Resolution 2020 runs from Thursday 9 January to Saturday 22 February and features over 81 artists whose work will be showcased in mixed bill programmes across six weeks at The Place theatre to an audience of almost 300, including industry critics.
To see the full programme and book tickets, visit The Place website.
Illustration by Marleigh Culver, credit The Place.
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9 Jan – Shivaangee Agrawal | North
10 Jan – Monika Blaszczak | How To Mimesis (Featuring Zinzi Marsh, Chloe D’Arcy, Serena Ru, Paddy Randall, Rebecca Piersanti and Darren Payne)
14 Jan – Jacob Elliott Roberts | Green Mother
Luke Birch | Likeness
17 Jan – Bakani Pick-Up Company | Strange Clouds (Featuring Darren Payne)
21 Jan – Follow Through Collective | 1 Click Away (Choreographer Greta Gauhe)
Dylan Poirot Canton | Father’s flower
22 Jan – Matthew Harding | FADE TO BLACK
23 Jan – Petronella Wiehahn | Body Space Body Time
24 Jan – Julia Costa | La Renaissance de la Femme
Sliding Doors | Penthouse Hickies (Choreographers Clara Cowen and Rachel Laird)
28 Jan – Company Concentric | Remainder (Choreographers Shivaangee Agrawal and Yanaëlle Thiran)
1 Feb – Gerrard Martin Dance | TBC: To Be Connected… (Featuring Vanessa Abreu)
15 Feb – The Grey Area | Neon Exodus (Choreographers Jessica Walker and Marcus Alessandrini)
18 Feb – Diamanto Hadjizacharia | JUNGLE
19 Feb – Mass Hysteria | Yoga in the Park (Featuring Rebecca Piersanti, Julia Kayser, Hannah Aebi, Jennie boultbee, Marlen Pflueger, Willa Faulkner, Katie Serridge and Monika Blaszczak)
21 Feb – Vasiliki Papapostolou | Free Is The Possessed
Trinity Laban is thrilled to announce that two Trinity Laban staff members have received New Year Honours. Former Director of Dance Mirella Bartrip has been awarded an OBE for services to dance/education, and Composition professor Errollyn Wallen has been upgraded to a CBE for services to music.
Mirella Bartrip retired from Trinity Laban in 2019 after a 36-year career at the Conservatoire. During this time, she established a reputation for shifting expectations of dance training and embracing new ways of understanding the intersection of art and science in dance.
Beginning her career as an hourly paid lecturer, she then held several posts rising in seniority to become Director of Dance in 2010. It is due to Mirella’s leadership that Trinity Laban’s undergraduate programme enjoys an international reputation for excellence, and equally that the conservatoire has done ground-breaking work at postgraduate level, including to advance the field of Dance Science.
Mirella was instrumental in the 2005 merger between Laban and Trinity College of Music, and in the conception of Laban’s Stirling Prize-winning building Deptford. She also formed part of the leadership team that saw Trinity Laban gain its own Taught Degree Awarding Powers and successfully enter the Research Excellence Framework for the first time.
Mirella Bartrip OBE says: “I am honoured to be acknowledged for my contribution to dance education and training, and I would like to take this opportunity to recognise those with whom I have worked over a period of nearly fifty years.
For me, this award celebrates dance and those connected with it in a myriad of ways: those who have taught, performed, choreographed, produced; those who have championed and promoted dance; those who have developed dance research to ensure the continuing advancement of our art form. I thank you all for supporting me as friends and professionals throughout my life in dance, and without whom my achievements would have been slight.
Above all, I see this award as an endorsement of our continuing collective endeavour to ensure that education and training for our dance artists and practitioners of the future, remains vital and current; a distillation of creative artistic and scientific dialogues, of intellects and minds engaging with the infinite possibilities for expression and communication by the physical human body.
I look forward to continuing to contribute to these dialogues and to the art form that is Dance.”
Composer and integral member of Trinity Laban’s Composition deparmtent Errollyn Wallen sees her MBE upgraded to a CBE for services to music. Errollyn is an eminent contemporary composer, who works across genres, and was the first black woman composer to have work presented at The Proms. The motto of Errollyn’s Ensemble X, ‘we don’t break down barriers in music… we don’t see any’, reflects her genuine, free-spirited approach and eclectic musicianship. She has been commissioned by outstanding music institutions from the BBC to the Royal Opera House, and performed her songs internationally. Errollyn has also created work for Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, the Brodsky Quartet the Dunedin Consort, Almeida Opera, Welsh National Opera, Royal Ballet, Leipzig Ballet and The Schubert Ensemble.
