Sally McKay

3rd February. Triple Bill at Sadler’s Wells. Part of British Dance Edition

Wayne McGregor|Random Dance. 

Wayne McGregor|Random Dance opened the evening with a cast of 10 dancers an extract of their powerful evocative dance Far 

Behind the dancers is a huge panel of white lights which is an extraordinary work in it’s own right, designed by Lucy Carter. The lights create intricate patterns as they come on and off in complex sequences, creating linear shadows on the panel and deep shadows on the floor from the dancers moving bodies.

I also watched, drew and wrote about Wayne McGregor|Random Dance dancing Far in December 2010.

1st February

Without Warning is a work bringing together light, sound and movement, it is based upon responses of choreographer Lizzie Kew Ross to Brian Keenan‘s autobiographical book An Evil Cradling, about his 4 years in captivity as a hostage in Beirut in the late 1980’s. Performed by four dancers and four musicians in the wonderfully atmospheric Old Vic Tunnels under Waterloo Station.

  A cellist and double bassist play haunting chords. A promenade performance, the audience walk through the tunnels following the movement of the dancers. The rumble of the trains above adds to the uneasy atmosphere.

A shadowy person runs through the spectators’ group, very fast. Two figures cling to each other, then as if claw at each other in the dim light.

  The power of the human touch: tender and harsh, fragile and strong, agonising and healing.

Against all the odds the human spirit is shown to somehow survive, but it is clear that not all will come through.

I drew at the dress rehearsal, I thought it was so good I took my 3 kids a couple of nights later and drew again.

Performers: David Leahy, Natasha Lohan, Laura Moody, Sonia Rafferty, Megan Saunders, Lauren Potter, Simon Wehrli and Dario Dugandzic. Lighting Design: Faye Patterson. Dramaturg: Mary Ann Hushlak

Also see Darkroom, portrait photographer Peter Anderson‘s exploration of containment and confinement with his silver gelatin, hand printed photographs of the rehearsals inside a replica of his darkroom.

26 November

Saturday night at The Riverside Studios. I’m here to watch Edits, choreographed by Lea Anderson for her all-male company the Featherstonehaughs, which she co-founded in 1989, 5 years after co-founding the all-female Cholmondelys. It is the last time the Featherstonehaughs will perform and no one can quite grasp or believe it.

The dance is fascinating and beautiful, I have drawn them rehearsing fragments of the dance but never watched a run. And the costumes… just gorgeous, designed by Oscar winning costume designer and long term collaborator of Lea, Sandy Powell.

The 6 Featherstonehaughs took their bows at the end of the show, as the audience clapped and cheered (and quite a few cried) 3 women walked on stage dressed in funerial black lace and began to dance a 1985 Cholmondely dance to Nina Simone’s My Baby Just Cares For Me, there were screams of joy, the co-founders and original dancers of The Cholmondeleys: Lea Anderson, Teresa Barker and Gaynor Coward were dancing together again.

 Lea Anderson, Teresa Barker and Gaynor Coward

Goodbye Featherstonehaughs