Move: In Progress. A Scratch Platform for Dance.
Work-in-progress is my favourite format of a contemporary dance show. It is from dance enthusiasts for dance enthusiasts; the show almost always is followed by feedback. 'Move-in-progress' sounds even better, more dynamic, both dancing and progressing at speed. It is amazing that there are companies that wants to promote dance in the Tees Valley, once the most industrial and in many way the most deprived region in the North, and has been doing precisely that for over ten years. The region is not lacking good dancers, though. Move: in Progress Scratch Platform brings them into focus, creates opportunities to perform, to meet the audience, and, very importantly, to talk and listen to the audience's reaction. From Scratch Platform, remarkable choreography often evolves. Strangely enough, instead of watching choreography when it is completed and polished, I prefer observing it in embryo, noticing potentialities and playing a game of guessing where the work is going to.
Amy Swalwell, of Tees Dance (left), and Sophie Halford, of Moving Art Management
On the 8th of November the meeting was in Saltburn, a small Victorian sea resort in Cleveland, in a beautiful former Methodist church, today's community centre. Sophie Halford of Moving Art Management and Amy Swalwell of Tees Dance created a warm and friendly atmosphere at a both well-structured and informal event. 'Low-key', Sophie said. I would say, relaxed in a good way, a win-win game event, from which both the audience and the performer take away something precious for themselves. A non-commercial (almost) world of supportive relationships. A personal search for meaning in dance and in life.
Kristin Kelly-Abbott
The structure was given by the four performances: FurtherField by Kristin Kelly-Abbott, who impersonated the puppets and visual art of Kim McDermottroe; Letting by the dancer and NHS nurse Annie Dearnlay; Silent Yet Screeching by dancers and choreographers Honey Stoove and Hope Brown-King; and IndustrialFishing by the circus artist Alex Morton. FurtheField is a child of two, the dancer and the visual artist and puppet-maker. It's a fairy tale, a fruit of Kim's magic fantasy, embracing everything form bird poo to the puppet character Locky. Annie's Letting is truly open-ended: what is her next step, to burst out or to keep her slow and relentless movement?
Annie Dearnlay
Silent Yet Screeching is powerful, bold, frank, in the face. And IndustrialFishing, which means to be about a Garden and the Gardener, is not narrative and totally delightful with its child-like play and exquisite movement.
Sophie and Amy had earlier asked the performers to write down questions which they wanted to hear the answers to from the audience, and for each performance there were two questions the audience could respond to. It was a brilliant idea. The questions made me think while watching, and my mind and perception remained alert and focused during the entire performance. The written questions did the trick: the audience was attentive through the evening and active at the Q&A session. In the audience, there were professional dancers, and I enjoyed their perceptive comments and suggestions on how that evening's performers might improve their work. There were also young teenagers, and their questions were both naive and pertinent.
Ales Morton
The evening started with a workshop by Jenny Chrisp in which yours truly, a 55+ dancer, practiced happily along with the twelve-year-old. Inclusive and friendly towards the audience, supportive and constructive for the performers. What more can one ask from a scratch platform? It was a delightful event to be part of. Thank you all and good luck with your progress!