The Place, the UK’s premier centre for contemporary dance, announces its Autumn programme, which will see some of the most innovative British and International dance artists taking the Robin Howard Dance Theatre’s stage, in an ambitious season featuring 15 extraordinary dance performances, seminars, youth dance works and multi-media dance projects.
The Autumn season opens with Richard Alston Dance Company, returning for the annual At Home season (Wednesday 3 to Saturday 6 October) with a programme including the premiere of Martin Lawrance’s Madcap, a brand new company work, to the cutting-edge compositions of New York band Bang On A Can All-Stars. This creation follows hot on the heels of Lawrance’s major commission from Scottish Ballet for the Cultural Olympiad. Also in the programme is Alston’s recently revived Shimmer, to the music of Ravel, and with exquisitely crystal-encrusted cobweb costumes by fashion designer Julien Macdonald. The evening is completed by Isthmus, Alston’s most recent work, to the light taut rhythms of Japanese composer Jo Kondo, created for Bob Lockyer’s 70th birthday celebrations at The Place in Spring 2012.
Contemporary hip hop dance theatre company Avant Garde Dance present The Black Album (Friday 12 & Saturday 13 October), a triple bill of music-inspired works packaged as a concept album. Including Another New Day, danced to free jazz and experimental music by DJs Jazzanova, A Classical Break, danced to Beethoven, Mozart and Prokofiev, and the brand new Dark Matter, danced to an incessant electronic score and featuring enhanced digital installations on stage, The Black Album delves into the dancers’ responses to different styles of music, directed by cutting-edge choreographer and Work Place artist Tony Adigun.
Israeli choreographer Itamar Serussi premieres his first full-length work Mono in the UK (Wednesday 17 October), which analyses the seemingly casual directions life takes, before Dance United presents A Holding Space, (Saturday 20 and Monday 22 October), a mixed bill bringing together artists from across the UK and Ethiopia: Kwesi Johnson, Carly Annable-Coop, Helen Linsell, and new associate artist Dam Van Huynh.
One of Wales’s best theatre directors, Judith Roberts, and one of its most gifted performers, Eddie Ladd, have joined forces to create a provocative piece of dance theatre: Gaza/Blaenannerch (Wed 24 October). Using the Welsh nation’s struggle to assert its national identity as a framework, Gaza/Blaenannerch considers the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, using as a source of inspiration the first-hand experience of two people, curiously connected to Wales, who have witnessed life at the front line.
Lost Dog presents a double bill (Friday 26 & Saturday 27 October), including The Place Prize 2011 winning duet It Needs Horses, in which a couple of down at heel circus performers try everything to win the favours of the crowds; the piece is followed by a new sequel, Home for Broken Turns, in which choreographer Ben Duke unveils mysteries and sheds light on the characters and on their relationship, following them as they leave the circus ring for the last time.
The Association of Dance of the African Diaspora (ADAD) presents Re:Generation (Thu 1 & Fri 2 November), the UK’s largest gathering of dance artists, researchers, choreographers, teachers and students interested in taking dance from Africa, and its diaspora, to future generations. Featured international guests include Germaine Acogny, the ‘mother’ of contemporary African dance, Kariamu Welsh-Asante, Professor of Dance at Temple University, Philadelphia, and Chris Walker, dancer and choreographer with the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica.
Vincent Dance Theatre’s multi-talented ensemble of 11 men, women and children present Motherland (Thu 8 to Sat 10 November), a compelling show reflecting on the stereotypical gender division in archetypical roles, blending dance, text and live music, before Rosemary Butcher (Thu 15 – Sat 17 November) takes the stage with After Kaprow, a double bill comprising two individual, but related works: The Silent Room and Book of Journey, reflecting on the shifting between past, present and future. A post performance discussion with the company’s artists will complete the evening.
To follow, The Place presents a new programme of international dance, Currency (Tue 20 to Tue 27 November). Designed as a showcase of exciting and creative works from outside the UK, Currency encompasses the most innovative ideas in a friendly and interactive format that aims at encouraging discussion and engagement with the artists. Each night features a double bill of international dance premieres, dinner, and a pre-show discussion between international and Work Place artists. Participating artists include Jan Martens (Belgium) and Jefta van Dinther (The Netherlands/Sweden) on Tue 20 November; Mor Shani (The Netherlands) and Alessandro Sciarroni (Italy) on Fri 23 November; and Tabea Martin (Switzerland) and Alma Soderberg (Sweden) on Tue 27 November.
Fresh, the annual night of outstanding dance with and for young people, is next on stage (Sat 1 December); the popular event features the UK’s most dynamic youth companies, including Shift, London Youth Circus, and A&R Dance Company. Works by James Cousins, Simone Riccio (No Fit State Circus) and Boy Blue will also feature in this year’s edition.
The Autumn season rounds off with Collaborations (Fri 7 & Sat 8 Dec - Music; Thu 13 & Fri 14 Dec - Design), a series of performances showcasing projects by third year London Contemporary Dance School’s choreography students in collaboration with design and music students from Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Wimbledon School of Art and Design. Mixing ideas and media, these projects challenge the roles of the dancers, musicians and designers in new and creative outfits.
To find out more about all of these events visit www.theplace.org.uk.
Image Credit: (C) Lost Dog, It Needs Horses, Photo Ben Johnson