The Cohesion Plus commissioned performance saw young people from local youth groups performing alongside Cultural Beats and Kent Music. The piece was titled “Fusion Clash” and saw a combination of Indian percussion and wind and string instruments complimented by dancers. This particular project was funded via Arts Council England.

Gurvinder Sandher the Director of Cohesion Plus Kent said “I was really pleased with the diversity of the acts that we had on stage. There was a real positive energy around the event and I was of course proud of the performance of the young people in our commissioned piece as I am aware of the hard work that they and the artists involved had put in the build up”

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The art pieces that were carried in the parade had been created by the children during visual art workshops at their schools in conjunction with the renowned arts company Samesky.

The parade commenced at just after 10.30am in the precinct. The children then went through the Town Centre before finishing at Calverley Grounds where they listened to speeches and watched Bloco Fogo, Cultural Beats and Uzambezi perform. The launch event gave a taster of what spectators can expect to see at the Mela on Sunday 18 July.

Gurvinder Sandher the Director of Cohesion Plus who organised Parade said” This is our biggest Mela Parade to date in Kent and we are very grateful to our partners Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, Arts Council England and the Local Children’s Services Partnership for all their help and support in making it possible. The Mela is a great way for the communities of the borough to come together and enjoy music and dance from around the world and celebrate the positive community cohesion which exists in Tunbridge Wells”

The Schools that participated in the Tunbridge Wells Mela Schools Parade were: Southborough, Bishops Down, St Johns, St Matthews, Claremont, Rusthall, St Peters, St Barnabas and St Augustines.

To view more photos please click here – http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/kent/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8789000/8789292.stm

The mela, an annual event, will be held in Mote Park over two days on Saturday, September 11 and Sunday, September 12 – and you could be part of it too.

In the past the Mela has attracted more than 35,000 people since it began in 2003 and organisers want this year to be no different.

Gurvinder Sandher, Organiser of the Mela and Director of Cohesion Plus, said: “This year we want as many people as possible to take part. We’re looking for stall holders, volunteers and community groups to be part of this big celebration of diversity and culture.

“This year we plan to have something for everyone. The Mela is an important part of Maidstone’s culture and all of the activities we are planning are a great example of people working to bring communities together.”

A launch parade with a schools parade is planned for July 14.

The Mela is organised in partnership by Maidstone Borough Council, the North West Kent Racial Equality Council and Cohesion Plus.

If you would like a stall or want to volunteer for the Mela 2010 email Alastair Barker on alastairbarker@maidstone.gov.uk or call 01622 602508.

The Festival of Light has been organised by local arts organisation Cohesion Plus in partnership with North West Kent REC and the Dartford East and West Local Children’s Services Partnerships.  The parade will start just on the green outside Central Library, will turn right towards the High Street, going past the Paper Moon Public House, and will then continue along the High Street before stopping outside the Halifax Bank for live music and dance performances by the Bloco Fogo Samba Group, Four by Four Bhangra Group and Lucky Moyo African Drummers.  Then parade will then continue on back to the starting point.

The aim of the Festival of Light is to bring the communities of Dartford together through the arts, and has been inspired by the Cultural Olympiad which promotes the Olympic values of excellence, respect and friendship and the Paralympics values of empower, achieve and inspire.

According to Gurvinder Sandher the Director of Cohesion Plus who is co-ordinating the event “We have been very pleased with the positive response which we have had from local schools. I hope that the local community come and out and support the parade and that we can continue to develop it in the build up to the London 2012 games, which will be on the doorstep of Dartford.  I believe that the parade will showcase the great community relations and local young talent thatexists in the borough”

To download or view the poster for this event please click here – Festival of Light Poster

The Mela, which means gathering, has attracted more than 35,000 people since it began in 2003 and this year is expected to be no different as it expands for the first time into a two-day event.

On Saturday, September 12 at Mote Park from 6pm to 9pm crowds will be treated to stage performances from Bhangra singer Jassi Sidhu and Queen Tribute act Mercury. There will also be a light installation by Emergency Exit Arts.

On Sunday, September 13 at Mote Park from 1pm to 6pm there will be a schools parade, community stalls, local community acts and much more.

Cabinet Member for Community Services, Cllr Marion Ring, said: “This year is going to be packed with arts, music, dance and food from all around the world- it really is a festival of fun. What’s more it’s free to attend.”

There is a host of other activities going on throughout the town to celebrate the Mela, which this year is being supported by the Downs Mail.

· Saturday, August 22 – 11am-1pm and 2pm-3pm – Chinese Dragon making at Maidstone Library, St Faith’s Street.

· Saturday, August 29 – 11am-3pm – Gurkha food and traditions in Fremlin Walk.

· Saturday, August 29 – 10.30am-12.30pm or 1.30pm-3.30pm – Mela design workshop at Maidstone Museum.

· September 5 – 11am-3pm – music, dancing and toys in the Mall, Chequers.

· September 5 – 10.30am-12.30pm or 1.30pm-3.30pm – mela collage at Maidstone Museum

· September 5 – 11am-2pm – Funky music and fun at Springfield Library.

· September 12 – 10.30am-12.30pm or 1.30pm-3.30pm – mela collage at Maidstone Museum

Cllr Ring added: “This year there is so much to do there’s something for everyone. The Mela is an important part of Maidstone’s culture and all of these activities are a great example of people working together to bring communities together.”

