This explosion of energy is just the beginning; for the next hour and a half, Fuerzabruta’s electric blend of modern dance and theatrical performance will have the whole audience gazing up in wonder.  It’s an amazing show: and almost seven years ago, Fuerzabruta inaugurated the newly-opened Roundhouse as a performing space. Since then, the show has toured the globe, with a 5-year stop in New York. The show is still luring people into the chaos of dancing limbs, gravity-defying pools of water and the chance to walk on air as one of the talented performers pulls you through his or her “cloud in the sky.”

For 100 nights, visitors will find themselves huddled into the centre of the Roundshouse’s main hall wondering how performers are able to defy gravity with such ease. After a bit of neck strain comes on, the show suddenly turns into a bit of a night club. Loud music pulses through the room as visitors are encouraged to dance and smile. The show’s name means “brute force”, and the performers want visitors to not just see this force through their performances, but to also feel it and share it with others. (Words: Barbara Cole)
Fuerzabruta is playing until the 2nd March 2014 at the Roundhouse. There’s also a special New Year’s Eve show featuring the NYC Downlow DJs. For more info, visit: www.roundhouse.org.uk/fuerzabruta

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Pic: Rosalind Butt

This is the home of Ready Steady Colour, a pop-up theatrical event by the artist and theatrical designer, Anna Bruder. Walk inside the restaurant, and you’ll find a decorative scheme of bold, crayon lines and lots of empty white spaces. This isn’t coincidence—the guests are meant to supply the colour! Sitting down to a café table, the staff brings out your meal in a decidedly flatter version than you might be used to at other restaurants. Instead of how you’d like your steak cooked, you can decide what colour you’d like your chicken to be! After you’ve completed (colouring) in your meal, the staff will wrap it all up for you to bring home, maybe more for the wall than the fridge.
Like most friendly restaurants, walk-ins are welcome but bookings are encouraged. The “restaurant” will be open from Wednesday, 18th December through Sunday, 22nd. All mains are £6 per plate and reservations can be made by emailing Anna at annabruder@mac.com.

For more info, visit: www.alineart.co.uk

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At the “Backdoor Salon”, you can come along for a 4-course brunch but as we discovered, it’s all about the  “apertivo” in the afternoon for £15.  You get a complimentary cocktail and a surprise selection of three “Cicchetti” (think tapas) from a menu of six before getting the option of ordering more dishes at just £2.50 a pop.  The food is absolutely INCREDIBLE – our favourites were the ouva gratinate e bottargo (egg au gratin stuffed with pecorino cheese, chive, lemon juice, boiled egg yolk and sprinkled with Sardinian dried mullet roe) and the caponatina di coppa (courgette, sultana, pinenut, caponata mixed with Roman coppa and Pecorino Romano cheese cream) – but chef Roberto hardly puts a foot wrong where everything else is concerned.  We only wished we managed to get the “surprise” menu addition of mussels before they ran out!

It was definitely a worthwhile experience, but sadly the brunch and apertivo will only running for two more Sundays, while the space seats a maximum of 30 people, so you’ll want to get in quick – visit the link below for more details.

The next Backdoor Salon is on July 28^th and August 4^th.  For more info, visit:  http://www.edibleexperiences.com/p/41053/The-Backdoor-Kitchen/317002/Backdoor-SALON-Brixton-BRUNCH-27-OR-APERITIVO-EXPERIENCE-15-28-JULY

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True to Future Cinema’s reputation for creating once-in-a-lifetime cinema experiences, this event will be much more than the showing of an iconic film – it’s an immersion into a whole world. Expect vibrant technicolor and glamour that fuses film, music, performance and design to create an unforgettable foray into the age of disco, while honouring the legendary dance film, starring John Travolta.

There will be dance classes, hairstyling, beauty parlours, vinyl, American hotdogs… all the best that the 70’s had to offer. On select nights there will even be special music guests such as disco diva Kym Mazelle to complete the Saturday Night atmosphere.

To make the most of a show like this you’ll need to get into character yourself. Glam up in vintage 70’s style and however you wear your hair, wear it bigger – then you know you’re ready to party. (Words: Nori Bell-Bhuiyan)

On until July 7th 2013. For more information visit: www.futurecinema.co.uk/news

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If you’re not familiar with Dreamthinkspeak, they have been around since 1999 mesmerising audiences with their site specific performances. This ensemble of actors, technicians and assorted creatives meld different mediums to create an all immersive journey for the audience, making them winners of the Peter Brook Empty Space Equity Ensemble Award in 2010. With their new gargantuan production, inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci and The Book of Revelation and utilising some avant-garde stage production, Dreamthinkspeak promise a journey through underground passages, the undiscovered nooks and crannies of Somerset House and require you take your life into your hand.
The superlatives flowed last time for their 2004 production Don’t Look Back, described variously as ‘beautiful’, ‘intricate’, ‘terrifying’ and ‘involving’ – and anyone that enjoyed the sold-out You Me Bum Bum Train will love this.  The action doesn’t unfold until January, but shows like these don’t go on sale early for nothing, so grab a ticket while (and if) you can.  (Words: Ed Spencer) 

In The Beginning Was The End runs from January 28 – March 30 2013.For more info, visit http://www.somersethouse.org.uk/performance/in-the-beginning-was-the-end

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When I look at my photos from The Secret Garden Party I can’t help but smile. When I was there I spent a lot of time smiling back at those smiling at me; it’s a festival filled with friendly people.  It’s a place where everyone is up for meeting everyone else and to cram in as much fun as one can have in 4 nights and 5 days.

