Archive for the ‘Theatre’ Category

New Movement Collective at Royal Festival Hall

Tuesday, July 26th, 2016

July 26 2016

New Movement Collective at Royal Festival Hall

“Our relationship to the urban environment, the complexities of group memory and the cyclical nature of evolution” are questioned and explored by New Movement Collective during the promenade performance of Collapse in the lesser known spaces at the Southbank’s Royal Festival Hall. I was invited to a rehearsal where I made some quick sketches, this will be a fascinating and immersive performance.

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Performances 

30 July – 6 August 2016

Spirit Level (Yellow Room)
Royal Festival Hall
London SE1 8XX

Richard Alston Dance Company

Friday, June 12th, 2015

12 June 2015

Richard Alston Dance Company. The Place

20th Anniversary Season

Opening Gambit, choreographed by Richard Alston Dance Company associate choreographer, Martin Lawrence, opened the evening. Ten dancers almost fly, they move with such speed, clarity and energy with rapid direction changes.

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Five dances follow, a highlight for me was watching brilliant Jonathan Goddard with Liam Riddick, dancing a duet choreographed by Richard AlstonMazur, set to Chopin. “A dance for two friends sharing what they love and what they feel they have lost”.

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Sylvie Guillem. Life in Progress

Monday, May 25th, 2015

May 25 2015

Sylvie Guillem. Life in Progress

Prima Ballerina Sylvie Guillem at Sadler’s Wells takes her final bow after 39 years dancing

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Anna Teresa de Keersmaeker. Boris Charmatz. Amandine Beyer

Saturday, May 23rd, 2015

23 May 2015

Anna Teresa de Keersmaeker. Boris Charmatz. Amandine Beyer

I first watched and drew Anna Teresa de Keersmaeker’s company, Rosas in 1999 performing in London’s Southbank Centre to the percussion of Steve Reich. From my drawings I made a soft ground etching, still a favourite of mine, looking at it I recall the speed of the dancers, the drumming and the spacious set.

Last night I watched Keersmaeker dance a duet with Boris Charmatz, the dancer/choreographer instrumental in filling Tate Modern with dance last weekend. They were joined by the amazing violist Amandine Beyer, Infact Beyer played alone on a dark stage for the first 30 minutes, she left as the dancers arrived to dance in silence, except not silence our heads were still filled with the earlier music, then the three performed together. Here are some of my quick pencil sketches drawn in the dark which I hope to take through to etchings.

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A beautiful enigmatic evening.

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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

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A Sudden Burst of Blinding Light

Friday, October 10th, 2014

10 October 2014

A Sudden Burst of Blinding Light, London Grey & Green Company

A new play by Ben Maier, Directed by Charlie Ely

This evening my daughter and I were at the Rosemary Branch Theatre in Hackney to see A Sudden Burst of Blinding Light, (#BlindingLight) written by friend Ben Maier who also plays a character in the play, directed by Charlie Ely. I would urge you to see the show performed by @GreyGreenTheatre, which finishes on Sunday.

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In the words of the hugely talented Ben Maier

“This play is for anyone who has ever felt snowed under. Not in a patronising way. But as a gesture of solidarity. A rallying cry for “Keeping Going”. Because theatre like magic is a spectacular kind of defiance.”

Random Dance, Conrad Shawcross at Roundhouse

Wednesday, August 28th, 2013

25th August

Timepiece is a giant faceless clock created by artist Conrad Shawcross. Three rotating arms with lit up bulbs on the ends mark the hours, minutes and seconds, they move through the space at different speeds like inquisitive lit up probes, sending beams of light out across the dark room and the 24 pillars which surround the light sculpture, they cast moving shadows all going in different directions. The Conrad Shawcross installation, Timepiece, has been suspended in London’s Roundhouse for 3 weeks. During the installation, company Wayne McGregor I Random Dance, Siobhan Davies Dance and dance artist Iona Kewney performed in the space beneath the clock. I caught the last performance of Random Dance dancing Azimuth.

Below: these are some of the drawings I made during the performanceRandom 1s Random 3s Random 2s

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We sit on the floor in a big circle around the 24 pillars, the dancers enter the circle at different points from the darkness behind us. The audience are transfixed, the dancers move with such extraordinary speed, skill and agility, they run the circumference of our circle – time racing forwards at dizzying speed; sometimes their actions reflect the rotations of the Timepiece above, reminding us to be aware of the clock. Sometimes a solo, or a duet or everyone in movement. My drawings look crowded with bodies, I was loving the activity and speed of the dancers, so drawing an individual several times as he or she moved across the space.

Kings Place is the next venue to catch these fantastic dancers when they present Random Works 20 September, 21 September, then the company will be at Sadler’s Wells performing Atomos from 9 October and don’t miss Thinking with the Body an exhibition at The Wellcome Collection.

Clod Ensemble. Zero

Wednesday, June 5th, 2013

4th June 2013

Sadler’s Wells, Clod Ensemble. I’d been printing in the morning, drawing the Dance Marathon in the afternoon and helping middle child with Biology GCSE revision … bit weary but didn’t want to miss Clod Ensemble perform. Son promised to keep working so left the house. I knew Allessandra Ruggeri would be dancing and didn’t want to miss her, in 2009 we made a film together, Chasing Shadows, Allesandra’s response through movement to my painting. I am a great fan of her dancing.clod6 clod5 clod 4

Live band on stage with Hazel Holder singing Blues which was fabulous. Loved the spacing and dynamics of the choreography and the dancers. I was sitting too far back though, I wanted to be up close, in a much smaller more intimate space.

Dancing around Duchamp

Wednesday, May 29th, 2013

May 29th 2013

Richard Alston Dance Company dance a mixed repertoire of Cunningham dances within the Barbican Art Gallery. I am there with my sketch book and pencils.

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Marilyn Monroe in Dance Performance

Thursday, September 20th, 2012

20th September 2012

My sculpture, Marilyn, is now in Bath ICIA theatre ready for the performance, Words Worth, tonight. The sculpture is of Yolande Yorke-Edgell in the dance Marilyn, inspired by a letter written by Marilyn Monroe to her psychiatrist after being committed to a clinic in New York after suffering mental exhaustion.

I drove to Bath on Tuesday with Marilyn lying in the back of the car.

Marilyn Monroe sculpture in theatre Marilyn Monroe sculpture in theatreMarilyn on stage

Marilyn Monroe sculpture and Yolande Yorke-Edgell in theatreYolande Yorke-Edgell on stage with the shadow cast from the sculpture