Current
Production

Requiem

Requiem was commissioned by the National Gallery to mark the opening of The Roden Centre for Creative Learning and was first performed on 28 February 2025.

The commission to create a dance piece for the National Gallery was a profound opportunity for Bawren Tavaziva as this was the first place he visited after arriving in London as a young dancer from Zimbabwe, and it holds significant meaning for him and the trajectory of his life and career in the UK.

With sequences of exceptional beauty and clarity, Requiem’s exploration of how identity can be influenced by place tells a moving story of arrival – of different peoples coming together, learning through art, and communion.

The piece’s meaning transcends any one setting, making it relevant and suitable for galleries, museums, and all manner of ‘conventional’ and ‘found’ spaces. It is accessible, graceful, and involving, and performances everywhere are being warmly received.

Requiem is supported by:

Performance Dates
07 March
In2It International Dance Festival
Normoria
Kristiansund
Norway
7.00 pm
21 March
The Beat Goes On
Battersea Power Station
Wandsworth
London
12.50 pm
23 May
MK Motion Festival
Centre: MK
Middleton Hall
Milton Keynes
12.30 pm

Cast

Jessica Chambers

BOY'S KHAYA 2023 & GREED 2025 & REQUIEM 2026 DANCER

Born and raised in Hull, Jessica’s contemporary dance training started at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance CAT scheme, and then she went on to attend Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, gaining a first class BA (Hons). During her time at Trinity Laban she had the opportunity to perform a restaged work by Daniel Squire of Merce Cunningham’s Mini Events. Since graduating, Jessica has worked professionally with Alexander Whitley Dance Company, Kennedy Muntanga Dance Theatre (KMDT) as a company dancer/co-choreographer, and ACE Dance and Music on the double bill TWAWSI. Jessica joined Tavaziva Dance for the national tour of BOY’S KHAYA in 2023 and again for the tour of GREED in 2025.

Nana-Yaa Appiah

GREED 2025 & REQUIEM 2026 DANCER

Nana-Yaa was born in Ghana and is based in London. A graduate of Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, she started her training in the African dance style of Adowa, following on to join National Youth Dance Company (NYDC) and Motionhouse Company. She has worked with Damien Jalet, Jamaal Burkmar, Holly Blakey, Justine Doswell, and Catherine Young. Nana-Yaa joined Tavaziva Dance for the national tour of GREED in 2025.

Shelmith Øseth

REQUIEM 2026 DANCER

Shelmith Øseth is a dancer and movement artist based in Bergen and Oslo, blending contemporary dance with African styles such as indlamu, pantsula, and isukuti from Kenya’s Luhya tribe. She trained at Langhaugen Upper Secondary School in Bergen and the New Education for Contemporary Dance in Härnösand, Sweden.

Her work explores dance’s social and political dimensions. Apart from her own creations, she has collaborated with Det Norske Teatret, Den Nationale Scene, Nordic Black Theatre, Bergen Kunsthall, and The Nordic Beasts. Recent works include Wakati, toured in Oslo, Bergen, and Edinburgh, and Horse in Flames.

Dakarayi Mashava

BOY'S KHAYA 2021 & REQUIEM 2026 Dancer

Dak Mashava (he/they) is a queer dance artist born in Zimbabwe and raised in Leicester, UK.

Dak trained at Leicester College and then went on to London Contemporary Dance School (The Place) graduating with a BA (Hons) in Contemporary Dance.

​They have performed internationally and across the UK in contemporary dance and the West End. They have also worked extensively in LGBTQ+ nightlife as a dancer and performer.

​They are currently in Cabaret at The Kit Kat Club in London’s West End.

​Dak was recently awarded Arts Council DYCP funding to develop their choreographic practice and is currently a resident creative at CURVE theatre on a journey to further develop their choreography practice.