Join the Lord Mayor, Councillor Jane Dowson, to remember those who were persecuted and died during the Holocaust and other genocides. Also attending the event as a special guest will be the Cambodian Ambassador, Her Excellency Dr. Rathchavy SOEUNG, who will give a speech which explores this year’s theme ‘The Power of Words’.
This year the civic remembrance event includes a performance from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance’s Youth Dance Company, an open-level group of local dancers aged between 12-17 years old. NSCD’s Youth Dance Company meets weekly to take part in creative workshops and choreograph dance works, and will be performing a new piece that draws inspiration from the public Holocaust memorial sculpture ‘Shoes on the Danube Bank’, located in Budapest, Hungary.
Combining dance performance, poetry and film, the new commission reimagines the lives of those who were killed as a result of Nazi persecution during the Second World War. The piece features film by Wayne Sables and is choreographed by Tom Bowes. Two current BA Dance students, Chana Joyce and Niamh Milligan, have supported the project as choreographic assistants.
"This Holocaust Memorial Day commission has challenged and supported our young dancers to understand the impact of these past atrocities on communities. Our youth company has worked with sensitivity throughout the process to produce an engaging and thoughtful piece, using the body, spoken word and film. Both the dancers and I are honoured to be a part of such an important commemorative event for the city." Tom Bowes, NSCD Youth Dance Company Leader / Learning & Participation Coordinator at Northern School of Contemporary Dance
The afternoon also includes music by the Clothworkers Consort of Leeds, and candle lighting by representatives of different communities, including a Holocaust survivor, the LGBT* community, people with additional needs, and Remembering Srebrenica. The event will close with a minute’s silence and a traditional Hebrew memorial prayer sung by the President of Bradford Synagogue Rudi Leavor, BEM.
Members of the public are invited to join the Lord Mayor at Leeds Town Hall for the commemoration service, starting at 2pm. The event is free to attend.
The vision of Holocaust Memorial Day is to learn from the past in order to create a safer, better future. More information can be found here.
"I feel very humbled to be part of this year’s commemoration service at Leeds Town Hall. We must never forget these atrocities and Holocaust Memorial Day makes us reflect on all those needless lives lost and serve as a poignant reminder why it must never happen again. This year’s theme ‘The Power of Words’ prompts us to think about how spoken and written words from individuals, corporations, community organisations or the state can have a huge impact, whether good or bad. " The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Jane Dowson
