Archive for the ‘Music’ Category

Anne De Terese Keersmaeker Tate Modern

Monday, July 11th, 2016

July 11 2016

Anne De Terese Keersmaeker Tate Modern 

Over the weekend the renowned Belgian choreographer Anne De Terese Keersmaeker and her company Rosas were performing Work/Travail/Arbeid in the Turbine Hall Tate Modern. The music, composed by Gérard Grisey was played live by musicians with the collective name Ictus: a grand piano, flute, clarinet, violin, viola and cello. I drew Anne De Terese Keersmaeker in 2012 when she performed at the opening of the Tanks at Tate Modern. It was fantastic to have the opportunity again to watch and draw Keersmaeker’s choreography and see the excellent Rosas dancers performing.

A small selection of the many drawings I made, I will work from the drawings to create monotypes and etchings, maybe even a painting:

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Wishing for more Rosas rehearsals/performances …

Protein Dance. May Contain Food

Wednesday, April 27th, 2016

April 27 2016

Protein Dance. May Contain Food

Fabulous new show from Protein at The Place then touring, from choreographer Luca Silvestrini with a wonderful a cappella score from Orlando Gough. Eight performers are our waiters, four dancers and four singers who sing, dance and mime question our relationships with food, the confusing roles food plays in our lives and the controversial messages we are given about food. Humorous, touching and delicious.
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Gwyn Emberton Dance. My People

Sunday, March 29th, 2015

26 March 2015

Gwyn Emberton Dance. My People

I have been drawing Gwyn Emberton Dance during rehearsals for My People, at Greenwich Dance. This dark turbulent dance takes it’s name and inspiration from Caradoc Evans‘ collection of controversial short stories written in 1915. The six dancers, Gwyn Emberton, Federica Esposito, Albert Garcia, Anais Michelin, Ryan O’Neill and Rachele Rapisardi transport the audience through strong flowing movement to the turbulent village life of Manteg.

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Choreography Gwyn Emberton, music composed by Benjamin Talbot and Tic Ashfield. Lighting design, Aideen Malone and costumes by Neil Davies.

Performances: Alra Theatre London 7th, 8th April.

Taliesin, Abertawe / Swansea 10 April

Theatr y Fwrdeistref Y Fenni / Borough Theatre, Abergavenny 29 April

Glan yr Afon / The Riverfront, Casnewydd / Newport 30 April

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Richard Alston Dance Company

Tuesday, January 27th, 2015

27 January 2015

Richard Alston Dance Company. 20th Anniversary Performances

Sadlers Wells 26th – 27th January the Richard Alston Dance Company staged a magnificent 20th Anniversary performance. Rejoice in the  Lamb, choreographed by Artistic Director Richard Alston opened the evening, with music: Rejoice in the  Lamb, Benjamin Britain, 1943, a full choir the Montclair State University Vocal Accord sang on stage to accompany. Burning choreographed by associate choreographer Martin Lawrence followed, with music by Franz Liszt (1849).  World premier for Nomadic choreographed by Richard Alston and Ajani Johnson-Goffe with fabulous music by Shukar Collective. Martin Lawrence choreographed the final dance Madcap, 2012.

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Above: Burning

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Above and below: Nomadic

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Above: Madcap

Young Men. Balletboyz

Friday, January 16th, 2015

16 January 2015

Young Men. BalletBoyz, at Sadler’s Wells

Choreographer Ivan Perez creates a dance to commemorate the First World War with commissioned orchestral music by Keaton Henson played live and visible through the back curtain. A cast of 11 men and 2 women, the choreography is fast and sometimes frantic, rarely slowing. (Only criticism? Gloomy lighting, making drawing a struggle.)

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New Adventure’s Edward Scissorhands on Tour

Friday, November 7th, 2014

7 November 2014

New Adventure‘s production of Edward Scissorhands choreographed by Matthew Bourne opens 10 November at Theatre Royal, Plymouth running until 15 November, then touring and coming to Sadler’s Wells, London 2 December 2014 – 11 January 2015 with orchestra led by violinist Gina McCormack

Edward Scissorhands 1b©

 

 

New Movement Collective. Casting Traces

Thursday, July 24th, 2014

July 24 2014

New Movement Collective. Casting Traces. The Paper Maze

at the Louise Blouin Foundation, London.

Casting Traces is an uplifting, dynamic multi-media performance. Six highly skilled dancers, move amongst a labyrinth of reams of hanging paper, the audience free to follow independently or together as they wish. Violinist, Aisha Orazbayeva, opened the show with a beautiful melancholic solo, her shadow behind paper, which was to be painted open for us to move through the silhouettes of the dancers.

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I haven’t read Paul Auster’s novel The New York Trilogy which inspired the performance but am now encouraged to.

New Movement Collective will be in Brighton performing Casting Traces. The Paper Maze, 28-30 August at Circus Street Market. Then to Winchester at The Guildhall 23-25 October. Don’t miss this extraordinary engaging work

Greenwich World Cultural Festival 2014

Monday, July 21st, 2014

21 July 2014

Wonderful day yesterday at the Greenwich World Cultural Festival in the gardens of the beautiful English Heritage site, Eltham Palace, leading family Art Workshops with son Max and daughter Gaby. A Greenwich Dance initiative where I am the Resident (Visual) Artist.

Many pop-up performances during the afternoon from Mattress Circus, Moxie Brawl, Dingolay Caribbean Dance, Folded Feather, Emergency Exit Arts; family creative dance workshops, social dancing with Thomas Michael Voss; A Curious Cakewalk; Music from Gypsy Dread Band and Rhythm of the City. Chinese Ribbon Dance Workshops and many more wonderful activities to watch and take part in.

My son Max (blue tee-shirt middle) led Clay Model Making,

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The clay models drying in the sun

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Daughter Gaby taught visitors of all ages how to make an origami Crane, (she insisted was a swan) as part of The International Peace Crane Project 2014

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WCF 4 WCF 5    WCF10 When the origami was complete, we asked the Crane maker to write a message of Peace on their bird. Some we hung in the trees but most went home with their makers

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 I led a drawing activity for all ages

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Divercity

Sunday, April 6th, 2014

6th  April 2014

DIVERCITY

As they arrived the audience added to The Interactive Wall and made more wire figures to add to the City Scape

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An evening of short dance works followed, completing with a disco. Performers included: Cathy Waller Company, Maxwell Golden, Dickson Mbi, Fully Functioning Individuals as well as a group from local school St Ursulas and the Laban Contemporary Level One.

Here’s a few drawings from the evening

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Dickson Mbi

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Above and below: Fully Functioning Individuals (FFI)

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Vigil outside South Africa House for Nelson Mandela

Saturday, December 7th, 2013

7 December 2013

Last night I joined the hundreds outside South Africa House to sing, to dance, to mourn and to celebrate the life and extraordinary person Nelson Mandela.

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2 Mandela

At the door to South Africa House in Trafalgar Square flowers, candles and messages to Nelson Mandela. In front of the flowers people danced, clapped and joined in the continuous beautiful songs sung by a large and growing group of men and women.

On the way home I passed a busker with his guitar outside Charing Cross Station he called out ‘Madiba this one is for you’ many people stopped rushing for their trains and stood still, some sang along, some gently smiled, some danced or swayed as he sung Bob Marley’s One Love.

In 2010 my talented cousin John Gardner created a large bronze sculpture of Nelson Mandela from life, now in Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens in Cape Town.