Charlotte Jarvis & Ben Okri

About

Unit 3, Sheldon Square, London, W2 6PY
Rehearsal: 19th August -15th September
Public engagement: 15th September – 29th September
Will be using the space Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday

Dance activist Charlotte Jarvis and poet Ben Okri in collaboration, always bring the great issues of the day into the heart of their work.
How can poetry and dance help us understand the impact that these times have on our local and worldwide communities (climate catastrophe, Ukraine, Gaza, mental health)? And how we can move forwards with creativity and hope?
The residency will aid the creation of a new dance drama based on Okri’s epic poem, ’Mental Fight.’ They will work with other artists for performances. Charlotte would engage the local community with movement workshops for all ages.

Public Programme

The public events will be dance and movement workshops to all ages and abilities over the course of the residency.
During the final two weeks to perform new work ‘Mental Fight’ and to also to offer performances of recently premiered dance drama Revolution Earth.</p>

Artist Biographies

Sir Ben Okri
Ben Okri is a poet, novelist, essayist, short story writer, anthologist, aphorist, and playwright. He has also written film scripts. His works have won numerous national and international prizes, including the Booker Prize for Fiction, for The Famished Road. He is also the recipient of many honorary doctorates. His poem responding to the Grenfell Tower fire of 2017, read on Channel 4 News, has had over six million views on Facebook. In 2019, his novel ˋAstonishing the Gods‘ was named as one of the BBC‘s 100 Novels that Shaped Our World.  In 2021 he published an environmental fable for children
and adults, ˋEvery Leaf a Hallelujah.‘  His latest novel is ‘The Last Gift of the Master Artists.‘ His latest book is Tiger Work, stories and poems and essays about climate change. He was recently knighted for services to literature.
He collaborates with dancers, artists and musicians. At The Marylebone Theatre, in 2022, he gave a celebrated performance of T. S Eliot’s The Waste Land. And premiered ‘Revolution Earth’ with dance activist Charlotte Jarvis at The Marylebone Theatre, March 2024

Charlotte Jarvis
Dance Artist

Charlotte Jarvis, choreographer and dance activist, trained in classical ballet at London Studio centre. She was a contemporary dancer with Ballet
Nurnberg, Germany. She teaches ballet, contemporary and Scaravelli inspired yoga throughout UK. Charlotte has performed and collaborated with Ben Okri
in India, Italy, Dubai, Scotland and London. Together they weave a new form of theatre dance and poetry. They also staged TS Eliot’s ‘The Wasteland’ at The Marylebone Theatre 2022, which continues to tour. Their companies most recent production ‘Revolution Earth’ a poetry dance drama about love and climate change, premiered at Marylebone Theatre March 2024. Charlotte continues to raise climate awareness through the embodiment of dance.

contact information

Email: [email protected]
Socials: @cjFreedomArtist

Portfolio

Mental Fight; Sir Ben Okri and Charlotte Jarvis
Image Credit: Matthew Brookes