Friday 30 October 2015

young uns at Godolphin


Some photos from Godolphin visit with Anna and Skye, it grew from 3 dancers and Belinda into production team and some others who didn't make the first day and then the lovely Wheelers came to be with those they had missed......
warming up by the wonderful old door
George's music and slippery stones, damp day, we had hoped for the mist to be there


playing with the go pro
Demelza was able to join us

Skye's new red hair

lots of cameras, we then left the courtyard and Zoe recorded the other group so their photos to follow

Play is the most important part of improvisation it allows authentic movement and helps with nerves and self conciousness


in the Cidery
great photos - the camera was shared and Skye took these i think





A&A
I used to say to a friend i worked with "it has to be fun", if you are not professional why do you do it? it can be hard work and serious and requires commitment but it has to be fun too....
........the dancers often take the best photos of each other as they trust and play together....it also helps them develop their eye, which is so important when you don't work with technique, it is all self and group reflective

Jo Lumber's coat!

in action

Arron, Zoe, Anna, Skye, Annis and Joseph
tea and cake or icecream are always favourites

Belinda photography, John art and production and Colin! - posing...


Monday 26 October 2015

photo by the beach

 I was very surprised when i first came across this photograph which Falmouth Town Council must have chosen for their Falmouth promotional boards at Gyllyngvase Beach! I have often meant to take a photo of it to show everyone and today in the dark on the stormy beach ( in true local winter dog walking style) Mary kindly took the photos....
Steve Tanner's photo of Zoe and Colin

Thursday 22 October 2015

You Tube and PDSW article

 148 views on our youtube slide show so far!! SculptMotion dance watched it together yesterday....

Fan mail for George,
"it is a beautiful video! 

There are wonderful spacial qualities in image composition affirmed by George’s fluid, organic sounds and all extremely sensitively rendered.  Warmth, fragility, joy…a real essence of Shallal, well done! "
Jamie Mills

Last night Jamie, George and Oli met for pre Back Lane West chat, and yesterday we had a full production style meeting with new member to the team John Keys, on art /production, we will need his skills and overview as we miss lovely Rory - who will still drop in when he can, but is not in Cornwall enough to be fully with us.
George is also a new member on our team, not to Shallal, but to production, background work and we look forward to it.
Shallal is easier to work with if you know it already!

So next week we take the teenagers to Godolphin House and as i write this i am thinking i have forgotten someone who i must ask Zoe Osmond.
Zoe is in Shallal 2 and would like to join the main co, but is studying A'levels at present, the trip is so we can work with Anna and Skye who are unavailable in term time as now at college.....

PDSW  http://www.pdsw.org.uk/ just asked for an article and Zoe kindly said i may use her writing. I have just done our evaluation for Shallal Shared and used the writing of participants, they say it better then i do and most of the article is from Zoe's evaluation.

Belinda is also coming to Godolphin with us and this is a beautiful photo of Zoe she took at the residency
http://belindawhiting.co.uk/home.html 

PDSW Coinvestment is supporting the dancers between 16 and 25 in the company for a year on our new Doorways project. *
In the summer Shallal had the opportunity for their first ever residency, Shallal Shared which was hosted by AMATA Falmouth University. It was highly successful with new and established performers taking part and exploring Shallal's new improvisation style in music and dance performance.
Feedback from Zoe Osmond, 17 a dancer who attended 3.5 days out of 5 days and participated in dance, art and music.
Has it been helpful? For your own creative development:
"The residency was hugely helpful for me! It was so inspirational to be in a nurturing creative space, with wonderful people, making brand new and exciting work. The week gave me inspiration and clarity about what I want to go on to do after my A levels, and in my broader future. I can’t describe what a freeing creative environment the residency was for me. One of the many reasons I love Shallal is the fact that there is absolutely no judgment; I find that the atmosphere is always so profoundly positive and nurturing for everybody. It felt wonderful that the residency brought all branches of Shallal together; allowing us all to spend intensive time together, whilst all creatively and emotionally gaining from this wonderful environment. I feel like ShallaI gives me the security to be nothing but myself, and I can creatively expressive myself without holding back. When given the space and time to enjoy this over the whole week of the residency I found that I was able to push myself over a creative edge, letting go completely and finding a new freedom of expression in my dancing. I can’t really describe it but In short, it was incredible!
Working with other participants and Working with Live improvised music:
"Having the opportunity to work with people from all branches from Shallal was brilliant. It was brilliant to bounce off each other’s ideas and personalities as they came out in our dancing. I felt there were times in the residency when we took our open improvisations to a whole new level! We all felt really in tune with each other. I think this came about from having George there, creating amazing live improvised music for us. Something so special is created when both the music and dancing is improvised; George could bounce of our movements and we did the same with his music. I think we all related to both the music and each other quite differently. It felt new, different and incredibly exciting."
The style of work from the residency will be embedded in The Cornish Doorways Project and although some of the established younger dancers who were educated outside school are now in college on Fridays when we rehearse, they continue to meet in the holidays and be part of the project, and new young dancers have recently joined the company after college, and so the open, fluid yet stable structure of an inclusive community dance theatre company continues!

*Cornish Doorways is a three year intergenerational project enabling Shallal’s inclusive dance company to explore their local heritage, develop arts based skills and produce creative responses to share with the wider community resulting in a variety of accessible site specific performances and exhibitions across Cornwall.
 New audiences will discover and experience inclusive arts, which encourages people to participate in Shallal’s future projects. 

