Press Release: Sean Graham’s Foreign Bodies Orchestra presents Race Tracks

[Jan McNulty]

Sean Graham’s Foreign Bodies Orchestra presents Race Tracks

 

Race Tracks is a new dance theatre production that explores ‘Britishness’, multiculturalism and political correctness through dance, theatre and spoken word. Written and choreographed by Sean Graham, Race Tracks is inspired by Graham’s interest in the interaction between different races and the current opposing views of whether racism and prejudice still exist and how deep are its roots.

 

Race Tracks is set in a metaphoric sporting event where nations are replaced by ethnicities. The gold that each strives for is an ideal Britishness and the host is an embodiment of Britain itself. It explores how the idea of a great nation affects those who have tried, over decades, to assimilate, integrate or exist independently within it whilst trying to retain their cultural identity. It also looks at to what extent the “indigenous” British have lost their own sense of identity as a result of the “multicultural project”. 

 

Graham explains “I set out to explore our national position on whether multiculturalism is working or not? And, what is it exactly that we are all fighting for or patriotically defending? Is there a prize for the winner and a price to pay for the loser? How do we decide who is really the winner when so much is sacrificed to get to such an elusive finish line? Is the gold medal they pursue really just fool’s gold?

 

Following sold out performances at the Lilian Baylis (Sadler’s Wells) and Curve Theatre, Leicester Race Tracks has been developed further and will be performed at the Shambala Festival on the 29^th August 2015.

 

Creative Director: Sean Graham
Project Manager: Chris Corner
Production Assistant: Shivon Sloley
Composer: Gemma Weekes

Designer: Isabella Van Braeckel

Performers: Sean (MoSean) Edwards, Tyrone Isaac-Stuart, Si Rawlinson, Yoshi SBX, Frank Wilson and Aneta (Modelo) Zwierzynska
 

 

RUNNING TIME 40mins. 

 

Notes to Editors

 

Performance Details
Venue: The Play House at the Shambala Festival, Kelmarsh Hall, Harborough Rd, Kelmarsh, Northamptonshire NN6 9LY
Date: 29^th August 2015
Time: 4pm

Please note performance details and castings are subject to change

 

Sean Graham’s Foreign Bodies Orchestra

 

Diverse bodies, diverse identities, diverse voices.

 

Sean Graham’s Foreign Bodies Orchestra fuses dance, drama and spoken word to create unusual and extraordinary theatre that is not afraid to explore contentious subjects.   

 

The primary aim of Foreign Bodies Orchestra is to create works that enables and encourages people from different racial and social denominations of society to challenge and see themselves differently. To accomplish this Foreign Bodies Orchestra embraces and explores the political, social and media issues that generate much of our social disparities.

 

Foreign Bodies Orchestra’s name derives from Sean Graham’s journey as a performing artist and creative practitioner. Graham believes that from a social, political and human aspect, we all “foreigners” in some aspect of our lives - an essential “otherness” - a fascinating human facet that must be embraced and explored. This is reflected in his work; when he starts to create a new work, all the dancers in the studio are seen as ‘foreign’ with Graham being the creative conductor who orchestrates their movement and speaking to create a coherent theatrical conception.

For more information please visit www.fbo-dancetheatre.com
 

Sean Graham / Creative Director

Sean Graham has nearly 20 years of experience within dance and the arts. As a performer he has toured and performed locally, nationally and internationally. He has transitioned across art forms using various theatre, Contemporary, Jazz, Hip-Hop and African forms as an artist. Companies and choreographers he has worked with include; Luca Silvestrini (Protein Dance), Alesandra Seutin (Vocab Dance), Tony Adigun (Avant Garde Dance) and Barrowland Ballet (Scotland).

 

As a choreographer Graham has presented works at: The Southbank Centre, Peacock Theatre, Richmix, Stratford Circus, The Place Theatre, The Royal Opera House, The Horniman Museum, Sadler's Wells and Olympia Stadium.

 

Graham’s awards include the Trailblazers Award (2008) from the Association of Dance of the African Diaspora (ADAD), a Marion North Choreographer Mentorship Award from Trinity-Laban Conservatoire (2009) and he has been a temporary Resident Artist in partnership with State Of Emergency and the Bernie Grant Arts Centre (2007).

For more information please visit www.seangraham.co.uk
 

Credits: The development of Race Tracks has been supported by Arts Council England.It has also received assistance from ADAD The Association of Dance of the African Diaspora and Breakin Convention. Race Trackswas originally created in a Sadler’s Wells/Breakin’ Convention development project Back To The Lab.