Interviews
Mikah Smillie: “I got a call and pretty much had to start the next day. It really was a baptism of fire.”
When the National Youth Ballet’s founding director, Jill Tookey, sadly passed away in April last year, she left a big shoes to fill at a crucial moment in the company’s calendar. Continue Reading
Pop-up Ping Pong Dance comes to east London
We chat to Joe Garbett about his spontaneous public performance Doubles Continue Reading
Confessions of a Cockney Temple Dancer
Ka Bradley speaks to East Ham dancer and choreographer Shane Shambhu Continue Reading
10-minutes with: Technical Tap Wizard Nicholas Young
Tap dancers have been experimenting with triggers since the 70's but nothing has been done to this scale or this format. Continue Reading
Alain Platel discusses the challenges of grappling with Mahler
Platel discusses the challenges of grappling with the eclectic compositions of Mahler, his open and collaborative rehearsal process and his admiration of the Godmother of European contemporary dance, Pina Bausch. Continue Reading
In-depth read: Melanie Manchot brings all night dancing to Exchange Square
'I am interested in the blurring of the spaces of participation and of observation, the possibility to difuse the boundaries between performers and audiences' Continue Reading
Sisters Grimm is back with Voices of the Amazon
We speak to choreographer Helen Pickett about bringing the colour and energy of the Amazon to life through movement. Continue Reading
The Ballad of the Apathetic Son and his Narcissistic Mother
We argue sometimes even when we are performing, I guess you can only do that with your mum. I love it but wouldn't tell my pals! Continue Reading
Shobana Jeyasingh on choreographing for older dancers
Bodies in any studio are in different stages of ageing. Some are more extreme than others and I have to factor that in the creation of movement. Continue Reading
Charles Linehan 'Nothing but Time is starkly atmospheric and choreographically playful; it was fun to make.'
In this piece I feature a single and powerful directional light that casts shadows much in the way that I filmed footage for the Shadow Drone Project in the late afternoon sunlight. Continue Reading
Compass Live - Meet the Chair
Finding resources to make an idea come reality in the arts is a key part of the work, and commissioning helps start new projects with substantial funds. And it creates a bond between the commissioner and the arti… Continue Reading
Compass Live - Meet Charlotte Spencer
I’m working with six performers and two sound artists and we’re designing the piece for up to 80 audience members to do together. It’s kind of like choreographing for 80 performers who you&rsquo… Continue Reading
Compass Live - Meet Laura Dannequin
I first studied theatre and then landed into dance through a series of chance encounters really, getting inspired and finding ways to stay curious along the way. Continue Reading
Project O 'Voodoo is a space where we ask the audience to agree to join us outside of the conventions of organised time'
A lot of the work is improvised, so within the choreographic frame we are deciding every time what movement to perform, our bodies are open and responding to the energy in the room, the growing histories of the w… Continue Reading
10-minutes with Gracefool Collective
We never intended to make ‘comedy dance’, but it seems that we just can’t refrain from letting this atmosphere of humour and laughter seep into our work. Continue Reading