Tamsin Fitzgerald, founder and Artistic Director of acclaimed Hereford-based 2Faced Dance Company, has been working closely with our third year students on a new work for this year’s Graduation (Wednesday 4 – Saturday 7 July 2018).
A graduate of the school herself, Tamsin has been in a position to identify with the dancers, who are all nearing the end of their studies at the School. Her physically adventurous all-male dance company 2Faced currently includes seven NSCD alumni including Sam Buswell, Jason Boyle, Louis Parker-Evans, Jazz Gritt, Sean Moss, Kai Tomioka and Ed Warner.
Tamsin has choreographed several major award-winning works for 2Faced including State of Matter, Still Breathing, Third, 7.0, Out of His Skin, Lucid Grounds, From Above and What The Moon Saw as well as outdoor touring works Two Old Men, KAPOW and Moon, which have all toured across the UK and internationally. Tamsin has co-choreographed work with Hofesh Shechter and CIRCA, and has produced work for International Dance Festival Birmingham.
Tamsin is a strong advocate for women in the dance sector. Her bespoke platform for female choreographers, The BENCH was established in 2015 offers a professional launchpad and aims to raise the profile of women in dance.
We invited Tamsin to share a little about the inspiration and creative process behind her newly commissioned work.
"As someone who loves the expression of physicality, it has been a real pleasure to work with a group of people who have been truly open to ideas, finding new ways of moving and have had the stamina to push through even when their bodies were broken or their minds full."
“Everything We Left Unsaid is inspired by all those times you wish you had had the chance to finish a conversation or say what you really wanted to, but somehow didn’t. Fleeting moments that linger, provoking frustration or a sense of loss. Moments which can fuel you on in life or change the direction in which you thought were going.
As the students are about to leave full-time education for the wider world and careers, this theme seemed to resonate with them at this particular point in their lives. The fifteen students have approached the work with a real grit, determination and a longing to truly move. The work represents both individuality and a real sense of company; something that has been crucial during the creative process. The majority of the creative process has stemmed from task-based exercises, improvisation and bringing personal experiences into play by thinking about composing a letter or text to someone that was never or could never be sent.
Everything We Left Unsaid will premiere on Wednesday 4th July as part of NSCD Graduation 2018.
