STRIKING ATTITUDES NEW PROJECT 2013

ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE DARK, DARK, WOOD

“Deep down in the dark, dark wood and further beyond, in the sinister, brooding forest, secrets and stories lie, waiting to be revealed.

In a dreamlike realm beyond reality, strangers travel through an eerie forest landscape, with only the fear of the unknown to keep them company, as they hunt for what was, what is and what might be.

With few paths to guide them through the tangled undergrowth of long forgotten things, as they search an unexpected magic unfolds, that takes them into strange new worlds.

But tread carefully, beware, take care – as the shadows shift and creak, who is watching and who is waiting?”  –  Caroline Lamb, Artistic Director and Choreographer, Striking Attitudes

Once Upon A Time In The Dark, Dark, Wood will be a unique evening of dance and theatre from Striking Attitudes that brings two generations of dancers together and asks what it means to be a dancer?

Three young choreographers; Jessie Brett, Catherine Young and Jo Young with choreographer and Artistic Director of Striking Attitudes, Caroline Lamb, assisted by Janet Fieldsend, create a work set within the dark forests of fairy tales and legends where anything can happen and all is not as it seems. Using professional dancers who act and actors who dance, and joined by a group of local older dancers from the community, this is a work that sets out to celebrate the particular skills of the more mature dancer. With a rich mix of dance, text and music commissioned from the young composers of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, supervised by John Hardy and with lighting from Dave Roxborough, this is a new and exciting venture in the landscape of dance from Wales.

Once Upon A Time In The Dark, Dark, Wood is a brave encounter between seasoned older dancers – skilled and experienced in their craft, but with their physicality threatened and changed by time – and the vigorous enthusiasm and fresh approaches of the younger choreographers. How will the young choreographers harness the depth of physical knowledge and unearth the hidden abilities of the older dancers and how will the older dancers deal with the physical demands of the young choreographers? Daring, risky and creative challenges lie ahead for all.

Once Upon A Time In The Dark, Dark, Wood will tour in Cardiff, Swansea and Ceredigion April and May 2013.

Striking Attitudes is thrilled to have been awarded an Arts Council of Wales grant for this new project.