Dancing With Words at Kala Sangam Bradford

Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor

Visit now

Dancing with Words

3 October 2019

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Dancing With Words. Photo by Rob Crampton
Dancing With Words. Photo by Rob Crampton.
Book now

Coinciding with the 25th National Poetry Day – the UK-wide celebration of poetry organised by Forward Arts Foundation – this unique evening on 3 October explores NPD’s 2019 theme of Truth.

A fusion of poetry and dance, Dancing With Words features three artistic pairs – one poet and one dancer – each collaborating to create a brand-new piece of work. Exploring the relationship between the two artforms, and inspiring and simultaneously being inspired by each other, the artists have worked together to push boundaries and take new, exciting approaches to creating pieces that combine and incorporate movement and words.

This special one-off evening, taking place in the Kala Sangam intercultural arts centre and home of music and dance in Bradford, marks the culmination of the innovative project, with the pairs showcasing their trilogy of entirely new performances for the very first time.

The artists have worked together to push boundaries and take new, exciting approaches to creating pieces that combine and incorporate movement and words

Taking part are Yorkshire-based poet Lydia Allison, a graduate of the Manchester Writing School and member of The Writing Squad young writer development initiative, who teamed up with Jamaican-born performing artist Akeim Toussaint Buck for the Dancing With Words project. Lucy Burnett – whose second poetry collection, Tripping Over Clouds, was published earlier this year by Manchester’s Carcanet Press – has been working with dancer Mitul Sengupta, who has performed and choreographed shows internationally. The final pair is Manchester-based poet Shamshad Khan, who is widely published, including by Comma Press and Salt Publishing, and broadcast, including on BBC Radios 3 and 4, and who partnered with Sophie Hutchinson, a graduate of the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds.

Funded by Arts Council England and produced by Books Up North, in partnership with Kala Sangam, this National Poetry Day performance will also feature a post-show discussion with the artists, when audience members will have the opportunity to ask questions about the collaborations and processes involved.

Where to go near Dancing With Words at Kala Sangam Bradford

Morning Glory - Coffee Cup
Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Morning Glory

Morning Glory positions itself as a grab-and-go spot, with just 12 seats inside serving coffee, bagels and sweet treats.

The Warehouse In Holbeck
Leeds
Event venue
The Warehouse In Holbeck

Run by acclaimed theatre company Slung Low, The Warehouse in Holbeck is home to boundary-pushing performance and community projects.

Leeds
Event venue
The Attic

Tucked away above the bustle of Merrion Street, The Attic is one of Leeds’ most distinctive small venues – intimate, unpretentious, and steeped in DIY spirit.

The Chevin is a great place for visitors to do lots of different activities and is open all year round with 5 free car parks. To help you find out whatís best for you we have divided this section up into some of these different activities.Please be aware that The Chevin is a working estate so you may see vehicles including timber-extraction lorries using some of the tracks.Self-guided WalksThe Chevin is a big place and there is a good network of paths to make your own circular walk, but if you want to follow a themed trail there is a Geology Trail, Heritage Time Trail and a route for Tree Spotters.Bikes & HorsesThere is an extensive bridleway network on the eastern parts of The Chevin that caters for a range of abilities.Orienteering and GeocachingTwo orienteering courses and a number of geocache sites are waiting to be discovered.Climbing & BoulderingThere are many fantastic crags for climbing and boulders for bouldering.Mobility Scooters & Wheelchairs
Leeds
Restaurant
Oporto

For many years, Oporto has been a beacon of alternative energy on Leeds’ Call Lane – serving up great food and drink alongside resident DJs and live music.

Manchester
Gallery
Black Redstart Gallery

Black Redstart Gallery is located in the Northern Quarter and runs a busy programme of exhibitions from emerging and established artists.

RJC Dance Xmas Show
Leeds
RJC Dance

RJC Dance, based in Chapeltown, Leeds, champions youth and education, leading inclusive Black dance in the North through national partnerships.

Manchester
Gallery
texture mcr

Possibly one of the city’s most mysterious art galleries, texture is a small and perfectly-formed independent space in Ardwick.

What's on: Dance

Summer at Aviva Studios
Until
ActivityManchester
Summer at Aviva Studios

From global dance and live music to storytelling, skateboarding and football, get ready for a dream summer on the banks of the River Irwell.

Free entry
Transform 25 in Leeds
TheatreLeeds
Transform Festival 2025

Leeds’ Transform Festival is an engine room of powerful, urgent and trailblazing performance, visual arts, dance, conversations and adventure.

Free entry

Culture Guides

Detail of an abstract sculpture, with burned materials and rusty chicken wire at the centre, with rusted metal bars bent around it.
Exhibitions in the North

Chocolate fountains, beautiful batiks and medieval marginalia - this month's supersized Exhibitions Guide has it all.

Literature Events in the North

The autumn leaves might be falling already, but the harvest is plentiful as the live literature scene gets back into the swing of things after a summer break...

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

This season’s theatre is gloriously eclectic: from radical cabaret and reinvented classics to new musicals and boundary-pushing performance.

Cinema in the North

This month we recommend a season of Film noir, cult Australian movies and a huge celebration of DIY community cinema.