Unlocked

From the very beginning of Covid-19 lockdowns, the professional dancers of Nova Grace Productions took to Zoom lead by Maidstone choreographer Karen Hill, to push the spatial limits of the home environment and explore life in lockdown through contemporary dance. They were apart but yet together and were pushed on by one shared purpose. Dance. Their coping mechanism.

They documented the experience by working remotely over 9 months to create and rehearse four 15-minute sections looking at the various stages of lockdown. So many unfamiliar feelings. They just kept dancing through. In December 2020, while Covid-19 was still rife, they shared their creation with a virtual audience of 100+ people– a unique moment in history.

Since then, the project has become a channel for community healing. No-one was left untouched by Covid. So many loved ones lost, so many families separated, so much of society was broken – it was an experience of group trauma which leaves everyone needing healing.

This moving in-person reflection and documentation of the pandemic looks at both what we lived through, and the effects that have been left behind. From vaccines to masks, from social distance to hugs, the piece both explores and reminds us of the strange times we lived through, and captures it as a moment in history. A live documentation of events which must not be forgotten or swept under the carpet. Healing will come from talking about it.

There will be a 30-minute Q&A with the dancers after the show to continue the conversation.

Visit Nova Grace Productions Website