Errollyn Wallen CBE says: “When I was nine years old I was walking with my Uncle Arthur from Tottenham on our way to Ridley Road Market. I told Uncle Arthur that I could hear all these strange sounds in my head but I didn’t know what to do with them. He replied that I might be a composer. I would have loved for Arthur Horatio Douglas Wallen to accompany me to Buckingham Palace to see that those strange sounds have shaped my life and have led to me receiving this honour. A huge thank you for everyone who believed in me like my uncle.”
In addition, alum David Toole, an original member of Candoco Dance Company and dancer with Stopgap Dance Company, receives an OBE for services to dance and people with disabilities. Alum Dr Roy Wales receives a BEM for services to Choral Music.
Episode 2 of our new podcast series Trinity Laban Crosscurrent
Trinity Laban Crosscurrent is a music and dance podcast brought to you by London’s creative conservatoire, unearthing interesting and divergent stories in the performing arts through conversations with students, staff, alumni and friends.
In the second episode of this six-part Trinity Laban Crosscurrent series, host Will Howarth is in conversation with women in the arts, talking to members of the Trinity Laban community about the Conservatoire’s Venus Blazing initiative and what it means to be female creators in 2019.
Born in Tampere, Finland, and raised in Santiago, Chile, dance maker and recent graduate Wilhelmina Ojanen talks about her choreography, developing her artistic voice as a Young Associate Artist at Sadler’s Wells, and what the dance landscape is like as a woman, joined by freelance dance artist and fellow Trinity Laban alum Miia Mäkilä. Miia collaborates with Wilhelmina and is also a company dancer for The Natashas Project.
Caroline Wigmore (American/British composer, book-writer) and lyricist and Jen Green (London-based composer and orchestrator) have been writing musicals together since meeting at Goldsmiths University, where they were both awarded MAs in writing for musical theatre in 2011. Their shows include Errol’s Garden (Golden Toad Theatre 2020)The Gingerbread Man (Singapore Repertory Theatre 2019), Michael Morpurgo’s Mimi and the Mountain Dragon (ongoing national tour 2016-current, Skewbald Theatre), Children of the New Forest (YMT 2017), The Legend of White Bear Lake(YMT UK 2016), The Bachelor Girls (YMT UK 2015, Weston College 2016), and Van Winkle – a Folk Musical (S&S Award finalist 2014).
They recently workshopped their show ‘The Bachelor Girls’ with volunteers from Trinity Laban Musical Theatre.
Pianist and Fulbright Scholar Garrett Snedeker performs Clara Schumann’s Pièces Fugitives (4), for piano, Op. 15.
Stream or download the full episode now on Spotify or listen via our Soundcloud
Trinity Laban Crosscurrent is produced by Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the podcast contributors and do not necessarily represent those of the institution as a whole.
Luca Silvestrini is the artistic director of Luca Silvestrini’s Protein. This year, Protein celebrates 21 years. We caught up with Luca to talk to him about his time at Trinity Laban, what influenced him to start dancing and where he and Protein are going next.
Born in Italy, Luca moved to London in 1995 and started his full-time dance training at the Laban Centre on the one-year Professional Diploma in Dance Studies aged 28. He then joined Transitions Dance Company, graduating in 1997.
Image: Jane Hobson
“Being at Laban gave me the opportunity to discover more about what I wanted from dancing and why I’ve liked it since I was a child. The wonderful teachers, the classmates and the international environment, it was a very important two years of my life” says Luca.
While at Trinity Laban, Luca met Bettina Strickler from Switzerland. The two young dance artists noticed their creative similarities and began making work together.
“We were both passionate about making work, accessible work. We didn’t take ourselves too seriously and we liked looking at the everyday and how to connect to an audience. That was the beginning of Protein.”
Their first duet, created as part of Resolution at The Place, premiered in 1998. From there they continued to make work together for many years. In 2005, Bettina Strickler left Protein and Luca continued to direct the company alone. It was at that point that he decided to take a step back from performing to focus on choreographing and nurturing the artistic vision of the company.
Who and what inspired you to pursue a career in dance?
I always loved dancing. As a child, I used to copy dancers on television and in the 70’s you can imagine the type of outfit and dancing! But I didn’t have the chance to actually walk into a dance studio and wear my first leotard and leg warmers until I was 15.
