LAUNCHED SEP 25
CREATIVE PLAYGROUND
WELCOME TO BATH'S
Bath’s Creative Playground is a weekly workshop for artists, creatives and anyone curious about exploring physicality, improvisation and collaboration.
A space dedicated for dancers, actors, writers, musicians, filmmakers, visual artists and any other multidisciplinary creatives to move, play, and collaborate, or simply watch and creatively respond through their art form.
This weekly session invites you to reconnect with your creative practice and connect with Bath's artistic community.
Project launched Sep 2025
NEW VENUE & TIME UPDATE
Oldfield Park Theatre Workshops, Bath
Mondays, 6:30-8pm
UPCOMING GUEST ARTISTS
BUTOH WORKSHOP WITH ZOV VÉLEZ
Oldfield Park Theatre Workshops, Bath
Mon 15th Dec | 6:30-8pm | £10
‘In Butoh, we find a celebration of the primal, an exploration of the instinctual rhythms that pulse within us all. The dance becomes a communion with the earth, a reminder of the cyclical nature of life, and an invitation to embrace the chaos of our shared human journey’ (Stephen Barber). This workshop is an offering of some foundational material into the wide universe of Butoh. We will touch on some basic principles, solo and duo work, leading to shared improvisations.
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Zov Vélez is a performer and creative, working in movement / dance theatre. They have been training in Butoh for the last 5 years, finding deep influence for their works. Zov is also a Viewpoints practitioner in the Czech Republic, and is a member of Dust Ensemble.
UPCOMING SESSIONS:
MON 1st DEC with Xavi De Santos
MON 8th DEC with Xavi De Santos
MON 15th DEC
GUEST ARTIST SESSION
with ZOV VELEZ on BUTOH PRACTICE
January dates & more guest artists to be announced soon.
If you choose to trial during a guest artist week, the session has a cost of £10. Your free trial will still apply to the following week.
A SPACE TO PLAY AND EXPLORE MOVEMENT, STORYTELLING, COLLABORATION, IDEAS AND CONNECTION
WHO IS THIS SPACE FOR?
This is an ideal space for a variety of creatives. For dancers to stay active and engage with theatre; for actors to deepen their movement quality and physical theatre practice; and for other multidisciplinary artists to collaborate.
If you are a writer, musician, photographer, or visual artist and you’d like to join part of the session as a way to observe, document, or creatively respond to movement and the physical space, please do come along.This space is open to experimentation and cross-disciplinary connections.
For any creatives who feel they might be out of touch with their craft and want to reconnect with their artistic practice, this is a supportive, open space where vulnerability is welcome.
WHAT CAN I EXPECT?
Each 90-minute session begins with warm ups, movement exercises and sequences. This is followed by a guided group improvisation combining explorations in text, props, movement and contact. We finish with time to stretch, connect, and share ideas with each other.
The movement base for the session is primarily contemporary technique and physical theatre; however, all movement experience is welcome.
Come move, play, and connect.
START YOUR WEEK ACTIVATING YOUR CREATIVE ENERGY
WHO IS FACILITATING
THIS SPACE?
Hey, it's me – Xavier De Santos – a Bath-based freelance movement practitioner.
My work blends choreography and theatre, and within my interdisciplinary creative practice, I have created for, and with dancers, actors, and other creatives – blurring the lines between disciplines, focusing on the theatricalisation of the moving body.
My professional training started at Balleteatro in my hometown, Porto, Portugal, where I studied physical theatre before moving to the UK to complete a BA in Contemporary Dance at Bath Spa University. Most recently, I completed a research Master’s in Performance Practice at Middlesex University, London, which allowed me to begin my practice-as-research journey, specifically in choreographic and devising strategies.
Over the last decade, alongside facilitating for Bath Spa University as an associate lecturer for the Dance and Acting degree, for dance schools and community groups in Bath and Bristol, I have also been creating and performing with Dust Ensemble, as well as for the company I co-founded, AllouAqui Dance Theatre.
VENUE & OTHER DETAILS
Mondays, 6:30-8pm
Oldfield Park Theatre Workshops
Westmoreland Station Road, BA2 3HQ
Free parking available at or near the venue.
Make sure to bring water and wear comfortable sportswear.
MOVE, PLAY & CONNECT
COSTS
& PAYMENT
First trial is free, then...
Option 1: £10 for a single session
Option 2: £8 per session when booking for the month (£24 for December's 3 sessions)
