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Mayfest 08 hotter than ever as sun shines on student stars

Thursday 8 May 2008

Hundreds of students, local residents and visitors from across London came to the University of East London (UEL) Docklands campus on Wednesday 7 May to celebrate the joys of spring in the sunshine at Mayfest 08, the third annual free arts and cultural festival held on the waterfront at University Square.

Mayfest’s exciting programme featured live music, dance workshops, art exhibitions, poetry readings and theatrical performances, bringing together the work of professionals, students and school and community groups for a celebration of culture and creativity.

The event kicked off with a Carnival Calypso Collaboration between UEL’s very own Nostalgia Steel Band and the Barking Bateria Samba Band, with Mayor of Barking and Dagenham, Fred Barns, adding improvised accompaniment on the drums.

Other highlights included performances from urban dance crews, Newham community gospel choir Solid Harmony, acoustic drum'n'bass collective Moe Foe, and Maypole dancing by the children from UEL's nursery. Visitors took part in music and dance workshops, guided walking trails, and a climactic carnival parade along the waterfront of the Royal Albert Dock.

Honey Kalaria, Director of Honey’s Dance Academy, Europe’s leading Bollywood training school, led dancing workshops on the main stage. Honey said: “I think it’s amazing to see such fantastic performers here at Mayfest. The weather was wonderful and the UEL team have worked really hard to put on such a fun-packed event. I feel very proud to be involved.”

Samantha Haynes (25), a student on UEL’s Combined Honours degree in Creative Writing and Urban Dance, provided a memorable routine as part of the ‘What’s So Urban About Urban Dance’ show. Afterwards, she said: “I’m totally exhausted but really elated. It’s been a great experience to dance in front of so many people. UEL has a really good community feel – now I can just relax and enjoy the rest of the day!”

Theatrical highlights included ‘Underground’, a new adaptation of ‘Brokeback Mountain’, written and performed by UEL students. The 'Cine-fest' programme included student work and a screening of Zina Saro-Wiwa's new film, ‘This is my Africa'.

Lord Rix, Chancellor of the University of East London, hosted a reception for partners and supporters. Mark O’Thomas, Director of UEL’s Institute for Performing Arts Development, said: “It is really encouraging to see how this Mayfest at UEL is becoming established as a celebration of culture and creativity enjoyed by our community and visitors alike. The sun shone as brightly as the performances, and we are looking forward to making it even bigger next year!”

UEL’s Institute for Performing Arts Development is becoming established as a national centre for excellence with groundbreaking undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in music, theatre, dance and community arts. For further information, visit www.uel.ac.uk/ipad.

For details and pictures contact Daniel Cherry: 020 8223 2194

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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