What are your inspirations?

The first thing that inspires me is relationships, emotions, but I also like to work through autobiographical experiences. I always look at all the issues brought up by research, through a personal perspective and then try to see how it can communicate to everybody. I ask myself: what about this topic is it that almost everybody can relate to?

What led you to be a Choreographer?

It was actually not a straightforward process for me. I started out as a dancer but I didn’t like to do this, so I decided to train to be a dance therapist; which I worked in for a number of years. After sometime, I found this was also a bit limited and considered training as a psychologist. At this time I was living in Israel and felt that I needed a change so I decided to come to London and train to do an MA at Laban. Before I did this, I couldn’t find what I liked about dance and movement. I felt there is something amazing that can be beautifully communicated through dance and thought that Laban would be a good place to explore this. Because Laban is so open, I thought it would be a great way to find what I’ve felt is missing.

At Laban I found a balanced way between talking and moving in a similar way to dance therapy. Then I choreographed a solo and fell in love with choreography. I found I can use everything I’ve studied – in relation to the human condition, psychology, and try to find an aesthetic way to put it – beyond therapy. I found I can use this knowledge I have, this passion and put it into an artform.

You seem to be part of a new wave of contemporary Israeli dance groups – why would you say this is growing?

In Israel in general there is alot of growth in the arts. In film too there is a strong wave of individuals. I left Israel seven years ago and even then it wasn’t as wide and broad as it is now. I think people my age want to express themselves – life in Israel is very extreme and art is a way of doing that. Certain companies such as Batsheva Company led the way for many dancers from Israel. Dancers began in that company then left and did their own work. Also other dancers grew up seeing their work so this acted as an inspiration to us.

Could you tell us more about Sunday Morning? What are the influences of the piece?

I started just with the idea of a memory one and a half years ago. I was visiting my parents for Christmas in Israel. I remember waking up on Christmas morning, with all my family around me, the smells, the feelings and having this strong memory and sensation of the exact way things were 15 yrs ago. This was such a vivid sensation. I felt I had to do something with this notion of ‘Sunday Morning’ and the memories it provokes – with all the family around, something that in the West can be neglected.

I started to work on this idea.  It took a long time to find the people for the piece, but all of a sudden when we started working – it became a piece about memories of childhood. It was a very emotional process – an amazing journey. It took me a long time to finish and I showed it many times as a work in progress.

Sunday Morning is about the notion of memory – how it plays with who we are. These ideas and feelings – are they  really memories or do we create them – are they real? And in the end, does it matter?

Tell us about Anybody Waitin’?

It was originally commissioned by Absolut and co produced and presented by Absolut Fringe Dublin, 2010.The show can go indoors and outdoors and wherever.  It has a loose narrative, but we didn’t start making it that way, that’s just how it turned out.  We remade it again this year for the Dublin Dance Festival with a really brilliant director from Belfast, Stephen Beggs.

 What is the inspiration behind your works?

We do a lot of people watching, so that is our number one inspiration and lots of pop culture.

Where is the craziest place you’ve ever performed one of your pieces?

Outside a dole office.  It bombed.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take one book, CD and luxury item what would they be?

 On CD, I would take the greatest hits of Michael Jackson, the luxury item would be  a tweezers and the book would be…. can I be a smart ass here and say some sort of “how to survive on a desert island” type guidebook.

What can audiences expect from your performances at Jacksons Lane?

A good laugh.

 If Anybody Waitin’?  was an animal, what would it be and why? 

A penguin, doesn’t look like it can do much, but is quite a mover!

Ponydance perform Anybody Waitin’? as part of a triple bill Fri 17 & Sat 18 June 8pm. All tickets £10.

www.jacksonslane.org.uk 020 8341 4421

Two years ago we curated several days of a new initiative called ‘Secret Theatre’ which was all about emerging artists and short work. We always planned to try and repeat this within a circus/cabaret context (Secret Circus anyone?). The idea of Postcards grew out of this.

The name Postcards came out of a collaboration idea that we had with the brilliant aerialist and director Catrin Osborne. She had been working on some ideas around an adaptation of the Carrie Fisher book, Postcards from the Edge. The production was postponed, but in that time our Associate Producer Flora Herberich came up with the idea of the name Postcards. It seemed to work – lots of buzz words that applied to our ideas – short, visual, unexpected, saucy (!), sent from close to home, or from afar…it all helped to create the aesthetic and approach of the festival.

