Saturday Sessions: Improvising with Ascension Dance
Shake loose as Ascension Dance demonstrate the craft of improvising, showing us how to ignite imaginations to make anything and nothing into something new.
Saturday Sessions are the perfect place to start the weekend. On a monthly basis you can enjoy a piece of art, make something new along with the artists and create with other children and their families – all for free!
Ascension’s Saturday Session is inspired by their children’s dance show Early Weaves, where sticks of willow come to life through dance, imagination and improvisation. Through dance, play and willow (a fabulously flexible, fully compostable, carbon-sink material), we explore imagination and curiosity, witnessing physical improvisation at its best.
Then, together with the dancers, children can take a deep dive into their own imaginations, exploring the depths of play with willow and themselves, creating a whole world of possibility.
Early Weaves original performance concept by Hannah LeFeuvre. Re-staged, rehearsed and produced by Ascension Dance.
Ascension is a Black-led contemporary dance company based in Coventry. Inspired by movement from Parkour and Free Running, the company is committed to creating eye-catching performances with human connection and raw physicality at their heart.
Need to know
Saturday Sessions are free, drop-in events with no booking required. The sessions are part of our Open Doors programme to welcome everyone into our creative spaces.
We also offer Relaxed Sessions, an adapted version for families who may benefit from a more chilled out space.
Access
Saturday Sessions take a relaxed approach to noise or movement coming from the audience. They give everyone permission to relax and respond naturally and people are free to come and go as they please. There is also a nearby rest space available to use for the duration of the session whenever needed.
You can join our free Access Scheme through your online Southbank Centre account or via email.
Find out more about our Access Scheme
All our access information
For your visit
This event is held at the The Clore Ballroom Southbank Centre
The Clore Ballroom is open six days a week.
Tuesday, 10am – 6pm*
Wednesday – Sunday, 10am – 11pm
Monday, closed.
*If we’re hosting a performance, the building will stay open until the event ends.
Plan your visit
The Clore Ballroom is located inside our Royal Festival Hall on Level 2.
Getting here
Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.
The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues. More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.
We’re cash-free
Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.
Access
We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.
All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.
There is step-free access to The Clore Ballroom, Level 2, Royal Festival Hall, via a ramp.
All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.
Food & drink
Next to The Clore Ballroom is our Ballroom Cafe where you can grab a coffee and a piece of freshly made cake. Also on Level 2 of our Royal Festival Hall you can grab a slice of life by the Thames with drinks and freshly made pizza at our Festival Bar & Kitchen which opens out onto our Riverside Terrace.
From coffee to cocktails, filling favourites to fine dining, plus some of London’s best street food – it’s all here at the Southbank Centre.