday from May to December, with many shows running twice a day, often at 1pm and 3pm. Dates vary across the season, so the best plan is to check the what's on page for the latest schedule before you travel.

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Is Bell Square suitable for children?

Absolutely. Bell Square welcomes audiences aged 3 to 103, and many performances are perfect for families. The open-air setting gives children space to enjoy the shows in their own way, and the programme is designed to captivate a wide range of ages. Bring the whole family and make an afternoon of it.

Who organises Bell SqUARE?

Bell Square is programmed and produced by Watermans, a local arts charity based in West London. Watermans works in partnership with Hounslow Council and other organisations to bring international and UK artists to the square, and to make free, high-quality outdoor arts a regular part of life in the borough.

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ERTZA - OTEMPODIZ: FREE EVENTS AT BELL SQUARE, LONDON

‍London has no shortage of free things to do, from Changing the Guard to the Notting Hill Carnival, but for outdoor performance of the highest calibre, Bell Square in Hounslow stands apart. It is the capital's only purpose-built outdoor performance space, sitting in the heart of the town on Hounslow High Street. Across the season it hosts international and UK artists working in theatre, circus and dance, and every performance is free for everyone. The programme is presented and programmed by Watermans, a local arts charity.

‍A Space Designed for Audiences

‍Bell Square is a permanent outdoor space with seating and standing room, so audiences can arrive without fuss and settle in quickly. It is a large square created for public gathering and performance, with dedicated lighting and sound. That makes it a rare thing in London, where outdoor arts are often tucked away in parks or car parks. Here, the space puts audiences at the centre, with room to suit everything from a solo dancer to a large fire show.

‍The ambition of the programme is simple: to bring some of the best outdoor performers in the world to Hounslow, free of charge to audiences. Shows range from circus to dance, acrobats to illuminated sculptures, and the organisers aim to delight and inspire everyone from the age of four to eighty-four. Audiences arrive with all kinds of backgrounds and levels of interest in the arts, and the work is chosen to speak clearly and openly in a public setting.

‍ERTZA and Contemporary African Dance

‍One of the most distinctive productions to appear at Bell Square is Otempodiz, created by the contemporary dance company ERTZA. The company was founded in 2004 by the dancer and choreographer Asier Zabaleta, with the aim of opening up a new space for choreographic creation, without ties or conventionalisms. ERTZA builds projects in collaboration with artists from other disciplines, and its productions pose questions about human and social contradictions, inviting audiences to reflect on current themes.

‍Otempodiz at Bell Square

‍ERTZA bring Otempodiz to Bell Square on Saturday 22 August, with performances at 1pm and 3pm. Each show runs for 25 minutes. As with all Bell Square events, it is free for everyone and requires no ticket; audiences simply turn up and watch. The production invites you to experience time through the power of dance.

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A Performance Built on Curiosity

‍The show begins with a simple premise: the curiosity of an acrobat and a juggler leads them to seek each other out. What follows is a performance that combines accomplished dance, acrobatics and juggling. The two performers are drawn to one another, and their disciplines speak to each other throughout the piece. Acrobatics brings risk and elevation, juggling brings rhythm and dexterity, and dance binds the two together into a coherent whole.

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The Creative Team

‍The creative team behind Otempodiz is led by Asier Zabaleta, who is credited as author, director and photographer. The performers are Fenias Nhumaio and Deissane Machava, with production and support from ERTZA SORKUNTZA ARTISTIKOA S.L. The result is a show that works on several levels, appealing to audiences who love pure physical skill and to those who want to think about the cultural meaning of time.

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Time Measured, Time Experienced

‍Otempodiz is built around a striking idea about time. In the West, the production notes, time is measured, bought, sold, planned and organised, and yet there is almost never enough of it. By contrast, in Africa time is experienced; it is something you have, something you do, an asset that is almost never lacking. Otempodiz uses the physical language of dance and circus to show what it means to experience time in an absolute present, rather than constantly racing towards the next obligation.

‍For audiences used to checking their phones, the show offers a rare chance to see time treated as something generous rather than scarce. The combination of a free outdoor setting, a world-class company and an idea worth sitting with makes Otempodiz a highlight of Bell Square's season. Mark Saturday 22 August in the diary, find your spot in Hounslow, and let the performance do the rest.

See you there!

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Frequently Asked Questions:

Is Otempodiz at Bell Square really free?

‍Yes. Every performance at Bell Square is free for everyone to watch, and Otempodiz is no different. On Saturday 22 August there are two shows, at 1pm and 3pm, each lasting 55 minutes. You do not need to book anything; you can simply arrive at the square and enjoy the performance.

‍Do I need a ticket for Bell Square events?

‍No ticket is needed for any Bell Square performance. The space is designed so audiences can turn up and watch without fuss, with seating and standing room available. For Otempodiz, just make your way to Hounslow High Street in time for the 1pm or 3pm performance and settle in.

Where exactly is Bell Square?

‍Bell Square sits in the heart of Hounslow on the High Street, and it is London's only purpose-built outdoor performance space. It is presented and programmed by Watermans, a local arts charity, and the square itself is a permanent venue for public gathering and performance. Full travel directions are available through the Bell Square website.

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FROM OUR DIRECTOR: Theatre is Freedom | Teatr to Wolność

The Tempest: Teatr Biuro Podróży

For three weeks this September, the programme at Bell Square throws itself into a joyous celebration of Polish outdoor theatre. The festival is called Theatre is Freedom | Teatr to Wolność

So why this festival and why now?

Ultimately, the Bell Square programme is about London, about the extraordinary diversity of people and communities in this city. The programme aims to reflect, showcase and share the wide range of cultures we have here.

In Hounslow, we are fortunate to have a strong Polish community. So, at Bell Square, Polish theatre has appeared regularly, with some of the most memorable performances we’ve had over many years brought to us by these amazing Polish theatre companies.

This year, across the whole country, there is a special collaboration between the UK and Poland happening. This UK/Poland 2025 Season is supporting hundreds of UK-based artists to present their work in Poland and, similarly, Polish artists to come and perform here.

In the context of this UK/Poland 2025 Season, a major celebration of Polish outdoor theatre at Bell Square was just too tempting to resist!

But there's more. The festival is also about Europe, about our shared history and about the world we're living in now.

When I am working on the future programmes for Bell Square, I travel to festivals to find great shows. Over the last few years, I’ve been to many festivals in Poland, especially in Krakow, Poznan and Warsaw. When I’m there, I also meet and talk to many of the artists and companies who you will later see performing at Bell Square.

Whenever I talk to these Polish theatre companies, especially the very established ones, it is clear that the concept of freedom is a potent backdrop to their very being. Most of the famous companies came onto the scene in the 1960s, 70s, 80s as Poland battled for its independence. At the time, those young theatre makers were using culture to protest against the constraints and oppression of communism.

In 2 weeks-time, we welcome Teatr Biuro Podrozy - or Travel Agency Theatre. When they formed in the 1980s, very few people in Poland were able to obtain passports. As the rest could travel only in their imagination, the ironically named Teatr Biuro Podrozy offered an escape through theatre.

