DV8 Physical Theatre - Strange Fish

DV8 Physical Theatre was formed in 1986 by an independent collective of dancers who, they claim, had become frustrated and disillusioned with the preoccupation and direction of most dance. The company has produced 15 dance pieces, which have toured internationally, and 5 award-winning films for television. They are performing works that break down the barriers between dance, theatre, and personal politics and, above all, communicate ideas and feelings clearly and unpretentiously.

The company is led by Lloyd Newson and are based at Artsadmin in London. Works include:
"To Be Straight With You" for stage 2008
"Just For Show" for stage 2005
"The Cost of Living" for stage 2003 and for film in 2004
"The Happiest Day of My Life" for stage 1999
"Enter Achilles" for stage and film 1995
"Strange Fish" for stage and film 1992

Strange Fish looks at our quest for someone to love and something, or someone,to believe in. The tyranny of couples and groups, the pain of not belongingand the fear of being alone are all laid bare in a series of powerful images.Strange Fish mixes humour, religious iconography and physicality, taking it beyond the boundaries of traditional dance. To tell you the truth, this is one of the films that impressed me so much and had changed my attitude to video dance style. It feels like your brain explodes when you let this performance to get inside of your mind! Enjoy!

A W A R D S
• Prix Italia Special Prize - Music & Arts, 1994

• Best Choreography Festival International Danse Visions 1994

• Best Stage Performance Reworked for the Camera IMZ Dance Screen 1993

• Pierre Cardin Award Grand Prix International Video-Danse 1993.

Her Morning Elegance

Tender, inspiring video:) It's extremely creative and very romantic almost like when I'm sleeping:)))) It's just a cute fantasy in everyday routine.

Dancing film: Delicious Tree - an experimental dance screen film about tree spirits that come out to play

Dance film is the cinematic interpretation of existing dance works, originally created for live performance or the creation of choreography that can only exist in the medium of film or video. Dance works made specifically for film presentation are known as Dance for camera. It should be noted that these definitions are not agreed upon widely within the sector of artists and other practitioners who work with dance and video.

Existing dance works may be modified for the purposes of filming. This can involve a wide variety of film techniques. Depending on the amount of choreograpic and presentational adjustment an original work is subjected to, the filmed version may be considered as dance for camera.

Britain's DV8 Physical Theatre, directed by Lloyd Newson, is well known for its film versions of staged works. The reworking of Enter Achilles (1995) for film in 1996 is a seminal example of Dance for camera. Recently acclaimed works include "The Cost of Living".

Australia's The Physical TV Company, directed by Richard James Allen and Karen Pearlman, is well known for creating original works that are a sophisticated meeting of the possibilities of cinema with those of dance. Dance films such as "Rubberman Accepts The Nobel Prize" (2001), "No Surrender" (2002), and "Down Time Jaz" (2003) are differing examples of the possibilities of this approach involving comedy, visual effects, drama, and animation.

I will throw light upon all these kinds of dancing film :) it's only a beginning . And now I want to present one of my favourite dancing films "Delicious tree", it's some kind of "wow":))) One of the best works of Dance Camera West Film Festival.

Delicious Tree (USA, 2006) Director: Cari Ann Shim Sham Choreographer: Jia WuA trio of spirits emerge from a tree, explore the living world, dance with trees and return back to the tree from which they came. Inspired by Eiko & Koma.

Lovatory-Lovestory

This is a fascinating dream-story quite naive with a simple plot, but dedicated to enternal topic - love - wating, hopes and illusions even in such an unexpected places as WC :) But where would you think about Eternel Feeling if you worked in WC?......

“Lavatory Lovestory” is a 10-minute hand-drawn cartoon by Konstantin Bronzit about a lavatory attendant, this russian cartoon has been nominated for an Oscar in the Best Animated Short Film category.

Dance on Tour: Canadian Directory! La La La Human Steps - Amelia

La La La Human Steps

La La La Human Steps was formed around a three-week series of performances in a tiny theatre in St-Henri followed by a week at the Kitchen in New York. Since then it has become one of the most recognised dance companies in the world and has earned international recognition by developing a unique choreographic language that has been constantly reinvented over its 23 year history. Choreographic complexity, the alteration of balletic structures and the intertwining of choreographic, musical and cinematic strands are among the elements that create a sense of perceptual distortion and renewal, that encourage audiences to both reinvent and rediscover the body and its dance.

