Friday 29 June 2012

......

Last rehearsals of Godolphin and Mousehole until we transpose to the places, which will be exciting..pillars instead of chairs,- Godolphin and  large lumps of concrete instead of tables - Mousehole

just found this;
Sally's edible poetry..we did a workshop with her recently
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5PeNBiluno&feature=youtu.be&a

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUsaAtEGbX4&feature=relmfu

These two performances are awash with poetry, and Sally and Debs are busy hatching plans for writing groups. I am hatching long term plan for poetry book and undecided on format..there are many discussions waiting in the wings to be started and chewed over after these performances.....

Studio, now have permission to use offered free space, meeting with old artist friend this week about it, site visit needed before end of July.
Endless funding issues, who to apply to etc
on the back of that or forming that are the interesting possibilities of new projects and facilitiators and collaborations;
Big welcome to Jessie and congratulations for a 2 1 in her Choreography degree!!!
Debs hopes/plans to have more time available
new look website to be done
new group facebook page being built
forming site shows into indoor autumn/winter show,October 5th back to our old haunt The Acorn with indoor Doorways show
photography book by Andy
new venue for Thursday evening group
writing/poetry groups...
performing at The Gathering 22nd September?
performing at Falmouth Art gallery 7th September

and more...
to continue relationships with UCF, Gyllngdune Gardens, Falmouth Art Gallery
funding from Feast for 3 Days of Inclusive Community Dance Theatre for Cornwall, working with Access Theatre
developing work with Kneehigh? via Shallal's old friend Anna Marie Murphy
will main co have basic funding for next term? one bid in...

this is the time when all converges, seasonal work ( performances) flowering, preparing for harvest,  planning for next year (funding application etc)

At present we have a wonderful team so, here goes, and hope is a wonderful thing, combined with enthusiasm and enjoyment.

Now i need to go and put costumes in box and settle for performances, rehearsals went well (but not so smooth you have to worry).....about right, and the fun of the places will lift it all.

Some more photos;

watch out "oar"dience here they come to Mousehole, and spot them at Godolphin -thinly disguised as first aiders


Toby brings Fatamorganna to the beach next Friday, nearer to the sea! 

they were naughty enough to be transposed into seagulls but, retaining their true form they reemerge at Godolphin


 2 Sunsets is one of the pieces to get a full airing this year and can be seen in both situations
 We hope you enjoy it ( as much as we enjoy working together) and congratulations again to Jessie on the left, next to Zoe and then Rory
We've just celebrated Elaine's birthday and her poem starts Godolphin

photos by Andy Parker
and off to write to Sarah, who welcomed and supported us so wonderfully in Gyllyngdune Gardens, to complete our communications, but more plans now hatching with an eye on bandstands at the moment, they have one and wanted to film around the one in Morrab gardens years ago.

Hope to see you at Mousehole or Godolphin
6th and 7th July.





Monday 25 June 2012

Mousehole and more

"I just wanted to say that............. went to see Shallal at
the HFC on Monday and it was BRILLIANT !!!!

.......... was so
exquiste and we loved watching her dance x Everyone was fabulous x"
an email from old friends of Shallal


I had a window of opportunity to see Eddie's art show..WOW very strong work,and lots of it, really glad to have seen it, lots of ideas for how we can collaborate with Eddie when he leaves us on Fridays to study Art full time next year. He will have Wednesday afternoons free so can work on ideas /projects... and hopefully link them into his course work as well. I particularly liked his photographs from the Fair and projection, loved the range of media he uses.
Also saw Sophie's lovely paintings, and Nigel's interesting photographs, and bumped into Lisa Mortensen and Andrew Bird so a good night out and thanks to Nigel for driving us.


Onto Doorways!
and i'd better go and find the photos, fun rehearsals, all pulling together fast and furiously, 
2 rehearsals ongoing, in our ideal world Godolphin show was going to be 3 weeks later than Mousehole so easliy spread out devising etc, but life doesn't always go as planned, in fact old joke, from Phil;
How do you make God laugh?
Tell him your plans! 
so now we are rehearsing them in tandem, Godolphin done; apart from rolling out of cloth?! shall we / shan't we? looking at it next Friday,
and Mousehole formed in last part of morning and a good site visit in afternoon, ending up with coffee, cake or ice cream and chat with Sally who was fresh back from Venice!
Many thanks to Ollie ( stage management etc) for coming all day and for Tina..we are gradually getting the production support we need...and Olie knows us all well now.
So full steam ahead...
Photo of Mousehole Doorways by Sally
2 songs/poems in process from Sally, inspired by Doorways and sayings.....ideas for where to perform on beach approx 2pm and a wonderful doorway, Keigwin 12 and 4pm - if we get permission....


A few snapshots from outing! apologies for blue filter look, getting used to new camera....


Anna

Zoe

Jessie

Toby

Jessie and Florence
so nice to have Flo with us!

Rory, Flo, Toby, Anna, Olie, Colin, Zoe, Sam and Jessie

where Gazebo will go!