And next weekend, Teatr Osmego Dnia come to perform in the festival at Bell Square. This is another very established company, presenting political and socially engaged theatre. To this day, on the front of their venue in Poznan, a huge neon sign lights up the Square at night. It says Wolnosc - or Freedom.

So whilst Poland is a very different, very open and modern country now, freedom is not taken for granted.

And freedom was not just a concern of the 1970s,1980s. War now rages in Ukraine, casting a long shadow over the Polish eastern border. I've been told so many times when I’ve been in Poland that freedom again feels under threat.

And in a different way, it's here in the UK, too. When we started Bell Square twelve years ago, European artists had the right of free movement to come and perform here. It was simple for us to welcome the best European artists to perform at Bell Square. Whatever our thoughts about Brexit, that right, that freedom, is no longer there. Visas, checks, paperwork, permissions and controls have appeared and have to be navigated.

For all these reasons, it feels vital that we do everything we can to support culture that breaks down barriers, that goes across boundaries, that brings us together to contemplate humanity, that shares our different perspectives, that encourages our freedom of thought.

This is why we have Theatre is Freedom | Teatr to Wolność .

All the shows you will see in the festival, in their own different ways, have freedom at their heart.

This last weekend, we had 4 performances and amazing audiences. Feedback after the shows described how much people had enjoyed them and appreciated the extraordinary quality of these outdoor Polish theatre companies. Awesome was the word that came through over and over again.

We have 2 more long weekends of the festival. Do join us – as always, every performance is free and everyone is welcome!

Friday 12 & Saturday 13 September at 8.00 pm: Teatr Osmego Dnia – Lost Dream

Sunday 14 September at 8.00 pm: Teatr Hom – Monsieur Charlie

Friday 19 & Saturday 20 September at 8.00 pm: Teatr Biuro Podrozy – Tempest

Sunday 21 September at 3.00 pm; Konin Dance Theatre – Sztetl

Look forward to seeing you soon at Bell Square!

From our director: the conference of the Birds

Hello Hounslow!  The sun’s been shining and it’s feeling warm, isn’t it?  So it’s time to get outdoors at Bell Square again!

Image from LCDO - The Conference of the Birds, Bell Square Sat 24 May 2025, 9.30pm (Free to watch)

We’re back this Saturday for the start of the season. As ever, we’ll bring you a different show every other Saturday right through to the autumn – and we’ve got lots of amazing dance, circus, theatre and music lined up for you. As always, every show is completely free to come and watch.

This Saturday also launches Hounslow’s fabulous Summer of Culture festival. This is the fourth year we’ve had this explosion of culture around the borough and we can’t wait to see all the different things going on. And we are really excited that the show at Bell Square this Saturday will get the festival started.

It’s a rather special show that we have for you, too. It’s with our old friends Insectotropics from Barcelona, who have performed many times at Bell Square over the years. And we have commissioned this new show especially for Hounslow. This will be its premiere performance in the UK so you are going to be the very first to see it!  It is so new that, as I write this, the artists are still putting the finishing touches to it in their rehearsal space in Barcelona.

I can tell you, though, that the show is called LCDO The Conference of the Birds, based on the 12th century poem by Farid ud-Din Attar. This great mystical poem is among the most significant of all works of Persian literature and is concerned with the search for truth in our lives. It talks about the conference of all the birds of the world, when they meet to begin the search for their new king, the Simorgh bird. When hearing that to find him, they must embark on an arduous journey, the birds start to lose faith. But their leader, the Hoopoe bird, calms their fears and takes them on the search for spiritual truth.  This magnificent poem encourages us to seek self-awareness and understanding of the meaning of life.

Insectotropics have developed their interpretation of this poem, using their trademark mix of music, theatre, projections and live drawing and painting. Their shows are always epic – so we are all really excited to see it on Saturday night.  After Bell Square, it is already booked to perform at some of the most prestigious festivals in Europe. 

So come and join us at Bell Square - and support this wonderful company performing their new show for the very first time!

The show starts at 9.30 pm when it is dark and runs for 50 minutes.

CELEBRATE GIVING TUESDAY, 3 December 2024

Bell Square. Who’d have thought it? For 10 years, it’s had the very best outdoor performance, every other weekend through most of the year.  It’s the only permanent outdoor arts space in London. It’s acknowledged across Europe for its world-class artists.

And it’s in Hounslow, in our town centre.

Most importantly, it’s for Hounslow. For everyone in Hounslow. So, it’s free. Everyone can come, no matter their personal circumstances, no matter if they can afford to buy a ticket. They don’t need to.

With Giving Tuesday coming up on 3 December we wondered if some people would like to help us continue the programme. Giving Tuesday is a global campaign encouraging everybody to help local charities make even more of a difference.

At Bell Square, there’s always something different. It’s often a bit unexpected, but it’s always excellent – you tell us that, week in, week out. It might be jaw-dropping acrobatics from Kenya, thought-provoking dance from France, stunning silent theatre from Poland.

It’s always about the stories that affect us all.

And the things that bring us together.  It might be building a giant community sculpture together on the High Street, or a festival of South Asian music, or taking part in the lantern procession for Winter Lights every year.

All these things liven up the town centre, make it sociable and fun. People from all over Hounslow tell us that the events make them come to the town centre more often. And it’s nice that other people come to visit us from elsewhere, too.

At every event, you give us lovely feedback. “That was out of this world!” “It’s so nice to have lovely community things in Hounslow.”, “That was a truly wonderful way to spend my Saturday.”, “There were smiling happy faces everywhere you look”, “Thank you for making Hounslow beautiful”, “It’s like a Glastonbury Festival filled with love.”

However, although we don’t often talk about this, putting on these events is becoming even more expensive. We are a charity and reliant on the generous support of donors and supporters to help with these costs – so that we can keep the events free and for everyone.

Thank you to everyone who already supports the programme.

 If you enjoy the events and you’re able to, please make your donation this Giving Tuesday. Every contribution will help us to create special memories for you, your family and friends and for everyone.

Please use this link to make your DONATION

Bell Square is the creative heart of Hounslow – let’s keep it beating!

Warmest wishes

The Bell Square Team

FROM OUR ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: LET’S KEEP THE SUMMER GOING!

The Orchestre International du Vetex is a fabulous European street band and this Saturday, they’re coming to Bell Square. It’s the finale of Hounslow’s Summer of Culture festival and they’re going to kick up a party atmosphere.

What better way to wrap up the festival than with a street band! These bands are the sound of celebration from Brazil to New Orleans, from the Balkans to Delhi. Brass bands across the UK are part of this same tradition, from Cardiff to Saltire, from the Pennines to Omagh.

All these bands play music for everyone, music for the streets and public space. They’re there for parades, processions, weddings and funerals, for dancing, for protests, for display and for ceremony. These musicians take up their instruments to support the struggle against social injustice and to bring life and colour to the streets.

Orchestre International Du Vetex

Their history goes back to medieval times but over the last 25 years, there has been an explosion of street bands in Europe, and also in the US with a new wave of New Orleans bands.