The company has encouraged its dancers to question, define, renew and restate, performances based on sound technical fundamentals and a renewal of performance values that range from the hyper physical to the lyrical. The company has collaborated with institutions as varied as the Paris Opera and Frank Zappa.

La La La Human Steps tours extensively both nationally and internationally. Quality, sound technical fundamentals and renewal have and will continue to define its activities.

Artistic Director

Édouard Lock choreographed his first piece in December 1974 at the age of 21. Since then his work has garnered acclaim nationally and internationally for its originality, vision and structure. Over the years he has been invited to create works for some of the leading dance companies in the world including the Paris Opera Ballet, the Netherlands Dance Theatre and the Het National Ballet of Holland. This year he was the recipient of the prix Denise Pelletier, Quebec’s highest cultural award, as well as the Benois de la danse, given to him in Moscow for AndréAuria, choreographed for the Paris Opera Ballet and premiered on November 15, 2002.

A film adaptation of Amelia (the current touring work) directed by Édouard Lock was premiered at the Montréal International Festival of New Cinema and New Media, before being televised worldwide.

This video is absolutely awesome, it makes you change your point of view on ballet.

Children Write to God

Dear GOD, I read the Bible. What does ’begat’ mean? Nobody will tell me. Love, Alison.

Dear GOD, Are you really invisible or is that just a trick? -Lucy

Dear GOD, Is it true my father won’t get in Heaven if he uses his bowling words in the house? -Anita

Dear GOD, Did you mean for the giraffe to look like that or was it an accident? Norma

Dear GOD, Instead of letting people die and having to make new ones, why don’t You just keep the ones You have now? -Jane

Dear GOD, Who draws the lines around the countries? -Nan

Dear GOD, I went to this wedding and they kissed right in church. Is that okay? -Neil

Dear GOD, What does it mean You are a Jealous God? I thought You had everything. -Jane

Dear GOD, Did you really mean "do unto others as they do unto you?" Because if you did, then I’m going to fix my brother. -Darla

Dear GOD, Thank you for the baby brother, but what I prayed for was a puppy. -Joyce

Dear GOD, It rained for our whole vacation and is my father mad! He said some things about You that people are not supposed to say, but I hope You will not hurt him anyway. Your friend (But I am not going to tell you who I am)

Dear GOD, Why is Sunday school on Sunday? I thought it was supposed to be our day of rest. -Tom L.

Dear GOD, Please send me a pony. I never asked for anything before, You can look it up. -Bruce
Dear GOD, If we come back as something - please don’t let me be Jennifer Horton because I hate her. -Denise

Dear GOD, If You give me a genie lamp like Aladin, I will give you anything you want, except my money or my chess set. -Raphael

Dear GOD, My brother is a rat. You should give him a tail. Ha ha. -Danny

Dear GOD, Maybe Cain and Abel would not kill each other so much if they had their own rooms. It works with my brother. -Larry

Dear GOD, I want to be just like my Daddy when I get big, but not with so much hair all over. -Sam

Dear GOD, You don’t have to worry about me. I always look both ways. -Dean

Dear GOD, I think the stapler is one of your greatest inventions. -Ruth M.

Dear GOD, I bet it is very hard for You to love all of everybody in the whole world. There are only 4 people in our family and I can never do it. -Nan

Dear GOD, My brother told me about being born but it doesn’t sound right. They’re just kidding, aren’t they? -Marsha

Dear GOD, If You watch me in church Sunday, I’ll show You my new shoes. -Mickey D.

Dear GOD, I would like to live 900 years like the guy in the Bible. Love, Chris

Dear GOD, We read Thomas Edison made light. But in Sunday school they said You did it. So I bet he stoled your idea. Sincerely, Donna

Dear GOD: The bad people laughed at Noah - "You made an ark on dry land you fool." But he was smart, he stuck with You. That’s what I would do. -Eddie

Dear GOD, I do not think anybody could be a better GOD. Well, I just want You to know, but I am not just saying that because You are GOD already. -Charles

Dear GOD, I didn’t think orange went with purple until I saw the sunset you made on Tuesday. That was cool! -Eugene

Article19 V.9 Scottish Dance Theatre

'Sorry for the Missiles' by Vanessa Haska and 'Tenderhook' by Liv Lorent are not examples of flashy choreography, rather, both works are more thoughtful studies of complex issues. This is dance making for the thinker.

