DANCING shapes our lives.
Whether it be clubbing with your mates; swishing around the floor for the first dance at your wedding or attempting to replicate those ‘Strictly moves’ while watching the BBC’s must-see ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ - throwing shapes is bound to bring back memories.
Relationships, people and places are just some of the topics interviewees touched on when asked about their own memories of dance.
And their input is included on a website - and also showcased before and after the performance of ‘Wallflower’ when it comes to a venue near you.
It is through the arts organisation, Creative Scene, that the award-winning theatre and performance company, Quarantine, are bringing ‘Wallflower’ a show encapsulating ‘a lifetime of music, fashion, politics, friendship, parties, love and loss,’ to Cleckheaton Town Hall on Saturday March 9.
Nancy Barrett, director of Creative Scene, which brings art and culture to north Kirklees, said: “Manchester-based Quarantine remains a unique voice in British theatre and are internationally acclaimed for their experiments with everyday life.
“It’s fantastic to be able to bring something a little bit out of the ordinary to the beautiful environment of Cleckheaton Town Hall.
“Expect music and dancing, a DJ and a disco ball … memories of dancing alone all night at a party, of dizzily spinning children; of weeping and dancing…Wallflower is a show about how dancing shapes our lives and promises to be a great night out for anyone who has ever danced- anywhere and anyhow.”
Developed four years ago in Wales, Yorkshire and Manchester, ‘Wallflower’ focuses on the performers who are trying to remember every dance they’ve ever danced.
Richard Gregory, director of Wallflower and artistic director for Quarantine who created the show, explains the first version of the show was performed in the Netherlands. It has since toured to Sweden, Canada, Ireland and throughout the UK - more recently in Gateshead and Halifax.
“When we started making it we realised that when people talk about the dances they have done they inevitably talk about times of their life or incidents that give a rich, complex portrait of a human being,” says Richard.
So far the show has accumulated more than 3,000 dance memories.
Richard explains the dancers who will be performing in the Cleckheaton show include a professional dancer and someone who hadn’t danced before apart from clubbing with his friends.
“They are things that all of us can recognise, and so they are stories about dancing and stories of peoples’ real lives,” says Richard.
The show is suitable for anyone aged 14+.
For tickets, or for more information, visit creativescene.org.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here