The Mela is organised in partnership by Maidstone Borough Council, the North West Kent Racial Equality Council and Cohesion Plus.

Gurvinder Sandher, Director of Cohesion Plus, said: “I am really pleased with how the Maidstone Mela has developed. The Mela has evolved from a one-day celebration of music, food and dance to one which celebrates the diversity of Maidstone over several months.”

This year for the first time the Mela will take place over 2 days. On Saturday 12 September Bhangra Superstar Jassi Sidhu and Mercury Queen Tribute Band will perform on the stage between 6pm -9pm, plus there will be an amazing light installation by Emergency Exit Arts to transform Mote Park which has been commissioned by Cohesion Plus and has been funded by Arts Council England.

On Sunday 13 September there will be stalls selling national and regional cuisine, displaying crafts and displays of national dress. While on the stage there will be a full programme of culturally diverse entertainment ranging from Bhangra to Hip Hop to Street Dance between 1pm and 6pm including an exciting fusion performance of music and dance by Four by Four and Mahua Arts.

Last year the Mela attracted in the region of 10,000 visitors and this year’s event promises to be bigger and better.

According to Gurvinder Sandher the Director of Cohesion Plus “This year we have worked very hard in partnership with local community groups and our partners to ensure that we have a Mela which caters for the diverse communities of the borough.  I am very pleased with the artistic line up and look forward to seeing how the Saturday night Mela concert goes down.  There is always a worry when you try something new at an established event such as the Maidstone Mela but I am confident that the local community will come out and support it”

Jassi Sidhu who will be performing in Maidstone for the first time commented “I am looking forward to playing in Maidstone.  I have heard some really good things about the Mela and hope that the communities will come and enjoy my brand of contemporary bhangra pop music”

The artistic theme of this year’s Mela was to showcase some of the best young talent in the bhangra and urban fusion. Highlights at this years Mela included performances by Bhangra Superstar Aman Hayer who performed exclusive tracks from his new album Ground Shaker 2, DJ H and DJ Rags who performed from their number 1 album Reloaded, XS Bass, Wasted Grace Dance Theatre , the Cultural Beats Project and the ever popular Four by Four Bhangra Group.

A particular highlight on the day was the special fusion performance created by Four by Four Bhangra and Wasted Grace which was developed by Cohesion Plus to bring together contemporary dance theatre with urban street dance and traditional bhangra.

Alongside the performances on stage there were also be displays and information available on a wide range of local services including Kent Police, Kent Fire & Rescue Service, the Environment Agency, Rethink Sahayak, Dance in Kent and the British Lung Foundation.

Dev Sharma MBE the Director of North West Kent Racial Equality Council commented “I was very pleased with how the Mela went.  This event compliments our other work around the county to promote community cohesion through music and dance.  There was a wide range of culturally diverse artists performing and I have had very positive feedback from a lot of people who attended the event.  I hope that we can develop an even bigger Mela for Dartford next year”

Gurvinder Sandher the Artistic Director of Cohesion Plus commented “This year we tried a specific theme namely showcasing cutting edge contemporary fusion artists and the response has been very positive.  I was particularly pleased that the fusion piece and I am looking to build upon this in 2009.  Our ultimate ambition is to take the Mela outdoors like our other similar events around the County and we look forward to working with our partners to make this happen in the very near future”

Bill Singh from Four by Four Bhangra Youth Club commented “We were very pleased with the positive response the young people received from the audience.  This event is an excellent way of showcasing some of the excellent artistic talent there is locally.  We hope that after this Mela more people will be inspired to participate in the arts”

Everyone is keen to see what exciting artists and performances the 2009 Dartford Mela will have on offer for the crowds. Who will no doubt be supporting the Mela as they have been since 2003, when the first Mela took place in Dartford.

Here is the photo gallery from the 2008 Dartford Mela. Click on the thumbnails to view or use the PicLens viewer for a slideshow experience of the gallery.

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Mela’s originate from the Indian Subcontinent and are a celebration of music, food and dance.  Mela’s take place all over the UK, and this was the first ever to take place in Medway.  Highlights at the Mela included performances by Bhangra Superstar Jassi Sidhu who performed tracks from his new album, popular bhangra stars BEE2, Taj-E, Hip Hop Star Maximus, Saheli Dancers who performed Bollywood Dance Fusion, Lethal Soundz Roadshow and the ever popular Four by Four Bhangra Group.

Alongside the performances on stage there were also displays and information available on a wide range of local services including Kent Police, Kent Fire and Rescue, the Environment Agency and the Medway Gurdwara Council as well as food stalls.

Dr. Kulwant Singh, the Chair of Medway Gurdwara Council commented “I am pleased that we have been able to put on the Medway Mela. This has been a long term ambition of the Medway Gurdwara Council.  We are really pleased that the local community came and supported this event.  We have learnt a lot already from the feedback we received and hope that in the future we can develop the Mela so that it can take place outdoors.  We are especially grateful to Awards for All for providing the funding and Cohesion Plus for their help and support in making this Mela happen”

Gurvinder Sandher the Director of Cohesion Plus commented “I was pleased to work with the Medway Gurdwara Council on the Mela.  We had a good turnout for the first year and hope we can develop something even bigger in future years”

Here are some photos from the event, please click on the photos to make them larger.