News 2011
2011
April 2011. Ballroom of Joys and Sorrows. In development.
In March, a series of meetings at Cecil Sharp House began with Adriano Adewale, composer and percussionist, where we researched songs, shanties and dance music at Vaughan Williams Library and with traditional dancer Laurel Swift and singer Tim van Eyken. Dance research also began with associate choreographers Amir Giles and Yael Lowenstein and workshops as development for 2012 were held with community groups as part of WPT participation scheme.
Workshops and rehearsals with a remarkable and talented group of performers: Elisabetta D'aloia, Amir Giles, Anders Jensen, Eva Magyar, Laurel Swift and Tim van Eyken were between 4-20 April at Watford Palace Theatre. Musicians Marcelo Andrade, Jonathan Preiss, and Luke Daniels led by Adriano Adewale joined us, bringing skilfully interwoven Brazilian and English musical material together in the subtle mix characteristic of Adriano's work.
The amount of material - dance, music and song - generated through the meeting point of this group and their creative generosity was astonishing in its invention and depth of feeling. The results were collated and shown in an industry 'sharing' which was well received with much excitement at the potential for the full work to be realised for 2012.
After Troy March 2011
Oxford Playhouse and Shaw Theatre
This interesting and moving Glyn Maxwell play was directed by Alex Clifton and offered a chance to create some really interesting work for the women in the piece. I particularly enjoyed Alex Silverman's work on the music too.
Sarabande January 2011
In January, I had the pleasure of working with international cellist Robert Cohen and dancer Amir Giles, on the Sarabande from Bach's Suite No 5. It was a rich exchange on the music and dance relationship, in response to the exquisite rise and fall of the Sarabande phrasing and Robert's musicianship.
Mentoring and Teaching 2010-11
I seem to be an unofficial mentor to a few emerging choreographers! I am also often being asked to be more official one - as part of funding applications. I really enjoy this work. Emerging choreographers, whose thoughts and development ideas about their work arrive in my inbox, are from a range of fields and include Denise Horsley, Amir Giles, Yael Lowenstein, and Kieran Sheehan.
Teaching at CSSD Movement Studies MA, Arts Ed Musical Theatre MA, and RCM International Opera Students continues. Choreographic teaching at the Royal Ballet School continues and students show talent and keen motivation to develop their work.
Songs from a Hotel Bedroom 2010
This new production was sold out for four performances 4-6 November 2010 at the Linbury Theatre at the Royal Opera House! It was enjoyed by audiences everywhere it played (also at Watford Palace Theatre and Ipswich New Wolsey) and enlivened by superb singing and acting from Frances Ruffelle and Nigel Richards.
Produced by Fiona Mason of SEGUE, this new work of choreographic music theatre tells the story of a love affair between a cabaret singer and a writer and uses the bittersweet love songs from the American repertoire of Kurt Weill. The creative team included co-writer Peter Rowe, music arrangements by James Holmes, design Chloe Lamford, and lighting Anna Watson.
The tango material provided by Amir Giles and Tara Pilbrow was universally admired for being apt, inventive and really beautiful. The band, who also had speaking roles were fantastic. It was a long journey and everyone involved misses it and wishes it could have continued.
Soul Play in Korea!! July 23, 24 2010 at the Miryang Theatre Festival.
Dancer Joy Constantinides worked with Korean actor Yong Rae Kim from STT Company in a translation by Chae Kyung Lee of Anna Reynolds text for Soul Play. The integrated nature of the text and movement presented some new challenges for Joy and myself who rehearsed with jet lag in temperatures of 90 degrees! Joy learned plenty of Korean cue words and Yong Rae did a fantastic job, by learning the translation and staging very fast and delivering a beautiful performance. Understanding I must add, is nothing to do with language.....
The local technical team (led by the wonderful Inggon) supported me and them fantastically! They were Chae Kyung Lee translator, Sunghee Yu, lighting (recreating Anna Watson's original), Yohan Kim, sound (yes all of Al Ashford's trains and birds).
Korean 'Figaro's Wedding' !