Orchestre International du Vetex sprang up as part of this resurgence in Europe. The band has musicians from Belgium, France and the Balkans and this year, they celebrate their 20th birthday.

They play an electrifying combination of Latin-inspired Balkan music, mixed up with tarantella, polka or cumbia – all with a nice punky edge!

The sound of their trumpets, trombones, saxophones, accordion, sousaphone, bass drum and percussion will fill the town centre on Saturday 28 September at 8.00 pm.

Come and celebrate. There is still sunshine and joy in being together – let’s keep the summer going!

GUEST BLOG FROM JUSTICE IN MOTION - COUNTY LINES THE NUMBERS

This week our guest blogger is GILL JAGGERS, Marketing Manager for Justice in Motion, whose show CODE is performed Saturday 14 September

Innocent victims

The police face many difficult problems in identifying and locating county lines gangs and their operations.

Gangs recruit young people through social channels and use ‘burner’ or untraceable phones for sending messages. Children and young people act as mules and messengers, to avoid suspicion and keep senior gang members out of the spotlight. Children are cheap and will do as they’re told.

County lines distribution networks are set up away from home territory and spread all over the country (up to 90% of the police forces in the UK have tackled county lines in their area).

They will disguise their activity by stealing a house or ‘cuckooing’, usually keeping the home owner subdued by some form of coercion. This becomes the ‘trap house’ where drugs are sorted, weighed, packed and distributed.

Weapons are often involved, especially knives. The young people, sent out on errands may have a knife for ‘protection’ little realising that it has the opposite effect. Police state that you are three times more likely to be stabbed if you go out carrying a knife.

All of these actions are criminal offences.

CODE performance in Bicester 2024, photo by: Michael Lynch

CRIMINAL GANGS

The police face many difficult problems in identifying and locating county lines gangs and their operations.

Gangs recruit young people through social channels and use ‘burner’ or untraceable phones for sending messages. Children and young people act as mules and messengers, to avoid suspicion and keep senior gang members out of the spotlight. Children are cheap and will do as they’re told.

County lines distribution networks are set up away from home territory and spread all over the country (up to 90% of the police forces in the UK have tackled county lines in their area).

They will disguise their activity by stealing a house or ‘cuckooing’, usually keeping the home owner subdued by some form of coercion. This becomes the ‘trap house’ where drugs are sorted, weighed, packed and distributed.

Weapons are often involved, especially knives. The young people, sent out on errands may have a knife for ‘protection’ little realising that it has the opposite effect. Police state that you are three times more likely to be stabbed if you go out carrying a knife.

All of these actions are criminal offences.

CODE, performance in Bicester 2024, photo by: Michael Lynch

KNIFE CRIME AND YOUNG PEOPLE

The criminal gangs are like a many headed hydra – close one down and another pops up elsewhere. In 2019 the Home Office launched the County Lines Programme. At the start of the programme it was believed that there were at least 1,000 county lines running in the UK.

Since 2019:

5,627 lines have been closed

16,536 arrests have been made

8,817 individuals have been referred to safeguarding

Today:

46,000 young people are believed to be involved in county lines

1 in 5 boys are being offered work inside a county lines operation

Over the past few years thousands of young people have attended presentations at school assemblies such as those that Justice in Motion are hosting during the current tour of CODE. This is where they learn about the dangers of county lines, knife crime and criminal gangs.

Data from – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-offices-county-lines-programme-data/county-lines-programme-data

As always, it’s free, you don’t need a ticket and everyone is welcome!

As always, it’s free, you don’t need a ticket and everyone is welcome!

So please join us for CODE by Justice in Motion, Saturday 14 September, 1pm & 4pm

Justice in Motion created CODE to draw attention to County Lines and knife crime and how they affect young people. Those who have seen the show comment that the main character Nicki has a story that is highly relatable and a timely warning for all.

You might know someone like Nicki. Nicki could be a member of your family, a neighbour, yourself. CODE shows how easy it can be to become embroiled in a criminal gang and the statistics reveal how difficult it can be to get out of such a dangerous situation.

Justice in Motion have launched an app for audiences to find out more about the issues, facts and figures, where to find support and helplines for victims, those at risk, and their families or friends.

CODEperformance in Oxford, 2023, photo by Isha Photography

Download the app

FROM OUR ARTISTIC DIRECTOR – JOIN US ROUND THE CAMPFIRE FOR AN EPIC HORROR STORY!

Nikki & JD are Nikki Rummer and Jean-Daniel Brousse who work together as an acrobatic duo. This Saturday, they invite you to join them round the campfire for an awesome, ancient, epic horror story.

Since starting out together in 2016, Nikki & JD have made 3 incredibly successful shows – Knot, Unbroken and (le) Pain. All these shows were made for indoors and all of them came to our theatre at Watermans in Brentford. Unbroken was actually made at Watermans before going off on tour.

So when they wanted to make a show for the outdoors, we were excited to continue working with them – and so Fireside comes to Bell Square this Saturday evening.

I recently met up with Nikki to talk about how it has been for them making their first outdoor show.

Jan: Although your 3 shows together as Nikki & JD have all been indoor shows, have either of you ever

actually performed outdoors before?

Nikki: Well. We did both perform outside together once. I was performing as a goat and had to go up a ladder and do a handstand. JD just held the ladder. It was a comedy-filled moment but our previous experience is quite minimal!

Jan: So, you’ve made this show and done a few performances now – how’s it been going?

Nikki: It’s been great, we’ve been really loving it. At the performances, we see different audiences than you see indoors in a theatre. People come and talk to you after the show! In a theatre, it can feel more of a transaction - you do the show, they sit and watch, and then they leave. Outdoors, you have to work at it a bit more. You get more scepticism, you have to win the audience over - but you also get more enthusiasm from the audience.

As a performer, there’s also more to contend with when you’re performing outside, variables that you can’t control – like the weather, or dogs getting on stage. Outdoor performance feels more real and immediate for that.

Jan: Where did the idea for this show come from?

Nikki: Well, we wanted to do something with fire and something outdoors. The idea of gathering around a fire takes us back to the origins of theatre, where people would gather round to hear a story. This feels very natural, very human, an historic way of making connections between people. You know, without all the modern trappings of digital technology, screens, audio-visual effects or whatever, everything is boiled down to just a really good story.

So we wanted to find a story that we could base the show on, and bring in these ideas about people gathering together as the central theme.

Jan: So were you looking for an existing story?

Nikki: Yes – although there weren’t many that we could find that were based on these ideas and themes that we wanted to do. But then we thought of Beowulf.

Jan: Beowulf is an incredibly old folk tale, with many people thinking that it dates back to the 8th century. It’s about this incredible hero, Beowulf, who travels great distances to prove his strength and slay all kinds of demons and great beasts. He travels to help the King of the Danes who has been plagued by attacks on his court by a monster, Grendel. After a violent tussle, Beowulf kills the monster.

The following night, though, the monster’s mother, angry at her son’s death, sets out for revenge – and kills the leader of the king’s warriors. The warriors, of course, are enraged and track down the monster’s mother to her lair. Beowulf finally gets the better of her and kills her.

