Wednesday 26 June 2019

Short film by Adam Drake on Instagram, film with Barbara on Friday and sunshine

Midsummer Sunshine!
captured in Adam's film 
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzJYMj3HY
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzJbWFbH3PJ/
hoping to be chosen for @dancefilms

and
Well done again to Shallal Dance Theatre, Thomas Remnant and Lois Taylor, at Midsummer dance, (i've been rewatching the recording)
..it rained that day a little but we were under cover!

And I'm awake early with lots of potential ideas in my head and hoping Adam has some time to work more with us in Shallal 2 
and 
looking forward to working with Barbara on Friday filming in the beautiful Tremenheere Gallery,
"I love her work" 
"...it's real class" 
"we love working with her"
were some of the company comments last week.

We have discussed dance films and how to capture our work for years, i tried and i don't think will progress beyond....https://vimeo.com/282940023


Barbara has created exquisite films, collaborations and documentaries over many years with us, 
https://vimeo.com/showcase/2403490 all these are hers!
 and there is a great new Awen / Shallal project in the pipeline which i hope to got to a meeting about in two weeks, and fingers crossed it gets it's funding.

So film is in my head as Many Thanks to Adam Drake for this little gem:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzJYMj3HY6s/

I love the way work and collaborations evolve, and am very grateful for the creative, collaborative and community life in the best of Cornwall. The interconnectedness of it all and as i get older seeing the development, enjoyed seeing Eddie dance page while researching today!***

Conversations around the table, family and friends:
Adam is an old friend of Mary, our eldest daughter, we always enjoyed chatting and eventually booked ourselves a work type chat and this is the result.
Our first film time was rained off, but enabled us to be indoors (our sitting room) check outfits, let Maybelle meet Adam  and to show Adam some of the dancers pieces they liked and had already danced a lot to.
Second time we had such a short window of opportunity Anna had an hour and Maybelle 2-3, Adam decided on the one location Castle Beach ( a locals favourite family quiet swimming beach)...
the tide was low so Maybelle and he scampered down ( not so easy with film camera) over slippery low tide rocks to the sweet sandbar and ran around, with me holding the phone playing music behind Adam, whilst trying to keep out of shot, hilarious and needed to be filmed!
The film is not a record of pieces already created, it is dictated and created by/for film and the music chosen by Adam afterwards, and for the edit many thanks to @cartridge_dj for the tune
We hope to continue our Shallal 2 relationship with Adam ( who lives in Falmouth ) as each group grows in its area, and also cross fertilises as at Midsummer Dance and in Embodied Space.


****
Eddie dance page
http://www.eddiecallis.co.uk/dance.html

Star's photos from the Minack
https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Dancer/Star-the-Dancer-161743150596726/

Nordic Skiers: first album is on Spotify
https://www.instagram.com/nordic.skiers/?hl=en



Sunday 23 June 2019

Midsummer Dance

Sunday morning....
So here i am searching Indian music for Zoe, i casually asked her what she would like to dance to and she said Indian Music so apart from Ravi Shankar and Bride and Prejudice i am pretty ignorant?! very you say! and then i heard Nitin Sawhney on Desert Island discs and so here i am listening to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut5tmVJGrL4&list=RD3xo0LWhkYv0&index=3

Trying to imagine it....
So dear Pep is standing in for Colin today and it's a long way to go and many people aren't available so we have an exciting mix of Pep, hopefully Peter ( who was brilliant at the Minack with wonderful costume changes/characters), Toby and Al and Zoe,
Thomas Remnant duet with Lois,
and then an open improv - however realising this lovely track probably won't work so back to the ol' ear!

Sunday evening....
In the end i downloaded some wonderful Nitin music i look forward to working with and settled for The Boatman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7I16E05BFk
The day ran smoothly thanks to all, it had a number of random surrounding variables, thankfully, all worked well and smoothly!
The idea for this project was to push us on, as well as explore and take further something we love, in the moment improvisation and music....George wasn't available today so it was my recorded music choices and they were very last minute.

