Candoco's open week across London and Brighton

Published: 27 January 2017
Reporter: Vera Liber

Performances from the main company alongside open rehearsals, training sessions and family workshops this February half-term will bring Candoco’s 25thanniversary to a close.

A highlight of the London programme will be an Evening In Conversation with Candoco’s co-founder Celeste Dandeker-Arnold and Siobhan Davies (15 February), a free event chaired by Luke Pell, reflecting on their respective and shared histories in contemporary dance and choreography and how these fields have changed over time in the UK.

Other free events include a Cando2 Taster Workshop (18 February), a family workshop at Royal Festival Hall (19 February), open rehearsals and open classes (15 to 16 February) and an open day at Candoco’s offices in Islington that will provide a glimpse behind the scenes of a dance company (14 February).

For dancers and teachers, there will be full-day training events and Candoco performances in both Brighton and London will be accompanied by workshops. Auditions for two new main company members will also be taking place on 10 and 11 February.

At Brighton Dome on 17 February, Candoco will present CounterActs, the work that kicked off its 25th birthday year, choreographed by Hetain Patel and Alexander Whitley, which uses text to create unique and visceral experiences for audiences, moving between English, French and BSL. The following day, the company will offer a workshop suitable for all levels of dance experience exploring some of the themes that emerge from CounterActs (18 February).

Executive Director Jo Towler said, “we are celebrating the end of our 25th birthday year by providing many opportunities to join in with Candoco life, rather than hosting a party for invited guests, in keeping with our belief that anyone can be involved in dance. From taking part in class and workshops to hearing from our co-founder and watching us perform, there’s something for everyone so we can all celebrate together.”

Since 1991, Candoco Dance Company has worked with an inclusive company of disabled and non-disabled dancers. The Open Week comes ahead of the recently announced departure of Artistic Co-Directors Stine Nilsen and Pedro Machado.

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