Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park

News | 13 October 2023

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. An outdoor event is taking place with dancers in colourful skirts twirling on a flat stage. In front, an audience member is smiling and joining in the fun.

The Summer of 2023 saw Greenwich Dance and Arts Trust Productions build on the success of last year’s Summer in the Park with an extended programme.

Thanks to an injection of funding from National Lottery Community Fund and support from Royal Greenwich Festivals and Peabody, this year we were able to bring three day-long picnics and six Summer Sessions to parks and outdoor spaces in Greenwich & Bexley.

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. A roller skating skills workshop in cygnet square.

Summer Sessions in Cygnet Square. Photo: Roswitha Chesher

Summer Sessions

Since Greenwich Dance moved its office to The Nest in 2022, the team have worked actively with Peabody to find exciting ways to animate Cygnet Square. We had noticed it was becoming popular with roller skaters and so one of our producers, Alliey, introduced herself to some of the people rolling across the square and discovered that some of them were part of Thamesmead based social enterprise Vibes on Vibes.

Vibes on Vibes talk about their partnership with Greenwich Dance

After some successful trials in March, we decided to turn our Summer Sessions in Cygnet Square and Greenwich Park in to Skate Jams with skating skills workshops, some dance performances and the chance to jam with friends.

Despite the terrible summer weather of 2023 we managed to hold 5 out of 6 skate jams and were excited to see that people would come from as far as Reading and Rochester to enjoy some free roller skating fun.

Our skating instructors were Frankie J, Kengo San, Amzy / Skate Tingz and Nadia “Sourgrapism” O’Garro, assisted by Vibes on Vibes and we enjoyed performances by The Urban Playground Team, Magpie Dance, Elementz Ent, Osian Meilir‘s Qwerin, Firefly Fitness UK and Joss Arnott Dance.

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. Three people on roller skates are concentrating on their moves.

Kengo San (left) jam skating with participants in Greenwich Park. Photo: Roswitha Chesher

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. Four performers are balanced on a structure made from scaffold poles. One of them is very high up. One of them hangs upside down. The others are perched precariously. In the background is blue sky and a statue of a man on a white plinth

The Urban Playground performing On the Strandline in Greenwich Park. Photo: Roswitha Chesher

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. Several performers in brightly coloured skirts and white knitted hats are huddled together with another nearby who is spinning and making their skirt rise. They are surrounded by tall black hats and many onlookers.

Osian Meilir's Qwerin in Greenwich Park. Photo: Lucy White

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. Several roller skaters are lined up in Cygnet Square. They are all concentrating on their moves.

Skating skills workshop in Cygnet Square. Photo: Roswitha Chesher

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. Several roller skaters have their backs to us and are crossing their feet. An instructor can be seen in the background.

Skate Tingz teaching skating skills. Photo: Lucy White

Picnics in the Park

Alongside our Summer Sessions we also held three park picnics in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Audiences were encouraged to bring a picnic and enjoy an afternoon of professional and community performances, meet businesses from their area and take part in fun activities at the events which were compered by André Bright.

Discover our Perfect Picnic blog series

Maryon Park Picnic

Headlining the event was BBC Strictly Come Dancing’s Joanne Clifton with a jive workshop, The Mary Lou Revue with a celebration of swing, jazz, big band, vintage Hollywood musicals and vaudeville and Feet Off the Ground with Creature Comforts, a family friendly outdoor dance performance featuring a mysterious four-legged creature.

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. It is a very sunny day in Maryon Park and several people in shorts are taking part in a workshop on a square matt. The instructor has one leg kicked out in front of her.

BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Joanne Clifton teaching one of her favourite routines. Photo: Lucy White

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. A group of participants are in a sunny park. They are standing on a large grey mat and have their hands on their heads, mimicking the instructor who we can just see in the corner of the image.

BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Joanne Clifton teaching one of her favourite routines. Photo: Kinga Dawid

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. A performer in a lilac coloured dress is holding a fan made from white feathers. She is hold the hand of a man dressed in suit. Above them is a sign that says the Mary Lou Revue.

The Mary Lou Revue. Photo: Kinga Dawid

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. A strange patchwork covered creature is greeting a young child. Other people look on from the shade of nearby trees.

Feet Off the Ground's Creature Comforts. Photo: Kinga Dawid

The line-up also included:

TARU Arts, Costa Rica in the UK, Utopia Cheer, Beeja Dance, GD Collective (Greenwich Dance’s performance company), School of SOS, Firefly Fitness UK

Plus games, ice cream, face painting, a second-hand uniform shop from Windrush Primary School, a book swap with St Thomas Tuesday Group, a treasure hunt led by Friends of Maryon Park, stalls by Charlton Society, South East London Slingers, Barre and Baby, Firefly Fitness and Greenwich Pantry, a bar run by The Green Goddess pub, info sessions with the Metropolitan Police Youth Engagement Team, football fun from Charlton Athletic and a raffle.