It took me a lot of time to be persuaded, dance wasn’t really for boys in my days. I come from a small place in Italy and although I had the desire to dance, I didn’t have the courage to or even know where to go. That changed when, aged 15, I met someone a bit older than me who said “so when are we going to dance together?”. That validated this passion of mine, which then became the focus of my life and since then I never stopped. I encountered theatre and other forms of dance and expression during my university years in Bologna, where I graduated with a 1st in performing arts. I expanded and grew a lot in those years and started to become a performer and a maker.
There are several people that inspired me to develop this passion and turn it into a profession. I would say one of the most influential was Pina Bausch. I remember watching her pieces on VHS tapes; I was quite young, probably in my early 20s and I was absolutely fascinated. I had discovered something totally new which was a fusion of dance, theatre and poetry. That was certainly one of the most influential inspiration’s which prompted me to pursue this career and make work.
What were your highlights of studying at Trinity Laban and how has your training prepared you for your career?
I think the main legacy of studying at Trinity Laban is discovering that dance is such a universal practice, it’s for everyone and it brings people and communities together. Dance has the power of making you find yourself, your real self, and it is a powerful tool for engaging people, whether audiences or participants. For me this was the main lesson I learnt from studying with people like Marion Gough and Rosemary Brandt and other incredible teachers that I had at Laban.
This legacy is what is at the core of Protein, the idea that there are many types of dancers and that dance means a lot of different things to different people. It’s not just a technique but a form of empowerment. You can build bridges, break through challenges and bring a smile to people’s faces, giving them a sense of joy and of being alive.
Big Sale (2005). Image by Benedict Johnson.
Tell us about your company, Luca Silvestrini’s Protein.
Protein is a dance theatre company, the core ideas and objectives of the company remain true to what they were at the very start, 21 years ago. We are passionate about reaching out, creating work and opportunities to dance for everyone. We tour a lot, both nationally and internationally, but also spend a lot of time inviting people to help us create work. We do action-research workshops each time we create a new work to learn from people’s reactions to different subjects. We create performance opportunities in different contexts, outdoors and in theatres. The first time we involved a community cast in a performance was in 2000 and we have continued working closely with communities since.
We are very much led by the idea that participation is at the core of what we do. Whether you are a member of the audience, a participant in a workshop, or in a community-based performance, we value your presence and your contribution to what we do.
In the last few weeks I have been opening boxes because we are celebrating our 21st anniversary. I am digging out leaflets, brochures, programmes and photographs. The recent stuff is more digital but I have a huge archive of prints and video tapes. I am discovering forgotten pieces and remembering the people that I have shared this journey with.
May Contain Food (2016). Image by Chris Nash.
We also have another strand of work called ‘Real Life Real Dance’, a performance led programme for different types of people from different walks of life. We work with young people excluded from mainstream school, refugees and migrants and have done projects with children in hospitals as well as performed to elderly people in care homes. We have many different kinds of works in our rep, and at the moment I am putting them into an archive to celebrate and share them with the people in the industry who might not know our history, especially young dancers.
I find it fascinating, it makes me feel nostalgic and incredibly proud. I can see that 2020 will be about reflecting and seeing where we go next.
How are you celebrating 21 years of Protein?
We have decided to celebrate our 21st anniversary by creating a multi-layered project called Protein 21. This project has three parts; Remix, Reflect and Reimagine. The first is Remix, a three-minute film showcasing Protein’s extensive and diverse body of work made over the last 21 years. At the moment, I am going through tapes and films of everything we have done since the beginning and selecting elements to be edited together by a film maker.
Reflect is a series of interviews with the people we have met over the last 21 years. Performers, creatives, collaborators, members of the public, promoters, funders, all the people who have made this amazing journey possible. We have asked them to contribute by sending us a video talking about their experience with Protein.
Reimagine is the meatier bit of the project. It is a nationwide engagement project where participants of all ages will create new dance works in response to Protein’s shows. Our artists will work with elder performance groups, young people from National Centres for Advanced Training, pre-vocational dance students and community groups. Films of all the Reimagine performances will be broadcast on our website throughout the year.
Border Tales (2019). Image by Jane Hobson.
Do you have any advice for aspiring young choreographers?
My advice is very simple, just follow your heart, do the things you want to do and be your own person. Nothing is impossible if you have the desire or vision. All you need is a space and some key people to share the journey with you.
