Jan 2018 | A TRIPLE-BILL OF ITS TIME
We’re delighted to announce this spring, we will tour the UK with 10, our new production, celebrating our 10th anniversary year.
Both retrospective and up-to-the-minute, 10 features Rites, the male duet that launched Company Chameleon onto the dance scene a decade ago, alongside two new works by the Company’s Co-founders: Imprint by Kevin Edward Turner and Trip by Anthony Missen.
Co-Artistic Director, Kevin Edward Turner, said, “10 is an opportunity for us to say this is where we came from, and this is where we are now. The production will give audiences the opportunity to see the best of past and current work by the company, and explore the collective and individual choreographic voices of myself and Anthony, developed and presented within Chameleon’s visceral and physical signature style.”
Co-Artistic Director, Anthony Missen adds, “Rites is the first work we made as Company Chameleon and we’re immensely proud of the piece as the creation put us on the map. As a work, it was fresh, new and powerful, and showed how dance theatre can express and engage audiences in a complex subject matter.”
Taking the audience on the journey from boyhood to manhood, Rites explores masculinity and questions what it means to be a man. A powerful and fast-moving piece, with an array of intense and sensitive moments, Rites showcases Chameleon’s talent for making socially relevant dance theatre, which emotionally connects with audiences.
Anthony Missen said, “Even though we made Rites 10 years ago, we could have made it yesterday. The themes in the piece are as relevant today as they were then, as we continue to grapple with the challenges and pressures of masculine identity in 21st century life.”
Imprint, the second piece in the triple-bill, is a new trio choreographed by Kevin Edward Turner. Physically exquisite, emotionally raw and authentic, the piece explores both the light and dark aspects of love, and how significant relationships change and shape our understanding of love in the future.
Kevin Edward Turner explains, “Imprint explores the dynamics of love and romance, and the imprint that relationships leave on us. Everyone has loved and everyone has been shaped by love, and for that reason, this is a work I’m hoping everyone will relate to and understand.”
Completing the triple-bill is Anthony Missen’s new solo, Trip, which examines the dark arena of self-deception, exploring the line between true and false identity.
Anthony Missen explains, “Our capacity for self-deception has grown with us, with both positive and negative impacts. Trip is a very theatrical work – at times silly, at others sad and revealing. It’s a very human story, told as a jigsaw of snapshots rather than a linear narrative.”
Featuring a melting pot of dance styles and rich mix of movement techniques, 10 is a production that will visually impress, as Chameleon’s athletic yet sensitive choreography showcases how modern-day subjects can be explored, stories can be told and new perspectives created through cleverly crafted dance and movement.
Andrew Hurst, Chair of Company Chameleon and Chief Executive of One Dance UK, said: “I am immensely proud of what Anthony and Kevin have achieved over the first ten years of Company Chameleon. Their choreographic style and repertoire has a real connection with audiences and has inspired a whole new generation of dancers. Through tackling issues in innovative ways, they make work that speaks to people and moves them. I’m very much looking forward to seeing ’10′ on its premiere UK tour, and to seeing how the production propels the company into the next ten years.”
SPRING UK TOUR 2018
World Premiere
Thurs 1 & Fri 2 Mar, 8pm
The Lowry, Salford Quays
Tickets £16.50, 13.50
Box Office: 0843 208 6010 | thelowry.com/dance
Sat 3 Mar, 7:30pm
Pegasus Theatre, Dancin’ Oxford Festival
Tickets £13, £9 (£1 discount with Festival pass)
Box Office: 01865 812150 | pegasustheatre.org.uk
Thurs 15 Mar, 8pm
The Arts Centre, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk
Tickets £10, £8
Box office: 01695 584480 | edgehill.ac.uk/artscentre/
Tues 1 May, 8pm
The Place, London
Tickets £17, £13
Box office: 0207 121 1100 | theplace.org.uk
Thurs 3 May, 7:30pm
Dance City, Newcastle
Tickets £16.50, £13.50, £8
Box Office 0191 261 0505 | dancecity.co.uk
As part of the UK Tour, along with the performance of the production, Company Chameleon will be delivering workshops in local schools, colleges and young people’s groups. Highly physical with a strong focus on self-expression and creativity, the workshops are an opportunity for young people to further explore the themes in 10 and enjoy a dance workshop that is accessible to anyone and above all fun.
Contact Sam Broadbent, Learning & Participation Officer at Company Chameleon, for more information at sam@companychameleon.com.
10 is supported by Arts Council England, Manchester City Council and Dance East.
