Josie d’Arby visits the Theatre Royal Plymouth’s production and learning centre TR2 to shine a spotlight on the UK dance scene with a focus on what’s on offer in the South West.
Dance Passion is a celebration of dance in all its forms and features performances from established dance companies, as well as grass roots and youth dance groups. There are also specially commissioned new films that push the boundaries of how dance is captured.
In this programme:
- James Wilton Dance perform a sequence from The Four Seasons, a piece set to Max Richter’s contemporary reworking of the Vivaldi classic;
- BBC Young Dancer 2019 winner Max Revell joins forces with Toby G, founder of Plymouth based community dance studio Street Factory;
- English National Ballet perform an extract from their brand-new adaptation of Raymonda, which marks the debut, as director and
choreographer, of the company’s artistic director Tamara Rojo;
- Fuzzylogic, a youth dance company based in Southampton primarily working with young men and boys, perform part of their piece Judged.
- Tap Attack are the UK’s foremost tap dance company; based in Swindon, they have made their name pushing the boundaries of tap. For Dance Passion they have “tapped” into the world of fairy tale for their own stomping version of Red Riding Hood.
- And filmed at Sadler’s Well in London, Rambert2 perform an extract from their latest show Home by American choreographer Micaela Taylor.
- There are two new short films: Heart Land from Richard Chappell Dance looks at how different generations can come together through dance to promote ways of respecting our outdoor environments to tackle ecological damage and climate change; and Neon Romance by Laura Kriefman, filmed at night on a track in Plymouth with dancers, cars and DJs. It’s a love story about engineering, imagination, hybrids and rebels.
- Also featured are interviews with The Theatre Royal’s chief executive Adrian Vinken, who is stepping down after 31 years in charge, and Cornwall-based Adam Benjamin on his latest project Dance Forest.
Dance Passion is a collaboration between BBC Arts and One Dance UK, and is supported by Arts Council England. Show less