Monday 19 October 2015

You Tube link

Big thank you to George for compiling the beautiful slide show from our summer dance/music/improvisation and performance residency and to Jamie Mills for lending recording equipment and Belinda Whiting and Shallal artists for stunning photos, Sidney ( baby) always makes me smile.

Enjoy and spread the word
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9JA6VhSvS0&feature=em-share_video_user


We hope to continue with creating more work to be seen on youtube.




Friday 16 October 2015

Coming soon in November Cross Currents Residency at Back Lane West

As someone who loves process so many wonderful residencies this is just such a treat: watching artists explore, spread their wings, try new things, make new relationships, new artists enjoy the buzz of inclusion work. Can't wait!
and the theme of this next residency is highlighted by 3 friends of Shallal working together for the first time!
George our beloved multi talented musician
Jamie also multi talented, who created wonderful musical improvisation performance piece with Carole some years ago, she still talks about it.. and has gone onto many new collaborations, explorations....
and Oli who ran photography workshops for Express Yourself and whose residency at Back Lane West  two years ago was where I met Jane and Patrick who kindly offered us last years residency...
They and other artists may set up collaborations with dancers as well....
(i've put artists in brackets for those of you who know them )

So here is some info
please contact me with any ideas for it...there are still some spaces available.....

Cross Currents
Shallal Cross Art form residency

Shallal have already enjoyed two residencies this year, Shallal Dance Theatre's Shallal Shared at AMATA, Falmouth University and Shallal Studios at Porthmeor Studios, with increased confidence, ideas and collaborations from these Shallal artists, performers and friends are keen to extend cross art form opportunities for their second Back Lane West residency challenging and extending their practice and audiences. Artists will work in blocks of time.

Potential new work includes: exploring music and sound improvisation and photographic approaches,( George , Jamie, Oli ) creating a shadow puppet theatre, ( Toby ) working with multi media, music, writing, and projection, ( Eddie, Stewart and Jo ) photography/film, ( Anna, Jo, George, Annis? ) exploratory practice in collaborative painting ( Kerry and Mel) and extending to large scale bamboo installation/performance, ( Kerry and others if we have time) short pop up site specific performances in the  surrounding area. ( Colin, Demelza and others if available).

We aim to have one or two showings of work to connect with new audiences. 
Artists involved so far include: Oliver Raymond Barker, Jamie Mills, George Bradley Peers, Melanie Young, Kerry Jackson, Anna Willis, Eddie Callis, Stewart Blackmore, Jo Lumber.

Shallal Studios is building a supportive network of artists, (emerging, established, returning) who are interested in inclusion, access to studio space, sharing skills, collaboration, marketing and promoting work. They wish to lift the glass ceiling often encountered by artists with additional needs and celebrate the joy of art in inclusive practice, their long term goal is an accessible inclusive arts studio for Cornwall.

Please contact creative director Jo Willis joewillis3@googlemail.com if you are interested in being involved and to learn more.

Shallal has a legacy of openness to cross art form collaborations. Artists and performers gain confidence in their own creative processes and are inspired to try new ways of working in different media. Shallal supports the voice of each individual artist/performer, encouraging and stimulating collaborations with internal or external artists, sharing skills and approaches within embodied practice, building new relationships and taking new risks.

Friday 2 October 2015

St Peter's Hall

Since we started Shallal Dance Theatre company we have had the support of St Peter's Church Newlyn. It was the original rehearsal space, we have shared it with Art groups and Luncheon Clubs, over the first 15 years.
We left for The Acorn Theatre, when we were invited to restart, and they kindly were our umbrella organisation, we then returned to St Peter's Hall in hard times, as the rent was always cheap and they often gave the space free or for reduced rent when we were struggling, and access is reasonable.
We owe them a huge debt of gratitude.

This preamble is as yesterday Zoe Wilton loaded her recent photos on my laptop and amongst many lovely ones of rehearsals i hope to share soon, there was one of the hall.
pretty nice place to work!
Also we are nearly out growing it, with average of 25 dancers in the morning in space, and 17 artists on a range of projects/activities in the afternoon, but it is really our home, and has a simplicity, and beauty of it's own. Jo Lumber also pointed out that we have sole use on Fridays 9.30am - 4pm so can create our own atmosphere, which is important, and it's in the heart of the local community, a few minutes from shops, car parks, Newlyn Art Gallery, fish market and Mounts Bay.

 Newlyn Art Gallery
Zoe lives in Newlyn overlooking Mounts Bay, it faces the sunrise.

Thursday 1 October 2015

Hanging Around

Yesterday Colin, Demelza and I went to Dance in Time at Dartington.
Thanks to Demelza for the photos!
In the Aerial workshop....
 you start here and with
 (a little panic on my part!) help and clear instructions ...
 you end up here!



 and for the more adventurous and supple!
Colin

Demelza

Demelza and Vicky
Thank you to Vicky from UPSWINGhttp://upswing.org.uk/

Colin and Demelza had a CPD session at the end of the afternoon and I went to falls prevention.

We did a short spontaneous presentation in the afternoon group sharing and 5 other dancers got up to join us in an Open Improvisation so we were able to show and share our approach from Shallal Shared Residency.
It was good to watch all the groups and i saw Cornish Inner Ground Dance Company http://www.sundancepenzance.co.uk/blog/tag/inner-ground-dance-company/ co directed By Caroline Schanche, who was in Shallal some years ago now, and Tina Cockett was in, i have heard so much about them but not seen them, so it was good to see everyones diverse and interesting work, and inspiring to see people continue dancing.