CHAIRMAN’S CULTURE AWARD
SPONSORED
BY
For an individual or organisation that has contributed to raising the profile of the arts amateur dramatics or music.
This person may be the star of the show or they could work behind the scenes, helping to make it happen.
The shortlisted finalists are:
Dan Tien Performing Arts Studio
The Dan Tien is a family run business offering a huge variety of dance, performing arts and music classes for young people. When Covid hit and the children were suddenly at home and unable to see friends and family The Dan Tien came into its own. They were incredibly quick to get remote lessons with all teachers teaching the children from their own homes. They brought an incredible amount of happiness to children setting free competitions and challenges for the children to focus and work on. The studio make special videos during this time so children could learn various dances and songs so that parents could record them and send them in. They put hours of of time into putting all the performances together into one video of all the children. They also ran free dance and musical theatre lessons online during school holidays.
Alex Williams
The Watford Dial Up is a regular meeting for those in the arts where they are encouraged to perform and develop their craft in front of a live audience. The open mic events create an encouraging and positive environment for a variety of performers including singers, comedians, poets, instrumentalists and even magicians! Usually Alex hosts the events in venues around Watford but during lockdown also threw open the doors to his garden to host socially distanced Dial Up events. He is a life-enhancing wonder, loved by everyone for bringing joy to so many!
Amma Gyan - WINNER
Amma is an inspirational person who consistently shows a dedication to arts and culture in Watford. In the pandemic, she was able to work with the council to re-imagine the chapel at Vicarage Road Cemetery into a creative space where local artists can originate and exhibit their work. The chapel gallery work with artists, local schools and community groups to host a variety of exhibitions and sessions such as painting, photography, textiles and mixed media. Amma’s warm welcome has had a positive impact on both her customers and resident artists.
