Monday, December 8, 2014

BORDERLANDS


Originally created for the ruined abbeys of the Scottish Borders Dudendance bring together performers, international guest artists and the local community in a highly visual landscape intervention with costumes designed by Heather MacCrimmon.

Dudendance’s new large scale out-door work draws on the juxtaposition of spirituality and war in a meditative interpretation of invasion, conquest and contemplation. The slow white figures have been described as “eternal migratory souls” moving through imaginary borders- a phantasmagoric,  invading army or a banished people, looking for their promised land.

We chose the Scottish Borders to make the original work as historically the region suffered dramatically during the Scottish Wars of Independence becoming one of the most turbulent and anarchic places in Britain. The ruined abbeys are a testament to the devastating cross -border disputes, often used as battlegrounds and fortress’s.

Inspired by paintings of the Renaissance, the costumes by Canadian Heather MacCrimmon are, stylistically, a combination of ecclesiastical wear and armour designed for shape- shifting and movement flow. The slow meditative pace and sculptural quality unfolds like a dream around the audience who discover different “views” through and into a the buildings or landscape.


Twelve performers are placed throughout the site building into an interventionist choreography with live music sung by local choirs. Using Renaissance polyphony and a whispered and spoken soundscape by Argentine composer Fabiana Galante the whole experience gives an over-riding emotional arch of cycles of death and resurrection. The slowness of the movement and the flow of fabric has a mesmerising effect– many people in the Borders and at Huntly Castle were clearly moved:

Quotes from audience members:

“Powerful and sombre, emotive and controlled -saw the ruined abbey in a new light..”

“Excellent and surreal performance, atmospheric and moving..”

“ The most fantastic experience, spiritual and peaceful, I was moved to tears, made me think of a the tragic history of these abbeys..”


Saturday, March 8, 2014

PERFORMANCE DATES


ABBEY PERFORMANCES in JUNE 2014

KELSO TOWN and ABBEY
June 14th at 2pm (starting point at the Market Square)
Admission Free
Starting point at the Wood Market then promenading through Abbey Row into the church- yard and Kelso Abbey.

JEDBURGH ABBEY
June 22nd from 2pm (three performance cycles 2-5pm)
Historic Scotland site -admission charges apply.

DRYBURGH ABBEY
June 28th from 2pm (three performance cycles 2-6pm)
Historic Scotland site- admission charges apply.

At Dryburgh Borderlands will be accompanied by special guests
ANDATE Chamber Choir led by Jonathan Stone.
http: //www. andantechamberchoir.webs.com

SPECIAL EVENTS

Borderlands will be part of three special events in the Borders and Aberdeenshire.

MELROSE ABBEY
 5th April: Fragment of Red: the Last Song at Melrose Abbey 7pm
Historic Scotland in collaboration with The Red Field presents the final installment of the Fragment Project celebrating the recent discovery of the Hawick Missal Fragment. Dudendance will take part in a performance installation at Melrose Abbey presenting initial ideas from Borderlands.

Details and prices: www.fragmentsproject.co.uk


Paul Rous at Melrose


Paul performs solo in the Abbey grounds and outside the Melrose church.


COMMONWEALTH GAMES
 18th June: Queen’s Baton Relay in the Borders 6pm
Admission free
In collaboration with the Scottish Border’s Council a street version of *Borderlands will be shown for the Queen’s Baton Relay as part of the *Commonwealth Games celebrations.


SCOTTISH SCULPTURE WORKSHOP
16th August: Living Sculpture Walk at Scottish Sculpture Workshop 4pm
Admission free
Following on from a summer-school intensive with local young people *Borderlands is a starting point for a sculpture promenade performance at the site of the former sculpture park in Lumsden Aberdeenshire. The performance will be followed by a BBQ at SSW.

Details: www.ssw.org.uk

HUNTLY HALLOWEEN at HUNTLY CASTLE
 1st November 5.30pm
Admission free

Argentine composer/musician  FABIANA GALANTE has been commissioned to work
with a specially created local choir on a spoken and whispered soundscape to
accompany the performance. This night-time version of Borderlands is created
with a group of young people from Huntly who have taken part in Dudendance’s 
summer and autumn school intensive training.

DUDENDANCE AT 30 
Talk and Discussion led by Rupert Thomson
2nd November 2-4pm
Ex-Servicemen’s Club 
Admission free

Join members of Dudendance for a presentation and discussion to celebrate thirty 
years of making work that defies the borders of theatre, dance, film, art and socially 
engaged practice. An open discussion with guest collaborators including composer 
and musician Fabiana Galante, writer Anne Duden and writer Rupert Thomson
and Anu Selva-Thomson from Summerhall will look at how the creative process defies categorisation and how crossing art forms is vital in looking for new forms of expression.