Then we were faced with – how long, when and who? When? Well with a name like Postcards it had to be Summer. How long? Initially a weekend but now extended to six weeks. Who? We approached some dream names – Bryony Kimmings, Gisele Edwards, Marawa the Amazing – and ‘amazingly’ they all said yes. Then we returned to some artists we had been planning to work with and support – Stefano Di Renzo, Dodgy Whiskers, Frederike - found them a whole load of space to develop the work, and integrated them into the festival. We then turned our head to bringing some artists over especially for Postcards. Ireland was calling so we asked the brilliant Pony Dance and Tumble Circus. Then we got a bit too confident and asked Cirque du Soleil’s Mooky to come on board as a special guest, and she agreed.

On June 10 we get really ambitious and have 40 artists taking over the entire building in our Late Night Cabaret, including many from within the festival. Overall, we have artists from 15 different countries appearing in Postcards so it’s also a seriously international affair.

We’re getting very excited and can’t wait for it to start. Now we ask the rest of London to come and join us for what we hope will become a much-anticipated annual fixture in the festival calendar.

Adrian Berry, May 2011

Postcards Festival runs from 8 June – 31 July.

All tickets £10 / £35 Festival Pass

£5 early-bird tickets available until 30 May

www.jacksonslane.org.uk Box Office 020 8341 4421

The College Years is an intellectual examination of the great artistic works that have shaped the cultural landscape of modern music. So we’ll, of course, be covering Peter Andre, Florence and the Machine, Busted and Brandy and Monica. There’s not a moment to stop for breath, we’ll have you singing, dancing and screaming before the night is through.

If you could have a day in the life of any pop star who would you choose, and what would you do?

Frisky would probably take on the life of Gaga – the fashion, the music, the videos, and naturally, travelling exclusively by egg. Mannish would be Elton John, who is now so famous he doesn’t even need to sing anymore. He’d just sit and shout at people.

Pop history is littered with famous double acts, good and bad. Do you have a favourite?

The aforementioned Brandy and Monica is definitely a highlight. And in a similar vein, Salt n Pepa. They push it real good. But we’ve always rather enjoyed the more random combinations, like Freddie and Monserrat, and more recently, Aggro Santos and Kimberley Walsh.

Who would Frisky most like to duet with other than Mannish?

Definitely Professor Green. Not only could I lay a mean “hook” alongside his “rhymes”, but I do think I’d score highly in the relative attractiveness stakes. No offence to Pro Green at all. I still would.

Who would Mannish most like to duet with other than Frisky?

 I’d trio with Justin Bieber and Jaden Smith. I rarely appear mature in comparison to others. Next to them, I’d look like a massive butch man. Which is something I secretly want.

You’re famous for your song mash-ups. What is your favourite song mash-up/remix?

 At the end of our first show, we used to walk off stage to a mash up of Metallica’s Sad and Stevie Wonder’s Superstitious by Wax Audio. It’s the only way to send an audience out rocking their faces off.

How do you prepare for your shows?

 Sushi must be consumed no later than two hours prior to the first note belted and chord bashed. We have a rigorous physical and vocal warm-up routine (rock squats especially), and about 25 minutes in make up. That glitter doesn’t put itself on. We gets the vibe rollin with some Ri-Ri.

Tell us about your time spent on the burlesque scene.

The first place we found an audience for what we do was in the gloriously welcoming, but democratic, world of burlesque and neo-cabaret. When you just couldn’t take any more boobs, that’s when we’d come in. The backstage areas were both infinitely more glamorous and more graphic than any other in show business.

What was your first show like?

Our first show was on the Battersea Barge, March 5th 2008. We’d been asked by a friend to do ten minutes of anything for a Music Hall themed night. While looking through the usual standard fare, we came across a book of the last twenty years of pop. We picked it up, and started doing the pop songs, but in different styles. She said, she didn’t quite know what to expect, so she’d put us on last, after the auction. By midnight, everyone was hammered and barely paying attention, and we went out as very arch, Victoriana-style characters called Lady Fitz-Frisky and Miss Maevia Mannish. We started, and we could see the penny drop gradually around the room that the aria we were performing was, in fact, Papa Don’t Preach. As we went through the set, the response got bigger and bigger, and by the end the place erupted. We were offered our first paid gig that night.

What’s the highlight of your career so far?

It would be a toss up between a couple of things – going to the Sydney Opera House and calling it “work” was pretty unbelievable. It was our first ever Australian performance, and we ran the show there for two weeks. It’s definitely a time we’ll never forget. Similarly, performing our Christmas shows at the Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue was completely amazing. To be honest, any time we open a paper and see a picture or a mention, we feel very warm in our regions.

