PRESS RELEASE
DanceEast’s Autumn 2017 season is now on sale, with national and international dance continuing to grow dance audiences in Ipswich. A thrilling Autumn programme reinforces DanceEast as an ever-developing organisation, programming and supporting artists at every stage of their careers.
There is a fantastic line-up for audiences of all ages at the Jerwood DanceHouse. Internationally recognised dance companies, family friendly shows and new commissions make up a highly anticipated season; Ipswich has recently enjoyed much high-profile dance, and Autumn 2017 maintains this. National Dance Company Wales and Scottish Dance Theatre will present work in Ipswich for the very first time, with two-night performances apiece.
Choreographer Joseph Toonga launches the Autumn season with a new DanceEast collaboration with the Roman River Music Festival. To Be Felt will be staged at St Martin’s Church, Colchester, originally commissioned for last year’s Britten Dances programme. As a contemporary and hip hop fusion, this will be accompanied by cellist Matthew Sharp playing works by Bach and Britten. Toonga was the first recipient of DanceEast’s Choreographic Development Award in 2015.
National Dance Company Wales presents a new triple bill, performed by its technically brilliant dancers. Works include Folk by Artistic Director Caroline Finn, which explores themes of social relationships in a surreal and enchanting landscape, and Lee Johnston’s They Seek to Find the Happiness They Seem, a deep exploration of disconnection within a relationship. These three contemporary works are full of character, and aim to inspire audiences with quirky and engaging choreography. There is also the opportunity to watch company class live on stage.
Scottish Dance Theatre will bring a double bill to Ipswich, again fusing dance styles. Blurring the boundaries between ballet, contemporary and hip hop, Botis Seva’s TuTuMucky is set to a score of original music by beat producer Torben Lars Sylvest. At the opposite end of the musical spectrum, Belgian-based choreographer Anton Lachky’s Dreamers is a highly physical work set to Bach, Haydn and Chopin, observing the close relationship between reality and surrealism.
Joss Arnott Dance, another two-night run and a world premiere, enhances DanceEast’s work in developing and championing young talent. DanceEast’s Centre for Advanced Training students will perform a commissioned work choreographed by Arnott, followed by a triple bill of athletic and adrenaline-fuelled new work. A Movement in 3 and RUSH sit alongside the internationally award-winning solo V, with another first for the company: live music.
Former DanceEast Associate Artist Alexander Whitley’s 8 Minutes takes on the immensity and large scale of space. Through collaborating with STFC RAL Space scientists at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, 8 Minutes draws inspiration from solar science research, using movement, film and a specially-created score by electroacoustic innovator Daniel Wohl. 8 Minutes premieres at Sadler’s Wells this summer, so the Jerwood DanceHouse will provide an intimate setting for this main stage production.
The Farm – Joshua Thomson and Gavin Webber – will be journeying from Australia’s Gold Coast to perform in Ipswich for the first time, thanks to Dance Touring Partnership. Cockfight is described as a cross between The Office and an Australian style cage-fight, a dark but surprisingly tender piece of dance theatre full of slow motion fight sequences and physical risk-taking.
Avant Garde Dance’s Fagin’s Twist, which premiered at the Jerwood DanceHouse in 2016, will return with the final performance of its UK tour. Fagin’s Twist is the untold story of Dickens’ notorious and complex villain, portrayed through Tony Adigun’s unmatched contemporary hip hop style.
The Buildy-uppy Dance Show from Anatomical presents something magical for children, the sequel to Tom Roden and Anna Williams’ The Doodle Dance Show. This commission is an interactive theatrical adventure and the perfect family treat alongside this year’s Christmas show. Jane Hackett Productions’ The Borrowers will preview at the Jerwood DanceHouse as another DanceEast commission before touring in 2018, based on Mary Norton’s much-loved book. More contemporary dance, physical theatre and animation will bring this story about tiny people to life for this year’s festive period.
To book tickets, contact the Box Office team on 01473 295230 or visit danceeast.co.uk
