OK kids, Scottish Dance Theatre made their regular pilgrimage to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year with an eclectic triple bill of work wrapped in the title ‘Matters of the Heart.
What you may not know about the company from the land of tartan, haggis and the Loch Ness Monster (it’s real you know! Ed!) is their annual foray into new dance making called ‘Under Construction’.
This particular project encourages the company dancer’s to make new work on each other and present that work on tour.
‘Matters of the Heart’ presents two pieces from company members. First up we have the sublimely endearing ‘A Little Shadery’ created by the company’s Assistant Director Sally Owen and performed by Nicole Guarino and Soline Weinachter.
Next there’s ‘Dreamt for Light Years’ by company dancer Joan Cleville a perfectly pitched duet both musically and choreographically performed by Naomi Murray and James MacGillvray .
The third work comes from SDT’s main programme and was created by US dance maker Kate Weare.
The company say this much about ‘Lay Me Down Safe’;
“Lay Me Down Safe is a tender foray into our human inexperience at reckoning with desire and loss. A nuanced dance built for Scottish Dance Theatre’s company members, Lay Me Down Safe collides our desire to stay connected even if it hurts against our need to let go. Drawing on the individuality of each dancer and offering up a sensuous and arresting movement language, Lay Me Down Safe explores whether desire – the experience we follow like a moth to light – ultimately keeps us safe from harm, or places us right in its path. “
In our interview we spoke with Sally Owen and Joan Cleville about their work and the ‘Under Construction’ project with Scottish Dance Theatre
If you want to catch these works in the flesh, so to speak, then there are numerous opportunities over the cold winter months ahead. Check out the company’s website for details.
‘Matters of the Heart’ is performed by Nicole Guarino, Joan Clevillé, Toby Fitzgibbons, Émilia Giudicelli, Jori Kerremans, James MacGillivray, Naomi Murray, Matthew Robinson, Natalie Trewinnard and Solène Weinachter.
Performance recorded at Zoo Southside, Edinburgh, Scotland on August 24th 2011. ‘A Little Shadery’ is shown in full by kind permission of Scottish Dance Theatre.
This video feature was funded in part by Arts Council England.