How do UK audiences compare to international ones?

The show is rooted in British culture, so no audience gets us quite like a home crowd. We make slight adjustments when we take the show elsewhere, and obviously research a bit about what songs did or didn’t travel, but we try to keep the spirit the same. The more true to our roots we’ve been the better the reaction we’ve had, both in the UK and abroad. We make sure that the music is always the best it can be, and that we find it funny.

Frisky and Mannish perform The College Years at Jacksons Lane Thu 5 – Sat 7 May 8:30pm

www.jacksonslane.org.uk 020 8341 4421

I have often been found, at home, rearranging the furniture, moving pictures on the walls, putting things on shelves…taking them off again, and staring at corners of the room (for hours) imagining what they could look like ‘if only I had’. I also have a fascination with boxes. I love things in boxes, it kind of keeps them permanently new, so I rearrange my boxes quite a bit too. This is an endless process, and its the same with buying things. Whenever I buy something new (I like new things!) it’s going to be the answer to everything….but it never is…. Boxed-im-Perfect takes this idea to the next level…

What was the inspiration behind your new piece At the Moment?

Oooh….I don’t want to say too much about this one. I started out with one idea, and it has kept changing….and that’s kind of what the piece is about….at the moment….

 Describe the show in three words

Honest Funny Beautiful

Tell us a bit about the development process you’ve been going through here at Jacksons Lane?

I have been spending a lot of time, in the studio, changing my mind! Its been great to have time and space to play with ideas, and move the work on. You realise how much there is to discover when your given the support to do it!

Working with Kate Zamira Mummery has been a new and brilliant experience, I have also been working with writer, Kate Hardie, who is a genius, theatre practitioner Yolanda Vazquez another very bright genius, and Director Jim Bywater….yup….genius!

This work has taken me deeper into the realm of proper ‘acting’…..like, with words and everything! So it feels brave and liberating, coming from a pure dance background, where your meant to be able to do everything through movement…it feels so good just to say what I mean! It takes a lot less time, and you don’t get so sweaty.

 How would you describe your choreographic style?

Not very dancey! I used to jump around a lot. My movement was fluid, musical, and athletic….i am forty this year….know what I mean? I’m more interested in telling stories, so my choreography is now born out of purpose, rather than dance for dances sake but, it’s still beautiful…I hope.

Who are your biggest inspirations?

Gene Kelly. Jerome Robins. Fred Astaire. My family. Micheal Jackson. Stevie Wonder. Prince. Miles Davis….and Prince again!

 How have you involved the Studio Youth Dance group into the performance?

I work with Studio Youth all year round as the Artistic Director. This year, Kate Zamira Mummery choreographed on the Company, and she is also the person I have devised At The Moment with, so it made sense to show case all the work together, as it’s all connected, and they are a brilliant company of young people!

What advice would you give to someone wanted to start out in the dance world?

Hmmm. Years ago I would have said, “Don’t have a back up plan….just go for it” but, times have changed…..Now  I would say, “have you ever thought about plumbing, or banking?.” No, I would say, “Come to Studio Youth!”

If you were on a desert island and could only take one book, album and luxury item what would they be?

Book -The Major Writings of Nicherin Daishonin volume 1

Album- Stevie Wonder’s Origonal Musiquarium

Luxury item – Prince!

 And finally what do you love about Jacksons Lane?

 I love that it has survived for so long, and serves its community so well (I think there’s a link there!)…and, that its got lots of dead people still buried underneath it…..have you ever seen Poltergeist? Brilliant!

Boxed-im-Perfect & At the Moment can be seen at Jacksons Lane Wed 27 & Thu 28 Apr, 8pm

Tickets: £10 (£5 students)

www.jacksonslane.org.uk 020 8341 4421

Meet Jai – He loves his new car. It’s perfect for a 17-year-old boy with street swagger, blacked out windows, spinning hub caps, racing seatbelts, the lot. He’s still saving for the blue neons for underneath, but apart from that, it’s the wheels of his dreams. There’s nothing more he loves than burning up the road with his crew. But should he let his mate Rah, who’s just passed his test, drive it to celebrate? No chance….Or..?

Rah is a 19-year-old gap year student who has just passed his test on the third attempt. He is very interested in creating music and thinks himself the next Pharrell, and longs for a career in the music business. Rah is like any 19-year-old kid he loves being out with his friends…and driving around in Jai’s wheels!