Beowulf returns home and many years later becomes the king of his own people. One day, someone steals a golden cup from the den of a dragon. The dragon is furious and leaves his den, burning everything in sight. Beowulf and his warriors go to deal with the dragon, but Beowulf tells his men that he will fight the dragon alone. Eventually he kills the dragon but he is mortally wounded himself and also dies.

This is a very big story – what have you taken from it for the show?

Nikki: It’s a story of revenge at heart. It’s also about how we feel about the night, how we feel about fear. But underneath it all, it’s also about how we think about the ‘other’ – in this case, the monster, but really about people who are different from ourselves. When we see the mother seek revenge for her son’s death, it makes the monster seem more relatable, it maybe makes us reflect on how we perceive people who we think are different or ‘other’.

Jan: So how have you incorporated these ideas into the show?

Nikki: Well, it’s circus. It’s got a real old-world folk atmosphere about it. Some of the show is absurd and silly. But there’s also a tension there and sometimes it drops into dark moments. Children have said to us after a performance that it’s scary but not too much - not terrifying!

In the show, we never actually see the monster and because you can’t see it, it feels more ominous. This is about our own personal perspectives, though - that tend to come out of our own cultural

ideas about what is a monster, what is fearsome.

Jan: Thank you so much, Nikki – it’s going to be great. I can’t wait to see it at Bell Square on Saturday! Come and join us round the campfire for this modern re-telling of the ancient epic, Beowulf. The performance starts at 8.00 pm, as it starts to get dark…

As always, it’s free, you don’t need a ticket and everyone is welcome.

FROM OUR ARTISTIC DIRECTOR - SUMMER SHOWS FROM CHALON

Our next events at Bell Square feature 2 wonderful companies from France – Le Grand Jeté and (the fabulously named) Collectif Fearless Rabbits.

I love chatting with people at Bell Square, talking about the shows and what everybody thought about them.

A question I’m regularly asked is, ‘Where do you find all these shows?’ Most of the shows, I will have seen at festivals. There are hundreds of festivals of outdoor arts and performance all over the world, but especially in Europe. Each festival has its own strengths and specialisms, of course, and there are certain ones that are particularly good for the type of shows we present at Bell Square.

There are, however, a couple of huge festivals of outdoor arts which programmers looking for shows for their own locations will visit regularly. ‘Fira Tarrega’ in Spain and ‘Chalon Dans La Rue’ in France are the hypermarkets of outdoor performance.

Chalon is a very small city in Eastern France. Every year, its festival, Chalon Dans La Rue – or Chalon in the Street – offers 5 days of outdoor performance. The festival tries to create a dialogue between artists, the city and the public about what is going on in the world. Typically, 150 companies will take part, turning this small city into a monumental stage. There will be 1000 performances running from 8.00 in the morning through to 3.00 the following morning. It’s a crazy schedule but you certainly see plenty of shows!

As the middle and south of France sweltered in a blistering heatwave last year, the 2023 festival was one I won’t forget. Rushing around the city from one show to the next seemed demanding enough – but think of the dancers and circus artists performing in 40 degrees!

There were many, many wonderful shows and you will see some of them at Bell Square in the years to come. Two of them, you will see this month. Both have dance at their heart but that is where the similarity ends.

On Saturday 3 August, Le Grand Jete bring their show, Repliques. Two dancer-acrobats are propelled around a circular stage, initially competing with or imitating each other but gradually realising that they can do so much more if they work together.  It’s a fun, engaging show by 2 excellent performers. As I sat in a park in Chalon last year – yes, in 40 degrees – I thought that our audiences at Bell Square would love this. You can thank me on Saturday.

And on Saturday 17 August, Collectif Fearless Rabbits perform R.L.M. – or Rapid Life Movement. A solo male dancer performs inside an open cube structure, avoiding the ever-present danger of fast-moving metal shards. The piece is a response to the terror attacks at the Bataclan theatre and other sites in Paris in 2015. It looks at how a place can seem dangerous and deadly on one day and then calm and spiritual on another.  The artist describes making the piece as a catharsis after the horror of the attacks. However, it also offers the public a possibility for meditation on the transformation of the place, not least because of the ghosts who will always remain there. This is a striking, powerful and emotional performance – not to be missed.

Come and join us for both of these very different shows from last year’s edition of Chalon Dans La Rue!

Le Grand Jete perform twice, at 1.00 pm and again at 3.00 pm, on Saturday 3 August.

Collectif Fearless Rabbits also perform twice, at 3.00 pm and again at 7.00 pm, on Saturday 17 August.

Look forward to seeing you there!

FROM OUR ARTISTIC DIRECTOR : NEW BRITISH ASIAN MUSIC HITS BELL SQUARE

This weekend, Anhad returns for its third year. Hounslow’s festival of South Asian outdoor arts has been a hit since it started.  It showcases some of the most interesting and exciting artists, placing them full centre in the High Street, and inviting everyone in our community to come and enjoy.

This year, the focus is music – a fantastic mix of live artists and DJs through the afternoon and evening.  

South Asian artists have been underrepresented in mainstream music for decades, despite pioneering new genres and styles. Things are changing, however, and over the last few years, there has been a global rise of South Asian music.  

Big changes at the world’s most famous music festivals have been a revelation. Many have been renowned for their predominantly white male headliners for years.  Coachella, the US’s flagship music festival in the Southern Californian desert, drew acclaim last year for its presentation of Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh and Pakistani singer Ali Sethi. The festival followed up this year with AP Dhillon and rapper Nav, as well as Carnatic musician, Sid Sriram.

Then a few weeks ago, Glastonbury made news with the launch of Arrivals, a new dedicated space for South Asian music within the famous Shangri-la area of the festival. This was not a one-night performance but a celebration of music genres from across the entire South Asian region throughout the whole festival. Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Nepalese, Sri Lankan artists played electronic, dance, house, techno, sometimes interwoven with bhangra and Bollywood. Globally-known artists like DJ Ritu and Bobby Friction headlined different nights. And the younger generation were there in force – Gracie T, Anish Kumar, Nikki Nair, Nabihah Iqbal and many more.

In the UK, this boom in Asian music has been driven by the long, determined efforts of people like Bobby Friction and his Going South festivals and events. But more recent collectives of younger British Asian creatives have also had a significant impact with groups like Daytimers and Dialled In bringing a new energy to the scene.

Anhad 2024 will celebrate and showcase this stream of new, contemporary, authentic British Asian culture for all to enjoy.

There will be sets from DJ Rizmi, Shifa Ligero and DJ Priya. And there will be live performances from Tommy Khosla, Shivum Sharma, Jitwam and Karma Sheen.

It will be immense.

It’s on from 3.00 pm to 10.00 pm, Saturday 20 July.  That’s right – 7 hours of fabulous music.  You don’t need a ticket and it’s free for everyone – just turn up and join us.

Where else are you going on Saturday?   

