This weekend, some of the world’s leading purveyors of arts and culture – the Beeb, Sadler’s Wells, V&A, Smithsonian Institute to name but a few – are hosting a celebration of 100 years since (some) women were given the right to vote.
On Sunday 22nd, they’re filling waterside food-haven Here East with a jam-packed programme of dance, music, poetry, workshops, debates and film as a celebration of the milestone in the campaign for women’s suffrage.
The free event invites visitors to wander around the always surprisingly beautiful Olympic Park, watching and taking part in events while pondering how far we have come – and where we still need to go.
Starting from midday, there’s performance and workshops (suitable for dancing queens and two-left-footed folk alike) from Company Wayne McGregor dancers Daniela Neugebauer and Rebecca Bassett-Graham, plus the all-female dance troupe, Myself UK will be demonstrating how they’ve soared to success over the last decade in the male-dominated world of hip-hop.
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Sticking with the hip-hop theme, the team behind the Guilty Feminist will be performing Suffrageddon, a musical piece that tells the tale of the human cost of campaigning to secure votes from women. They hope to represent the bigotry of the past and shine a light on the challenges we still face today.
Meanwhile there’s chance to sit in on the Long Conversation, a session that brings in speakers from 19 different professional backgrounds – neuroscience to comedy, 3D manufacturing to art activism – and gets them to embark on two-person, 10 minute long rolling conversations.
Throughout the afternoon, South London DJ collective Born’n’Bread will be on the decks, plus there are short films that playfully consider feminity, empowerment, womanhood with a particular emphasis on those who are still left outside of conversations about equality.
Oh, and pop-up theatrical performances by Alpha Females, embroidery, artistic offerings from UAL and poetry workshops.
Time to put into action the Suffragettes’ hallowed motto ‘deeds not words’: spend your Sunday strutting around Here East, basking in all that female empowerment.
Main image: PR