I would say to young dancers that if you are passionate about making work, then just make the work and show it to people.
Let people in, talk and find support but don’t worry about necessarily forming a company right from the start. It will come but I think to begin with it’s not essential. You don’t need that kind of pressure at the start as it can become complicated and it’s a great responsibility.
I can see young makers being much savvier than I was, more ready and ambitious, they really know how to do it. I think times are changing and technology helps make everything easier, better and faster.
I think it’s about maintaining that inner fire and desire to do what interests you and not what interests others. Follow your quest rather than trying to please the system or the industry. That’s the key to start building a voice, your own voice. Of course, you have to listen, and I think listening is very important and that’s the other bit of advice I would like to give, listen to those who have more experience than you, but ultimately process that for yourself and for your own needs.
Dear Body (2008). Image by Johan Persson.
What’s next?
Currently we are touring a new piece of work, which is a family show based on the famous story of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. For me this has quite a special meaning as it is the first time I am creating a work based on an existing story. I usually devise my own work, so this is quite a new departure for me. The Little Prince will be touring for many years to come and I am excited to bring new audiences to our work, especially families for this particular show.
We are also approaching a very important moment for our company. We have been based in Woolwich in the Royal Borough of Greenwich for the last couple of years, having previously been based at Greenwich Dance, and next year we are making a big move to Woolwich Works, which is the new cultural district at Woolwich Arsenal Riverside.
So, there are lots of important things coming up or currently happening. Celebrating 21 years of Protein is a good way of creating a sense of a landmark, taking stock of the past and questioning how we see the future. I have much to bring with me from these last 21 years, lots of things I’ve learnt, people I’ve met and discoveries I have made which will be carried into the next phase. It’s great to be here at Trinity Laban, talking about it, especially since this is where it all began. It wouldn’t have been like this if it hadn’t been for those two years here, so I am very grateful and proud of that intense and important time, and now I am very excited and looking forward to the future.
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You can see The Little Prince at The Place from 17 – 24 December. Book Now.
Find out more about studying Dance at Trinity Laban.
Arts Leaders Sarah Alexander and Sharon Watson Inspire Trinity Laban Graduates
Trinity Laban’s class of 2019 graduated in the company of inspirational female arts leaders Sarah Alexander OBE and Sharon Watson last week in the superlative surroundings of the Old Royal Naval College Chapel, Greenwich.
Speaking at the postgraduate music and dance and the undergraduate music ceremonies, Chief Executive & Artistic Director of the National Youth Orchestra Sarah Alexander OBE urged graduates to “be the artists that only you can be…real excellence is only found through the quality of your relationships and through authenticity”.
Sarah has led the National Youth Orchestra from working with 164 to 10,000+ young people annually, working tirelessly to engage teenagers with live music performance.
The guest speaker for undergraduate dance and musical theatre was Artistic Director of Phoenix Dance Theatre Sharon Watson, who said “failures are part of success, part of our growth” and encouraged graduates to remember the lessons of their training: “don’t forget your past, it will inform your future.”
Sharon has led Phoenix Dance Theatre for 10 years, and is considered one of the foremost dance leaders worldwide. Phoenix Dance Theatre is one of the few contemporary dance companies to employ a permanent company, and it’s aim is to shine a light on cultural narratives which are often overlooked or untold.
Two honorary fellowships were also awarded. Dave Dowland, Registrar and Chief Operating Officer at Asian University for Women, received the accolade for his outstanding service as Trinity Laban’s Registrar (May 2009 – September 2016) and for leading the successful application to Her Majesty’s Privy Council for the Conservatoire to award its own taught degrees.
On receiving the award, Dr Dowland commented –
“I didn’t expect to receive this award. I had a great experience serving as Registrar at Trinity Laban and I appreciate being a part of the network. Trinity Laban is friendly and open, interested in innovation, international, committed to diversity, and encouraging talent, especially in those who might not have the opportunity, to pursue higher education.”
Jamie Watton, Trinity Laban alum and former CEO/Artistic Director of South East Dance, received a posthumous Honorary Award. The inspirational leader and passionate advocate for dance passed away following a short illness in July 2018.
In his role at South East Dance, Jamie invested in choreographers and dance artists to present surprising and inspiring dance performances and leading projects that make a difference in local communities. He was keen to enable artists to create the best possible work and equally committed to giving people of all ages and backgrounds the opportunity to experience the health and wellbeing benefits of dance.
