Busy Doorways day with film ....

Yesterday was one of those 'given' days, balmy, calm and sunny with all the new leaves and spring flowers!
At the end of busy day with rehearsals and visitors.....

(Rails of costume and the joy of others doing that all so well - thank you Victoria and Linda, Staging Colin and co and film - thank you Jacob and Pep leading warm up and the rest of us in normal positions - multi tasking, many conversations.
In the midst of it we were able to celebrate Marjorie's birthday and vote in new trustee Lesley Anne Eaton.
And thank you to guest visitor dancer Harry Theaker, i so appreciated and learnt from Rory's feedback last time and Harry has done the same for us at the right moment, giving another eye to it all! He said, "Walking in the room feels like home", so we hope he might do the same for us next year with the next show.)

All this is preamble to at the end of the day i went to pick up Peter and Eddie from Godolphin as a small group had left with Barbara to go filming, the beautiful day continued on the drive there and then out of the woods i met happy faces, you could tell they were having a great time.

Eddie, Barbara, Peter, Tina, Zoe and Demelza

I watched the last part of their filming, more photos  on FB www.facebook.com/ShallalDanceTheatreCompany
Zoe was taking photos so hope to share those and can't wait to see the film, all based on the "Duchess and the doll" piece by Jo Lumber.
Other groups will go through the summer to create short films.

All around Godolphin Doorways Show

All coming together for the show in 3 weeks time 27th May!
Hope to see you there 2pm at Godolphin House, Godolphin Cross, Helston.

Some lovely publicity photos from Belinda Whiting .......

Elaine and Demelza, Demelza is signing Elaine's poems.

Demelza and Lydia

I started my week with the pleasure of looking at photos Belinda took during our research and development, particularly working with some of the younger dancers who can't make Friday as they are now in college.
Come along to see the exhibition in The Cidery at Godolphin, it does capture the range of Shallal really well, as Belinda hoped. It starts 21 May for 2 weeks, along with 3 installations. Toby is staying over in the area to work on his this week, they will be installed next Friday. The others are collaborations and should be very effective.

Skye

Open Day
Lots of exciting things happening, Lesley-anne and i went to see the Open Day at Redwing Gallery.
I was really impressed, mixed exhibitions don't always show peoples work to the best advantage, but this one worked really well. Photos on Shallal Studio blog soon.

Visitors
Lesley-anne visits us tomorrow to be voted on as a trustee. she brings a lot of skill and experience we are grateful she is willing to be a trustee.
 Harry Theaker - dancer- made it to Cornwall, so he visited Godolphin today and tomorrow he can see the rehearsal.
Barbara comes to go and shoot some film with a small group in the afternoon at Godolphin. the rest of us will be in the "flower factory," those of us who are keen have taken the materials home with us!

Mr Ed's What's Up Show
Today i went to Source FM to be interviewed on Eddie's Mr Ed show, you can hear it on 1pm - 2pm Friday. It's not quite a 'spoiler' for the show but you hear some of the recorded music!
http://www.thesourcefm.co.uk/programmes/mr-eds-whats-show
http://www.thesourcefm.co.uk/podcast

Finally Congratulations to Shallal 2's  small outreach group for their performance in Mergecology St Austell, i finally watched the film of it,  thank you to Miles dad Richard. Well done all the dancers,
and this week news of a commission in the waiting which we are really eager to do. Although fairly small they are a strong and sustained group and really support each other.

Doorways Dress Rehearsal at Godolphin House

Yesterday found us back at dear old Godolphin and I was caught up again into "What a setting" those colonnades, the granite, all so wonderful. Plus walking to work through bluebell woods!

It was busy but nice, with support in place from Pep and Linda, and Victoria multi tasking as costume  and wardrobe and project co-ordinator, as well as usual talented and reliable team.

Al arriving by bike in Mexican themed joyous orange outfit ! he is the only person i have worked with it feels we dress down for shows!

Victoria watching costume

Well done to everyone and thank you to the National Trust. The weather was kind not too hot or too cold, no rain!

This show reflects elements of the strands of society that surrounded and maintained a large wealthy home and everyone has brought characters and themes to life. It is as diverse and interesting as the people who have created it.
 It is a pleasure to watch peoples creativity and responses to this project and blossom and develop within the pieces they create. Different artists come to the fore in different shows and i have enjoyed watching Toby and Annis take more of the stage in this one.
Well done to everyone, its back to rehearsals again next week and running through it with the awareness of the space.

tried to photo Toby in his elegant costume walking with Katherine, joined by Zo and Katie

Molly her first show and solo spot at beginning of the show from her choice of song, one i love, Bright Morning Star Arising

 Dear Harry Theaker's car broke down so he didn't manage to come to watch the rehearsal and give us a 'crit'. Steve Tanner came to photograph in the afternoon, images coming soon, as well as Zoe Young documenting film and Belinda Whiting.
I am looking forward to Belinda  showing me choices for a photo exhibition in Cidery alongside the flower installation. Meanwhile installations by Shallal artists with John Keys and Alessandra, and one by Toby are under way, Paul and Greg have been supporting Toby and Greg's website is very inviting.
http://www.futuretracks.co.uk/
...i look forward to seeing it all after 21 May.
Installations will be situ a week before and a week after the show.

George outdoors - it sounded good! 

Joseph also in solo, with Zoe filming close ups and Belinda on photographs, dress rehearsal is one of the only times you can go close up!