The Falling Man is an enigmatic figure throughout  Drive Ride Walk. Every time you put the phone down on one of those annoying courtesy calls there is always someone on the other end of the line who immediately has to begin another conversation with the same inevitable outcome. This is the life of The Falling Man; wake, commute, work, lunch, work, commute, home, bed, repeat. He spends his day talking to people he doesn’t know about things he doesn’t care about but probably doesn’t hold a face to face conversation with anyone. He longs to be noticed, appreciated. If he did something outrageous, like fall over in the street, would anybody actually notice?

There are two characters in the show who seem to be polar opposites but are actually quite similar, though they would not know if they passed each other in the street.  Cheryce Wynter is 17 going on 18, and is reaching turning point in her life.  For as long as she can remember she has lived in the same inner-city London borough and spent all her free time with the same 3 friends- Rah, J, Jnaysha & Mac. It is only in the last year as she has started to contemplate university and her future.

Tia is a few years older than Cheryce, she is 23 and has found it hard after graduating from university to find any other job than temping.  She too is at a turning point in her life where she is bored of the familiar work she loathes, and she is no longer satisfied with living to pay the bills.  Like Cheryce she is excited by the future and what it could be, but she is at a place where she cannot seem to see a way out of her temping cycle.

Join the Drive Ride Walk cast as they take you on 3 journeys around London through the eyes of these commuters. This humourous and poignant piece will astound with stunning a capella vocal performances, dynamic physicality and vibrant cast.

Drive Ride Walk is at Jacksons Lane 16- 19 March 8pm & 2pm Sat

www.jacksonslane.org.uk

020 8341 4421

So, we have completed the first week of shows at Greenwich Theatre, kicking off at the beginning of the week with four outreach shows which took place in a hospital, a shopping centre, the naval college and the O2!  One of the joys of Drive Ride Walk is this outreach element where we perform an edited 30 minute version of the show anywhere where there is a good acoustic and where passersby can stop and see it. When we were developing the show, Osnat (Composer) and I tried out bits and pieces of the performance in different places to see how people would react (including the Bloomberg Gallery, the Tate canteen and the Whittington Hospital). Because of the overwhelmingly positive responses from the public, we realised that when the show finally reached full production, we should keep this ‘street theatre’ element of it going.

Our first performance on Saturday was at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, where we had a small but dedicated group of observers. Our second however up at Lewisham Shopping Centre, was a whole other story! We were positioned just between the entrance to M & S and a shoe shop, with an eating forecourt just in front and benches just behind. When we started singing, it was clear people didn’t quite know what was happening, but very soon a crowd began to gather. Freshly purchased sandwiches came out of bags, pushchairs stopped, the pace of life changed around us as people began to take in the show.

As director, I can watch the audience watching the performance, and it’s wonderful to see people’s expressions change as they slow down and stop and usually smile! I had a long conversation with a local student studying performing arts at Lewisham College who had been hanging out with some friends and was really excited by the performance! But we were soon on the move again as our next stop was Greenwich and the slightly grander environment of the Royal Naval College where we found a captive audience seated in the Painted Hall. It was such a contrast going from the modern neon lighting and rush of people at the shopping centre to the beautiful room with high ceilings and  frescoes (which had at one time held the tomb of Nelson) but again, makes the while experience of the outreach performances so memorable for us as a company. Finally, we pitched up at the O2, (Good Evening, London!) sadly not on the main stage…maybe next time? For the cast, it’s a huge challenge adapting to the demands of each space but they loved it too! Emi, who plays woman 1 and has toured with us on an outreach project before, commented on how great it is to have people so close to you that you can really look them in the eye and sing to them directly, and the audience responds to that intimacy too.

 So now we’re really looking forward to playing around Jacksons Lane. Who knows you might happen upon us where you least expect us!

 Drive Ride Walk comes to Jacksons Lane 16-19 March, 8pm & 2pm Sat.

www.jacksonslane.org.uk 020 8341 4421

 Keep your eyes peeled for the Drive Ride Walk cast around London in the run up to the show, check out of Facebook for photos, videos and more information.

How is life on the road touring with Analogue?

Sadly, as producer for the company, I don’t get to head out on the road full-time, but I make sure I constantly check in on how the show is doing.  The team work incredibly hard on tour.  Analogue’s shows are technically complicated with lots of multimedia kit and precise staging and choreography. Turning up in a brand new venue every other day throws up all sorts of problems – some of which you anticipate, others you definitely don’t. But we do our best to make the show work for every venue and give each audience the best show we can. 

 How would you describe Beachy Head in 3 words?