The citation, read by Director of Dance Sara Matthews, included the following tribute –
“Jamie exemplified the tenacity and resilience of a Trinity Laban alumnus and was a fantastic role model and inspiration for all aspiring artists and practitioners in the TL community.”
Each year, Trinity Laban recognises accomplished professionals in the fields of the performing arts and education by awarding them the status of Honorary Fellow of Trinity Laban. Distinguished recipients include Steve Reich, Gary Crosby OBE, Gillian Moore CBE, Jude Kelly CBE, Sir Richard Alston, Chi-chi Nwanoku OBE, and Lin Hwai-min.
On Thursday 12 December, Trinity Laban and Thomas Tallis School signed a formal 3-year strategic partnership, boosting dance and music education for pupils in the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
The partnership ensures Trinity Laban and Thomas Tallis School have the opportunity to develop together a rich and relevant performing arts education offer for their young people, as well as high-quality professional development for staff and students across both institutions.
Building on a rich history of excellence in learning and participation projects in both music and dance, Trinity Laban will provide enhanced dance and music education within the school, particularly at KS5, supporting students from all backgrounds to progress and prepare for transition into higher education.
Activities will complement the curriculum at Thomas Tallis designed to raise achievement of students and extend their opportunities, and be underpinned by practice-based research.
Trinity Laban’s Head of Learning and Participation Veronica Jobbins MBE comments: “This partnership is an exciting opportunity to intensify and focus the continued development of Trinity Laban’s highly regarded work to widen participation in our art forms, and to better understand the challenges faced by secondary schools. We are looking forward to beginning meaningful work with Thomas Tallis to further embed the arts within their school.”
Headteacher of Thomas Tallis School Carolyn Roberts says: “This partnership with Trinity Laban will ensure that the arts – about which we are passionate – are embedded in the lives of our pupils, developing their knowledge and skills and readying them for the future. In return, we will be able to connect Trinity Laban to the realities and priorities of secondary school, and give their staff hands-on opportunities to exchange best practice.”
Trinity Laban has been cited as a primary example of the impact of London HEIs on the capital, alongside other leading universities.
London Higher’s London Impact Catalogue details a vast array of ways in which London’s HEIs are contributing to its infrastructure, economy and community.
Trinity Laban’s case study details the Inspired Not Tired programme, in which we work with older adults, providing opportunities for creative activity in the borough of Lewisham.
Jane Glanville, Chief Executive Officer at London Higher, said:
“We are extremely proud of the work being carried out by all of our member institutions across London and we want to ensure that their outstanding contributions are receiving the recognition they deserve. Our London Impact Catalogue is an illustration of these contributions and it only scratches the surface of what is done in and for London each year.”
December has begun well for Trinity Laban with award scoops for staff and alumni at the Ivors Composer Awards, demonstrating the scope and depth of talent and experience within the Composition department.
The Ivors Composer Awards, formerly known as the British Composer Awards, were created to bring contemporary music, jazz and sonic art to a wider audience through a peer-recognition awards event. The 2019 Awards were given out at a glitzy ceremony at the British Museum.
Alum and Composition department staff member Laura Jurd (pictured) was awarded the Ivor for Jazz Composition for Large Ensemble for Jumping In, written for trumpet, trombone, euphonium, string quartet, banjo, santoor, piano, synth, double bass and two drum kits. The piece was commissioned by Sage Gateshead, Kings Place. Fellow Composition staff member Mark Lockheart was nominated in the same category for his piece This Much I Know Is True, written for Jazz quintet plus brass, woodwind and strings.
Composition alum Dai Fujikura won the award for Chamber Ensemble, for his Flute Concerto, written for flute, oboe, two clarinets, bassoon, horn, trumpet, percussion, two violins, viola, cello & double bass. The piece was co-commissioned by Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra and The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
The recipients of the 2019 Parliamentary Jazz Awards were announced last night. The Awards, organised by the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group (APPJAG), were presented at the PizzaExpress Live (the Awards’ sponsors) in Holborn.
Current Trinity Laban Jazz Department student and saxphonist Xhosa Cole won Jazz Newcomer of the Year.
The Ezra Collective, made up in part by alumni Femi Koleoso, Joe Armon Jones and Dylan Jones,won Jazz Ensemble of the Year.
Honorary Fellow Dame Cleo Laine won the Services to Jazz Award.
