Catch Me, Upswing’s dance-circus hybrid that challenges expectations of an intergenerational relationship, has been adapted as a socially distanced duet for one day only at Greenwich + Docklands International Festival.
Artistic Director Vicki Amedume was inspired to make the show after observing people’s reactions to her brother. Filmed for Newham Unlocked, Catch Me plays with the first assumptions that people make when they see a couple who are of different generations, races and genders.
For the original production, Upswing collaborated with designer Becky Minto. It will be performed by international dancer and choreographer Susan Kempster alongside physical performer and East 15 physical theatre graduate Jerone Marsh-Reid.
Vicki Amedume, Artistic Director of Upswing, said, "we are seldom seen or acknowledged by others the way we see ourselves or want ourselves acknowledged. I have noticed walking with my brother, a large black man, that people often perceived him as threatening and rarely the caring father and vulnerable soul I know him to be. I wanted to make Catch Me to challenge these assumptions and explore how identity is formed in the eye of the spectator.”
Part of Dancing City at Greenwich + Docklands International Festival, Catch Me can be seen at Upper Riverside, Canary Wharf, London on 5 September 2020 at 2:30PM and 4:45PM. Running time is 15 mins, and it is suitable for all ages.