RichmondLive Festival: A celebration of THEATRE, DANCE and MUSIC

We had three amazing Sundays of fun and to those that missed out we thought it would best to give you a roundup of everything we got up to in Marble Hill Park.

On the 3 September we celebrated Theatre kicking off the day with a performance from Ignite Me Theatre workshop, their performance included monologues, singing, poetry and comedy. They had the audience laughing, musing and dancing in their seats!

Also joining us for RichmondLive Festival in celebration of Theatre were three amazing authors from Palewell Press telling us their stories about working through grief and womanhood.

Story Storks then joined us for some fun with their immersive story of Jack and the Bean stalk, the performance left us wondering…would you sell your cow for some magic beans?

Don’t forget to book your tickets for the upcoming show The Princess and the Pea at the Exchange in Twickenham.

Following Story Storks we watched two neighbours get into a pickle after a supermarket looting! As Teddington Theatre Club performed They Don’t Pay We Won't Pay – buy your tickets now.

OSO Arts Centre highlighted togetherness and change through a performance of their original piece of work, Jammed, created as part of the OSO Writers Studio.

We were then introduced to Henrys VIII's famous six wives and many others with Dramacube performing the very best musical theatre hits.

Twisted Bliss let us trial out to join the circus, we spun a hula hoop, played with ribbons, spinning plates and juggling balls.

Flirty Not Dirty ended the show with a bang after helping us discover out inner diva through their Burlesque taster class.

On the 10 September we gathered again however this time to celebrate Dance. Dance is such an amazing thing not only because the range of movements can tell stories and convey different emotions but also because of the various health benefits.

Lauren Haith School of Dance started off the day with performances inspired by famous pieces of art and invited the audience to create their very own artwork based on the performances.

We were then transported to different parts of the world with Jewels Belly Dancers transporting us to Egypt and Ukrainian Dance Ensemble Stefania bringing us on a tour of Ukraine through their different styles of dance representing the beauty and diversity of Ukraine.

Boundless Dance then followed and put on a spectacular show showing just how diverse and skilful they are showing us a range of pieces varying in styles and with performers of different ages.

DanceWest hosted their Bolder Not Older workshops and taster session which empowered adults aged 60+ to embrace their inner rhythm and unleash their passion for dance!

Marble Hill Dance Studio then demonstrated how fantastic they were through their amazing outfits and phenomenal dance moves.

Freedom Tango's taster session got everyone up and moving and we had more dance from around the world with O’Connor Irish Dancing performance and taster session and the Upahaar School of Dance.

And finally what a way to round off the day with a Bollywood taster session from Bollywood Magic, Georgia did a fantastic job at getting everyone involved not matter their age or talents.

On the 17 September we concluded RichmondLive Festival with Music and despite the weather the show went on and it was spectacular!

75 singers from RockChoir opened the show with music from all eras and genres, no microphones were needed as their voices carried beautifully through Marble Hill Park.

Tuesday Blue performed next an amazing Blues set and their performance of I’m Feeling Good was one you definitely didn’t want to miss.

Whitton Community Big Band played next the relaxed band played swing, Latin Jazz, Funk and Rock.

Ludwig Mack played a short acoustic set and it was fantastic to see his confidence shine through as it was just him and his guitar.

The Landmark Singers closed the show despite the rain, there were smiling faces all round… some could say their performance cleared the weather and brought the sunshine.

RichmondLive Festival 2023 was a great success, we had two days filled with sunshine and one on the greyer side however we didn’t let that stop us.

Our favourite comment from the RichmondLive Festival "It was fantastic to showcase so many talented groups from the area, they really encouraged the audience to take part and brought the park to life."

That's what it was all about for us showing all the local talent and making people aware of all the amazing theatre, dance and music groups they can get involved in! We want to thank everyone for coming and we hope you thoroughly enjoyed the festival… hopefully you will see us the same time, same place next year.

See below for details of performers and links to their websites.

Ignite Me Theatre Workshop	Produce and perform pieces of theatre designed to raise awareness for issues that affect the participants life.
Palewell Press Publishing	Palewell Press is an independent not-for-profit publisher based in South West London, focusing on books that foster justice, equality and environmental sustainability.
Story Storks	If you missed the fun at RichmondLive or want to see more from story storks – they will be performing at the exchange in Twickenham for a Halloween themed show of Princess and the Pea
Teddington Theatre Club and Hampton Theatre Club	Performances coming up: They Don’t Pay, We Won’t Pay Treasure Island Passion Play They are also holding Autumn and Winter auditions
OSO Arts Centre	A number of classes available to join, Writers studio, OSO networking event – a chance to network and talk to industry professionals
Dramacube	Host workshops during school holidays to get young ones of different ages into theatre.
Twisted Bliss	Provide entertainment for any kind of event – choose from a variety of performers from bubble and balloon dancers to fire breathers and stilt entertainers.
Flirty Not Dirty	Join her burlesque classes, it’s a fabulous way to exercise whilst also increasing body confidence and celebrating femininity.
Lauren Haith School of Dance	Lauren Haith School of Dance is an inclusive dance school for children and adults based in Hampton. Offering classes in Ballet, Contemporary and more - sign up now for your free trial lesson!
Jewels Belly Dancers	The Jewels are a body and age positive female Bellydance troupe.
Ukrainian Dance Ensemble Stefania	“Stefania” has united professional and semi-professional dancers from Ukrainian cities
Boundless Dance	Boundless offer fun and dynamic Dance, Drama, Singing & Theatre Classes for ages 4 through to adults. They deliver school clubs, community classes as well as our CATT Classes (Competition & Technical Teams) and Adult Dance Fitness Classes.
DanceWest	DanceWest is an award-winning charity that has pioneered high-quality dance programmes since 2014 offering a creative response to issues including poor health, socio-economic disadvantage and unequal access to physical activity.
Marble Hill Dance Studio	Marble Hill Dance Studio offers a wide range of dance classes, from pre-primary ballet through to graded and vocational level classical ballet training. We also offer contemporary, modern, tap, street dance, singing, LAMDA, musical theatre and creative dance classes for children and adults.
Freedom Tango	Freedom Tango has been providing social tango classes and events for adults in Teddington and Richmond for twenty years, also providing workshops and tasters for community groups, social centres, street parties and festivals.
O’Connor Irish Dancing	Irish dance classes for children from age 4 upwards. Classes are based in Staines, Ashford, Whitton & Twickenham.
Upahaar School of Dance	The school aims to bring Indian classical dance to every sector of the community through its various activities and events,
Bollywood Magic	The UK’s leading Bollywood dance and teaching choreography company.
RockChoir	If you love to sing, you’ll love Rock Choir! No auditions and no musical knowledge needed. It’s all about singing, fun, community, friendship and life-changing experiences! Sign up for a free taster session!
Tuesday Blue	Tuesday Blue is a hugely entertaining trio featuring powerhouse vocalist Sarah, with Nick on keys and Graham on sax.
Whitton Community Big Band	The relaxed band playing swing, Latin jazz, funk and rock in a Big band format. We love to welcome and encourage all levels of instrument players who would like to play jazz. We have fun playing and performing together. There are no limits to numbers of instrument players.
Ludwig Mack	Ludwig Mack is a gifted musician, showcasing his talents as a guitarist, singer, and composer.
Landmark Singers	Landmark Art Centre host a range of different singing groups, join their workshops or classes.