Thank you to Victoria and don't forget the 22 June!

                                                           Big thank you to Victoria

hat and prop making added to Victorias skills!

Now we know the project has fully come to it's conclusion as Victoria leaves. We wish her well in all here new ventures!
As our new project co-ordinator she came along and saved us ( me mainly! as we had regular weekly meetings to keep on top of the delivery, timetable, recording and reporting) from confusion as we delivered the Cornish Doorways Project involving ......
2 major outdoor site specific shows, research and development, exhibitions,  installations, film, a book, prop making, visiting artists, outreach performances to libraries and more...as well as all the behind the scenes running of Shallal Dance Theatre.
We couldn't have done it without her and she also picked up along the way Costume - fantastic and much noted by audience and appreciated by performers,
and then the wonderful Shallal Sketchbooks came into it's own under her inspiration....travel to look at all she as done ....

http://www.shallalstudios.com/shallal-sketchbooks.html

https://www.facebook.com/shallalsketchbooks/

https://www.instagram.com/shallalsketchbooks/

i haven't time to enumerate all she did suffice to say the list of jobs covers 2 sides of A4....thankfully we have skilled people waiting in the wings to continue and develop it all.
Kerry now runs the Shallal Sketchbooks and crowdfunder.
Please help us continue this fantastic and simple accessible project, with far reaching outcomes!

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/shallal-sketchbooks-1

We hope to see you at the events on Friday 22 June, a chance to see the films on big screen! we are very excited and pleased to do this, thank you to Barbara for organising it ..
Songs, poems dances at 2pm
Remembering Marjorie
Skye who has just left Truro College and is doing so well is coming to perform...
surrounded by the beautiful art work and a chance to purchase some!
Along with chats and snacks!!!

Shallal - A Celebration in Film is at Newlyn Filmhouse 11am Friday 22 June,

entrance by donation

followed by refreshments and Fundraising Exhibition ( banners, paintings, drawings, carvings from the Doorways Project) in St Peters Hall 12.30-3pm with 

Remembering Marjorie at 2pm

dances, poems, songs in memory of her from Shallal, 

with guest artist, singer song writer Skye Anna Mackay

Exhibition in the foyer of Shallal Sketchbooks, they are currently crowdfunding to continue...

Tom

Sometimes sorrow just hits out of the blue!
I had a hard day with rehearsals for 'Remembering Marjorie' on Friday, some great work was done, but i am slow and that frustrates me - all normal creative process stuff - and then i came home to news.
Via a friend i heard news that Tom, who was the first Associate artist in the Liskeard group had died, as far as i know from a seizure, he had had a head injury which left him prone to seizures.

The news left me reeling and tonight i have heard of the service to celebrate his life on Saturday 2pm in Somerset.

We send his mum Judy and his sister our deepest sympathy and much love.

Tom was a joy to work with: intelligent, sensitive, highly creative, easy going, joyful, amusing, friendly. He had a capacity of 'heart'. We had wonderful wide ranging conversations on our way to and from work he was very insightful and perceptive and really understood improvisation, i learnt a lot from him.

Tom had wanted to see some footage of a performance he was in at Dance Platform 2016, so now i will try to edit it out for the occasion.
You can see a few rehearsal photos on:
http://www.shallal.org.uk/out-there-liskeard-community-group.html
Donations in memory of Tom are for these charities

Headway
https://www.headway.org.uk/about-headway/

Open Door
https://www.opendoor.org.uk/

Anyones child
http://anyoneschild.org/

I am often so grateful for the wonderful people i meet through Shallal and Tom is truly one of them.

News, Crowdfunder, Film Celebration, Fundraiser etc....

Shallal Sketchbooks moves into its' next phase!
http://www.shallalstudios.com/shallal-sketchbooks.html
This fantastic project (inspired by The Sketchbook Project, NY, USA https://www.sketchbookproject.com/) has launched its' crowd funder.

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/shallal-sketchbooks-1


At the same time we welcome Kerry Tomlins to running it and Thanks to Victoria Hodgkinson for all her wonderful hard work in styling and setting it up over the past 2 years...we hope to continue working with her when when can and wish her well in all her new endeavours!
So please support and spread the news of the Crowdfunder!

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/shallal-sketchbooks-1

the project has so much potential and has already done so much...it is truly inclusive and inspiring...


Then, have just put a song on Youtube at the request of Rebecca from 'Out There' Liskeard group.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSK6u1aboSQ
Thanks to Georgie Finn for use of her card/print one of my favourite images....Georgie joined us for our Porthmeor Studios Residency and is now on a MA for Children's illustration.
http://www.shallalstudios.com/georgie-finn.html

Lou has just submitted our next ACE application for Embodied Spaces, fingers crossed, so want to do this work. Great to have such good background support from all our bid writers.

