Meraki Studio

Meraki Dance Collective Improvisation Festival Nanning

Meraki Dances Anywhere and Everywhere

Meraki Dances Anywhere and Everywhere 3999 2666 Meraki Dance Collective

Meraki believes the magic of dance is not just limited to the traditional space of a theatre or dance studio. Truly, you can dance anywhere and everywhere. Consciously involving the surroundings in your art can certainly make the whole more meaningful and more interesting, or at least, in Liam and Loura’s vision.

So it’s only natural, that when Sunny Xie – Manager or Nanning’s Local Modern Dance Company GuGuWu – invited Meraki Dance Collective to join them in an hour site-specific improvisation performance as part of the city’s 1st ”One Day Dance Dance Festival”, they were more than thrilled.

The location of the improvisation performance was the underground section of a popular shopping mall in the buzzing center of the city named Sheng Tian Di. Amidst shops, some props, and mall-visitors was the stage.

The improvisation was musically guided by Hong-Kongnese Soundscape Artist and Experimental Musician Paul Yip. Amongst the group of dancers were various Chinese contemporary dance groups as well as Chilean Dance Artist Samuel Morales Abarza.

Meraki Dance Collective Improvisation Festival Nanning
Meraki Dance Collective Improvisation Festival Nanning
Meraki Dance Collective Improvisation Festival Nanning

The whole experience was a very special one. Many mall visitors went out of their way to catch a glimpse of this unique and unpredictable event.

Once again was Meraki able to experience the universal language of dance… How it connects the artists who were first strangers of one another, and how it connects the performers with the audience who might have never seen contemporary dance before.

Liam and Loura are grateful for the opportunity to dance with such a dedicated group of artists and together share their art at an interesting location.

Would you like to experience Meraki perform at your next dance festival? Or teach at your dance intensive? That’s possible! Get in touch, there is nothing too crazy for us.

decorated meraki studio nanning

Wintercamp, where language and arts meet

Wintercamp, where language and arts meet 4032 3024 Meraki Dance Collective

As many of you might know, Liam and Loura are art-expats in the vibrant green city of Nanning. A semi-sized city located in Southern China. They have been living there since 2016 and have made great meaningful connections and collaborations with other artists, both locally and internationally.

Aside from the regular dance workshops and performances that Meraki provides, they also very much enjoy engaging in educational projects. You can read more about what Meraki can offer here.

Over the years Liam and Loura have grown very close to Scott, a Canadian native English Teacher with Vietnamese and Chinese roots, and HaHa, a Chinese local Montessori teacher. They recently opened their own language school in Nanning ”HomeSchool” which is a stone’s throw from Meraki’s very own private dance studio.

Besides their friendship, they share a lot of common thoughts and ideas on education and with that in mind, they decided to collaborate by designing an exclusive in-depth experience for children… A camp where both language and arts are targeted and where children in a playful and positive way are exposed to new ideas and thoughts.

The theme of this winter camp was ‘Chinese new year’. Over the course of five days, the four teachers took the students on a playful journey discovering different foods, arts and crafts, and of course, movement exploration in relation to new beginnings, new year festivities, and more.

Amongst the participants where both local and foreign children which made the experience of exchange between cultures even deeper and more meaningful.

Let’s have fun at Wintercamp! Like this little’s man jersey’ says: LO-VE!

The teachers noticed that by creating a healthy, safe and inspirational learning environment, the participants were able to bloom, help each other and learn new skills. Both their verbal communication (English) and their non-verbal communication (dance) improved gradually and the students were able to express themselves more clearly and honestly.

One of the highlights of the winter camp was the final presentation of the dragon dance they learned and choreographed together at the end of the week, whilst wearing their hand-made costumes. Truly a feast for all!

Are you interested in organizing a camp yourself and would you like Meraki to assist and/or join? Feel free to contact us with any questions and/or offers. Check out the images below to see the setting and feel the happy vibes of this unforgettable event!