Jan McNulty Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 Thursday, 30 January 2020 PRESS RELEASE DANCEEAST HAVE LAUNCHED THEIR SPRING SEASON WITH PREMIERES FROM LEADING CHOREOGRAPHERS AKRAM KHAN COMPANY AND RUSSELL MALIPHANT WITH NATIONAL YOUTH DANCE COMPANY After celebrating their tenth anniversary on the waterfront last year, DanceEast begin the new decade with a new and highly anticipated Spring season, featuring two premieres, and a regional U.Dance platform. The season commences with Enowate. Making his Ipswich debut, Dickson Mbi presents Enowate, which translates as ‘truth stands’, and was inspired by a personal trip Dickson took to his family ancestral village in Cameroon. Enowate uses popping and contemporary dance to express Dickson’s inner dialogue – as if he is a man speaking to his shadow. The performance will tell a story that is both intimate and one that everyone can relate to, asking the questions ‘who am I, and why am I here?’. Following the success of his award-winning full length solo XENOS, Akram Khan Company will be premiering Chotto Xenos - a captivating dance production that takes young audiences back in time. Exploring the often forgotten and untold stories of World War I colonial soldiers, the piece shines light on our present and future. Taking place during the February half term, there will be several workshops designed for families including a dance workshop for 7 to 11 year olds led by Akram Khan Company. “First I believed that performing for adults was a more serious job than performing for kids but it’s actually the opposite. Inspiring a kid and encouraging him to follow his dreams and face with strength all the difficulties in life – especially now a lot of kids migrate because of war or poverty – was one of the best things that I have done as a dancer.” - Dennis Alamanos, dancer of Chotto Desh Botis Seva presents BLKDOG, a genre-defying blend of hip hop dance and free form antics. The piece, co-produced by Far From The Norm and Sadler’s Wells, presents a haunting commentary on surviving adulthood as a childlike artist, exploring the inner battlefield of an ageing artist, trying to retain his youth. With music from long standing collaborator Torben Lars Sylvest and performed by Botis’ powerhouse company Far From The Norm, BLKDOG searches for coping mechanisms in the ultimate hunt for acceptance. An imaginative new take on a favourite fairy tale, Uchenna Dance twist to the well-known story of Hansel & Gretel, delivering a magical and relatable retelling using Creative Director and Choreographer Vicki Igbokwe’s distinctive dance styles of House, Waacking, Vogue, African and contemporary dance. Told from the children’s perspective, our two young heroes brave a big journey and find themselves lost in London, overwhelmed by the sights, sounds and smells. Mark Bruce Company’s new production, Return to Heaven, draws on the mythology of Ancient Egypt, in which two intrepid explorers – played by Dane Hurst and Eleanor Duval – search the dark mysteries of the ancient world and enter a perilous land beyond time and death. “I’m returning to and moving forward with the ‘world’ of my 2012 piece, Made In Heaven which ended with the Prairie Girl character arriving on the shore of an island. In Made in Heaven this character constantly evoked the world around her through her dreams but in Return to Heaven this character is older and I thought this was an interesting place to start.” – Mark Bruce In April, DanceEast are honoured to host one of two U.Dance Regional Platforms in the East. The second regional platform will be at the University of Bedfordshire. U.Dance East 2020 will provide youth groups from all over the East to come together and celebrate youth dance. Expect an energetic and diverse evening of performances from local youth dance groups. National Youth Dance Company, run by Sadler’s Wells, will be closing DanceEast’s Spring season with the premiere of their latest staged work. This year they will collaborate with multi-award-winning choreographer and DanceEast's resident artist, Russell Maliphant. Thirty-nine outstanding young dancers present a new contemporary work, exploring the relationship between movement, light and music. To book tickets, visit https://www.danceeast.co.uk/watch-a-performance or call 01473 295230. ENDS NOTES TO EDITORS Box Office 01473 295230 | DANCEEAST.CO.UK Jerwood DanceHouse, Foundry Lane, Ipswich, IP4 1DW SPRING 2020 PERFORMANCE LISTINGS DICKSON MBI, ENOWATE Friday 31 January | 7.30pm Age suitability 8+ years Tickets from £12, £9 concessions AKRAM KHAN COMPANY, CHOTTO XENOS *PREMIERE* Friday 21 February | 2.30 & 7.30pm Saturday 22 February | 2.30pm Age suitability 8+ years and their families Tickets from £10, £7 concessions BOTIS SEVA, BLKDOG Friday 28 February | 7.30pm Age suitability 11+ years Tickets from £12, £9 concessions UCHENNA DANCE, HANSEL & GRETEL Saturday 7 March | 1.00pm & 4.00pm Age suitability 5+ years Tickets from £10, £7 concessions MARK BRUCE COMPANY, RETURN TO HEAVEN Friday 27 & Saturday 28 March | 7.30pm Age suitability 12+ years Tickets from £12, £9 concessions U.DANCE EAST, EASTERN REGIONAL PLATFORM Saturday 28 March | 7.00pm – University of Bedfordshire Sunday 5 April | 7.00pm – DanceEast, Jerwood DanceHouse Tickets from £10, £7 concessions NATIONAL YOUTH DANCE COMPANY WITH RUSSELL MALIPHANT *PREMIERE* Saturday 18 April | 7.00pm Tickets £12, £9 concessions About DanceEast DanceEast is one of the UK’s leading dance organisations. It is based at the Jerwood DanceHouse in Ipswich, the home of dance in the East of England. DanceEast’s programme embraces the artistic, educational, social and recreational roles that dance plays in the local and national arts ecology. It places artists at the heart of the organisation, presenting high-quality, high-profile dance work in the Jerwood DanceHouse and offering artists support, development and stimulation via programmes such as the Associate Artist Scheme, Rural Retreats, Professional Development workshops, advanced level classes and the Choreographic Development Fund. DanceEast has been running a range of innovative community projects for over thirty years, working closely with partners on local, national and international projects. DanceEast is a registered charity, funded by Arts Council England, Suffolk County Council, Ipswich Borough Council, and donations from individuals, businesses, trusts and foundations. After celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Jerwood DanceHouse in 2019, they are now looking towards the next ten years of the building, and there has never been a better time to donate and contribute to the future of great dance at the Jerwood DanceHouse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toursenlair Posted January 31, 2020 Share Posted January 31, 2020 you'd never catch a Canadian calling a January 31 performance part of the "spring" season. Or the February ones for that matter. 😉 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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