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A SPRING SEASON NOT TO MISS AT DANCEEAST

14 Jan 2022

Image Credit: Enowate by Dickson Mbi | Photo by Nick Thornton Jones & Warren Du Preez

DanceEast announce their Spring Season, which shines with inspiration for the new year – featuring exciting premieres, co-commissions and the return of much-loved companies, as well as artists new to Ipswich.

“It has been a huge relief to be able to welcome you back into the building over the last few months – and such a joy to see people come together once again to enjoy shows and take part in dance activities. We hope to build on this progress in 2022 and are absolutely committed to ensuring that you are able to continue to experience dance safely.”

Brendan Keaney OBE, Artistic Director and CEO, DanceEast

The Season kicks off with an incredible DanceEast co-commission of the reworked Enowate by Dickson MBI. A dancer of extraordinary power and grace, Dickson MBI summons multiple identities in this mesmerising solo, inspired by a life-changing journey to his ancestral home in Cameroon.

“A POWERFUL, MESMERISING, HAUNTING, DISTURBING PIECE OF WORK”

The Wonderful World of Dance Magazine, 2020

February sees the world premiere of Eleesha Drennan’s double bill, All The Time In The World, at DanceEast – a special coup for Ipswich before it heads to London. Exploring time, memory, love and loss, and featuring the Louis Armstrong classic of the same name – this performance features brand new work, Infinite Glimpse, and a development of the award-winning solo, Whiskers.

During half-term, DanceEast will become a top destination for families and children with two beautiful, imaginative shows suitable for even the tiniest of audience members. Stories of a Little Watersprite by Sophie Nüzel uses storytelling, movement and puppetry to tell a tale of community and belonging for audiences aged 4+, creatively put together anew on each tour date using an intergenerational local cast. Club Origami is a playful world of ripping, folding and scrunching paper for under-fives and their families. This show is created by Takeshi Matsumoto, a Japanese inclusive dance artist, who was created numerous engaging works for all children, having worked with children with autism and learning disabilities in both the UK and Japan.

Following the school holidays, one of Europe’s most in-demand companies, James Wilton Dance, returns to the Jerwood DanceHouse with The Four Seasons, performed to Max Richter’s recomposed version of Vivaldi’s seminal work. A show of immense physicality, driving energy and sweeping beauty, it also features the stunning stage and costume designs of Vibeke Andersen (designer for Opera Graz, Bregenz Festival).

We are delighted to also be welcoming back DanceEast favourite, multi-award winning Mark Bruce Company. With a stunning triple bill of cinematic dance theatre, culminating in Phantoms, a trademark vision featuring a carousel of dream-like characters existing in a beautifully savage world.

Finally, Cas Public will be travelling from Quebec in Canada, exploring the exclusion of those who hear differently with their new show 9, named after Beethoven’s masterwork 9th Symphony, written whilst he was hearing-impaired. A joyous exploration into how differently we perceive without all our senses, hearing-impaired dancer Cai Glover will direct five company dancers, depending on how the spirit moves him.

The programme truly offers something for everybody – whether it’s your first time at the theatre or you’re a seasoned audience member. Tickets are on sale now here. Keep a close eye on the DanceEast social media channels and website for further news on activities at the Jerwood DanceHouse.

‘A THOROUGHLY ENJOYABLE HOUR OF EXQUISITE DANCING AND CHILDISH DELIGHT, ALL UNDER THE BANNER OF A PHILOSOPHICAL THEME ABLY TRANSLATED INTO MOVEMENT’

Seeing Dance, 2019
Dancers looking at lit up globe
Dancers looking at lit up globe