Audience comments/ feedback

"Absolutely fantastic, brought a tear to me eye"
it always means a lot when people search the performers out to thank them at the end.
"Made me laugh, made me cry, what more could you want?" - Helen Tiplady
"Brilliant"
"Beautiful"
"Made me cry"


I posted the applause it was loud! on our FB page
https://www.facebook.com/353939281333344/posts/2332579066802679/?comment_id=233387116667346
 and Lois wrote....
Hi Jo "thanks
Shallal were AMAZING total stars!! I had so many lovely comments about their work from joy at their energy and playfulness, respect for the grace and interpretation of the music to curiosity and awe about the fact it was improvised and not set. ....  It was lovely to meet more of the Shallal family."

Al, Toby, Thomas, Pep, Peter and Lois, after the event....





Wednesday 19 June 2019

weather and working outdoors and film

Well we ( Shallal Dance Theatre) made it, second try, last Friday, to the Minack Theatre Car Park to perform Embodied Space.
We attracted a stalwart audience, it was breezy and not so warm to watch it all, there were a lot of passing visitors who stayed for a few dances ( often filming them) and then made their way on to the theatre.
Not writing too much yet, as yet to have feedback session, however many dancers said it was their favourite and most successful Embodied Space so far.


We ( with 2 dancers from Shallal 2) also made it, second try, to a local beach for a film outing with Adam.
Each first time the weather was truly against us, the Cornish 'Rivieria,' which we are so blessed to live in, has temperamental and unpredictable weather which teaches you to seize the day, or hour, it changes so fast! The westerly wet winds coming in from the Atlantic etc...

So my reason to sit down to blog was to say,  as i mused over some images from the day, whilst washing up....
" What a blessing it is to watch people dance over years."
Shallal's way of working means that they share/show something of themselves with you.
This was highlighted by watching a short film made by James www.lightboxfilm.co.uk from Shallal Dance Theatre's Embodied Spaces at Trebah Gardens for their recent project Operation Overlord.  http://www.trebahgarden.co.uk/dday
This evening there were only 4 dancers at Shallal 2 (quality not quantity) and i am so moved/impressed to watch peoples talent and confidence unfurl, ages 8 to 48, Lee just had his birthday!

Reflection on todays film time:
First try, over a week ago, the rain came, so we stayed indoors sorting out clothes and showing Adam some dances.
(Maybelle has been dancing in Shallal since she was 3 and Anna since she was 7?
Maybelle is moving out of early childhood and Anna is moving out to London in September and is now 19 so it feels special to record them at this time.)

and then, second trytoday, it was so much sunnier at the beach and hotter than we imagined

we live in a beautiful place, this is on our doorstep

Low tide, Adam checking film and Maybelle distracted by a sea creature?




Saturday 15 June 2019

Queens Nursing award to Debs.... film and instagram

Congratulations to Debbie O'Nyons for Queens Nursing award for personalised care!
( her other job! )
Debs has a real heart for her patients/ the people she meets and extending their opportunities, it is wonderful she has been awarded this and recognised for it.
Deb's has added so much to Shallal and its super to have her back in Shallal Dance Theatre when she can come.
Film? and Instagram...
The end of the last blog i mentioned filming on sand and who knows after a meeting with Mary's friend Adam today we might be nearer than i anticipated. Adam is a really interesting local filmmaker wanting a new project! and to extend his portfolio. https://vimeo.com/315115709
Its always an interesting journey from friendly ( and in our case quite manic ) chats to working with someone, so we have booked a 'work' chat and hopefully we will do something exploratory (and low maintenance on my part!) just get the dancers to a few/ venues..nearby and maybe only 2 to start with, there is a "a carrot" an instagram dance films opportunity ..
the world of Instagram....
some of what i follow:
https://www.instagram.com/inclusivedance/

this blog post has developed its own spacey layout - which it won't change easily....