 Thoughtful. Stylish. Powerful.

 Describe the research process behind Beachy Head?

Beachy Head began life when Hannah Barker, one of our co-directors, found a fascinating article about Beachy Head, accompanied by an image of a phone box installed near the cliff-edge.  Next to the phone box was a Samaritans sign saying “always there day and night”, which struck as an extraordinary image – this last port of call for people about to take the desperate and drastic decision to jump off the cliffs. 

We began researching the area, and the company took a day trip to Beachy Head as part of this research.  On the day they were there, someone had actually jumped from the cliff and they suddenly found themselves becoming witness to the aftermath of a tragic event.  The show suddenly became not about suicide itself, but instead about the impact of someone taking their life. We became more interested in exploring the ripple effects, if you like – the loved ones left behind, searching for answers; the people who find a body at the bottom of the cliffs; the taxi driver who drove them to the cliffs from the station; or the pathologist who examines the deceased’s body.  And we began asking ethical questions about our rights as theatre-makers to represent suicide and its aftermath on stage (an ethical question we ended up putting directly on stage with the characters of two documentary makers who accidentally capture one man’s fall). 

Because the questions around suicide are so huge and complex an issue, we worked with a large numbers of collaborators as we researched the piece, to ensure we created the most sensitive and well-informed work we could.  The Wellcome Trust funded us to work with histopathologists, forensic psychologists and advisors from the Royal College of Pathology, and we also spoke to bereavement counsellors, members of the Samaritans and relatives of those who had taken their own lives.  These different voices and the wide range of experiences all massively fed into the writing and devising process, and shaped the show we eventually made.

 And how does this fit in with Analogue’s previous production Mile End?

Mile End looked at mental health, and particularly the failings of the mental health system, which in the case of the real-life story of Chrisophe Dulcos (on which Mile End was based), had most tragic consequences.  In creating that show, the company worked with a number of health-care professionals to ensure that any portrayal of mental-health problems were properly informed and realistic.  Later this year, we’re finishing and premiering a new show 2401 Objects, which is based on the world’s most famous neuroscientific case-study of amnesia patient Henry Molaison.  We’re lucky to be collaborating with Dr Jacopo Annese of the Brain Observatory, San Diego, who is the world’s leading expert on the case-study.  These external voices are massively important to how and why we make our work.

 As a company who/what are your inspirations?

We have a massive range of influences.  The company works with such a wide range of collaborators – from writers to designers; from puppeteers to computer games designers; from pathologists to neuroscientists – that it’s impossible to pin down a small number of inspirations.  But our work does often get compared stylistically to Robert LePage, Complicite, Katie Mitchell, and I think we’d certainly recognise them as inspirations amongst others – although we’re clearly a much younger company with much smaller budgets! However, like them, we make work that draws on the contemporary language of film and digital technology and combines it with ancient theatrical traditions – such as Banraku puppetry and object manipulation – to create a visceral and evocative performance style that will best support the stories we’re trying to tell.

 And finally, what can Jacksons Lane’s audiences expect from Beachy Head?

Jacksons Lane’s audience can expect, at the very least, a thought-provoking and interesting evening of theatre by one of the country’s most celebrated emerging companies.  It’s not necessarily an easy show, and it’s definitely not a rip-roaring comedy.  But it tells a fascinating story, combined with a confident and filmic staging style, which will hopefully get you thinking. The show got a very strong response on its 2009 premiere in Edinburgh, with sell-out audiences often having a personal reaction to the piece.  We’re excited to have returned to the show after a short break, to have reworked it a little with a brand new cast, and to now be able to share it with audiences all over the country.

Beachy Head show at Jacksons Lane Wed 9 – Sat 12 Feb, 8pm

www.jacksonslane.org.uk

020 8341 4421

3 Feb 2011 at Jacksons Lane

What is the inspiration behind Yalla Yalla?

We are generally inspired by old silent comedy films and like the style, energy and physicality of them. Sound and rhythm were another big inspiration for Yalla Yalla and we spent time just listening to different types of music, drawing ideas and exploring the possibilities. From the moment we went into the studio and started improvising and physically developing the show everything inspired us; a chat that we over heard on lunch break, the look of a car, a visit to a fabric shop. It was a very open process – we used associative writing and allowed ourselves to be free to check any ideas we had, even if they seemed a bit off the wall or wacky…

How would you describe Yalla Yalla in 3 words?

 Comedy. Circus. Music.

Tell us a bit about the development process you’ve been going through here at Jacksons Lane?