The weeks of torrential rain before SGP worried me. But at the gates, it started well. A handsome man carried our bags in the dark and through the mud.  Our camping neighbours to the right offered their gazebo and a merry drink.  They knew before we did that there was no way we (with no instructions) could put up our tent in the drizzle without creating a terrible drama.

Our neighbours to our left became our dancing partners; they offered us friendship and laughter and  told us about places we hadn’t had time to read about.

We stood on the hill as the Alabama Shakes played in the distance.  Too far away to appreciate the music, we were still entertained by the people walking by. The colourful costume of the American Indian, the cool tiger face that grinned perfectly up close against my camera lens and the kids with no tears being pulled along by their parents in special homemade vehicles.

The Dance Off area was packed.  A massive boxing ring was the space people had earlier taken turns to show who was “the daddy” of the dancing floor.  Surrounded by piles of haystacks – the brave climbed to the top.  Everywhere – below and above – bodies moved enthusiastically to show their appreciation of the music. 

Those wanting something a little more hard-core waited for the boat to take them to the rave in the middle of the lake.

We discovered the Coliseum. During the day people mud wrestled naked.  The prize was simply the triumph of winning.  

On the way to the party in the woods we stopped by At Where the Wild Things Are bar for a cocktail. 

By the time we reached The Artful Badger it was always way too busy to like.  But I loved the novelty entrance to the Alice in Wonderland disco.  As the doors got smaller and smaller, they never got too small for me to fit through.  They took us to a place that kept us going when the thought of sleep in a muddy tent began to feel more welcoming.

I spent most of my weekend in fancy dress.  Sequence, wigs, silk, taffeta, netting, homemade wedding dresses, cute white leather corsets, love hearts, butterflies and bubble blowing filled my days. 

Where there was a party, there was also a place to rest.  I spent a little time in my bikini at Lost Horizons.   We chilled out on the grass.  Glided through the air in the tree swing. Had a shower (even though it’s cold, it feels great to wash) and emptied our alcohol-filled pores in a Swedish sauna where the temperature inside was insane.  

That’s where I met naked Stephen – the playwright.   Through the heated mist we talked documentaries, Russian models and always doing the job you love. We later exchanged phone numbers and arranged to meet again. I like to think we’ll be friends.

And when all that was done I went off to find the clay tent.  My friend created a five-legged turtle and I moulded Mr Caterpillar that sadly never made it back to home with me. 

The secret festival is set in the fields of Huntingdon, seventy miles outside London. Wild peaceful countryside mingles perfectly with respectful mud crunching happy fun seekers.

Even though thousands go ever year, I do feel it’s a special experience not many know about.  It was my first ever festival and if I didn’t have so many other things I’d like to do before I die, I’d definitely be a secret gardener again next year.

So instead, I feel it is my duty to tell you. 

Everything I was worried about.  I shouldn’t have. 

 Would I have fun? Yes.  
Did I need to know millions about music?  No  
. Would the toilets be so gross I’d be sick? No way. They were completely fine.
  Would I spend millions of money when I was there? No.  I didn’t have to. Would there be decent food? Yes, it was yummy and reasonable.
 Would I be wet and miserable? I was damp and for brief moments miserable.

But then there was always a Secret Gardener around to make me smile. 

(Words: Ena Miller) 

Do you have a lovely holiday experience you’d like to recommend and share with The Cultural Exposé? Email info@theculturalexpose.co.uk – we’d love to hear about it! 

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The session began with a briefing from instructor Colin, who immediately pointed out that the sport is dangerous yet addictive, but we should have a healthy respect for the speeds we’re travelling and that we’d start with a pace car to help us familiarise ourselves with the circuit.  Despite a general lack of prominent female motor racing drivers in the sport,  he also said women were able to pick up the skills of motor racing alot quicker – and I hoped he was right!

Our group would be going on the Stowe circuit (originally a part of the Grand Prix circuit), and we were soon briefed on the best way to approach Stowe’s straightforward but tricky corners. The idea was to apply a firm break, step off the break and accelerate mid corner – and practice this technique over and over again during our practice laps.

Dressed in overalls and fitted with a helmet, getting into the beginner F3 cars felt like sitting in the bath but not as relaxing; the first priority was making sure we could comfortably push the clutch down leaning back at a 70 degree angle, then Colin’s assistant Richard strapped us into the full harness seats belts, making me feel a little bit too attached to the lightweight vehicle.