Lecturer in Dance Khyle Eccles named the Inspirational Lecturer at College, University or Conservatoire Award, and pioneering Professor Emma Redding decorated for excellence in Dance Science.
For the second year running, a member of our teaching staff has received the professional accolade of One Dance UK Inspirational Lecturer at College, University or Conservatoire Award, with Khyle Eccles recognised this year, and Senior Lecturer in Choreological Studies Rosemary Brandt receiving the award in 2018.
Additional successes were Head of Dance Science Professor Emma Redding (Winner of the Dance Science Award), alum Jody Morgan (Winner of the Dance Healthcare Practitioner Award) and alum Sanjoy Roy (Winner of the Dance Writing Award).
The awards were presented at a gala awards ceremony on Saturday 9 November at the Imperial War Museum North in Salford.
The Inspirational Lecturer Award celebrates dedicated practitioners who motivate students with a passion for learning, inspiring the next generation of performers, choreographers, teachers and practitioners.
Khyle, who lectures on our undergraduate Contemporary Dance programme and our Dance Science programmes, is one of very few dance-specific strength and conditioning specialists in the UK. He works to provide specific performance enhancement training strategies, helping to establish a high athletic capacity to support dancers’ technique and reduce physical limitations.
On winning the award he commented –
“I am thrilled to have received the Inspirational Lecturer Award at the One Dance UK Awards last Saturday. I love the work that I do as a lecturer and a coach at Trinity Laban with students that span across the whole institution, and I am thankful for all those who nominated me – it means a great deal. Thank you.”
The One Dance UK Awards recognise the outstanding contributions of professionals and practitioners who have made an impact on the UK’s vibrant dance landscape over the last 12 months.
Professor Emma Redding commented –
“Dance Science is a collaborative endeavour and a rapidly expanding field that necessitates dialogue between practitioners and researchers, and ideas that cross disciplines. Having spent almost 20 years working with colleagues to develop dance science as a viable field of research and education, it is inspiring to witness how far we have come.
It was such an honour to receive the One Dance UK Award for Dance Science and I would like to thank all the amazing people I have worked with over the years who helped make what was at first a dream into a concrete reality that is here to stay.”
Further faculty members and alumni were nominated this year including Lecturer in Dance and physiotherapist Katy Chambers (Dance Science Award, Dance Healthcare Practitioner Award), balletLORENT, led by alum Liv Lorent (Innovation in Dance Award) and alum Dr Imogen Aujla (Dance Science Award).
Trinity Laban were also proud sponsors of the Innovation in Dance Award 2019, which shines a spotlight on an individual or organisation who has brought a cutting-edge approach to any aspect of dance over the last 12 months.
Trinity Laban Principal Anthony Bowne commented –
“As London’s Creative Conservatoire, Trinity Laban is committed to innovation and to advancing the artform of dance. We are delighted to support the Innovation in Dance Award at the One Dance UK Awards 2019, and congratulate the inspiring winners North East Dance Co-operative who have embodied innovative practice by pushing the boundaries and challenging conventions.
It is also a pleasure to see the world-leading work of Trinity Laban’s own exceptional staff and alumni being celebrated by the wider industry.”
Congratulations to all our winners and nominees.
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Image L-R: Khyle Eccles and Emma Redding with their awards (credit Brian Slater)
Dance artists Liwia Bargieł, Laure Fauser, Antigone Gyra and Panayiotis Tofi will present work at the second Bite Size Pieces sharing
Bite Size Pieces is our performance platform for dance alumni. It offers the opportunity for individuals to showcase new work with professional tech support and receive peer feedback.
The scheme, which launched in March, continues this month with a quartet of alumni sharing pieces in the Laban Building’s Studio Theatre on Saturday 23 November.
The programme features:
Liwia Bargieł’s Body Bank Prologue – a responsive and reflective work featuring text by Paulina Ozga that explores the impact memories have on the body physiologically.
Laure Fauser’s Waiting to Live – the story of an unhappy business woman who physically stand her work anymore and dreams about a different life.
Antigone Gyra’s We Can Do It – a solo which focuses on the inner power of women: how women balance different roles and identities and develop strength and femininity at the same time.
Panayiotis Tofi’s Mourning Beast – a work in progress responding to unexpected loss and the process of mourning.