Rizmi, DJ

DJ Priya

Shifa Ligero, DJ

Shivum Sharma

FROM OUR ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: BELL SQUARE’S 10TH BIRTHDAY

Ten years ago, in June 2014, Bell Square was born! It was London’s only purpose-designed space for outdoor performance - and it still is!  

A few events on Hounslow High Street had proved very popular and, at the same time, the town centre was due to have a make-over. We had pitched the rather bold idea that the redevelopment of the High Street should include a permanent outdoor arts space, capable of presenting the best of international performance, similar to many of the most exciting squares across Europe. Hounslow Council and the Greater London Authority, who were funding the works in the town centre, supported the idea in a really quite visionary way.

Whilst attracting visitors to the town centre from elsewhere would always be positive, Bell Square was designed for Hounslow.  It is unusual in having a regular programme of events – rather than a festival for a few days each year – so local people could enjoy performances throughout the summer.  It was always going to focus on bringing our many different communities together to experience something special together.

And its name, of course, reflects exactly where it is – next to Bell Corner, Bell Road, The Bell pub, and with the old bell still standing at the entrance to the Square. The history of this area dates back centuries. As the old stage coaches travelled from the south west up to York, the bell signalled to them to stop at the toll gate. Highwaymen lived on Hounslow Heath and lurked nearby to stop and rob the stage coaches as they slowed for the toll point.

One of Hounslow’s most notorious highwaymen was the Frenchman, Claude Duval. Reputedly, he held up the coaches and insisted that the ladies stepped out and danced with him, before robbing their husbands and sending them on their way.

Hounslow’s new outdoor performance space could only ever have been called Bell Square. And the ritual of ringing the bell for 5 minutes is a regular signal to everyone ‘in the know’ that a performance is about to begin.

That opening night, back in June 2014, was wonderful. As with most building projects, I remember chasing the builders and their bulldozers off the Square just hours before the first performance was due to start. But it was a beautiful summer evening and the French dance company, Bilbobasso, performed their extraordinary fire show, with sparks and pyrotechnics lighting up the High Street like never before.

At the time, few people ventured into Hounslow town centre after 6.00 pm. Once the shops shut, a fairly rough atmosphere prevailed. Everyone told us that nobody would come to a performance in Hounslow town centre at night. But they were wrong. On that first night, at 10.00pm, the first show started - and the new Bell Square was packed.

People say that the events changed people’s perception of the town centre and made it feel ok to come to the High Street at night. There have certainly been many, many night-time shows and they have all been very popular.

They have also made the High Street feel like a social place, somewhere to meet people and just hang out. As high streets across the country have changed over the past decade, the events at Bell Square have been an important anchor for Hounslow town centre, its residents and its visitors.

Firebirds and Flame Flowers present Pyrodise

This Saturday, we celebrate Bell Square’s 10th birthday. And, mirroring the fabulous Bilbobasso performance on that first June night, what better than another stunning fire show!

Welcome the equally wonderful Firebirds from Hungary with their gorgeous fire and circus show, Pyrodise.

Come and celebrate Bell Square’s 10th birthday!  Pyrodise starts at 9.30pm when it is dark and the fire looks its most spectacular.  As always, you don’t need a ticket and it’s free for everyone – just turn up and join us.

FROM OUR ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: SUMMER SEASON PREVIEW

Hello Hounslow! We are so looking forward to being back at Bell Square with you this Saturday!

Unboxed by Linden Dance Company

We love the arrival of Spring, the warmer days and the excitement of the first outdoor performances of the year.  And this year, we are really excited because it’s Bell Square’s 10th birthday!

Not only that, Hounslow is having a fabulous Summer of Culture festival again. So this year is going to be PARTY YEAR at Bell Square!

We have lots of amazing performances lined up for you, with artists from all over the UK and from many, many different countries. France, Italy and Spain you’ve probably come to expect, but we’ll also welcome new artists from Hungary, Lithuania, Canada and the US. There will be dance, theatre, circus, music and a fabulous big fire show in this international programme.

All the events are really relaxed and everyone is welcome. We’re making the High Street social.

So come on down and let’s have a wonderful summer on the High Street!

Read on for what’s coming up in the spring and summer!

May

Starting off the season for us is Linden Dance from Birmingham with their show, Unboxed.  This is a high-energy duo with great music and merging Afro-fusion and contemporary dance.

June

Saturday 8th June is Bell Square’s actual 10th birthday and we will be celebrating with the wonderful Firebirds from Hungary. They are going to perform Pyrodise which is an amazing fire, dance and circus show. It happens in the evening once it has gone dark so the fire is really spectacular.

Later in June, we’ll have Streets Alive! Artists from Italy, Catalonia and the US will be at Bell Square and along the High Street. When we launched this full-day event last year, you told us that you loved it so it’s back - with lots of activities for everyone to take part in.

July

Bell Square favourites, Company Chameleon, return in July with Amaranthine.  This will be the 4th visit by this popular urban dance company from Manchester.

Then at the end of July, Anhad returns. Showcasing South Asian outdoor artists, this event always rocks the High Street and this year it will have a music theme. DJs and live music will fill Bell Square through the afternoon and evening.

August

August has a French feel. We start the month with contemporary dance-circus artists, Le Grand Jete. Two acrobats continually try to out-do each other on moving platforms before coming together so they can achieve more.  

Mid-month, Collectif Fearless Rabbits bring their dance theatre show, RLM (Rapid Life Movement). It’s a moving performance, created in response to the terrorist attacks in Paris on 13 November 2015. It’s a catharsis, a space to meditate, and to hope.

August is also a bumper month with 3 events. On the bank holiday weekend, we welcome Nikki & JD to Bell Square. Whilst they are based in London, one half of this extraordinary duo, JD – Jean-Daniel – is also French. In Fireside, their first show for the outdoors, they create a dark, comic and physically dangerous retelling of that ancient epic, Beowulf – all around a campfire.

Come and celebrate the start of summer with us this Saturday, 25 May!  Don’t miss Linden Dance at 1.30pm or again at 4.00pm.  You don’t need a ticket and it’s free for everyone – just turn up and join us.

FROM OUR ARTISTIC DIRECTOR : STRONG & DISTINCTIVE POLISH THEATRE

On Saturday, Polish company, Teatr KTO, return to Bell Square with their latest show, Arcadia.

The theatre company was set up in Krakow in 1977 by Jerzy Zon, who is still their director to this day. Over four decades, they have toured the world with an astonishing repertoire of both indoor and outdoor shows. In addition, every summer, they organise an excellent festival of outdoor performance called Ulica – or ‘Street’ in English. And since 2021, they have had their own ‘home’ venue in the Podgórze district of the city. This is a busy and very respected theatre company.

In Poland, there are public, repertory theatre companies in almost every big city – with a fixed group of actors and directors working full-time for the company, and accompanied by permanent technicians and set designers. The stability this brings to the companies leads to outstanding artistic achievement and also the time to experiment with new ideas. Typically, these companies have a very distinct artistic vision and a strong theatrical style.

This permanent cast of employed actors also enables them to maintain a repertory of dozens of shows which they present throughout the year – and generally, these shows are kept in repertory for many years. But they are also committed to creating new shows to add to their repertoire, usually developed by the company’s director with input from the actors during rehearsals.

