Joan Clevillé's The North part of Dance International Glasgow

Published: 16 April 2017
Reporter: Vera Liber

The North, a tale of a young man’s journey in search for meaning in an unpredictable environment, will run 12 to 13 May at Tramway, Glasgow as Part of Dance International Glasgow and 17 May at Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock.

Choreographer Joan Clevillé explores a fascination with the idea of North: the landscape, the light, the creatures that inhabit it, but also the people, the dark humour, the silence. Sourcing inspiration from film and literature, the company explores the concept of the elusive North through the tale of one man’s whimsical journey through a barren landscape with original music composed by Luke Sutherland (former collaborator of Mogwai) and lighting design by Emma Jones.

The North will feature dancers Solène Weinachter (Lost Dog, Gecko, Scottish Dance Theatre), John Kendall (balletLORENT) and Eve Ganneau (Andersson Dance, Scottish Dance Theatre).

The North and the company's debut work Plan B for Utopia, which has been selected as part of the British Council Showcase and Made in Scotland Showcase, will be at the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Clevillé said, “the idea of the 'North' is different for everybody, depending on where you are geographically, and is also permanently elusive, as it always recedes as you move towards it.

"The North we describe in the piece is a place of the imagination, a liminal space in between places, somewhere between a limbo and a waiting room. There is definitely a Nordic feel to it, but it’s open, desolate and unpredictable.

"Rather than realistically describing one environment, which cinema is so good at, I am more interested in the human experience. I wanted to evoke a sense of disorientation, of being humbled by an environment that is stronger than us and that forces us to let go in order to survive.

"As Tramway’s Associate Artist, I am thrilled to première our second full-length production as part of DIG. It’s been amazing to continue our collaboration with the team of artists that created Plan B for Utopia. Our followers will recognise the playfulness and versatility of our performers, but this new work has an intriguing, almost cinematic feel, that we hope will take audiences on a completely different journey."

*Some links, including Amazon, Stageplays.com, ATG Tickets, LOVEtheatre, BTG Tickets, Ticketmaster, The Ticket Factory, LW Theatres and QuayTickets, are affiliate links for which BTG may earn a small fee at no extra cost to the purchaser.

Are you sure?