Next Step Creative: The Encounter

On Friday our first term of Unveiled events at St Andrew's Wickford ended with a wonderful evening in which Next Step Creative's Steven Turner performed The Encounter, a show that explores the story of Christmas in a fresh way using dance and mime. Through the show we experienced a variety of Christmas stories in contemporary and engaging ways for the whole family. The performance was a creative mix of multi media and physical theatre appealing to a variety of ages. This was a great community event with a range of dynamic and engaging pieces, including Mime, Contemporary, Ribbons, Ballet, and Banners combined with bespoke video graphics. 

Steven Turner has trained in a variety of dance styles, including contemporary, street, mime and moving with props. He attended a Laban boys course, as well as attending summer schools with companies including Springs Dance Company, Movement in Worship and Chantry Dance Company. In recent years Steven has founded his own organisation, Next Step Creative, to promote collaboration between dance and other creative arts. Regularly choreographing and teaching for Dance 21 (a dance company for children and young adults with Down’s syndrome). He has performed at Project Dance Paris and travelled to Rotterdam to teach in connection with his role as ICDF Refresh Coordinator. He has performed across the UK and Europe including Switzerland, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, and France.

Next Step Creative is a relational organisation with a vision to create a platform to support creative people. Working within the UK and internationally using multi media, live performances, workshops and teaching; making their artists work more accessible through a collaborative online shop.

2023's Unveiled events will begin with:

• From Rettendon Turnpike to Halls Corner: A Journey in Time, A talk by Geoff Whiter of Wickford Community Archive, Friday 13 January, 7.00 pm.
• The Blind Jesus (No-one belongs here more than you): Exhibition viewing evening, Friday 27 January 2023, 7.00 – 9.00 pm. See this exhibition of Last Supper images created by: Alan Stewart; (Still) Calling from the Edge conference; WAVE (We are All Valued Equally); & Schools in Hampstead and Barnet. Hear from artist Alan Stewart, project lead Celia Webster (co-founder of WAVE), and Revd John Beauchamp, Disability Ministry Enabler for the Diocese of London. The Blind Jesus (No-one belongs here more than you) has been commissioned as part of a project in which it seeds other images of the Last Supper that are truly for everyone. Schools, churches and community groups are invited, as part of this project, to create their own Last Supper images.

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Steve Taylor - Innocence Lost.