Both works are just two out of SDT's current touring repertoire which also includes 'In The Middle Of The Moment' by Uri Ivgi and Johan Grebe and 'Second Storm' by Michal Zahora. With their current crop of creations the company are building quite a formidable arsenal of work under the directorship of Janet Smith. Where you see the company perform determines which two pieces of dance you will see.

Both works are performed by: James MacGillvray, Toby Fitzgibbons, Ruth Janssen, Steven Martin, Naomi Murray, Victoria Roberts, Raquel Gualtero Soriano, Rocco Vermijs, Solene Weinachter, Phillipa White, and Michael Zahora. Music for 'sorry for the Missiles' is by Banta de Zegata and The In Laws. Music for 'Tenderhook' is by Ezio Bosso.

Actually, in my oppinion it's absolutely amazing - pure magic expressed through movements, it seems like "miracle" is in the air!!!

Scottish Dance Theatre (SDT), Contemporary dance.

Scottish Dance Theatre (SDT) tours a body of work by Artistic Director Janet Smith and international artists alongside creations by emerging talent, bringing audiences choreographic voices from the world around us. SDT invests in creativity and is a seedbed for ideas in which performers and choreographers can challenge themselves, producing work which is thoroughly engaging, moving, thought provoking and has resonance in people’s lives. The company is committed to broadening access to its performance work by offering an associated education programme.

REVIEW EXTRACTS

‘The members of SDT are among the most personable dancers now working in Britain.’

The Times

‘A sophisticated ensemble under Janet Smith’s inspirational direction.’ Dance Europe

‘Vivid, intoxicating dance theatre.’ Sunday Herald

CURRENT PRODUCTIONS

Double bills of the following productions are available:

Tenderhook An intense, emotionally charged work choreographed by Liv Lorent, featuring hauntingly beautiful music by award-winning composer Ezio Bosso.

Sorry for the Missiles! A powerful, expressive and moving piece of dance theatre by Vanessa Haska which explores the effects of war on a community.

In the Middle of the Moment A powerful duet to music by Arvo Part and Kurtag.

I want to see you smile :)

"Validation" is a fable about the magic of free parking. Composer turned filmmaker Kurt Kuenne calls it "a fable about the magic of free parking." A short film about one parking attendant named Hugh Newman is really the story of small acts of goodness and everyday smiles that is sure to bring every viewer into spirit of holiday cheer.

CREDITS: Starring TJ Thyne & Vicki Davis.Writer/Director/Composer - Kurt Kuenne.

FESTIVALS & AWARDS: Winner - Best Narrative Short, Cleveland Int'l Film Festival, Winner - Jury Award, Gen Art Chicago Film Festival, Winner - Audience Award, Hawaii Int'l Film Festival, Winner - Best Short Comedy, Breckenridge Festival of Film, Winner - Crystal Heart Award, Best Short Film & Audience Award, Heartland Film Festival, Winner - Christopher & Dana Reeve Audience Award, Williamstown Film Festival, Winner - Best Comedy, Dam Short Film Festival, Winner - Best Short Film, Sedona Int'l Film Festival.

This is one of the most inspiring short films I have seen in ages. Worth every 16:24 minutes. I loved it and it for sure made ME smile :) Hope you will like it as i did! Enjoy!!!!

Dear Friend,

I’m writing to you, though you don’t know me. I’m writing to you, because sometimes appears necessity to share joys, worries and observations.

It’s like traveling by the train and telling a follower your secrets, knowing that on the next stop you will leave and everything that is told will stay living in his mind – images, which are born from your expressions – and for some seconds you’ll feel relief and freedom, caused by this sincere sharing. Even doesn’t matter the fact of what will be a reply, but significant is to be heard and to be understood. The most important is to feel resonance – dumb reply – in glance, touch or just silence – because people have lost the skill to feel and to empathize.

Actually, my Friend, not everybody is able to feel – this is the same ability as to hear, to talk, to see. Precisely as there exist deaf or dumb people, in exactly the same way there exist people with deaf or dumb souls.

But you, my friend, I’m sure, you are an owner of wonderful soul, which is always searching the beautiful that can fill up empty spaces and your heart is longing to share kindness with these who need it so much.

So give me your hand and I will show you these things, which fill up your soul with joy and positive emotions. And if you get tired or get bored you may just go out on the next stop keeping all the good that you will have gone through.

Best wishes