The Place – The Cultural Exposé

Somewhere you should go… Resolution 2014

The Cultural Exposé — Thu, 19 Dec 2013 10:30:05 +0000

Have you ever wandered around the West End, looking for a show to see, and wished you could just see a sample? Just a number or two to get a feel for the production without actually committing to several hours of a show? The Place, one of the UK’s premiere contemporary dance studios and theatres, is about to give you just that option. January sees the start of the next season of Resolution!, a month-long series of new dance productions. The programme features established choreographers such as Wayne McGregor, Hofesh Shechter, and Kate Prince, all of who performed their earliest works in the festival over the years. But Resolution! is interested in exhibiting new talent as well, and there will be 72 companies over 24 days exhibiting short dance pieces of all varieties.

This is an excellent opportunity to dip into a performance and possibly see something you never dreamed possible in dance. The performers are encouraged to experiment and push the limits with their production, blending genres and styles. With triple-billing every night, audience members are sure to see something interesting.

In addition to the performances, the festival is a unique opportunity for dancers to collaborate and mentor one another backstage with a series of talks and workshops organised by The Place. For those in the dance industry, networking events will be ongoing throughout the event. There’s even a mentorship programme in place for writers interested in being mentored by professional dance writers. (Words: Barbara Cole)
Resolution 2014 is on from January 14 to February 15, 2014. For more info, visit: www.theplace.org.uk

The post Somewhere you should go… Resolution 2014 appeared first on The Cultural Exposé.

What we’ve been up to… 2Faced Dance: In The Dust, The Place

The Cultural Exposé — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 09:00:25 +0000

On presenting their diverse triple bill at The Place, all-male dance company 2Faced Dance wrestled their way onto the stage, slamming out freezes willy-nilly and running full-pelt in and out of the wings, only to pause for a few luxurious pirouettes. In the first piece of the evening, Subterrania by Tom Dale,the dancers totally bucked current trends, and proved that things really have gone a bit Hofesh Shechter. Bulky bass-lines were accompanied by moves in monkey-like unison, and the dancers threw their weight on the floor as shoulders hunched and arms sliced intricate shapes across the air. Dynamics were challenged by morsels of folk dance – and apart from one performer that possessed an unfortunate resemblance to Louie Spence, Subterrania was a sufficiently ballsy and athletic piece, gripping the audience’s attention.

But much can’t be said about the next piece, Freddie Opoku-Addaie’s Politicking Oath, apart from that it was plain weird. Having seen more than my fair share of the bizarre and wacky, it takes a lot to completely perplex me. Based on Olympic themes, simple sequences were developed to represent sports such as diving and gymnastics (manageable you would think, if not a little basic). Add to the mix a dancer with a pig’s head, brandishing an alarm clock and you’ve got, well I’m not sure. And I’m not sure the rest of the audience knew either judging by the unenthusiastic slow-clap that followed.

A sigh of relief, then, the troupe were back on track with the final piece of the bill, 7.0 by artistic director Tamsin Fitzgerald. This was quite literally performed in the dust, and combined acrobatic skill with an ecstatic rendering of human emotion Despite the temptation to sneeze throughout the piece, I was transfixed, and left wondering how on earth the dancers could still walk afterwards. Overall, 2Faced presented a creative show with plenty more highlights than low.

(Words: Sian Goldby)

The post What we’ve been up to… 2Faced Dance: In The Dust, The Place appeared first on The Cultural Exposé.

Somewhere you should go…’La Porte’ and ‘Eteins Pas’ / ‘EDD’ at The Place, June 11th

Aoife Moriarty — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 09:00:25 +0000

The Place is one of London’s leading venues for contemporary dance and takes promoting new choreography talent very seriously indeed. Its annual ‘Spring Loaded’ programme at the Robin Howard Dance Theatre consists of fresh, boundary- breaking work from independent dance companies and artists in the UK and beyond. Running until 18 June and with some very weird and wonderful content to be seen, it’s well worth checking out.

As part of this innovative season of creative dance, the theatre will present a double bill on 11 June featuring ‘La Porte’ and ‘Eteins Pas’ – works from hip-hop influenced choreographer Mickael Marso Riviere on the theme of life & death – alongside ‘EDD’, a high energy dance two hander starring commercial choreographer Supple and Tommy Franzen, a familiar face perhaps even to all dance novices out there as a runner-up on BBC1’s ‘So You Think You Can Dance’.

(Disclaimer: You’ll be inspired by both shows, but I accept no responsibility for any injuries obtained breakdancing shortly afterwards.) (Words: Aoife Moriarty)

For more info, visit The Place website.

The post Somewhere you should go…’La Porte’ and ‘Eteins Pas’ / ‘EDD’ at The Place, June 11th appeared first on The Cultural Exposé.