Updates and feedback for Shallal 2 Mergecology

Shallal 2
Feedback for Shallal 2 from Mergecology 
"Thank you so much for performing in Mergecology last week. it was wonderful to have your dancers there and the performance was gorgeous!"
Suzie 
Spindrift dance collective

Shallal Dance Theatre
Lots of exciting possibilities coming up, including Jo and Demelza working with Get Changed Theatre company, in June, helping add dance component to the next stage of their Alice In Wonderland productions.
http://www.getchanged.com/projects.html
It includes the joy of working with experienced musician Philip Robinson. We often used to talk of working together and sharing practice, when he delivered the highly successful MAP ( Music Access Project ) project ( which we hope to relaunch in the future, as we now have lovely Stuart who could shadow him - so we get the skills in Cornwall.)

Doorways Visiting Artist
We hope to have Colin's friend Harry Theaker http://www.juncturedance.com/harry-theaker/
visit us again on the 6th May when we rehearse at Godolphin and look forward to his feedback. We are busy threading together the web of images, characters, history and colour Godolphin has inspired.
He came and helped and gave helpful feedback when we performed Contrasts at Falmouth Art Gallery, a few years ago.
It will be good to have someone else's eye on it and then we have 2 weeks to continue working on it before the performance.


Michael has nearly finished the poster..... and Victoria and i are sitting by our computers and phones tomorrow rather than meeting in person.

Shallal Studios 
news in that Hannah Whitlock from Outside In, Pallant House Gallery http://www.outsidein.org.uk/About_2014
might come down to... " meet with artists and help them create an online gallery page on the Outside In website"

Also really excited that we are working with Shallal Studio artist Sam While and his family to enable his first solo show at Helston Museum 4th - 16 July! with a private view involving Shallal 2 - we hope - date tbc. 
Many thanks to Tracey at the museum for her enthusiasm and support.

Express Yourself
Occasionally when Debs can't make it i have the pleasure of working again with Express Yourself, last week we collected comments and thoughts for future developments,

"Friendly group, like the way people interpret the music, so original, lovely atmosphere"  Laura

"It's not classed as ability or disability, it's do-able. 
People allowed to express themselves as they wish when they wish.
Everyones encouraged to join in.
Encouragement given by the group for the group helps people." Leslie

"Love Art and Love Dancing, love coming here feels like a family" Esme

"Fun" Miles

Kerry standing tall!

Wonderful this week to see Kerry so upright and balanced!!
and to see Linda again after a long time.
We are so glad to have her back working with us and supporting us with Godolphin Doorways!
As soon as i saw Kerry I remembered the last post with them both....http://shallal-arts.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/kerry-and-thursdays-art-and-music.html
 many thanks to physio Dominique Royle and her skill! and to Star.....

costume, lovely dress found by Zo

Shallal 2 at Mergecology Thursday 14th April 7pm Keay Theatre St Austell ( and link to article on Wolfgang Stange, Amici )

Shallal 2 will be represented at Mergecology by Spindrift Dance Collective this Thursday 7pm, tickets £4
on the door or from Cornwall College Box office 01726 226454

14th April  2016
Mergecology 
Performance of After the Rain by Olivia Lockwood & Freefall piece
Keay Theatre, St Austell 
http://www.spindriftdancecollective.com/pedagogy-research--merge.html
http://www.spindriftdancecollective.com/dates--details.html

          glad i'm no the only one who sometimes has typos it is this Thursday not Friday as on Poster!

Andrew Feasey, Jo Lumber, Skye Mackay and Miles Stead are the dancers and they will perform Bus Stop, ( from Dance on the Grass ) a new piece - they will meet it tomorrow!- and Lullaby ( from Winter Mixture).
Should be a good evening! Lots of variety and inspiring dancers.....


I have eventually entered the world of smart phones and while waiting for Luke's piano lesson to finish found 
this interview with Wolfgang Stange
http://www.inclueded.net/writing/stange.html. 
...who i owe nearly everything to in all my work, as he owes it to Hilde Holger etc. His work was my total vision and inspiration and i am deeply grateful. It has developed slightly differently and that is his and Hilde's strength and attraction that you are encouraged/enabled to be yourself, there are so many people who owe their inspiration to him and his work.
The article is long but has some really interesting insights and some i hadn't seen in print before about devising.

Looking forward to tomorrow Shallal 2 and Friday Shallal Dance Theatre, deep in rehearsals now i eventually have a sort of running order! ( artists block - often creative always scary!) costume now, performers please bring in any ideas...

Inside Out.....

I'm tidying up to go away and someone just asked me what inspired me, so the usual ones, and then i thought about that whole time of changing what i did, and remember living with Mike and Muzz ( Marie) and going to see performance work with Mike that influenced me.
Not easy to forget a 40 min ( or felt like it) piece with just a mime artist, a spoon and a chair.
 I am easily amused and entertained by life and Suzi, Mike's sister, came to stay 5 years ago and showed me what they do now, as last i heard they moved back to Muzz's home country New Zealand and Mike had been in a film shown at Cannes Film Festival.....

I was on their website and read this:

Problems cannot be solved by thinking within the framework within which the problems were created.

Albert Einstein

which i think is very appropriate when remembering the way people with additional needs were / can be treated...

Their website is

http://www.iop.co.nz/

about them on 

http://www.iop.co.nz/about-us/

I have no photos from that time, early 80's, but many wonderful zany images of them in my memories and it would take more than this small blog entry to do them credit. We lived in 2 colourful houses of characters and artists in North East London. They were performing their first show while my brother and his now wife had just met and were learning to scuba dive, it's interesting to see where people get to, end up doing when they follow their passions, joy and gifts.