This is all very different from the theatre sector in the UK and most of the Western world. Here, a company will recruit a group of actors for a specific show, paying them for the exact number of rehearsals and performances that they will be needed for. So for each new show that a UK theatre company creates, they will probably have a completely different group of people working together.

There are, of course, advantages and disadvantages to both approaches. And both of these approaches are actually under pressure. Many years of static funding in the UK has eaten into the value of investment into the country’s theatre. And in Poland, since the political transformation and the introduction of capitalism in 1989, economic pressures have also affected the model of permanently-employed actors.

But Teatr KTO and many other companies have successfully navigated these changes and maintain their core group of performers and their large repertoire of touring shows. Teatr KTO regularly perform four outdoor shows (in addition to many more indoor productions). I have seen all four, and they all display this fundamental quality and distinctiveness. Regular audiences at Bell Square will remember their visit in 2022 with Peregrinus, an extraordinary depiction of a single day in the life of the contemporary ‘everyman’ in which it is so easy to become subsumed in capitalist and corporate cultures.

The show on Saturday, Arcadia, is equally distinctive but very different to Peregrinus. It is a look at the big moments of life – new arrivals, starting school, leaving home, weddings, having children (new arrivals again), getting old, and funerals – and how we reflect on them. It’s a strong show, very poignant at times, but also with lots of humour.

These comments from a review of Arcadia by Piotr Gaszczyński describe beautifully the strengths of the show and how they come directly from this strong tradition of Polish theatre making:

The strength of KTO’s latest premiere is the group. The team creating “Arcadia” works like a well-oiled machine.

“Arcadia” is a short, intense spectacle that breaks the viewers out of the traditional reception of a theatrical performance.

Come and see for yourself at Bell Square on Saturday. The performance is at 2.00 pm. As always, it’s free, no need to book, and everybody’s welcome.

Hope to see you there!

FROM OUR ARTISTIC DIRECTOR : Pelat

Every year, the international programme of outdoor arts at Bell Square includes shows from Catalonia in north-east Spain. This Saturday, Joan Catala comes to Hounslow for the first time with his performance, Pelat.

Catalonia is one of the world’s most established regions for outdoor arts and produces generation after generation of extraordinary artists. It has a strong regional identity and culture is a huge part of this. Even though this identity has been built over thousands of years, just think of some of the more recent cultural icons from this region. The art and design from Joan Miro and Salvador Dali. The highly distinctive architecture of Antoni Gaudi which makes Barcelona the city it is.

It's also about outdoor arts and performance, ancient and modern. The famous La Patum, the grand festival of fire during which mythical and symbolic animals dance and jump to a constant rhythm, surrounded by smoke and fire, sweat and heat, music and shouting. Or the ‘castells’ - the human towers - where people stand on each others’ shoulders, up to 10 people high. With this heritage, it is unsurprising that Catalonia is host to some of the most interesting outdoor arts festivals in Europe – Fira Tarrega is renowned, others such as Sismograf and Trapezi are world-leaders in their fields of outdoor dance and circus, respectively. These festivals continue local traditions but also support new artists to develop and present their work.

Joan Catala, performing at Bell Square this Saturday, is a typical example of this supportive, outdoor arts environment. He was born and grew up in Barcelona, the region’s capital city. From the age of 16, he attended specialist art school and college there, before subsequently undertaking further training in Madrid and Moscow. He has studied dance, physical theatre, acrobatics and clown and his work now is a complex and satisfying mix of all these artforms.

Having then performed with many high-profile companies in Catalonia and further afield, he started to develop his own work in 2012. He was especially interested in the street and urban landscapes and his first work was Pelat. It was supported in his home region and had its premiere performance at Fira Tarrega, the festival I mentioned earlier. I saw that performance and I was completely taken by how supportive and appreciative that local audience was, too.

The show has now been touring for 10 years, which is a sign of a very strong show. This year alone, it has already toured around Spain and visited France, Italy, Portugal and Lithuania before it comes to Bell Square this weekend.

Importantly and perhaps unsurprisingly, heritage and cultural identity plays a strong role in Joan Catala’s work, including Pelat. In a review by Dance Art Journal (1 October 2023), he discusses ‘his relationship to the lineage of craftsmanship in his family and how it informs his work’. He also shared: ‘My great-grandfather, my father and my brother are blacksmiths. I learnt the trade out of obligation and without much enthusiasm. When I started with the performing arts, I realised that my way of understanding physical dialogue and my relationship to everything that appeared on stage (objects, people, environment) was always with a curious and artisanal look. Craftsmanship is the layer that colours my work.’

Indeed, with each new location he visits to perform Pelat, he asks for a long piece of wood to be ready for him the day before the performance. He then spends hours carefully, meticulously, carving and shaping the wood into the handcrafted pole which you will see is the central object in the show.

Come and see Pelat at Bell Square on Saturday. The performance is at 2.00 pm. As always, it’s free, no need to book, and everybody’s welcome.

Hope to see you there!

FROM OUR ARTISTIC DIRECTOR : MOVING POLES

On Saturday, Belgian company Cirq’ulation Locale will perform their show, Moving Poles, at Bell Square.  The show uses sway poles which probably aren’t familiar to many people. So what is a sway pole?

 Essentially, it is a very long pole, standing high in the air.  A performer, at the top of the pole, makes the pole sway in all directions, high and low, swooping above the audience. There is no machinery here, no clever hydraulics or helping hands controlling it. All the movement is down to the performer. Meshing aerial theatre, dance and circus, the extreme strength and flexibility of the pole allows the performer to sway back and forth, bowing down low to the audience and soaring up high into the sky.

 It's been said that sway poles are based on the image of a field of wheat moving gently in the breeze. I was reminded of that this summer, watching a beautiful show called RoZeO by the legendary company Gratte Ciel in France. Performed on grassy fields by the river in Chalon-sur-Saone, it was easy to get lost in the rhythm of the swaying poles.

 Sway poles are also often used in large-scale events to provide a real wow-factor – and they do. Remember the London Paralympic Opening Ceremony in 2012? Or Australia’s entry for the Eurovision contest accompanying Kate Miller Heidke’s Zero Gravity in 2019?

 But for me, they are at their most mesmerising when you can be up close to them. The suspension and the slow oscillations invite a real contemplation.

 Cirq’ulation Locale do both. They definitely have the wow-factor but their performance is also a living installation to be observed and appreciated.

 A recent review of a sway pole show in France last year described it as being ‘like living statues soaring between heaven and earth’ (Nord Éclair).

 Come to Bell Square on Saturday and relax and reflect. There are two performances – at 1.00 pm and again at 3.00 pm. As always, it’s free, no need to book, and everybody’s welcome.

 Hope to see you there!

FROM OUR ARTISTIC DIRECTOR – AUTUMN SEASON PREVIEW

We may be heading towards autumn but we still have a whole host of exciting, world-class outdoor shows coming to Bell Square.

