Programme for 4 PARTS Shallal Dance Theatre at AMATA 7 November 2026

4 PARTS

1. i often watch 'crossing the room' one of our warm up exercises. It is for fun, for ideas, for connecting, working together, for observation, it often has whacky  humour and joy in it...

so enter that into our 4 parts as Warm up, meet the folk and we added on,  'characters and costume,' something we have been missing for some time. So do create your own fable and story from the myriad of characters they introduce you to.

*Kerry, Star and Rosie, this was danced recently, we loved it and wanted to add it in, it seems to fit here.

2. Kyle's playlist for our Sponsored dance was a hit and Colin loved it and so... lets include his great music choices in our show. (less of me more of the others...and lets offer this piece to everyone in the company who wants to join in.

(Sadly a late double booking has led to Kyle, Eddie and Caroline to be playing music at Rory's album launch - all best wishes to Rory with his new album. Quick plug:You can find Kyle and Eddies music on most platforms)

Interval

Rest, have a break and chat, enjoy the cafe and see you soon

3. Open Improv, is my favourite, giving the dancers full autonomy and full challenge, to completely unknown music.  

It has taken a full twenty five plus years of experience to come up with the four or five suggestions/instructions which enable the dancers to create in front of you all. We  have been doing this now for about ten years...more on our blog.

*Box - Rosie and Alisha

4. Where do we go now? 

again over to the dancers, any 'out there' ideas they would like to explore and play with and we will combine them and see what happens...George is unable to join us

Music credits

Polkaism    Laurent Dury

Burlesque Grotesque   John Rowcroft

Mexican Chase    John Rowcroft

Sur Mesure   Hugues le Bars

Une Foule     Gaspar Claus

Tatoo Squence    Beta Pictoris 

Lungomare        Rene Aubry

Adagio     Rene Aubry

The Beacon   Ralph Zurmuhle

Past Light   Rohne

Cafe Papantla     Aukai

Ayr   BICEP

Pleasent Dream Part ll    Grassskirt

Secret ( feat. Peter Broderick...) Ambient   Gorje Hewek, Ishevski, Peter Broderick

Reunion ( feat.Mary Angerer)     Fejka, Marie Angerer

Radio Rewrite l-V      Steve Reich, Alan Pierson, Alarm Will Sound

( undecided music or drumming by Joseph) 

Irish Eyes   Rose Betts  

Sweetest Kiss in the heart    The Spooky Mens Chorale

Dancers

Toby Bridge

Tina Butler

Colin Curbishley

Mads De Lyon

Linda Ferron

Karen Foss

Jilly Hellerman

Kerry Jackson

Alisha Kelly

Victoria Lawrence

Rosie-anna

Star

Katie Wheeler

Joseph Wheeler

Sam While

co. includes

Kyle and Caroline Coleman

Eddie Callis

Dylan and George Clement Peer

Katherine Giddings

Backstage support - Hannah Jacobs

Lighting - Josh Pharo

Admin and all sorts - Hennie Boex

Co-director and all sorts - Colin Curbishley

Costume and props - the company

Creative director - Jo Willis

Thanks to Catherine and Keith.

Many thanks to our trustees, supporters, families and friends and to the Centre, Newlyn.

Thoughts

as i sit here finalising our lists i come to realise this is even more like a session than i had realised.

Warm up - done before the show, then accessible uptempo tunes Part 1. Followed by suggestions, other peoples ideas maybe less well known music Part 2. A challenge, new music, full blown Open improv Part 3. Any other ideas, props, solos, experiments/suggestions Part 4. Finishing with a quiet tune. 

It is a joy to be back in a theatre. 

We haven't, for many years, done a theatre show. We have brought outdoor shows indoors, but not conceived one for an indoor theatre stage.

We haven't had specific funding for this so it's on a shoe string: no designers, wardrobe, publicists, BSL/makaton or paid composers/musicians etc. Dear Josh who did the lighting taking the gig at the last minute, one visit a chat or two and on the day that's it - a big Thank you!