Thursday 21 June 2012

Progression and dance quotes from Penryn group, photos from Holi-day

So;

Progression;
personnal and artistic development is intrinsic to the creative, person centred, collaborative process which we work by. Shallal survives by the power of attraction, itʼs commitment to the artists it works with, at all levels, and itʼs flexibility. For some people this is the only place they feel comfortable, for others its a step in the right direction.
Written into the way we work with everyone is an ongoing dialogue, this naturally encourages development, networking, skills sharing and support.

blurb to try to explain what we do with, writing takes me hours!! and i still need to come back to change and tweek it... 

If you are a facilitator (rather than a teacher) it's natural that you are going to look to aid that person to develop as much as possible...I find it so hard being constantly asked to articulate what we naturally do..i know there is some benefit in airing , identifying verbalising things but if you could speak or write it you wouldn't dance it..there's a fantastic quote about music somewhere, that i am sorry i can't remember but, it describes that in essence, it says something like where words stop music takes over or it says what words can't......
anyway those who know me /have to listen to me will recognise this as one of my struggles. let the art / work speak for itself..unfortunately that doesn't get you the grant money so...
back to the reason for the blog, i had the pleasure of watching, working with a small but wonderful group tonight, and was trying to verbalise/analyse what it was ABSORPTION was part of it..they were at a place where you can make work ( easily) in fact they created an extremely strong simple piece to an Arvo Part piece that Rory had passed on to me last week.
It was exciting, reassuring and refreshing to watch them, the place where the work becomes a privelige as people are safe to move in front of you from depth and autheticity....where you can see them work and challenge themselves and all you have to do is provide space feedback and a bit of support and they do the rest...so i asked them if they had any words to descibe dance and these were what they came up with and they are happy for me to share them with you...so;

"Fabulous"- Paul
"to feel the music, and that goes into own impression and expression"- Skye
"good vibe"- Carly
"Happiness"- Kirstie


Snaps from Holi-day
thanks again to Donna...... more coming soon.....




Wednesday 20 June 2012

Golowan Tea Dance

Apologies as i should have posted this last week.
Colin and Shallal dancers, Zoe, Marjorie, Duane, Katherine and Trevor, will be at the tea dance.
Colin was invited to do this by Tim Boulton, who has a vision for instigating inspiring and different events. Colin runs many successful regular Tea Dances with a Difference throughout Cornwall.
Shallal will perform 2 Sunsets and Farewell.

Dawn's photos from Gyllyngdune

line and movement captured at a good point in Zoe and Anna, contrasting enclosed and reach
 So thanks to Dawn Stevens for many lovely photos..here are just a selection.

 I have some thoughts going on with photography at the moment;

1. To learn more about it..had good conversation with our "resident/visiting" photographer Andy yesterday and he is going to lend me a History of American Photography book.
 I have a rough overview of visual art, my husband is a painter and many friends are artists, but i know very little about  photography. My brother and his wife work in wildlife film and my nephew but i don't know much..
2.What do i look for in photographs?
3. Get other members of Shallal to choose the photographs we upload..everyone has a different eye and we can do that on Monday afternoons.
continuing the conversation about photographs the dancer in me looks for line, intent etc..nice lines angles here,  against sparse background, in contrast to distant moving figure and foliage, symbolic gesture( love symbolism- image speaks but reads differently to different viewers)
shared moment , humour , character...


lines and we haven't many photos of this piece difficult setting to capture, so want to share it

Kerry's sense of line/focus even in a tricky lift


showing audience, performers and setting 


i like how varied we are as a group and take it for granted until i go elsewhere. 

waiting to perform, looks like a painting or....? everyones focus /gaze, stillness, different grounds/depth

captured moment, humour, expression, action


flying through the door!

totally different poses

drama; Kerry's stretch with a crow!

just the joy and relationship of Rory and Marjorie dancing together

Michael has the ability to always make me chuckle/laugh and his confidence increased through the shows, i like the colours and their costume.
Big thank you to all who help with costume.
Thanks to Jude and Miracle theatre company- Wendy our fiddle player was dressed in their last leading ladies costume! Michael had a shirt and waist coat, and much more.
(Who knows a blue sea creature may turn up in Mousehole!)
Thank you also to members of the company with dress costume /skills who willing look out and share their wardrobes so everyone looks good.


when i do these blogs in less of a rush you may get the photographs in sequence in which case this would be first!
like the expressions, movement captured moment

this was a big piece and these are to give some sense of it, and audience and peformers


Toby's creature and streamer were very effective, and you can see Eddie's Neptune costume, mermaids and chorus

this was a very strong piece many people commented on it, but hard to capture, so it's here as a record to give an idea of it, 3 of the other previous photos come from it

I haven't blogged about HFC Monday yet but this was the piece we took to it..


Friday 15 June 2012

BUSY....... continued

Godolphin play and practicalities
looking down the colonnades


Toby and Raindrop

play



practicalities
Black fronds from the door reaching over the grass to be pulled back in. Colin brought in his net and it all became a reality - for the touch poem
it will have ends folded on steps so it can't trip people up and then Jessie will pull it back through doorway while touch poem going on


playing with net



 Trevor is really playful, on Wednesday, in Friends and Dancing, he was being pulled around the floor on a red sari by Debs
leaving
performers notes;
rehearsal running order emailing out soon,
 and note that Godolphin has local fete there on 7th, 2000 people expected to pass through,
we can use reception as "green room" as it will be closed to public.