Review: What The Body Does Not Remember at Northern Stage

The Show That Stomps

What The Body Does Not Remember

With Timeless Youth Dance

NewcastleNorthern Stage

Until 18^th March 2015.

Timeless Youth Dance in rehearsal

The evening began with a free evening outdoor performance with the Northumberland based Timeless Youth Dance Group, who are aged 13-16, and have been working with choreographer Nadia Iftkhar and musician Mariam Rezaei to create an intricate new ten minute piece which has been inspired by What The Body Does Not Remember. The eleven dancers threw themselves into their performance and fully deserved the warm applause that they received.

Wim Vandekeybus originally brought What The Body Does Not Remember to the world in 1987. He had created a brutal, physical show which could list Iggy Pop amongst its fans. His Ultima Vez company now revisits the piece with a new cast 28 years later and it has lost none of the original power. This is not a pretty show but it is very thrilling. The accompanying music by Thierry De May and Peter Vermeersch pulsates as the journey proceeds.

What the Body Does Not Remember Photo: Danny Willems

The company of dancers took full advantage of the venue’s wide stage. At the start it seemed to be a case of the trouble of getting to sleep. The tempo soon escalates with bricks flying across the stage in a potentially dangerous game of catch. This was not the only point that the dancers had to really trust one another as they needed to be pushed out of the way just in time before the object lands. The cast start stealing each others jackets and towels in an anarchic game of tag. The dystopian nightmare was inter-dispersed with lighter moments which made the audience chuckle.

What the Body Does Not Remember Photo: Danny Willems

After an examination of the uncomfortable side of relationships that seemed to border on bullying, the talented and hardworking cast had a go at throwing clothing catalogue style poses to comic effect. The melodrama had quite a lot of stomping action which needed pin point timing to ensure no accidents.

An exhilarating exploration of physical theatre. What The Body Does Not Remember is another triumph for the Dance Touring Partnership who have brought the show across for the UK tour.

This review was written by Stephen Oliver for Jowheretogo PR (www.jowheretogo.com). Follow Jo on twitter @jowheretogo, Stephen @panic_c_button or like Jowheretogo on Facebook www.facebook.com/Jowheretogo

What the Body Does Not Remember Photo: Danny Willems

Dancers:

Germán Jauregui Allue, Jorge Jauregui Allue, Guilhem Chatir, Léa Dubois, Claire Lamothe, Pavel Mašek, Eddie Oroyan, Aymará Parola, Revé Terborg

Director, Choreography & Scenography: Wim Vandekeybus

Original Music: Thierry De May and Peter Vermeersch

Rehearsal Director: Eduardo Torroja

On The Web:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/dancetp

Website: www.ultimaveztour.co.uk

Tickets:

What The Body Does Not Remember? Tuesday 17 - Wednesday 18 March, 7.30pm

Recommended Age: 14+

Post-show discussion: Tue 17 Mar

Running time: 85 min (no interval)

Tickets: £24, £19.50 & £14.50 / Students & U21s £12

Website: http://www.northernstage.co.uk/whats-on/what-the-body-does-not-remember

The tour’s final date is 20^th March at Blackpool’s Grand Theatre. Details: http://www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk/shows/performance/ultima-vez

Preview: Timeless Youth Dance at Northern Stage

Young dancers take inspiration from legendary choreographer for performance at Northern Stage

Timeless Youth Dance

Northern Stage

Tuesday 17 & Wednesday 18 March

Timeless Youth Dance in rehearsal

Timeless Youth Dance, a group of young dancers from South East Northumberland, will perform a short piece outside Northern Stage inspired by the choreography of Wim Vandekeybus and his seminal work, What the Body Does Not Remember– at Northern Stage 17-18 March as part of a world tour. 

What the Body Does Not Remember Photo: Danny Willems

Aged 13-16, the group has worked with choreographer Nadia Iftkhar and musician Mariam Rezaei to create a new ten minute piece which will be performed before What the Body Does Not Remember. Find out more about how the Timeless Youth Dance group have been developing their project in this short film.

What the Body Does Not Remember Photo: Danny Willems

The amazing debut of Wim Vandekeybus and Ultima Vez in 1987 stunned the world of dance at the time. Vandekeybus and composers Thierry de Mey and Peter Vermeersch received the prestigious Bessie Award in New York for this ‘brutal confrontation of dance and music’ (New York Times). 28 years later and with a new cast, the show still stands as one of the most exciting pieces of dance ever made. Since 1987, many other choreographers have been influenced by Vandekeybus's explosive physical style but he'd like audiences to see where it began, "With What the Body… we had to invent the language, the rules, so it's the basis of everything we've done since.”

Rachel Adam, Director at bait who have commissioned the project, said, “With our partners, we have supported young people from South East Northumberland to take part in an exciting year of dance training and mentoring with choreographer Nadia Iftkhar. From auditioning to become part of the Timeless Youth Dance company to performing live outside Northern Stage, these young dancers have been extremely passionate about taking part in something totally new and ambitious.”

Timeless Youth Dance in rehearsal

Jessica Woodward, aged 15 and from Cramlington, said, "For me, contemporary dance was something totally new and different coming into this project. But now, I feel as if I have learnt so much about the style and techniques."

What the Body Does Not Remember Photo: Danny Willems

What the Body Does Not Remember is presented by Dance Touring Partnership and performed by Ultima Vez, and is on at Northern Stage, Newcastle on 17-18 March. Timeless Youth Dance will perform outside Northern Stage at 7pm on both nights.

Review: The Sense of an Ending at Newcastle Dance City

“I Am Still Here”

The Sense of an Ending from Red Road Theatre

Newcastle Dance City

15^th November 2014.

