Archive for the ‘Dance’ Category

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

CitytoCity Cabaret at Greenwich Dance

Wednesday, January 26th, 2011

On Friday night Greenwich Dance held their first Cabaret night of the year with dance from Croatia, Bulgaria, Greece and the UK. It was wild!

I sat with the dance and drama students from Lewisham College who I’ll be drawing in a couple of weeks time and my friends Lisa Stubbs (Head of Dance and Drama at Lewisham College) and musician Carl Marsh.

Here are some of my sketches of the night

Ognjen Vucinic & Aleksandra Misic, Randevu

Ognjen Vucinic & Aleksandra Misic, Randevu 

Elvis McGonagall/Milen Petrov

Compere Scottish poet, Elvis McGonagall. Milen Petrov, Apartment

Nigel Charnock. Them There Exes

Nigel Charnock. Them There Exes 

Levantes Dance Theatre. Canape Art

Levantes Dance Theatre. Canape Art 

Nigel Charnock. Cold Tongue

Nigel Charnock. Cold Tongue 

It was a great night. The next cabaret will be the Spring Cabaret 11th March. I shall be there with my sketch book to draw hip hop from Avant Garde and others.

Posted in Dance, Drawing, Event, Music, Performance | Comments Closed

Youtube, Chasing Shadows

Tuesday, January 25th, 2011

In May 2009 I had a 6 week solo show Chasing Shadows in the West End gallery, GV Art in Marylebone. Martin Smith and Alex May of Quadratura were commissioned to create an audio/visual composition of dancer, Alessandra Ruggeri, responding to my work.

On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evening Alessandra Ruggeri will be dancing at Dancing The Decade, the 10 year celebration of The Wapping Project, with Andrew Graham in the duet, In One Breath.

Posted in Dance, Drawing, Exhibition, Music, Painting, Performance, youtube | Comments Closed

A fragment of Edits at The Wapping Project

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

On Friday and Saturday choreographer Lea Anderson and two dancers from her all male company The Featherstonehaughs, were at The Wapping Poject as part of the celebration. Ryen Perkins-Gangnes and In Pang Oci performed a stunning fragment from the 2010 show Edits.

Featherstonehaughs, Edits, Wapping Project

Ryen and In Pang perform a duet from Edits 

I drew during some the rehearsals for this show last year, it takes as it’s starting point the rhythm and phrasing of film editing in feature films. (see August 21st and August 23rd). The costumes are by Sandy Powell, music by Steve Blake and Will Saunders and light and stage design by Simon Corder. Lea Anderson first came to The Wapping Project 17 years ago with a site specific performance performed by her all female dance company, The Cholmondelys, in the building before it’s refurbishment.

Before and after the duet a lively Rock n’ Roll class was in progress on the dance floor, the dance teacher even managed to persuade me to abandon drawing them and join in!

Rock ‘n Roll, Wapping Project

Rock ‘n Roll class in progress on the dance floor

 

Posted in Dance, Drawing, Event, Performance | Comments Closed

New Etchings

Sunday, January 16th, 2011

 

Lines of desire

 

 

 

 

 

  Lines of Desire

 

 

You are my sweetest downfall

You Are My Sweetest Downfall

Limited edition of 20 prints only

Posted in Dance, Etching | Comments Closed

In One Breath and Quasi at Wapping Project

Saturday, January 15th, 2011

Andrew Graham is to perform his solo, Quasi and repeat the duet In One Breath with Alessandra Ruggeris on 26th, 27th and 28th January, (replacing the advertised performance by Maresa Von Stockert) at Dancing the Decade at The Wapping Project. (see post January 12th).

 

Andrew Graham, Alessandra Ruggeri

Andrew was selected to represent all UK art students at La Lieu Unique in Nantes for the Neu/Now Festival in October 2010.

Alessandra has just finished dancing in Wagner’s Opera, Tannhauser at The Royal Opera House.

Posted in Dance, Event, Performance | Comments Closed

Move: Choreographing You, last day

Friday, January 14th, 2011

Many of the same dancers who performed last Friday evening at the Wapping Project have been dancing at the exhibition Move: Choreographing You at the Hayward Gallery over the last 3 months, (see post November 3rd).  I was asked by the facilitator, Susan Sentler and several dancers, to join them on Sunday and draw at the last day of the exhibition.

A new work was performed by students of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music, in The Clore Ballroom at The Festival Hall. Composer, Earle Brown, originally associated with John Cage and Merce Cunningham, wrote the score for December 1952 describing it as “a field of activity“.  Seating was arranged to mimic the graphic score, the performers (including musicians) weaved and danced between chairs utilising all the space.

December 1952 December 1952

Simone Forti‘s Huddle, an impromptu ‘dance construction’, took place at different times and places within the gallery throughout the 3 months. On Sunday, the last day, all the dancers who’d worked at the exhibition over the last 3 months came in specially to join together and create a massive Huddle at the close of the exhibition.