 We came to Jacksons Lane with quite a bit of raw material which we needed to process. Whilst we’ve been here we’ve been putting the jigsaw together; playing with different running orders, tightening everything up, developing the existing material and basically creating the frame of the show. We also spent a good deal of time working with Vid Warren, our musician, on the live music and exploring our ideas behind bringing him into the show as a character as well as a musician.

How have you found working with live music and has this changed the way you work?

Working with a live musician is a luxury! Vid composed an original soundtrack for Yalla Yalla which includes drums, piano and beatboxing and performs it all live on stage. Having live music is a great pleasure – it allows us greater flexibility and creates endless possibilities both in rehearsals and on stage. We feel we have much more room for play and improvisation and the fact it is played live gives us this fresh and exciting energy every time we run a scene.

How did you come to form PanGottic?

PanGottic was formed after we both graduated from Circomedia- school for physical theatre and contemporary circus -and were awarded the “Fresh Faces” award from the National Theatre to create our first show Full Twist. After developing a 10 minute version of Full Twist for Fresh Faces we saw the potential for the show and for creating work together. We then received a R&D Grant from Arts Council England and developed Full Twist into our debut full length show and that’s what started the ball rolling…

As performers what are your specialities?

From a circus point of view we specialise in ground based skills, mainly juggling and object manipulation, but we both came from a performing background and our real interest lies in combining those skills with physical theatre and comedy. Vid is quite the all rounder when it comes to music but specialises in composition, beatboxing and instrumental beatboxing.

These performances at Jacksons Lane are a work in progress showing, what do you hope to take away from this?

These work in progress showings will be the first time we’ve performed Yalla Yalla to a live audience. We hope to get a good idea of what works well and which bits need more tweaking at this stage of development. We’re excited to see, hear and feel the reactions we get from the audience. We have quite a few points where the audience play an active role in the show so it will be interesting to see what happens… We hope to gain some valuable feedback from these performances to help us see where the show stands and how and where it needs to develop next.

As performers who are your biggest inspirations and why?

 We go to see a lot of performances so have been inspired by many companies and shows, from more established companies like Company FZ to emerging companies such as Ieto which we saw at last year’s Mime Festival and loved. Although the work we create is Circus-Theatre we also find inspiration in other types of work. We recently saw a one man story telling show which was brilliant and even though it was fully text-based and very different to our work, as we don’t use any text, we still found it very inspiring. Generally when seeing work which is different in style to ours it opens our minds to new ideas and concepts, which is always refreshing.

If you were on a desert island and could only take one book, album and luxury item what would they be?

Album: We’ll take Vid.

Book:  Some adventure thriller for Matt – Keeps him quiet.

Luxury Item: Revi’s Hand cream – keeps her quiet and smells good.

What is the best thing about being a circus performer?

 There’s always something new to learn and some ridiculous challenge to beat so it never gets boring…!

And finally what do you love about Jacksons Lane?

 Jacksons Lane has a great vibe going on and is always busy but very welcoming. We love the people, the space, the active environment and the relaxed atmosphere – we feel very at home here.

PanGottic presents Yalla Yalla at Jacksons Lane Fri 4 & Sat 5 Feb, 8pm

We started the company because we were motivated by a common goal, to create our own means of expression in the circus genre. We like circus with a meaning and with a communicative purpose.

We began the creation of H in October 2010 the first stage consisted of creating a strong dramaturgy and developing the themes that we were interested in exploring. This gave us some of the main features of the show such as the setting and the objects we could use. However having such a fixed storyline didn’t help with the free creation of material, so we needed to take a step back and allow ourselves to play with what we had, discovering new possibilities.

We are now in the second week of creation at Jacksons Lane, during which we have been working with movement director, Sergio Mendes. It has been a very demanding week both physically and mentally, things are in continuous transformation, and we have focused more on the quality of movement, especially during the ensemble scenes. This week we also started working with costume designer, Nerea Villares and today, Friday 13, with a week to go, we are working with Duncan Strang, the lighting technician on the lighting states for the show…so gradually the show is taking shape and personality.

This coming week the company is going to work with John Nicholson, member of Peepolykus, on the comic parts of the show and the finishing touches. At this stage we will also focus on the emotional journey of the show.

Until now it has been a continuous learning process, even if the show is still a work in process we feel anxious and willing to present it to an audience.

H is showing at Jacksons Lane

Fri 21 & Sat 22 Jan 8pm For more information and to book visit www.jacksonslane.org.uk 020 8341 4421