Next Back Lane West Residency and a dream for more R&D in theatre spaces as well coming along with ideas ....

FRIDAY 22 JUNE Barbara Santi has organised a 
SHALLAL - Celebration in film
our last Cornish Doorways Project Event
11am Newlyn Filmhouse
donations on the door 


Join us to celebrate the completion of our Cornish Doorways project inspired by the philanthropic lifetime work of Passmore Edwards, with films produced over the 3 years plus some classic Shallal shorts.  Duration 1.5 hours.

Followed by
A Exhibition Fundraiser and Tribute to Marjorie and again last chance to see the fabulous and varied art work created for Cornish Doorways Project, and maybe purchase some....?


Shallal 2 are looking for alternative funding streams, any suggestions welcome.
The group has grown again recently with old participants returning and new ones joining and progressing to Shallal Dance Theatre.
It is so good to be able to offer a range of opportunities to people so they can be in the group that suits them at the time and move around when/if needed....

Studio progressing slowly but surely, hope to be there in the summer sun soon.....

Bude library and some Moscow snaps

Jonathan and Star held the 'stage' as both other couples were unavailable!

Finally wrapping up Ladders and Footprints our final scheduled performance was last Friday at Bude Library the sun didn't shine, but we had the joy a mini bus trip along with traditional sing/song on the way home......photos on album on our FB page
A small audience, but every chair was full, and they were highly appreciative and we sold 2 books!

One audience member had been brought up in an area of London with Passmore Edwards libraries and came to celebrate his legacy, she said the show was:

"Very Imaginative, beautifully performed( and ) 

Made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end it was so moving."

Bude librarian Sallyann Travers, "loved the performance it was brilliant lots of effort and talent, best bits ( parts) for me ( were)  The Ladder and Lighthouses/sea. Such an enjoyable performance - please come again".

Shallal hope to return to the library with their new project in 2019 Embodied Spaces and have plans to perform at next years Midsummer dance at The Sterts Centre. Shallal can be found more often in North Cornwall now as they develop their Liskeard" Out There" performance and community group. Thursday at the Liskerrett Centre, Liskeard 10.30-12 They are pleased to be working with well known local dancer and producer Lois Taylor and Thomas Remnant who also works with Access Theatre and Far Flung dance company has recently joined them. You can see them perform at The Blue Light Day 4 July at the Royal Cornwall Showground

Jo Willis said, "we are very grateful to all our funders to enable us to travel the show, to celebrate libraries and to all the staff who have welcomed us. everywhere we go people are so impressed by Passmore Edwards life, values and legacy finally work/show our work more in North Cornwall. "

 In conversation Pep Mogas from Catalonia, a professional performer who performs with Shallal said how in Catalan libraries there are small stages for performance and arts events throughout the week animating the books and encouraging people in to enjoy the library and all it has to offer. `

Jo W says "it would be fantastic to continue to increase the aspects of the arts you can find in your local library' and we hope this goes a small way to showing that, so the legacy of Passmore Edwards can continue."

 I have a quiet hope we may perform at some other Passmore Edwards spaces before the summer is over but if not the work is nicely embedded in our repertoire for any suitable occasion.
And the application draft for our next project sits nearly ready to go...more news soon...

and a last quick look at Moscow photos!

admiring the paintings and - can't think with shoes on!
a nervous pretalk fidget!

questions at the end
thank you to our translator
to Alla and Sophia and Olga and Marsha for making this all possible

There was a good after party/gathering and we hope to return.....

artistic plans are brewing but in this political climate not sure where easy funds will be found, but ever hopeful!

our translator, Anna ( Alla's daughter), Alla ( who facilitates their outreach programme) and Marsha icon painter and host

Anna came to....sightseeing....Kremlin cathedrals....

view of Moscow at night

Outside the modern art Tretyakov we saw a life changing exhibition! by Vasily Vereshchagin....

Womens day is the second Sunday after Easter ( all women are celebrated) Father Alexander with 91 year old friend celebrating Womens day.

Olga and Marsha next to Fr Alexander
They were our hosts, contact liaison, drivers, translators and general hospitality and friendship.
Olga teaches icon painting and together ( with some students) they 'wrote' all the icons in this renovated church which we visited on our last day.

Reflections and links re Wolfgang and funding and studio and Moscow ...

One of the clearest write ups of Wolfgang and his work:
http://dancetabs.com/2015/08/all-about-amici-and-its-director-wolfgang-stange/

I can never thank him enough and when you read stories of successful companies and initiatives* they often mention working with him if only for one workshop, the work can change your life.
*Anjali,  Magpie dance, Salamander Tandem....

https://www.facebook.com/anjalidance/videos/10155861422327276/ 

http://www.magpiedance.org.uk/about-us/

https://www.salamanda-tandem.org/main%20pages/about%20us/ethos/artistic%20policy02.htm


Whilst looking at how to further work with Tretyakov Gallery i met this reply.....

