At the Riley Theatre
Two rising choreographers share new work around illness, love and loss in a moving and inspiring double bill. From the internal chaos of a body to the emotional conflicts within a family, both works tap into moments in life that are simply not expressible in speech.
Co-commissioned by Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Birmingham Dance Xchange and The Place, with support from Leeds Dance Partnership.
Tickets:£12 (£7)
The Ephemeral Life of an Octopus is absurd and grotesque, playful and liberating. It questions the strangeness of having a body: healthy and vigorous, suffering and damaged, punctured and probed, wild and animalistic. Based on the choreographer’s personal experience of ovarian cancer, the piece is inspired by studies of the evolution of cancer cells and the lived experience of illness.
“Certainly one to watch for the future.” Polly Risbridger, Director, East London Dance
Falling Family is a visceral dance piece which explores those moments in family life that defy verbalisation. It taps into that dark, conflicted, emotional space that cracks open when we encounter a loved one’s illness, mental breakdown or even death. Based on a real Japanese family’s story where one issue leads to another.
Supports:
Falling Family
Commissioned by: The Place London, DanceXchange Birmingham, NSCD Leeds (UK)
Funded by: Arts Council England(UK), Sasakawa Foundation(UK)
The Ephemeral Life of an Octopus
Co-produced by: Kinneksbond Mamer, TROIS C-L Centre de Création Chorégraphique Luxembourgeois (LU), KLAP Maison pour la Danse Marseille (FR)
Commissioned by: The Place London, DanceXchange Birmingham, NSCD Leeds (UK)
Supported: Dance City Newcastle, South East Dance, GFTA Arts Council England (UK) ; Fondation Indépendance, Ministère de la Culture (LU)
Thanks to the Wellcome Collection
Thanks to Eve Appeal, Cancer Research UK