We’ve got fabulous artists bringing dance, aerial performance, thought-provoking theatre and spectacular circus – from Warwick in the UK and from Belgium, Catalonia and Poland.

Come and join us! We’re at Bell Square every other Saturday through to the winter. Here’s a taste of what’s to come during the autumn.

September

In September, Motionhouse return with WILD, an extraordinary show mixing dance, acrobatics and circus. Performed on a forest of tall poles, the show is about our relationship with nature, especially in the urban environment. In our modern lives, is the wild still shaping our behaviour?

Next up are some more tall poles - but these are Moving Poles by Belgian circus company, Cirq’ulation Locale! Two graceful performers sway high in the air, creating an enchanting and romantic spectacle.

October

Pelat is the first solo show by Catalan artist, Joan Catala, created in 2013. Still touring the world 10 years later, it blurs the lines between dance, circus and theatre and also between the show and the audience. It’s funny and engaging, and every performance is different because of the interaction with the audience. The last time I saw this show was in Krakow, and I nearly cried laughing at the interaction between the artist and a dog in the audience! What will happen in Hounslow?

Staying with Krakow, at the end of the month, one of Poland’s legendary outdoor theatre companies, Teatr KTO, return to Bell Square with their latest show, Arcadia. The show looks back at life, its big moments, its memories. It is a simple, innocent, poignant reflection of everything that is most cruel and beautiful in earthly life.

There will be more to follow, through into the winter!

Come and see us at Bell Square on Saturday – Motionhouse will be performing Wild at 1pm, and then again at 4pm. As always, it’s free and everyone’s welcome. See you there!

A CONVERSATION WITH MIRA KAUSHIK ABOUT ANHAD 2023

My Tiger Janu by Chila Kumari Singh Burman

On Saturday 12 August, Hounslow High Street will once again buzz with the sounds and colour of Anhad. This exciting festival of South Asian outdoor arts will burst onto the scene, showcasing a wonderful mix of music, dance, installations and theatre for everyone to enjoy.

Anhad means ‘limitless’ in English and reflects the broad range of arts presented in the festival. The idea for Anhad was developed by Bell Square London in partnership with local arts curator, Mira Kaushik. Mira has a longstanding love of outdoor arts and brings that passion to the festival’s programme.

Recently, I caught up with Mira to chat about what brought her to working on Anhad.

Jan:

Mira, you’ve told me before that outdoor arts have really always been part of your life.

Mira:

Yes, some of my earliest memories are of unconventional performances going right back to when I was just 3 years of age. I was besotted by the ballerina on the swing and a performing bear at a circus in Belgrade where I was born. Later on, I moved to a remote town in Madhya Pradesh in India, where I grew up seeing folk theatre like Nautanki and street performers like Bahurupias, the quick-change impressionist artists so widespread at the time. There were so many vivid, tribal performance traditions rooted in the State and they all instilled a love of outdoor performance in me.

Jan:

And was it this that made you decide to go in to drama?

Well, I moved to Delhi in the seventies and this just opened a new world for me. I found myself performing in the large-scale, Russian-style theatre shows being presented by my school at the city's National Stadium. Then in my late teens, I went to college, still in Delhi, and became aware of the hugely influential theatre director and writer, Guru Badal Sircar - he was the champion of modern political and intellectual physical theatre in India. He also took theatre out into the public arena and pioneered contemporary theatre in courtyards, parks and in the streets with the audience sitting all around.

Jan:

And how did all these experiences influence your own work?

Mira:

It was many years later. I’d moved to the UK and, by this time, was Director of Akademi, the South Asian Dance organisation based in North London. It was Akademi’s 21st birthday which gave us the opportunity to work with 100 dancers to create a stunning outdoor dance performance on the terraces of the Southbank Centre. It was called Coming of Age, because of Akademi’s 21st, but it was also a celebration of where the South Asian dance scene had got to by then. It was seen by 1000s of people and, politically, it gave visibility and a whole new confidence to the Indian dance sector.

Having had such a success, our ambition grew, and a couple of years later, we ended up creating Escapade, which was even bigger than Coming of Age. Akademi has continued producing outdoor arts shows ever since which has taken dance to thousands of people. Bell Square was our partner and collaborator for many of these creative endeavours and audiences here may remember Akademi shows like Sufi:Zen and Paradiso in years gone by.

Jan:

And in fact, back in 2009, Akademi’s Initium was the very first outdoor arts show we did on Hounslow High Street. It was the first of a series of pop-up events that, by 2014, led to the development of Bell Square!

But back to Anhad! Mira, maybe you could tell us why this festival is so important for Outdoor Arts in the UK.

Mira:

After leaving Akademi in 2020, I realised that there were very few South Asian artists and companies, across all the different artforms, presenting their work outdoors. Many of the outdoor arts festivals didn’t really include many South Asian artists, either. Dance was definitely ahead of the game but other sectors like theatre or visual arts were not represented actively. I talked about this with Bell Square and we agreed to do something about it.

And so in 2022, we did Anhad. It’s a festival of outdoor contemporary arts at Bell Square, which is not a Mela. Hounslow Council and the National Lottery Community Fund supported it and it was hailed as one of the top ten festivals of outdoor arts in 2022. This year, we have additional funding from Arts Council England, so it will be bigger! I am so pleased that this collaboration is already doing so much for South Asian arts.

Jan:

I’m also really looking forward to seeing where Anhad gets to in another few years’ time. In the meantime, though, it’s also such a great day in Hounslow – it has such a lovely festival feel with performances of all different types going on through the day, wrapping up late in the evening with star DJ, Indian Man. And looking on throughout the day will be Chila Burman’s famous My Tiger Janu.

It will be a really amazing day – please come and join us. It starts at 3.00 pm and goes on through to 10.00 pm. As always at Bell Square, every performance is free and everyone is welcome!

FROM OUR ARTISTIC DIRECTOR : FREERUNNING AT BELL SQUARE

This Saturday at Bell Square, Compagnie Yann Lheureux from France bring us their show, Flagrant Delire. In English, this translates as something like ‘audacious frenzy’. It’s a freerunning show on a large scaffolding structure, based on the story of Icarus. In Greek mythology, the story goes that Icarus was imprisoned with his father in a labyrinth on the island of Crete. His father was a skilled craftsman and built wings made of feathers and wax so that the two of them could try to escape from the labyrinth by flying out of it. Warning his son Icarus not to fly too high and close to the sun, they took flight. But overwhelmed by the exhilaration of flying, Icarus ignored his father’s warning, soaring ever higher. When the sun melted the wax in his wings, he fell into the sea and drowned. The story serves as a cautionary reminder of the dangers of arrogance and audacity.

Flagrant Delire is based on this idea of trying to fly. The performer makes repeated attempts to fly but gravity always pulls him back down to the ground again. The effort is intense. In the end, he attaches his wings and makes one final attempt.

The story is told through freerunning, an athletic and acrobatic discipline that combines elements of both sport and artistic performance. Freerunning evolved from parkour, a system for efficiently and practically moving past a series of obstacles. Parkour has its roots in South East Asian martial arts and influenced the French military forces in the First Indochina War in the 1940s and ‘50s. It was then used widely for military training. It gained public popularity, though, when it was heavily featured by Jackie Chan in his Hong Kong action movies and was also evident in the films of Bruce Lee.