A lady walks onto the stage carrying 2 suitcases. Pauses. She carries on, clearly upset. What has happened to her on her journey? So begins The Sense of an Ending, from Red Road Theatre, the latest commission from Dance City.

Four performers interpret a numbers of different women’s stories, from the pleasure of jumping in cow pats to the darker, more violent side of relationships. A single message through each of the three montages is that they carry on, despite everything.

The weight of the original stories carries great emotion in the remarkable performances by Molly Hodkinson, Kate Jackson, Caroline Reece and Sue Mitchell. Each story develops from graceful flowing moments to the harsh, painful episodes as they experience life changing events from their childhood through to their own mortality. Both captivating and challenging, the phenomenal performers drew the audience into the narrative.

The production also features amazing lighting design, by James Froment, which helps convey the sense of light and dark, as well as journeys into the unknown.  The use of monochrome film, by Jamie Korn, in the final sequence added a further important element to that sense of going on a journey. Al Oranges’ sound design features music that has been suggested or inspired by the original women’s stories and its production added a vital tone to reflective nature of the drama. 

Artistic Director Nadia Iftkhar has assembled an impressive production using the stories of between 50 to 60 women from the North.  Their stories are a mixture of pain, pleasure and resilience resulting in a powerful and well crafted production.

This review was written by Stephen Oliver for Jowheretogo PR (www.jowheretogo.com). Follow Jo on twitter @jowheretogo, Stephen @panic_c_button or like Jowheretogo on Facebook www.facebook.com/Jowheretogo

On The Web:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/redroaddancetheatre

Twitter:    https://twitter.com/RedRoadDT

On Tour:

Washington Arts Centre

Washington

Thurs 27^th Nov, 7.30pm

Box Office 0191 219 3455 or www.artscentrewashington.co.uk

Robin Howard Dance Theatre – The Place

London

Fri 13^th Feb.

Box Office 020 7121 1100 or www.theplace.org.uk

Preview: The Sense of an Ending at Dance City and Washington Arts Centre

Stories from Women across the 

North Inspire New Dance Show

The Sense of an Ending

Dance City on Saturday 15th November

Washington Arts Centre on Thursday 27^thNovember

A new dance production based on the real life stories of women across the north has been created by North East based company Red Road Dance Theatre and will premier at Dance City on 15 November before visiting Washington later in the month.

The Sense of an Ending is a love letter to women everywhere who have survival stories that may never have been told and is a celebration of their strength, intuition and courage.

Dancer: Nadia Iftkhar
Photographer: James Froment

The end of a love affair, a career, childhood, the loss of a child or husband, fertility, a friendship and mortality - the performance lifts the lid on the impact these moments can have on how women conduct their future, and the knowledge their stories hold that could aid the next generation.

Through honest, exposing and poignant dance theatre the production positively represents women by sharing the ways in which they choose to survive life changing moments.  Newcastle based, Artistic Director Nadia Iftkhar, was originally inspired by her grandmother’s untold story of love and life.

Nadia says: “In today’s world we are surrounded by stories in the media of successful women leading celebrity lifestyles. Yet the biggest role models in our lives are in actual fact often the people closest to us; grandmothers, mothers, sisters, children and friends. These stories often go untold, even though there are so many lessons in those experiences that would be more productive to share with the next generation of women. The Sense of Ending is my way of readdressing the balance and sharing stories of the real heroes hidden away in our communitie”’.

As part of the research for the piece Nadia asked women in the north to send her their stories of love, loss, life and friendship. She received an overwhelming response from ordinary people who wanted to share some of their most joyful and challenging life experiences. “I was touched when these women contacted me, with complete honesty in their words and I feel an incredible responsibility to represent their stories with care and empathy. I want women from all walks of life to see themselves reflected in the show, to share with us a celebration of the great things women can achieve and their resilience to overcoming the impossible”.

The Sense of an Ending is Red Road Dance Theatre’s first full length production in collaboration with Sound Designer Al Orange, Film Maker Jamie Korn, and Dancers Caroline Reece, Kate Jackson and Molly Hodkinson.  The piece is commissioned by Dance City with support from Gem Arts, Arts Council England and Spin Arts Management.

Artistic Director, Nadia Iftkhar, has been working with communities in the North East for over 10 years. Earlier this year she was selected as one of 10 artists for ‘This Way Up’ an initiative led by The Empty Space and Dance City, which paired artists in the North East with Producers to develop high quality work that could tour nationally.

‘This Way Up’, a programme funded by Arts Council England and Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, is set to run through to the end of 2016 where it is hoped the selected independent artists will be well on their way to forging out a successful career as a maker.

Artistic Director and Joint CEO of Dance City, Anthony Baker, shares with us the importance of supporting, commissioning and presenting emerging talent such as Nadia. He said: “We’re delighted to be working with Nadia and Red Road Dance Theatre to have commissioned their first full length piece. Commissioning new work and providing support to artists like Nadia is a really important part of our work at Dance City and is just one of the ways our work contributes towards a healthy and vibrant dance ecology in the North East. We very much look forward to seeing the performance.”

On The Web:

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/redroaddancetheatre

Twitter:      https://twitter.com/RedRoadDT

Tickets:

The Sense of an Ending will be presented at Dance City on 15 November, 8pm. Tickets £5. Age: 14+

Book now online at www.dancecity.co.uk or by calling Dance City on 0191 261 0505

On Tour:

Premiere Performance

Dance City

Newcastle

Fri 15^th Nov, 8.00pm

Box Office 0191 261 0505 or www.dancecity.co.uk

Washington Arts Centre

Washington

Thurs 27^thNov, 7.30pm

Box Office 0191 219 3455 or www.artscentrewashington.co.uk

Robin Howard Dance Theatre – The Place

London

Fri 13^th Feb.

Box Office 020 7121 1100 or www.theplace.org.uk