After enduring 16 months of lockdown DanceEast is emerging blinking summer sunlight with two new shows lined up for this autumn.
DanceEast will showcase an exciting collection of innovative artists and their companies, who have all performed at the Jerwood DanceHouse before – some returning with crowd favourites, others with exciting new works.
The doors will open in September with Botis Seva’s BLKDOG, performed by his powerhouse company Far From the Norm. The company visited the Jerwood DanceHouse and performed BLKDOG to DanceEast’s last sold-out audience, just before the doors closed in Spring 2020.
Artistic director Brendan Keaney said: “It feels particularly fitting that it should be the curtain raiser for a new season.“
BLKDOG is Botis Seva’s haunting commentary on surviving adulthood as a childlike artist. A blend of hip hop dance and free form antics, the performance explores the inner battlefield of an ageing artist trying to retain his youth.
DanceEast will be finishing the year on a high with Pinocchio, a returning family classic, directed and choreographed by Jasmin Vardimon. Based on the original book by Collodi and performed by Jasmin Vardimon’s multi-talented dancers, Pinocchio will bring to life the famous marionette as he embarks on a fantastic journey to become a human boy.
This performance will combine physical theatre, quirky characterisation, innovative technologies, text, and dance to examine the idea of what it means to be human. Pinocchio, first delighted festive audiences in December 2016.
Brendan Keaney said ‘I am so delighted to be able to welcome people back to the Jerwood DanceHouse this autumn, and once again fill the building with the live audiences that have been so keenly missed over the past year.
“It feels only right that when we are finally able to come together again and enjoy shared experiences, it should be for something pretty special. I think this reopening season is just that – with so many incredible artists and shows, and something for all ages and interests. Watch this space for more details of the other treats in store.”
Tickets will be on sale soon.
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