Unlimited Festival dance, Southbank Online
The Southbank's Unlimited Festival is a five-day online jamboree celebrating the artistic vision of disabled artists. Here are the dance highlights
Joel Brown and Eve Mutso present 111 (One Hundred and Eleven). Photo: Susan Hay
NOTE: THESE EVENTS ARE FREE AND ACCESSIBLE ON ZOOM. YOU MUST BOOK YOUR PLACE THROUGH THE SOUTHBANK WEBSITE AND WILL BE NOTIFIED OF YOUR ACCESS CODE BY EMAIL.
EACH EVENT IS AVAILABLE TO VIEW FOR TWO DAYS AFTER FIRST STREAMING.
The dance programme of Unlimited Festival kicks off with an absolute must-see. 111 (One Hundred and Eleven) is a mesmerising event of the kind that completely subverts our preconceptions. A duet for the Estonian ballerina Eve Mutso, formerly a principal with Scottish Ballet, and Joel Brown, of Candoco, the company for able-bodied and disabled dancers, it seamlessly blends their very different physicalities.
The title, 111, is an in-joke: because of her ballet training, Eve Mutso’s supple spine seems to have 100 vertebrae, rather than the standard 32; Joel’s spine is fused, the result of an accident when he was nine years old, so he jokes that he only has 11 vertebrae. The sum of both comes to 111.
A medley of music that segues from Penguin Café Orchestra, through Dawn of Midi, Julia Jacklin and Radiohead frames one of the most intense onstage relationships you're ever likely to see. 111 is definitely the highlight of Unlimited Festival.
Streamed: Wednesday 13 January at 6pm and available on demand for two days afterwards.
Here/Not Here is a new hip-hop film taking in British Sign Language, Krump street dance, football and Visual Vernacular, the choreographed and poetic form of sign language. Choreographed by hip-hop guru Jonzi D (of Breakin' Convention fame), it has music composed and produced by Torben Lars Sylvest, and is directed by award-winning film-maker and Deaf artist Bim Ajadi. It premiered on Film4 last spring.
Streamed: Thursday 14 January at 1pm and available on demand until Sunday 17 January. Speech-to-Text transcribed.
A related Meet The Creatives event takes place on Sunday 17 January, noon–1pm.
Artificial Things was filmed in a derelict suburban shopping mall and features an ensemble of disabled and able-bodied dancers, who together explore human interdependence, strength and vulnerability. A reimagining of the award-winning stage work of the same name, it was choreographed by Lucy Bennett, the artistic director of Stopgap Dance Company, and directed by Sophie Fiennes.
Streamed: Friday 15 January, 6 – 7pm including a Live Q & A. The film itself, minus the Q&A, is available on demand for two days afterwards.
Insect Hands is aimed primarily at children aged four to seven. Second Hand Dance invites children and their families to join Takeshi and his animated mini-beast friends for a dance in the great outdoors to look a little more closely at the world around them. Autumnal blooms, tickly toes and scrunchy leaves will inspire them to get outside, get moving, and play. Insect Hands is created by Rosie Heafford, winner of the Arts Foundation Children’s Theatre Shortlist Award, and is surely a great way to entertain little ones during our deep winter lockdown days.
Streamed: Saturday 16 January, 10am. Approx dur.: 5 mins 30 seconds.
Dysco is an event for joiners, a dance party for people of all ages and abilities, led by DJ DYSCOURSE (aka dance artist Aby Watson), herself a dyspraxic, dyslexic and ADHD dance artist, performer and researcher, whose performance work marries movement, choreography, text, action and autobiography.
Live-streamed: Saturday 16 January, 2 – 3pm.
EACH EVENT IS AVAILABLE TO VIEW FOR TWO DAYS AFTER FIRST STREAMING.
The dance programme of Unlimited Festival kicks off with an absolute must-see. 111 (One Hundred and Eleven) is a mesmerising event of the kind that completely subverts our preconceptions. A duet for the Estonian ballerina Eve Mutso, formerly a principal with Scottish Ballet, and Joel Brown, of Candoco, the company for able-bodied and disabled dancers, it seamlessly blends their very different physicalities.
The title, 111, is an in-joke: because of her ballet training, Eve Mutso’s supple spine seems to have 100 vertebrae, rather than the standard 32; Joel’s spine is fused, the result of an accident when he was nine years old, so he jokes that he only has 11 vertebrae. The sum of both comes to 111.
A medley of music that segues from Penguin Café Orchestra, through Dawn of Midi, Julia Jacklin and Radiohead frames one of the most intense onstage relationships you're ever likely to see. 111 is definitely the highlight of Unlimited Festival.
Streamed: Wednesday 13 January at 6pm and available on demand for two days afterwards.
Here/Not Here is a new hip-hop film taking in British Sign Language, Krump street dance, football and Visual Vernacular, the choreographed and poetic form of sign language. Choreographed by hip-hop guru Jonzi D (of Breakin' Convention fame), it has music composed and produced by Torben Lars Sylvest, and is directed by award-winning film-maker and Deaf artist Bim Ajadi. It premiered on Film4 last spring.
Streamed: Thursday 14 January at 1pm and available on demand until Sunday 17 January. Speech-to-Text transcribed.
A related Meet The Creatives event takes place on Sunday 17 January, noon–1pm.
Artificial Things was filmed in a derelict suburban shopping mall and features an ensemble of disabled and able-bodied dancers, who together explore human interdependence, strength and vulnerability. A reimagining of the award-winning stage work of the same name, it was choreographed by Lucy Bennett, the artistic director of Stopgap Dance Company, and directed by Sophie Fiennes.
Streamed: Friday 15 January, 6 – 7pm including a Live Q & A. The film itself, minus the Q&A, is available on demand for two days afterwards.
Insect Hands is aimed primarily at children aged four to seven. Second Hand Dance invites children and their families to join Takeshi and his animated mini-beast friends for a dance in the great outdoors to look a little more closely at the world around them. Autumnal blooms, tickly toes and scrunchy leaves will inspire them to get outside, get moving, and play. Insect Hands is created by Rosie Heafford, winner of the Arts Foundation Children’s Theatre Shortlist Award, and is surely a great way to entertain little ones during our deep winter lockdown days.
Streamed: Saturday 16 January, 10am. Approx dur.: 5 mins 30 seconds.
Dysco is an event for joiners, a dance party for people of all ages and abilities, led by DJ DYSCOURSE (aka dance artist Aby Watson), herself a dyspraxic, dyslexic and ADHD dance artist, performer and researcher, whose performance work marries movement, choreography, text, action and autobiography.
Live-streamed: Saturday 16 January, 2 – 3pm.
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| What | Unlimited Festival dance, Southbank Online |
| Where | Online | MAP |
| When |
13 Jan 21 – 19 Jan 21, Start times and Dur vary per event. Each event available for 2 days after first streamed |
| Price | £FREE |
| Website | https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/festivals-series/unlimited? |