A selection of shows covering ageing, masculinity, Greek myths and table tennis, take to village halls and rural venues across the UK this autumn.
The menu will include specially commissioned works Antigone Interrupted from choreographer Joan Clevillé for Scottish Dance Theatre and The Rest of Our Lives from Jo Fong and George Orange. The initiative, which aims to find new audiences for dance, is a partnership between the National Rural Touring Forum, The Place, China Plate and Take Art.
A young girl ready to die to defend what she thinks is right. A king determined to impose his will. Commissioned by RTDI and presented by Scottish Dance Theatre, Antigone, Interrupted adapts the 2,500 year-old Greek myth for the modern world through the body and the voice of a single performer, Solène Weinachter.
In The Rest of Our Lives, Jo is an old dancer, George an old clown. They’ve both reached the mid-way point of their lives, and now they’re wondering, what next? Armed with a soundtrack of floor-fillers, a book of raffle tickets and eco-friendly glitter, they negotiate middle-life together with humour, tenderness and optimism. There will be table tennis...
Krump dancer Joshua ‘Vendetta’ Nash's Blacklist delves into brotherhood, isolation and friendship through hip hop, Krump and theatre. Fig Leaf questions what it means to be a man, and when masculinity becomes toxic. Edifice Dance Theatre’s take on Oscar Wilde’s salacious Salomé uses a hybrid language of live classical music, ballroom, Latin and contemporary dance. Same Same…But Different from Sonia Sabri Company is a family show about our curiosities and fears blending Kathak, hip hop and beatboxing styles.
In Louder Is Not Always Clearer from Mr & Mrs Clark, Jonny loves to dance, but he can’t hear the music unless the bass is turned right up. Jonny was born deaf and grew up in a hearing family, surrounded by hearing friends who did not use the word deaf. Also returning is Gibbon, from juggling stars Chris Patfield & José Triguero, a surreal show combining juggling with dance and physical theatre.
Ralph Lister from Take Art said, "after all the disruption and uncertainty of the last 18 months, we are delighted to once again be offering a full live programme. We know rural audiences and artists enjoy the intimacy and shared experience of rural touring and look forward to many more memorable shows. Many shows were postponed in 2020 and earlier in 2021; during this tough time, we supported RTDI artists through a programme shared digitally and provided them with ongoing support to bring us to this exciting moment."