Amata supportive, great to be here, but not in their publicity?! not sure how that was missed, on both sides, as it was part of the plan but, onwards and upwards - hopefully you might be/have been in the audience if you get as far as reading this!

This maybe our last large indoor show for a long time, I hope not. Like many arts organisations we are continually looking for funding and we are grateful to Cornwall Council and Henry Smith who currently support our community groups and more. 

We perform anywhere we can, are invited or inspired to. Often the cheapest options.

We aspire to Access and Equity and our base line is physical accessability, which seems to be dropping off public awareness.

I won't go on about that now, suffice to say diversity brings richness and we all need a diverse loving community to thrive in.  Universal Design at the beginning of all our plans would ensure equity and access. We all need to listen and learn to enable everyone to join in.

Mazey Day and Lafrowda

 Mazey day has come and gone,

along with some wonderful structures, which may come out again for Lafrowda, St Justs feast.

We live in a locality of colour and creativity with skills brought down to Cornwall via the inspiration of Welfare State Co https://welfare-state.org/index.htm and those who had worked with them, withy structures turned from simple lanterns into major collaborative structural art-forms, sculptures and now we can't imagine a revived Cornish parade without them.

This year saw us with a yellow Shallal bi-plane, kite, peacock and ufo!

September Artshows

This year we used our Back Lane West Residency to showcase work and give visibility to particular artists.

Katy and Mads have their own personnel feedback.

Katy had many friends and artists and a wonderful event.

Mads had family and friends travel from afar to celebrate her work and sold 4 paintings.

Comments

Better Together

Fabulous Art

Well done Shallal! - Great Show

Thanks - wonderful work

Great work people!!

Our group efforts - splendiferous us!

Wonderful work, very impressed   Thank you!

Beautiful exhibition, lovely to see new work!

Intersection

Love the range and freedom of the work, particularly enjoyed Julia's 'women ( black and red) and the pencilled horses ( framed). Anna's work is also interesting and wonder what it says..."

link to work

 

Zoe

 Dear Zoe

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

55 today and yesterday we celebrated with friends from many parts of your life, Shallal was a large part of it all.

"And i just want to share my immense gratitude for years of working with you and watching your intense creative drive!

Thank you for a such a rich creative life, full of fun and friendship."

It is always an honour and a privilege to be alongside people and Zoe and i have known each other for about 38 years, through lifes landmarks: births, marriages, death and all ...

her gifts and creative drive and connection were often at the forefront of what we did, especially in the early years.

Shallal has grown, it is bigger than any of us and we are so happy to see people thriving in these creative settings and on the way many of us forge strong friendships and relationships through the joy of creativity and spontaneous sharing.

Can't do justice to Zoes input but found these old photos many from our first Porthmeor Residency in St Ives and was moved to see Sally in them. Sally was an old friend of Zoe's who died this year. She was also full of joy and fun and an amazing artist, who never quite had the exposure she could have, every painting was a joyous celebration often of flowers and then chickens!  And a photo with Trevor on his 70th birthday.

An old photo with Zoe and Phil Jacobs.

Both had love of photography/film - which continues.

Phil has recently donated a lighting rig to us- Many thanks.

In Shallal we believe in the continual provision of access to the creative arts, not just one off projects.

We see people flourish, and from increased confidence in their own creative process, it becomes a transferable skill and they often delve into other art forms.

We see how the playfulness in creativity and improvisation, can give access to joy and connection.

We support each other in the groups through hard times by being constant, an available supportive activity.

A positive distraction which allows self expression but focuses on the positive, life affirming nature of creativity and connection.

We can also practice, caring for each other, being supportive, finding our place in community.

Those who work with me know i dont 'do' much, i sit and 'watch' that is my doing,

 and one of the pleasures and privileges in that,  is seeing the care and connection that creativity can create in a room and which you can take with you into other areas of your life.

Thank you to everyone

And a big Thank you Zoe for being with us from the beginning and a catalyst to so much in Shallal and a good friend.

New Chapter

 Well here's a thing!

I'm sitting here and while I'm meant to be trying to stop the habit of late nights I'm failing and have become distracted by 'Chapter'!