Huddle

Two dancers link their arms round each others waist curving their backs, heads down, more join appearing out of the crowd that’s gathering.  As they come together there is an air of expectancy, a hush descends as onlookers gather around the group. As more of them join they became as if one being, one body, one breath. Slowly one dancer rises and climbs onto and across the others’ backs, another climbs up and across, then another. A silent sculptural gently moving form, totally mesmerising and engaging… suddenly they break free from each other laughing to spontaneous clapping and cheering.

Posted in Dance, Drawing, Event, Exhibition, Performance | Comments Closed

Frontiers and Fragments: Dancing the Decade

Wednesday, January 12th, 2011

Friday evening at Wapping Hydraulic Power Station; the first evening of a new season of dance, Frontiers and Fragments: Dancing the Decade to celebrate 10 years of The Wapping Project. The evening began downstairs in the Boiler House sitting on big cushions and deck chairs on two opposite sides of this fabulous atmospheric room. Trinity Laban alumni: Alice Tatge, Rosalie Wahlfrid and Irina Baldini performed their own strong dances and Andrew Graham and Alessandra Ruggeri performed a beautiful fast duet choreographed by Andrew.

Irina Tatge  Happened. Irina Baldini

Andrew Graham, Alessandra Ruggeri  Andrew Graham, Alessandra Ruggeri

Andrew Graham, Alessandra Ruggeri  Andrew Graham, Alessandra RuggeriIn One Breath… Andrew Graham and Alessandra Ruggeri

Next, upstairs to the Engine House to watch and participate in Performing Book choreographed by Janine Harrington, danced by Laban alumni, a trans-active performance structure. The dancers interact with audience members who move near to them, the movement of the audience affected the dancers’ movement in a real time processing challenge.

Back to the Boiler House to watch the 15 Happenings in 3 parts, a reinvention of artist Allan Kaprow’s 18 Happenings in 6 parts first performed in New York in 1959. Kaprow is regarded as responsible for coining the much used term ‘happenings’ with this seminal work and was a key figure in instigating the visual arts’ movement towards performance and environmental events. Rosemary Butcher, Lauren Potter and Henrietta Hale re-invented the work performed by Laban’s BA3’s.

15 happenings in 3 parts  15 happenings in 3 parts (2)15 Happenings in 3 Parts

Susan Sentler curated the evening. Dr. Jules Wright is the creator and Director of The Wapping Project.

Posted in Dance, Drawing, Event | Comments Closed

Frontiers and Fragments: Dancing the Decade

Wednesday, January 5th, 2011

On Friday 7th January, Trinity Laban BA3 dance theatre students and allumni will be performing at The Wapping Hydraulic Power Station as part of Frontiers and Fragments: Dancing the Decade, a new season of dance celebrating 10 years of The Wapping Project.

Over the last 8 years I have had a very creative collaboration with Trinity Laban, drawing students in class, during rehearsals and exhibiting at Laban. Eight BA3 students joined me at two of my solo exhibitions, dancing in the exhibition space in response to my work. One of those dancers, Andrew Graham will be performing at Wapping on Friday. Scroll back to October 21st to see Andrew at The Secret Frieze After Party held in Cafe Luc, Marylebone.

I have just completed a life size wire sculpture based on Irina Baldini, Laban Trinity alumni, who will also perform at Wapping on Friday.

The performance begins at 7.30, tickets are £6.00, see The Wapping Project to book tickets.

Posted in Dance, Drawing | Comments Closed

Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella

Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010

Prokofiev wrote the score to Cinderella during the Second World War, premiered by the Bolshoi in 1946. Matthew Bourne was intrigued and inspired by this discovery, he explored the possibility of setting Cinderella during this period, saying “…it seemed to work so well in the wartime setting. Darkly romantic in tone, it speaks of a period of time when time was everything, love was found and lost suddenly and the world danced as if there was no tomorrow.”

New Adventures Cinderella. 2 Cinerella, 3New Adventures Cinderella 4 New Adventures Cinderella 7New Adventures Cinderella 8 New Adventures Cinderella 9

Cinderella in this setting made sense to me. I grew up with stories of London in the Blitz. My mother was a physiotherapist at The London Hospital in Whitechapel (now The Royal London Hospital) during the Second World War. Stories of leaving the hospital on nights off to dance and returning to find the walk ways to the hospital bombed and impassable; treating survivors after many were horrifically crushed to death attempting to enter Bethnal Green Tube Station during an air raid; her friend, never to love another, after her boyfriend was killed soon after signing up.

New Adventures‘ production of Cinderella is performed at Sadler’s Wells until 23rd January and then goes on tour.

Posted in Dance, Drawing, Music, Performance, Theatre | 1 Comment »

Heather Mills Vegan Cook Book

Sunday, December 12th, 2010

Heather Mills has followed a vegan diet for 17 years to promote healing, following a serious road accident. Her cookery book, Love Bites features traditional meals from around the world, cooked to Heather’s vegan recipes.

Love Bites is available to buy from redwoodfoods.co.uk

Quartet

Quartet

Four years ago Heather bought a drawing of mine after noticing it in an exhibition in Soho, since then she has continued to buy, commission and live with my work.

 

 

Posted in Dance, Drawing, Event | Comments Closed

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »