All about Journeys of Internal Migration
Welcome to my first podcast. Today I’m talking about Journeys of Internal Migration, my new piece being performed at The Place on Thursday 15th February 2018.
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Browse Simona’s writing, projects and reflections on dance, learning, performance and creative life.
Showing all 44 articles.
Dance, Ageing and the Alexander Technique.
When I first started to dance I was the oldest in the class! In fact, throughout my learning dance I have always been the oldest in dance class (or at least one of).
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Disco Dance & Counterpoint at Whitecross Street Party
Simona Scotto's Disco Dance Class and Counterpoint Dance Company perform their hip-hop routine on a hot sunny day at White Cross Street Festival 2016
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Migrations Europa Exchange
A mini festival celebrating the positive contribution migrants bring to Britain and London life through dance, visual art, workshops and performance.
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Create your Own Solo: Part 2
In the last lesson we looked at using music to inspire your creative process but in this lesson we’ll look at being inspired by watching other dancers move.
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A successful day at Middlesex University
On Wednesday I spent a day at Middlesex University as a visiting lecturer working with their 1st year dance students, looking at my work with older people in dance and what’s involved in teaching and training people…
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Create your own solo: Part 1
Today is the start of a series I’m going to write covering artistic intent, how we convey our ideas and emotions through movement, the language of movement and where we get our ideas and movement from. It’s a big…
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Doing what you love – it ain’t that easy!
In the past week I’ve been thinking about what brought me to dance the very first time and what sacrifices I made in order to pursue dance (I’d been listening to an interview with Namron and it got me thinking!).
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An interview with Monocle 24
I’m really pleased to share this interview for Monocle 24 Radio show , The Urbanist, from earlier this week. The show’s topic is “Cities for All Ages”…
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Elixir Festival 2014
The Elixir Festival, which finished on Monday, was one of the most fulfilling events in dance that I’ve had the pleasure to be part of. Sadler’s Wells produced an amazing variety of shows, over four days, to cater…
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Darcey and Boris get the Big Dance started!
This week it was a great pleasure to take two of my Counterpoint dancers (Ron and Oemi) to represent the Big Dance Southern hub on behalf of Siobhan Davies Studios at the Big Dance Launch, City Hall. It was quite an…
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A Big Dance Session with Wayne McGregor’s Random Dance and Sadler’s Wells
Members of Wayne McGregor | Random Dance came together with Sadler’s Wells to produce the first of a series of events for elder dancers, leading up to the Big Dance performance on 12th July.
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Filming men in the Bathtub!
I was recently commissioned by Capital Age Festival to choreograph a short piece for film, as part of their season of celebrating the creativity of older men. These photos are some rather candid shots of the half day…
Read articleMy Top 5 Pick of Things to See in London this Easter 2014.
If you are round and about London this Easter period, I’ve picked out 5 things I think you’ll really enjoy seeing.
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The key to learning anything and becoming a better dancer!
I think it’s safe to say that most of us want to enjoy dancing. And in my opinion, the best way to increase our enjoyment is to get better at it!
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Do you visualise?!
Literally, do you imagine what you’re going to do BEFORE you do it? Do you see yourself in your mind’s eye before you try to reproduce it with your own body?
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2013 – The year in review
It’s a great encouragement to be able to look back at the past year with you and share how far we’ve moved towards our goals, to enjoy past successes and to see some of the growth that was hoped for a year ago. Of…
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Now and Then – A Commission for A Million Minutes
Have you ever planned something that didn’t quite turn out the way you expected?! Well, that’s what happened to me today!
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Christmas 2013 at the Nag’s Head
Last weekend I took Counterpoint Dance Company and class members that I teach at Claremont Centre to the Nag’s Head Christmas extravaganza. It was a fun and energetic day with the Dances from the Musicals class…
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Counterpoint Take A Trip To Banqueting House
Last week I took Counterpoint Dance Company out to banqueting house, Whitehall. It wasn’t for a good bit of “nosh” though but to have a look at how dancers use and respond to different types of space! It was a great…
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What on earth is dance?!
I want to start asking the question “What is dance?”. Many people I meet through dance classes and teaching, or elsewhere in my artistic work, express varying ideas but they often find it easier to say what they…
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Migrations London Premier
Migrations is a collection of stories from older people sharing their emotional journeys of leaving one place to arrive at another. The piece explores the stories of elders and their experiences of migration as well…
Read articleAre you scared of getting old?!
Have you ever read the news, listened to the radio or watched the TV and thought “Boy! Why is it all bad news, doesn’t anything good ever happen?!”. I suppose there’s always some article about good “happenings” or…
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Counterpoint Dance Company Teach Some New Moves at The Place!
On Thursday just gone members of Counterpoint Dance Company and I took a trip over to The Place to work with London Contemporary Dance School’s third year students . We had a great time and amongst the many elements…
Read articleAdventure into the Unknown
In our second article from the men’s corner we’re going to hear from Geoff, who’s in his 80’s ++++ and takes 4 to 5 dance classes a week including performing with a well known performance dance group and a “dancing…
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The Last of the Haussmans
This months review comes from Maureen Brown who recently joined the creative and ballet classes at the Claremont Project. Maureen enjoyed being part of the Big Dance last summer and danced at Trafalgar Square with an…
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Living a New Life At 65!
In the first of our articles from men in dance we’re going to hear from Tim Coldron, a retiree, who has taken up dance very recently. In a short space of time he’s not only got a place in one of the leading older…
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Can a Robot Get Us thinking About How We Age?
This post is the first of a monthly slot where the people I train and teach on a weekly basis will share their views and ideas on films and shows that touch on or directly address the various issues involved in…
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Man Alone
Simona Scotto works with the men of Sadler's Wells' Company of Elders to create the piece Man Alone - a fun but serious affair!
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A Look Back at 2012: Counterpoint Visit the Indonesian Embassy
Counterpoint Dance Company has had a great 2012…
Read articleEnjoying Dance Together – A Lively Workshop!
Older dancers from Creative Dance 60+ shared a lively workshop with children from The Willow on Broadwaters (formally Broadwater Farm Primary School) in their light and airy gym on Thursday 24 th November 2011. That…
Read article5 Things that are great about the people I work with.
The job I do reveals challenges and gifts from all that I meet, week in week out. I thought this time I would talk about 5 things that are great about the people I work with. Here goes:
Read articleThe Beginnings of Counterpoint Dance Company
Counterpoint Dance Company came about as the result of major public interest created by the BBC1 documentary Save the Last Dance for Me about Sadler’s Wells’ Company of Elders . Sadler’s Wells’ Connect department…
Read articleCubitt & Claremont groups work together to create a masterpiece to rival Breugel the Elder!
In May 2011, inspired by Pieter Breugel the Elder’s oil painting “ The Tower of Babel “, we combined dance, poetry, language, painting and music to create our own masterpiece! This project brought together a creative…
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How London Contemporary Dance School got Counterpointed!
Last October 2010 I had a great oportunity to bring together students from London Contemporary Dance School (LCDS) with my dancers in Counterpoint Dance courtesy of Claremont and their relationship with The Place .…
Read articleHow Creative Dance 60+ got Tottenham dancing at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre!
We started a new project in October 2010 at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre having been approached by Jackie one of my students at Counterpoint Dance Company. Jackie was very excited about bringing creative dance to…
Read articleCreating some smiles at Chelsea and Westminster hospital.
One of the most fulfilling events I’ve been involved in during 2010 was with Sadler’s Wells’ Company of Elders who performed my choreography “Timeless Touch” at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital . The atmosphere was…
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