Tavaziva is seeking an Administrative Assistant for a fixed term 6-month position March-Sept 2018.

Closing date: Thursday 1 Feb 2018 by 5:00pm (you will be notified on Monday 5 Feb if invited for interview)

Interviews: Friday 9 February 2018

If you are highly organized, enthusiastic about getting things done and have an interest in arts management and administration, we would like to hear from you.

The Administrative Assistant shall support the Company Manager (maternity cover) in the day-to-day running of the Company and its operations in accordance within the aims and objectives of Tavaziva, the logistics of the touring productions and the planned programmes and activities.

Tavaziva is an acclaimed company touring work by its founder and artistic director, Zimbabwean-born Bawren Tavaziva whose style uniquely combines African, ballet and contemporary dance. Dynamic, bold, risk-taking and beautiful, the work is popular with venues and audiences.

In March/April 2018, Tavaziva is undertaking a short tour of its production IZINDAVA, after which a variety of projects take place throughout the year.

Appointment: Part-time, 2.5 days per week, 6 month fixed term contract

Salary: £18,500pa pro rata payable for the duration of the fixed term period, after which it will cease.

Reporting to: Company Manager (maternity cover)

Holiday entitlement: 25 days plus bank holidays per year pro rata accrued for the fixed term period

Office hours: 10am-6pm. Evening and weekend work may be required at times. Overtime is not paid but discretionary TOIL is offered.

Location: bbodance, Ensign House, Battersea Reach Juniper Drive, London SW18 1TA

Details: For Job Description and further information click here

To apply: Please email your recent CV (max 2 pages) and a cover letter (max 1 page) describing your relevant experience and what you will bring to the job. Please clearly mark your application ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT.

Send to: beth.cinamon@tavazivastg.wpengine.com

Start date of appointment: Some handover dates in late February or early March 2018 with start date in mid-March 2018.

We hope you had a fabulous festival season and that there’s a prosperous new year ahead for you. We’re looking forward to an exciting 2018 as we continue the tour of Bawren’s most personal work to date Izindava and work with regional partners and students across the UK.

We had so much to choose from, but here’s a round-up of our five highlights from 2017…

 

1. Research & Development with Rambert

We started the year with an exciting 4 week project where Bawren had the opportunity to work with dancers from Rambert and collaborated with Dramaturg Peter Glanville from Polka Theatre, to develop a family piece called Mud Child.

“Bawren has developed a unique style of dancing which mixes his African heritage with contemporary dance styles. His physical language is multifaceted, challenging the dancers from different angles all at once. I love it when this vocabulary drives the dancers hard which makes it great to watch, sudden jumps are thrown into grounded phrases the torsos whip and the legs punch. Altogether extraordinary.” Mark Baldwin, Artistic Director, Rambert

photo: dillonrose.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Africarman Tour

We concluded our extensive tour of Africarmen in April 2017. Set in a modern-day oil-rich, military dictatorship in Africa, it had a beautiful score composed by Fayyaz Virji of Warriors International. The show visited 25 venues around the UK and was accompanied by a successful education programme, working with around 1,300 young people.

“What a brilliant, amazing production!  It was just excellent, and the dancers were fabulous! … fast, furious, sexy and emotional, totally absorbing!” Audience Member

photo: Manoj Nair

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Izindava Tour

In the summer of 2017 Bawren started work on the creation of his latest touring work Izindava. The new work toured this autumn and has further dates planned for spring 2018. Izindava reflects on themes of post-colonial Zimbabwe as well as portraying today’s conflicts, greed and corruption around the world. Bawren speaks out for injustice whilst at the same time we witness his inner-most demons and fears. Politics, trauma, persecution and death are not easy subjects for making dance, yet he has conveyed so much that feels universal and personal.

“A dynamic dance production, rich and exciting in every deptment (incl design/music). Political, urgent yet personal and open to interpretation. Wow” Donald Hutera (The Times)

photo: Tony Hay

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Learning and Participation

We’ve had a bumper year of educational projects working with over 1,000 participants, led by Bawren, the dancers and associate artists. ZIVA Youth continues to thrive, engaging young men aged 14-19 years, at William Ellis School in Camden, WAC Arts and a new partnership with the Arts and Media School, Islington.

In May we held TavIntensive, a two day professional programme of classes and choreography with Bawren, as part of the Wandsworth Arts Fringe. We also continued our professional class programme throughout the year – watch this space for more classes in the spring, on sale February 2018!

We continue to nurture talanted young dancers through our Post-graduate Apprentice programme with Northern School of Contemporary Dance. Nicole Victor and Asmara Cammock joined Tavaziva for the creation and tour of Izindava. We also offered two dance students from Surrey University, a professional training placement, supporting Tavaziva’s administration, giving them the opportunity to work alongside our staff to deliver the programme of activity throughout the year.

We had a number of Curtain Raiser performances connected to the tours of Africarman and Izindava, where our dancers worked with students from Dance East, William Ellis School, WAC Arts, New College Nottingham and Dance Republic 2 to create a short performance, based on themes from the shows. We also held a number of one off workshops and residencies in the majority of cities and towns we visited.

“The intensity pushed and challenged my body, as well as my understanding of contemporary dance” Participant

photo: Tavaziva

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. We Moved!

We’ve had nearly a whole year in our new home, based at bbodance in Battersea. The company has enjoyed re-locating to a shiny new office and gorgeous studios where Bawren created Izindava during the summer. Having the whole company under one roof and with bbodance and One Dance UK right next door, we are developing great new relationships. We have also met with local arts and community organisations in our area.

photo: Tavaziva

We wish you a fabulous festival season and a prosperous new year. We’re looking ahead to an exciting 2018 as we continue the tour of Bawren’s most personal work to date Izindava. We will also be working with regional partners and students across the UK. Thank you to all our dancers and artists who have made 2017 such a success.