Freerunning, though, places greater emphasis on artistic expression and creativity, allowing performers to move more fluidly in their environment. It was developed by Sebastian Foucan who wanted to create a discipline that was more personal and adaptable, that allowed for more individual expression and creativity in movement.

Freerunning can incorporate stylish flips, tricks and acrobatics, setting it apart from parkour's focus on practical and efficient movement. Performers draw inspiration from sports like gymnastics, tricking, and breakdancing, enabling them to create their own unique moves and flows in different environments. Freerunning quickly became a dynamic blend of athleticism, artistry and personal expression. Its emphasis on creativity made it a compelling and visually stunning discipline which gained popularity through founder Sébastien Foucan’s appearances in films such as Casino Royale and Madonna’s Confessions Tour.

In Yann Lheureux’s Flagrant Delire show, the large scaffolding structure simulates the challenging urban environment where freerunning usually takes place. As the performer jumps and runs effortlessly on and around the structure, it creates the audacious frenzy leading to the moment when Icarus attempts to fly.

Come and see this acrobat of urban space on Saturday 29 July at Bell Square! The performance is at 2.00 pm. As always, it’s free, no need to book, and everybody’s welcome.

Look forward to seeing you there!

FROM OUR MARKETING DIRECTOR : Streets Alive! Street Games Saturday 15 July 2023

This week, Bell Square is packed with performances and activities throughout the day from 10am – 5pm. We have a bit of a Catalan theme as two of the three artists come from Catalunya and overall, their performances create a sense that working together, playing together and being kind to each other is the best approach to life. This is your chance to get hands on with some truly interactive performances. Contemporary culture loves stories about objects that have perhaps been abandoned but with a bit of imagination are repurposed to find a new lease of life.

There are three very different sets of artists contributing to the day:

DIANA GADISH comes from Catalunya and her performance HANDLE WITH CARE performs a street show with a tender message - that we should all take care of each other. Artist Diana Gadish brings her charming show to Hounslow for everyone to enjoy. Prepare to be surprised and delighted as you help an enchanting yet unconfident character to face her fears and start a party that everyone is invited to.

Along the High Street, A Bird in the Hand theatre from the UK are presenting THE BEWONDERMENT MACHINE. A wooden structure, The Bewonderment Machine Is an artist-built cycle-powered carousel, a kinetic public sculpture and also a magical journey for small children - 2-6 years. Visually, this is a quirky dreamscape, combining found objects, puppetry, machinery and music. Up to ten people can ride the carousel at one time - a miniature theatrical flight of the imagination, empowering the very young to care, to be curious and to believe in their own strength. Don’t just stand there help to power it and as you drive the turning carousel enjoy the delight on the riders faces.

Throughout the day, in two sessions with a break between 1pm and 2pm GUIXOT DE 8 from Catalunya present their STREET GAMES. These are fun, interactive games for everyone that have delighted audiences at in streets and squares in 40 countries across the world for over twenty-five years. Created in Catalunya, the weird and wonderful kit for the games is made from everyday objects, recycled through sheer imagination to create this unique series of interactive treats. You never know, their use of everyday objects may inspire you. Their collection of makeshift games is made from recyclable pieces of metal, plastic and wood to create innovative and exciting toys, 

As they say: “We are the ones who think that imagination is one of the few things that differentiates us from the rest of living beings and that, at the same time, is the motor that makes us move forward. That’s why this collection of street games is made the way it is. To pay tribute to all those people who throughout history have stood out for their imagination and have left their mark on the history of art, literature, cinema, science or gastronomy. Many of the games in this collection have a human form and are dedicated to people without whom the world would be a little worse. See who you can spot!”

Because the performances take place in an open space they allow anyone to join in and experience the fun first hand, free of charge. The programme actively encourages everyone to participate.

Streets Alive! goes beyond the conventional notion of a performance by actively involving the audience in the performances. The interactive nature of the program creates a dynamic and immersive experience, where visitors become an integral part of the art. 

Come and see Streets Alive! on Saturday 15 July at Bell Square! There are performances and activities happening throughout the day, from 10am – 5pm.

Diana Gadish (Catalan) - 1pm & 3.30pm

A Bird in the Hand Theatre (UK) 12pm, 1.45pm & 4.15pm

Guixot 8 (Catalan) - 10am - 1pm, 2pm - 5pm

Everybody’s welcome.

Look forward to seeing you there!

FROM OUR ARTISTIC DIRECTOR : MOROCCAN CIRCUS COMES TO BELL SQUARE

This week, Bell Square takes part in Shubbak, London’s festival of contemporary Arab culture. Shubbak, which means ‘window’ in Arabic, celebrates the diversity of new and established Arab artists at venues across London. 

This year, the festival asked itself, ‘Why do we do art?’ Their answer is that in this post-Covid world, art can help us engage with seismic issues such as the climate emergency, misogyny, racism and other topics that are of global concern. 

The underlying theme of all the shows at Bell Square is ‘stories that affect us all’ – and what the Shubbak festival offers us is the chance to look at these stories through an Arab lens.

Taroo

This year, the Shubbak festival brings us Taroo, a show telling stories from the streets. The show combines circus, acrobatics, magic and urban street dance. Through stunts and comedy, it celebrates the bin workers and refuse collectors, often from immigrant backgrounds, who were on the frontline, on streets all over the world, during Covid.

The show also includes what is generally called ‘object manipulation’ at theatre and circus school. This involves controlling and manipulating objects with skill and precision – things like hula hopping, juggling and plate spinning. Taroo, though, involves the manipulation of one object: a wheelie bin, or ‘taroo’ as it’s called in colloquial Moroccan! 

Said Mouhssine & Company Zid

Taroo is performed and created by Said Mouhssine, a Moroccan circus artist, free runner, actor and stunt man. He set up his company, Company Zid, in 2020. In the Moroccan Arabic language, darija, ‘zid’ means ‘move’.

Said grew up in Casablanca on Morocco’s western Atlantic coast. He began with acrobatics on the beach as do many young people there. When he was shown videos of parkour, he initially gave it a go in his room, largely out of boredom. The sport fascinated him, though, and he quickly progressed to free-running the streets of Casablanca. After three years at Morocco’s national circus school, he and some friends set up the country’s first Moroccan Association for Parkour in 2007. 

His show, Taroo, is now touring regularly but this special London version has been developed in partnership with the Babylon Migrants Project who run creative activities with young people from refugee, asylum seeking and migrant backgrounds. The activities aim to boost young people’s confidence and sense of belonging. Working with the artist Said Mouhssine over the last few weeks, the group has created a rather special role for itself in the show.

Come and see Taroo on Saturday 1 July at Bell Square! There are 2 performances : the first is at 1.00 pm, and then it is performed again at 4.00 pm.  As always, it’s free, no need to book, and everybody’s welcome.

Look forward to seeing you there!