"Unfortunately currently the British Council in Russia has been told to cease operations. 

We are profoundly disappointed at this development. It is our view that when political or diplomatic relations become difficult, cultural relations and educational opportunities are vital to maintain on-going dialogue between people and institutions."


Good news, that we have Big Lottery Funding for Liskeard and EY/FAD for this term - thank you to Nick who write the bid!
Sad news none in yet for Penzance Open House

Good news ,Lou has written a great application and i spent yesterday contacting wonderful venues so fingers crossed for that! soon to go in!

Good news, nice meeting with Jasmine Cole who we hope to work with
https://app.hiive.co.uk/profile/730a2ba5-2fc7-4452-9c44-018774c2ea01/#/

Good news, we have funding for equipment for new studio space, so more soon and gentle use over the summer and then residencies in the autumn! get in touch if you want to see it /get involved...Thank you to Cultivator and Creative Kernow

Looking at exhibition in Moscow before talk!

Hope to have photos from Moscow trip soon.....
this was their exhibition, hope to get their film to share with you!
https://www.tretyakovgallery.ru/exhibitions/inklyuzivnaya-ekspozitsiya-kto-my/

moscow talk

There is a lot to share from last night. I am waiting for photos to arrive from others and our camera. Ever since I have had close Russian friends I am impressed by their quality of soul and hospitality and yesterday was no exception although somehow in my nerves I had forgotten that and not expected it in work?! But of course artists who want to share and reach others have it in abundance.
They constantly help and support each other joyfully.
Olga and Marsha who we are staying with have run us around through intense traffic jams! Fed us, showed us sights etc.Yesterday they got us there, we are 1-2 hours outside the centre! Before that they arranged for us to be shown around 2 incredible exhibitions, one life changing! a retrospective of an amazing famous Russian artist, ' all my life I wanted to paint the light of the sun' but was haunted by 'the fury of war'.
/https://www.tretyakovgallery.ru/en/exhibitions/vasiliy-vereshchagin/

Thanks to: Sophia and Alla who invited us, Olga who made the connections, hosted us and so much more along with Marsha, who then asked Nicholas who came and helped with computer set up, Malena translated for the talk for free and continued translating well into the night as Alexis had many of us back to his flat to celebrate, meet and carry on the conversations, complete with toasts and famous Russian hospitality!!
They often live in small spaces but have big hearts, everyone fits in.

Now I am up early my head is racing, how we can continue this wonderful exchange? that is full of potential.

(Some of the reality for people with support needs here is sobering, it sounds as if when your parents die the only option is state provision/ care and there is little or no help for families i.e. disabilty allowance, carers support etc.)

The exhibition was lovely and the film made about their year long project creating it was delightful.

My presents from last night.

Painting, film survey, gallery guide, and catalogue from their exhibition.

20 April talk tonight

Hurray I'm into the blog!
I have brought the Shallal iPad with me which is proving easier than a smart phone for many things!
So the last chance to prepare my talk/presentation and yesterday I realised I will have to prepare but also improvise, slightly scary through an interpreter but here goes....
Anna has helped create a PowerPoint and I have the support of many short films most of which were made by or with Barbara Santi of Awen. These and 2 potential running orders should be enough scaffolding to build the talk on, we hope. I wouldn't be worried if just talking about the art and people but it's the background structure and detail which could require exact detail and amounts. My son immediately asked how many people do you work with? so maybe I need to add up a bit ..I'm not a statistics person..

So I have at last found a link and it looks like the venuehttps://www.tretyakovgallery.ru/en/for-visitors/museums/kulturnyy-tsentr-v-tolmachakh/

Our friends are very supportive and we need to check the memory stick works?! Small glitches!!
I look forward to meeting them afterwards as Q&A is hopefully easier.

I come with all the wonderful artists and people who make up Shallal in my head and heart so just hope to do them justice or at least not fail!!
The films can pay tribute to them ....if my part doesn't live up to it.

Home on Wednesday for work, standing in for Debs at Express Yourself and Friends and Dancing this term, and someone coming in to talk about growing sunflowers?! I think at the end of Shallal 2. First one of the summer term at Liskeard and Thomas has kindly written about the group for the Liskereet Centre newsletter and 2 shows of Ladders and  Footprints on Friday.
This weekend  though a short Russian holiday, the Kremlin - inside its walls are amazing cathedrals and wall paintings- and Zagorsk are on the itinerary...