Have you done your Christmas shopping yet? Why not get that special person in your life a very special Tavaziva T-shirt! We have great quality, short-sleeved t-shirts available in a range of sizes from small to XL, £10 plus postage and packaging…order by Wednesday 20 December by emailing getintouch@tavazivastg.wpengine.com to guarantee it arrives before the big day. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Over the last few months we’ve been talking to our company dancers about why they joined the company and what our latest touring work IZINDAVA means to them.

Meet Dancer and Rehearsal Assistant Lisa Rowley who joined Tavaziva in 2009

 

How have you found your new role as rehearsal assistant? I’ve really enjoyed the increased responsibility because it’s given me a new challenge. It’s been great to have six new dancers and to be able to watch them, take things and be inspired by each one of them and their way of moving.

What do you take from the show? For me the main message is life is short, stop war and love more.

 

Meet Dancer Luke Crook who joined Tavaziva in July 2017

 

Why did you audition for Tavaziva? Because of the reputation the company had for challenging physicality and a strong work ethic.

What is your favourite thing about being a company dancer? Specifically for this company is that we are all appreciated for our own individual qualities.

Describe Izindava in 3 words… Thought Provoking Journey

 

Meet Apprentice Dancer Nicole Victor who joined Tavaziva in July 2017

Why did you audition for Tavaziva? When the apprenticeship auditions came out I knew Tavaziva was one of the top companies I wanted to audition for, after seeing Africarman the previous year, its challenging physicality and unique mixture of different dance styles excited me.

What is your favourite thing about being a company member? The privilege of being able to work with such a diverse group of dancers and team. I have learnt so much from each individual person from rehearsals in the studio to performance days on tour. I feel very much part of the Tavaziva family.

Describe Izindava in 3 words…Relatable, Intense, Emotional

 

Meet Dancer Tom Shale-Coates who joined Tavaziva in July 2017

Why did you audition for Tavaziva? I auditioned for Tav because I was inspired by the sheer energy strength I witnessed when watching the company and also how the movement vocabulary intrigued me.

What is your favourite thing about being a company dancer? My favourite thing is the energy between the whole company. We have only been together a few short months but we have made a real connection and I truly believe you can see this when we are on the stage.

Describe Izindava in 3 words… Honesty, strength, thought-provoking

 

Meet Apprentice Dancer Asmara cammock who joined Tavaziva in July 2017

Why did you audition for Tavaziva? I auditioned for Tav because I felt as though it was company that mixed contemporary, ballet and African dance perfectly. I also loved the physicality of the dancers and doing Bawrens movement felt as if it was made for me.
What is your favourite thing about being a company member? Being surrounded by such talented artists.

Describe Izindava in 3 words…Challenging, Therapeutic, Passionate

 

Meet Dancer Andy Race who joined Tavaziva in July 2017

Why did you audition for Tavaziva? I auditioned for Tavaziva because I love Bawren’s physicality, movement vocabulary. It’s challenging and knew I would love it.
What is your favourite thing about being a company member? The best thing about being a dancer is being part of a company. We are all very supportive of each other and understand the challenges of the work and help each other to grow and develop.
Describe Izindava in 3 words… Powerful, physical, emotive

 

Meet Dancer Yaa Appiah-badu who joined Tavaziva in July 2017

Why did you audition for Tavaziva? I love the physicality of Bawren’ s work, and the strength and power of the dancers. I knew this was a company where I would be pushed and challenged.

What is your favourite thing about being a company dancer? We are all very supportive and encouraging to one another, which is so important as this piece is challenging, both physically and mentally.

Describe Izindava in 3 words… Emotive, Inspiring, Relevant

Bawren was recently interviewed for an article featured in One Dance UK’s online magazine HOTFOOT. Click here to read in full.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOTFOOT Online is One Dance UK’s bi-annual publication focusing on Dance of the African Diaspora (DAD) and provides a platform for critical debate around the dance practices of the African Diaspora in the UK and beyond.

If you missed Izindava during our autumn 2017 tour, there’s still a chance to catch us at a venue near you in spring 2018! Don’t miss out:

22 March 2018                        Bernie Grant Arts Centre, London
3 April 2018                             Mercury Theatre, Colchester
12 April 2018                           DanceCity, Newcastle
14 April 2018                           Barnsley Civic, Barnsley
18 April 2018                           Jersey Arts Centre, Jersey 
30 April 2018                          Southill Park, Bracknell

‘Bawren Tavaziva’s fine new work modulates from images of childhood terror into a vision of spiritual, musical and choreographic redemption, set to a new score by Tavaziva himself.’ Guardian

 

The Guardian has selected the Izindava performance at Pegasus, Oxford as one of ‘Three of the best dance shows’ to see this week. Catch our performance there on Friday 17 November at 7.30pm.

In a new short trailer for Tavaziva, Choreographer Bawren Tavaziva tells us about the inspiration for his work and the history behind the company he has had for 13 years. Listen to passionate insights in to his choreographic vocabulary, the dancers he works with and how he has been influenced over the years.

Since Barwen’s latest work Izindava embarked on it’s tour around the UK, our dancers have been leading some exceptional education projects with schools, universities and youth groups in each of the cities the show has been visiting, with the opportunity for participants to open the show with a curtain raiser of work they have created.

Click here to read an article from New College Nottingham about the students experiences of working with associate and ex-dancer Anna Watkins, for their performance at Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham.