LANTERN DANCE THEATRE COMPANY
Integrated Contemporary Dance
LANTERN DANCE THEATRE COMPANY SPIRITUS IV
Spiritus IV was performed in the Lady Chapel of Ely Cathedral on 22nd August 2008. This was a remarkable and inspirational achievement on the part of the dancers and the choreographers. In addition to the choreography of Helen Pettit, artistic director of Lantern Dance, this performance introduced new work by several young choreographers.
The second piece of this recital was a first performance of the very exciting "control ... losing ... control" by Tim Rayne followed by "Rhumba Gitan" choreographed by Sarah Baker and arranged by Helen Pettit.
This vibrant and creative repertoire was followed by yet another work that continued this high artistic standard. Ella Joel (13) choreographed the evocative "Bird of Prey" and this was followed by the strikingly powerful performance of "Integral" from the guest dance company - Base Dance, which was choreographed by Diccon Hoggar.
"Violent Nightmares" was, intriguingly enough, choreographed by the soloist Rebecca Rowson (14). This was Rebecca's GCSE Performing Arts (Dance) piece for which she gained an A grade. The remaining pieces were choreographed by Helen. The costumes, by Rebecca Valentine, were remarkably well suited to the performances and these sensitive and thoughtful designs served to enhance the stunning and evocative visual effect of the whole performance.
AW
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"Integral" from the guest performance by Base Dance which was choreographed by Diccon Hoggar. You can find the Base Dance home page by using the link below
BASE DANCE
Of the performance of Spiritus Hilary Clark-Roberton, ballet teacher at The Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, who was in the audience said:"Everyone had an excellent sense of performance and total commitment to what they were doing...Your young people as well as enjoying their dancing, choreography and performing have gained life skills which could never be taught in a class room."
Spiritus:
the Lantern Dance Theatre Company in the Lady Chapel: Ely Cathedral
It is challenging enough to take a group of young dancers and spend no more than one week to prepare for a performance in such a prestigious venue as the Lady Chapel in Ely Cathedral. It is even more challenging when almost half of the dancers are young people who have conditions such as Autism or Down’s Syndrome. Under the artistic directorship of Helen Pettit, the Lantern Dance Theatre Company achieved miracles. This fine group of mixed ability performers presented a full programme of credible, varied and entertaining dances. One of the highlights was a piece called ‘Into the Maze’. To the music ‘Alegria’ by Cirque du Soleil, the imaginative choreography of Helen Pettit produced a mesmerizing performance. Dancers synchronized effectively as they moved as one, creating tableaux of flowing movement, absolute stillness or tiny, singular expressions even the very tips of the fingers. In this work the ability to enhance the meaningful potential of the simplest and most direct movements was apparent. In fact, in all the items, this ability was noticeable as was the ability to develop these effects into cohesive eloquent narrative. More highlights included other first performances: ‘Control ... Losing ... Control’ choreographed by Tim Rayne and ‘Bird of Prey’ choreographed by Ella Joel (13). Tim Rayne’s item radiated fascinating complexity while Ella’s design was permeated with undercurrents of restrained aggression that contrasted well with the flowing movements suggestive of the bird of prey. The show opened and closed with effective group performances of ‘Key to Martha’ and ‘All God’s People’. Other works included a lively rhythmical exploration in ‘Rhumba Gitan’, powerfully developed scenarios in ‘Integral’ (choreography by Diccon Hogger) and ‘Violent Nightmares’ (Rebecca Rowson (14)) and explorations into the beauty and grace of Debussy’s music in ‘Espressivo’ (Helen Pettit). This was indeed a very special event and their performance of a work by Trish Clowes next year should be well worth watching.
Rosemary Westwell
PAGE UPDATED 24th August 2008