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. Three performers in large and flowing brightly coloured skirts with black trim and white shirts dance on a grey mat.

Costa Rica in the UK. Photo: Kinga Dawid

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. The Utopia Cheer team wear blue uniforms and are throwing one of their team mates high into the air. They are reaching up, ready to catch her.

Utopia Cheer. Photo: Kinga Dawid

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. Two people from the Greenwich Pantry sit behind their display of cakes and their hand written sign which reads Greenwich Pantry Stall.

Greenwich Pantry. Photo: Kinga Dawid

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. Several people are in a park and holding a large colourful parachute aloft.

Fun and games in Maryon Park. Photo: Kinga Dawid

Gallions Park Picnic

Headlining the event was Norvil and Josephine’s Top Hat – a comedy/circus/theatre piece performed on a gigantic hat.

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. The crowds are gathered in Gallions Park. Above their heads we can see a man dressed in a white shirt, dark waistcoat and bow tie. A woman in blue trousers and a bright yellow top appears to be floating horizontally in mid air!

Norville & Josephine performing Top Hat in Gallions Park. Photo: Kinga Dawid

Also featuring FlavRcise Dance Fitness, GD Collective (Greenwich Dance’s performance company), Costa Rica in the UK, Baaj Institute for Music and Fine Arts, Utopia Cheer, Beeja Dance, Kiduku Rhythms workshop, Dynamix Dance, Royal Greenwich Music Service* and TARU Arts.

*unable to perform due to wet weather

 

Members of dance company Beeja talk about their Gallions Park Picnic experience

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. A dancer in traditional Nepalese dress of red and gold stands poised with one arm raised.

Baaj Institute for Music and Fine Arts. Photo: Kinga Dawid

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. Members of GD Collective stand on a grey mat. They are reaching out to the audience.

GD Collective. Photo: Kinga Dawid

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. Two dancers in red and gold have their hands raised. They are outside and it is raining.

Beeja Dance (performing in the rain!). Photo: Kinga Dawid

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. Kiduku Rhythms dance instructor stands amongst a group of children.

Kiduku Rhythmns. Photo: Kinga Dawid

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. TARU Arts instructors in brightly coloured shirts are helping children with their drumming.

TARU Arts. Photo: Kinga Dawid

Plus games, ice cream, face painting, stalls from, Bethany’s Beautiful Beads, Amabel Illustrations, West Thamesmead Church, children’s craft activities from West Thamesmead Residents Association, a nature trail with TLC Offerings, The Camouflage Cafe, Brighter Futures, calligraphy and printing from MEET Hong Kong, FREE bike tagging by the Metropolitan Police (normally charged at £25), a bar run by The Green Goddess pub and a raffle.

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. A colourful stall filled with framed pictures.

Amabel Illustrations. Photo: Kinga Dawid

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. Three people are at a stall. Above their heads is a sign which reads Hong Kong.

MEET Hong Kong. Photo: Kinga Dawid

Queenscroft Park Picnic

Designed to animate Queenscroft Park, the event was relocated at short notice to Middle Park community centre due to wet weather. This resulted in the stalls having to be cancelled along with the food and drink providers, but all professional and community groups other than the RAF marching band were retained and once again expertly compered by André Bright.

Headlining the event was Hikapee Theatre with their circus show performed on a giant parasol entitled Everywhere’s a Beach.

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. A village hall filled with people. At the front is a large parasol with two people dangling from it!

Hikapee Theatre performing Everywhere's a Beach in Middle Park Community Centre. Photo: Kinga Dawid

The day also featured Costa Rica in the UK, The RCCG Church Choir with gospel music, Traceworks Juniors, Dynamix Dance, UK Latin Community, Dancing to the Music of Time (one of Greenwich Dance’s Dance for wellbeing sessions) and Voices of Mauritius.

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. A group of young dancers are performing to a packed crowd instead a village hall.

Dynamix Dance. Photo: Kinga Dawid

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. Three performers in brightly coloured costumes are dancing in front of a packed room.

UK Latin Community. Photo: Kinga Dawid

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. The performers from Dancing to the Music of Time are holding hand fans together in a circle.

Dancing to the Music of Time. Photo: Kinga Dawid

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. Dancers in bright yellow and green costumes with flowing skirts are swirling around instead a village hall.

Voices of Mauritius. Photo: Kinga Dawid

Also in attendance were TARU Arts with drumming and face painting, and local resident Leslie teaching young people how to crochet ‘worry worms’. Greenwich Dance distributed free tea, coffee and biscuits to all who came.

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. Children holding home made drums are getting ready to make a lot of noise!

TARU Arts. Photo: Kinga Dawid

Remembering a glorious Summer in the Park. Two women are crocheting.

Leslie's Crochet. Photo: Kinga Dawid

We hope you enjoyed this year’s Summer in the Park events!

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