Thankfully,  I didn’t have any major issues on the track.  On my very first go, I stalled about 7 times before setting off as there’s no smooth pulling up of the clutch when you’re driving these bad boys.  They go hard from the jump, and you’re soon switching between third and fourth gear (3rd on the corners) – but easily going as fast as up to 100mph.  During my second set of laps, I started getting into the speed, but also got sloppy on my corners, knocking down cones,  sliding onto the grass and killing my gears.

Yet for my final attempt on an international circuit,  I drove alot faster, feeling more confident with each lap, going hard on the straights and sticking to 4th gear as much as possible.  And though I ended up being the slowest in my group with a time of 94.42 seconds on a 1.1 mile circuit (the fastest time was 66.48), not alot could compare to the thrill of burning rubber, pushing my natural limits and leaving the stresses of London living on the road (which means I’ll probably be back sooner than later!).

This experience comes courtesy of Acer UK. Check out the Acer Intel U-Experience team on our journey and discover more about the challenges at: https://www.facebook.com/AcerUK/app_329103610497351

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Ok, so I  can let you in on some of the details…This new site is incredible and the building is perfect for the event. The classic event  format goes something like this.  You receive an invite and from then on, you receive clues as to what the film may be. When you enter the site you are literally tranplanted into the film, complete with sets and actors – and it’s a disorientating yet entertaining experience. You are encouraged to get into the character, fancy dress and all, and become part of the show – and it’s a great chance to flex those thespian muscles, interacting with the professionals and actively working out what the film is. If you prefer a passive view, perch yourself  on one of the purpose built sets and let your mind cogs go in overdrive as the team play out what can best be described as one huge game of charades. There’s no prizes for guessing, except one big film geek pat on the back (the holy grail if you ask me!).

Films at Secret Cinema events are always classics that you should see at some point in your life, and past films include The Warriors, Funny Face, If… and Ghostbusters, amongst others. I’m under oath not to spill the beans about what this season’s film actually is, so you will have to get yourself down there to be in on the secret. And remember, once you’re in, tell no one.

Secret Cinema runs until 22 January 2012 – and now they’ve launched Secret Restaurant, a new theatrical food experience in partnership with the Michelin-starred St. John,at the site of the Secret Cinema event. For more info, visit secretcinema.org.

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Made up of a troop of females, the Gingerline experience is both dinnertime, performance and art all at once; a piece of interactive food theatre on a mystery tour. Guests pay up in advance and only receive a text 1 hour prior to the event…just enough time to make a bee line for the gingerline to board the gravy train (who could resist?) . Past themes have included 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and a Brunel inspired underwater banquets (well, technically it was in the museum but some of the performances took place in a tunnel). Each event promises a unique experience of good home cooked food, space design and bespoke menu art. All events are released via social media or a mailing list and are a limited affair (you can’t book for more than 6 people). So if you want to be in, you better get on it… West/North/South Londoners may also apply. (Words: Laura Thornley) 

For more info visit: www.gingerline.co.uk

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Wrong.

I was part of a class of about 20 or some females (no token fellas, as the sprightly dancer teacher Debbie jokingly pointed out) and I wasn’t even dressed for the part – so you can imagine my horror when Debbie announced that the class can only be done barefooted (in order for our feet to connect with the floor, she said) and not only were my feet stinky after a hard day’s work, but my toes had not seen a pedicure for a minute. But this collection of ladies made me feel okay about all of that and I’m forever grateful.

The class involved learning a number of exercises (two limbering routines and a foot warmer) and eventually a routine I didn’t have time to stick around to learn to the end. We bent down, rolled up, swung our arms around, pliéd, en croixed, tendu’d, rolled across the floor and attempted to compliment the europhic music playing gently in the hall – and after a few movements, most people picked up the pretty and angelic movements. As for me, maybe it was my poorly fitting jeggings (you know when your ass-crack plays peek-a-boo? Yep, terrible) or my multi-tasking (I was also taking snaps), but I was ridiculously stiff – which is a shame, as I did ballet as a kid and sort of thought plies and leg swings would come rather naturally to me.

Wrong, again.

That said, the taster session inspired me to perhaps dive into this unique world of interpretive dance – if only to restore the belief that I’m still a limber spring chicken who should work on developing her flexibility before its too late. Did I mention that I felt a bit bloated too? Yea, not good. But I think Debbie and the ladies in attendence were absolutely amazing, and I’d be open for them to teach me a trick or two – for my ego, at least.

The Contemporary Dance course begins on Thursday, April 22nd 7:30-9pm at the Macbeth Centre, Macbeth Street W6 9JJ. Visit www.hfals.co.uk or call 020 8600 9191 for more information about this and other courses. (and Special thanks to Elaine and Debbie for accomodating me at such short notice)

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