I was also doing two weeks choreographic development with the actors of the musical theatre team at the STT theatre troupe on a new version of Beaumarchais' Marriage of Figaro ..... in Korean. Work was on developing dances, improvisations and character work ahead of the main rehearsal period. This was an incredibly busy time but a wonderful opportunity to watch STT at work during the ten day festival in the productions they have made famous: Ogu, Yee su Shin and Hamlet. Very nice also to hang out with Purni Morrell visiting from National Theatre Studio.
Soul Play March 2010
Performance dates10th and 11th March 8.00 Watford Palace Theatre
27th March 2.45 and 7.45 Mercury Theatre Studio, Colchester
30th March 8.00 Robin Howard Dance Theatre, The Place
The work had very good national reviews and exquisite and moving performances by Joy Constantinides and Sam Curtis. Each performance was followed by post show discussion and a series of movement workshops were given to a range of groups on the material and content in relation to bereavement issues.
Adventures in 2009
Creative Associate Watford Palace Theatre June 2009
I am very proud to have become a Creative Associate of Watford Palace Theatre. It is my hometown and offers the chance to develop some ideas and favourite projects close to my heart in this delightful theatre. It is also a chance to give back something to the place I have lived for 17 years, where my kids went to school and is a much maligned hard working town - full of surprises too. The first full project was the revival of Soul Play in the Spring 2010, which included outreach work with Watford Palace Theatre and the Peace Hospice bereavement department. I was grateful to have rehearsed the pilot of Songs from a Hotel Bedroom at WPT, gaining valuable feedback from director Brigid Larmour.
Rayne Fellowship completion July 2009
Sound Journey Edinburgh Festival August 2009
It was a genuine pleasure to work closely with Adriano Adewale Brazilian master percussionist on his one-man music performance piece. The production is a small but intense experience with some fabulous playing and offers touching communication on matters of sound and silence. He is a marvellous mover and the rhythms of his world sparkle and shiver through many moments both complex and simple. Great stuff.
Trip to Korea, August 2009
In August, I travelled to Korea for the first time and taught dances of Shakespeare's era to the actors of the Miryang Street Theatre Troupe. It was a lovely experience watching this talented group of really superb young performers engage with such delight in the material. They were particularly vivid in their manner of dealing with jigs (that's Morris dancing without bells) and a splendid Sellenger's Round (- not exactly Shakespearean but caught their imagination) a Pavane, La Volta and other Elizabethan court dances. On top of that, they did lots of my improvisation tasks, warm ups and exercises. Together we created epic and intimate moments of great delight - I cried and laughed in equal measure. I was delighted to be asked back in the Autumn for more adventures!
The director of the company Yun taek Lee is a really interesting man who is both a playwrite and theatre innovator with extensive experience and knowledge of world theatre. I had a truly remarkable time, was made to feel very welcome and wonder still at how not knowing a language is no barrier to understanding. Whilst there I met a dancer Yong Bu Ha, who is an 'honorary national treasure of intangible properties No 49' and a great traditional performer who learned the dances from his grandfather, maintaining and upholding the tradition. He showed his exquisite dances, which were extremely expressive in their beautifully centred minimalism.
Kreutzer Sonata Gate Theatre London October-December 2009
I made movement sequences for the musicians, which were incorporated into Natalie Abrahami's succinct and beautifully acted production at the Gate Theatre.
Pains of Youth, National Theatre, September-November 2009
I worked once again with director Katie Mitchell at the National Theatre. This was a fascinating rigorous and rewarding process of in-depth work on an early 20th century play by Ferdinand Bruckner. My work involved Swedish Exercises, Javanese dancing, waltzing, and Ragtime. It was never a dull minute.
Merchant of Venice Myeondong Theatre Seoul, November-December 2009
This was a fast moving visit to make a carnival scene and stage dances for a new production involving the STT company I worked with in the Summer and four well known actors at the National Theatre of Korea theatre in central Seoul.
The STT Company was also presenting Hamlet in Seoul, which included the work I had done with the company on Shakespearean theatre dances in the Summer. It was really interesting with an excellent and very talented Hamlet along with the rest of the company and the special atmosphere they create. I have now forged an enduring relationship with the company and look forward to further work with them.