If you’re looking for good ideas from the dance administration machine they are, like the mythical Scottish Haggis, hard to find. They do exist however and often times they are based on well worn ideas of old.
Dance Umbrella, the annual dance festival based in London, has dusted off one such idea for their up and coming festival, which starts this week.
Called “Brief Encounters” the programmers have basically slotted in up and coming dance makers onto the stage prior to the main event taking place. For example, just before Siobhan Davies Dance Company take to the stage at the Purcell Room for their show, Rosie Kay Dance Company roll onto stage and present a shortened version of their work.
The premise is simple. Audience for well established dance maker is exposed to the work of the not so well exposed dance maker thereby er……… exposing the work. You get the idea.
It’s not genius or anything, the warm up act has been around for ever, but it would be nice to see this principle applied to dance performances around the country, all year round. The benefits outweigh the logistics and the administration required. Make it so, whomever is responsible for making this stuff happen!
Dance Umbrella kicks off on Wednesday.