New Bradford Dance Theatre Company Launches with Double Bill Celebrating Song, Dance and Storytelling

A powerful new double bill from the newly formed MOV Dance Theatre will celebrate how song, dance and storytelling can bring people together, premiering at Bradford Arts Centre next month as part of its reopening season.

The company, led by Artistic Director Zoe Katsilerou, is envisioned as a hub for immersive, multicultural performance, engaging Bradford’s diverse communities through high-quality artistic work. Both shows explore MOV’s aim to unite its participatory and professional strands, continuing to celebrate the city’s rich cultural and artistic diversity.

The first piece, Voices, looks at how communal traditions of song and dance inspire resistance, empowerment and transformation within communities. Taking inspiration from Greek, Scottish, Irish, Iranian and Ghanaian traditions, the dance-theatre performance weaves together traditional and contemporary songs and dances with an original story that celebrates resilience, connection and diversity. The audience is invited to become part of the unfolding story through listening, imagining, singing and dancing if they wish to participate, adding their own voices to a powerful collective story.

Roma Voices is a collaboration with Bradford Arts Centre and European Drom, an organisation dedicated to helping communities, particularly those from a Roma Eastern European background, connect with their heritage through art. Blending traditional and contemporary forms, the project celebrates Roma identity and fosters cultural exchange through music, dance and storytelling. With Roma language and heritage increasingly at risk due to assimilation, Roma Voicesencourages intergenerational cultural sharing and looks to strengthen community pride.

Zoe said: “Our new work, Voices, is here to remind us of the transformative power of gathering, creating and expressing together, in times when division is loud. We are delighted to be premiering both works in the brand-new Bradford Arts Centre, a place that fosters diversity, togetherness and creativity. MOV tells stories that capture the magic of being human. We create work that is allegorical and poetic and share it with audiences through words, songs and dances. Our work is a sensory, joyful experience that will leave space for audiences to reflect on what it is to be humans, together. Everyone is welcome!”

MOV was born from a desire to create spaces that feel like a welcoming feast—where dance, song and storytelling are shared as naturally as food around a table. Inspired by the communal traditions of Mediterranean cultures, MOV brings people together in a spirit of welcome, togetherness and exchange.

The MOV Dance Theatre double bill premieres at Bradford Arts Centre on 6^th November as part of its reopening season. https://bdartscentre.co.uk/whats-on/events/mov-dance-theatre-gathering-the-performance-a-double-bill-voices-and-roma-voices/