Shake off winter with an exhilarating programme of dance at Laban Theatre this spring. Marvel at the anatomy defying choreography of Wayne McGregor Random Dance, enjoy a spellbinding show for all the family with Theatre-Rites and Arthur Pita’s Mischief, dig deep into your medical cabinets with a thought-provoking new work from dANTE or dIE, and delve into the depths of our justice system with a celebrated production from Jasmin Vardimon Company. There’s also the chance to catch exciting new work by acclaimed artists Angela Woodhouse & Caroline Broadhead, Stephanie Schober and Charles Linehan Company.
Opening the season in true theatrical style, Jasmin Vardimon Company presents Justitia (January 20). Staged on an impressive revolving set in a film-like replay of events, the audience plays witness to a gripping crime story from different perspectives - at the crime scene, in the court house, inside an intimate group therapy room - discovering new realities as a series of secrets unfolds. Performed by a company of nine international dancers, Justitia is punctuated with provocative and insightful humour, treating us to a generous helping of Vardimon’s unique brand of highly acute physical theatre - fiercely athletic, daring and beautifully detailed.
Between (January 24 & 25) is the premiere of a stunning new performance installation by dance artist Angela Woodhouse and Jerwood award winning textile artist Caroline Broadhead, following the success of their critically-acclaimed collaborations Sighted and Sighted 2. Through the interplay of dance, materials and light, Woodhouse and Broadhead generate highly charged and atmospheric audience experiences. Between explores the tension between visual spectacle and the hunger for intimacy. Inhabited by three performers and up to forty viewers who move freely around the space, the work is performed in silence and interrogates what it is to experience dance performance. The work is made in collaboration with performers Stine Nilsen (Co-Artistic Director of Candoco Dance Company), David McCormick (DV8 Physical Theatre, Richard Alston Dance Company) and Martina Conti.
For the perfect half-term treat for all the family, look no further than Mischief (February 19 & 20), the award winning show from renowned children’s theatre company Theatre-Rites and innovative choreographer Arthur Pita. Bursting with energy and fun, it’s a fantastic mix of dance, visual art, puppetry, music, and playful clowning. As multi-coloured lines of foam are transformed into an abstract forest, seven dancers take the audience on a magical journey through a wonderland of colour, shapes and surprises. Accompanied by live music and song, it’s designed to appeal to the over-fives, and adults who haven’t entirely mislaid their inner child! Following two highly successful tours in 2007 and 2009, the Laban Theatre dates give London audiences another chance to be enthralled by this popular show before it tours to Barcelona and New York.
Side Effects (March 1) by dANTE or dIE is a playful new dance theatre piece that dissects our medical histories and urges us to investigate what's in our medicine cabinet. Inspired by the fact that the average UK citizen takes 14,000 pills in a lifetime, Side Effects is performed by five dancers between the ages of 20 and 75 who slide between life threatening illnesses to hangovers, questioning how aware we are of what medicine is, how it works and how it can shape the person you are. Side Effects is a unique collaboration with The School of Pharmacy, developed from a 20 minute piece that the company performed at The Place as part of Resolution! 2010 and The Linbury Studio as part of The Royal Opera House Firsts ’10 Season.
Groundbreaking Wayne McGregor
Random Dance returns to Laban Theatre with its latest feast for the senses, F.A.R. (9 & 10 March). McGregor is one of the most in-demand choreographers of his generation (“If any artist has defined the decade - it’s Wayne McGregor” – The Times) and this is a great chance to catch his work in an intimate setting. Inspired by the controversial Age of Enlightenment, F.A.R. explores an era that first placed ‘a body in question’. Ten incredible dancers confront the distortions, sensuality and feeling of the 18th century’s searing contemporary sensibility to a new, haunting score by the critically-acclaimed composer Ben Frost. Staged in a mesmerising environment of shadow and light, object and film, F.A.R. binds cutting edge design with awe-inspiring choreography.
Stephanie Schober & Dance Company will premiere an intriguing new work that draws inspiration from Tom Johnson's minimalist music composition, Abundant Numbers (16 & 17 March). This will be Schober’s first work with live music, and she has been working with accordionist Camilla Barratt-Due and dancers Keir Patrick and Lise Manavit. Johnson’s composition is based on mathematical principles of accumulating materials, providing a rigorous medium for the performers to share the stage and their materials in surprising ways. The as-yet untitled piece has been commissioned by Laban Theatre and The Garrick Charitable Trust, with support from Arts Council England.
In April, Laban Theatre welcomes Charles Linehan Company with two new works, The Fault Index and The Clearing (April 27). Since 1994, the company has been winning audiences over with its understated style – The Guardian has described Linehan “one of our classiest choreographers”. The Fault Index is a celebration of isolated events - a series of connected and unconnected incidents are presented in a different order for each performance. In The Clearing, slow transformations evolve within a complex weave of interlocking melodies, off-rhythms and beautiful sonorities. Featuring a specially commissioned score by Richard Skelton, The Clearing is performed by four dancers including Linehan’s long-term collaborators Rahel Vonmoos and Greig Cooke.
For information on all Laban Theatre performances and to book tickets, please see www.trinitylaban.ac.uk/labantheatre or call 020 8469 9500.
