A Dance City & Gillian Dickinson Commission
Touring the North East this Autumn from
Tuesday 8 October to Thursday 21 November 2024
This autumn, Fertile Ground, the UK’s only professional dance company dedicated to the professional development of emerging dance artists from the North East, is set to captivate audiences with their latest performance, Play, Pause, Repeat. Touring from Tuesday 8 October to Thursday 21 November 2024, this stunning double bill showcases new works by renowned choreographers Patricia Okenwa and Jamaal Burkmar, performed by some of the best emerging dancers from the region.
Play, Pause, Repeat explores themes of love, memory, and the complex emotions intertwined within them.
How to Decouple in an Ethical Way by Jamaal Burkmar is a millennial love story depicted through three therapy sessions and three evocative songs. Burkmar, the recipient of the New Adventure Choreographer Award in 2016, brings his signature blend of music and improvisation to the stage, delving into the angst and discomfort of the short life of a new relationship.
The Messiest Drawer by Patricia Okenwa invites audiences to sift through the clutter of memories, rediscovering the precious and often tangled remnants of the past. Okenwa collaborates with London-based composer Quinta to create a poignant reflection on how we revisit and hold onto our memories.
Artistic Director Renaud Wiser shared his excitement about the upcoming tour dates, stating, “We are thrilled to be returning this autumn with more dates on our 2024 Play, Pause, Repeat tour. This is an opportunity for audiences to experience the incredible work of Patricia Okenwa and Jamaal Burkmar, brought to life by our talented company of dancers. Their work resonates deeply with themes of love, memory, and the complexities of human relationships, offering a rich, emotional experience for all.”
This year’s company features an impressive roster of talent, including Daisy Dancer (Hexham), a graduate of The Place in London and Northern School of Contemporary Dance’s VERVE; Pagan Hunt (Newcastle), co-founder of Pelican Theatre and an MA graduate from Dance City; Alex Thirkle (Sunderland), trained at Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance with experience touring internationally and Hayley Walker (Newcastle upon Tyne), an alumna of the Rambert School and former member of post-graduate company Emergence.
Founded in 2013, Fertile Ground provides a platform for new talent to work alongside leading choreographers, bringing fresh and dynamic contemporary dance to audiences across the North East of England.
Play, Pause, Repeat is a Dance City and Gillian Dickinson Trust commission made possible with public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland, and The Barbour Foundation.
Tickets for the Autumn tour of Play, Pause, Repeat are now on sale. For more details about the performances and to book tickets, please visit www.fertileground.org.uk/2024-programme.
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