A while ago i was thrilled and surprised to be asked to contribute to a book!

I can't write well, but never mind a small detail!

It's chapter with a hefty sounding title and needs to be ready to be seen by July and in by December

So i'm trawling back through this blog, which has been very helpful for process thoughts and timelines and now I'm on studio history, less clear, and i'm feeling nostalgic, as Lin wrote to me to remind me it's Sam's birthday he will be 40!! never! and reminding me he first came to Shallal at 16! 

Oh my...

what a joy and a pleasure to know him.

Card made today while in a Tate gallery workshop 'love the paint sticks', cake made this evening.

This week saw a Spring Sharing, a Shallal 2 performance and a Tate visit.

Busy but good times. 

Quiet shock of:

https://homelesslaw.org/statement11142025/

re:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/07/ending-crime-and-disorder-on-americas-streets/

I can't believe the US executive order to make institutions for people who are homeless. I've spent my working life in response to the quiet horrors of many aspects of life i saw at Budock Hospital  and so much has improved but i've always known you can't relax, as it can always slip back and when times are tough some people 'pick on/ostracize ' others.

We need to know people who we may view as 'different,' we need to see each others gifts and how we enhance each others lives, where we need to care more, learn to work together better.

Very moved by ....and here is was obviously called away by life and don't know what i was going to write

Posting this anyway

have good and blessed day!

What is the place for the artists voice?

 What is the place for the artists voice?

many times in Shallal the people we know and work with carry really hard times of pain and distress, this is part of the human condition, no-one is exempt from it...but those who are more vulnerable, have less advocacy, maybe strained support and care often suffer intensely and are unheard.

What is the artists voice? we are not managers, organisers, administrators, policy makers etc ( some have both skills, are bilingual, but many of us aren't )what is the point of the artist: shouting, making a noise, asking questions, sitting in protest,  saying this is not ok, things need to change, is it shouting into the wind...?

I think there is a place and need for all of us and the artists voice is often like an early warning system the people who are more vulnerable, hyper sensitive, outsiders, alternatives, are often 'the canary in the mine' the ones who point out what the managers and others need to know is coming, is rumbling on the edges and about to rock or shake the whole.

We can't advocate but we can try to show, we can't argue but we can be here, we can be here showing and sharing, art, community and care for each other within the safer walls of art, creativity, we can make spaces of appreciation for each others gifts, collaboration and as JJ reminded me Fun! we can have fun together, nor ignoring the pain and the suffering, but not saying it is everything, there is always more and there is always beauty, care even in the darkest hours, so heres to artists as a voice and space in our society and community.

Just been listening to Beirut 

Just reminded of Sammy's new album do listen to it a powerful voice 

https://open.spotify.com/track/5KdnHd1Vy78C0O4G38cZ05?si=aabf9a972b4e4ebb

Eddie is working on Better Together portraits

1m sq canvases are being completed 

JJ Interviewed me for a mental health podcast - thank you i always learn from conversations

Nick kindly listened to me this morning - he is our trustee safeguarding support - which is where a lot of the above thoughts sprang from.

Deeply moved as ever remembering Wolfgang and enjoyed the edit that Amici made from our podcast

https://amicidance.org/our-story-podcasts?890

CDE 

https://www.culturedeclares.org/cleaning-up-your-funding/

Music/credits from Shallal 2 - Among the Waterlilies

Music from Shallal 2 

Among the Waterlilies

Alone in Kyoto - Air

Fish - Mr Scruff

Ponds - Biggi Hilmars

River Flows In You - Yiruma

A Japanese in Paris - Matthias Duplessy

Dancers

Becky, Hannah, Jo, Kirstie, Maddie, Miles and Will

words by Jo Lumber 

makaton by Will

All dances are spontaneous choreography/open improvisation ie. created in the moment by the dancers

creative director - Jo W

Thank you to 

Associate artists - Jo L and Hannah

Admin and more - Henny Boex

Families and friends, supporters, trustees and the Tolmen Centre, especially Sally and Rosie

Artwork - Helen

Thank you to Therese