After each presentation Tony Thatcher (MA Choreographer Programme Leader), Lizzi Kew Ross (Artistic Director of Lizzi Kew Ross & Co and Lecturer in Choreography at Trinity Laban) and Charles Linehan (previously Choreographer in Residence at The Place, now Reader in Choreography at Trinity Laban) will guide a Q&A with each artist.
The evening’s performances will be followed by a free drinks reception, giving both the audience and the artists a chance to socialise and engage in further discussions about the works.
Bite Size Pieces 18.30h | SAT 23 NOV | Studio Theatre, Laban Building, SE8 3DZ Admission Free, RSVP to alumni@trinitylaban.ac.uk
Trinity Laban is London’s Creative Conservatoire: an internationally celebrated centre of excellence, transforming those with potential into resourceful, enterprising and adaptable artistic leaders. To find out more, visit our study pages.
Image L-R: Liwia Bargieł (credit Helena Ganjalyan), Laure Fauser (credit jpp-f@tos), Antigone Gyra and Panayiotis Tofi
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Liwia Bargieł
Liwia Bargieł graduated from Trinity Laban’s BA(hons) Dance Theatre programme in 2010. In a collaboration with Warsaw Polytechnics Architecture Department, she created interactive lighting installation Modular light Cloud and performance Glow. From 2015 she has worked with visual artist Marta Mielcarek, and have together created Opening position-vertical for Poligon Gallery Warsaw and Nullpunkt for Salon Akademii Gallery Warsaw. With Lilianna Krych and Warsaw Chamber Choir Liwia interpreted Cornelius Cardew’s graphic music scores for Warsaw Autumn Contemporary Music Festival. Liwia works as a choreographer with many theatres in Poland, including National Theater Warsaw, and has directed Illuminations and Witzelsucht for National Academy of Dramatic Arts in Warsaw. Her works have been presented internationally across Europe.
Body Bank Prologue is a responsive and reflective work that explores the impact memories have on the body physiologically. The dancer interacts with the audience to illuminate new perspectives on individual bodily experiences.
Laure Fauser
Laure Fauser studied at the Paris Conservatoire, before training at Trinity Laban on the BA(hons) Dance Theatre programme from 2007 to 2010. Returning to France, she founded company Aime et Rôde where she has worked as a choreographer. She is currently completing her Diplôme d’Etat in contemporary dance.
Waiting to Live tells the story of an unhappy business woman. Her body is tired and her mind fed-up working behind a desk. She can’t physically stand her work anymore. She dreams about a different life. Step by step, she will realise she can her change life.
Antigone Gyra
Antigone Gyra graduated from Trinity Laban’s BA(hons) Dance Theatre programme in 1993. In 1995 she received the second award for young choreographers of Rallou Manou competition with The stories, you grew up with, grew up. Her works have been performed in Greece and abroad, and she has represented her country and numerous festivals. In 1996 she created dance theatre group Kinitiras Dance Spectacle (Chorotheama), an internationally recognised artistic network connecting professionals and amateurs through the performing arts. She has also facilitated workshops and given lectures on dance and theatre subjects. From 2010 until 2012 she was the artistic director of the European Network SPIDER ARTISTIC NET representing Greece. From December 2019 to February 2020 Antigone will be collaborating with Lo Studio Guru in Switzerland.
Premiered at Pocket Dance Festival in Thessaloniki, Greece in September 2019 the solo We Can Do It focuses on the inner power of women: how women balance different roles and identities and develop strength and femininity at the same time. The movement explores soft qualities in relation to balance and sharp movement.
Panayiotis Tofi
Panayiotis Tofi graduated from Trinity Laban with a Bachelor of Contemporary Dance in 2014. Since graduating he has been working as a movement director and choreographer in theatre, collaborating with directors including Heinz-Uwe Haus, Melita Kouta and Harry Kafkarides, and has presented works in Cyprus, Greece and Sweden, including Through me, THEM (2019). He teaches Release-Floor Work and Contact Improvisation to professionals, adults and dance students. As a dancer he has collaborated with various choreographers including Charles Linehan, Vania Gala, and Mahi Demetriadou Lindahl. He has presented seminar ‘This is not my body’ based on his choreographic research at Cyprus Theatre Organization Warehouse Theatre in Nicosia. In 2018 he was named Creator of the Year by the Cyprus Theatre Organization.
Work in progress Mourning Beast responds to unexpected loss and the process of mourning. Through the work, a male body becomes abstracted in a contradictory process of resistance and surrender.
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Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
