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This is a demo blog to illustrate a written piece on Article19.co.uk.

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Gina Paris

Gina Paris
Originally uploaded by ipodule.

When you're looking for high class contemporary dance companies from around the world your average joe public will go through a list of several countries and Norway will probably not be on that list and that would be a mistake.

Pante Rei Dance Theatre, headed by Artistic Director Anne Eskenes, are one such proponent of the dance we call contemporary and have been since 2001. Over the last few years the company has toured across Europe and performed to over 25,000 people despite their relatively small size.

Running a dance company in the land of fjords presents particular challenges to dance makers since the government does not issue 'core' funding for almost all arts companies. Instead they have to exist year to year, an unacceptable situation that should be rectified forthwith, if only there were a Scandinavian equivalent of the Lab so they could mercilessly mock the powers that be for their short sightedness! (is that even a word? Ed!)

At present the company is engaged in a national tour of two pieces of work under, what the Norwegian Government refers to as, the Cultural Rucksack. The programme provides funding for the company to tour to schools across Norway bringing professional dance straight to the little (and not so little) ones that you can either refer to as children or 'young people'.

Panta Rei perform two pieces; "Invisible Dances" created by Jamie Watton with music by Nathaniel Reed and "Greener on the Other Side" created by the company.

Both works are performed by Tore Asbjerg, Helen Parlor and Anette Meiltoft. The video features interview footage with Anne Eskenes and Helen Parlor as well as material from both pieces.

Panta Rei In Norway

Panta-Rei---Norway---15
Originally uploaded by ipodule.

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Touring Schedule

Now in its fifth iteration the Bare Bones company has moved along to an all male ensemble for their new touring programme featuring choreography by Arthur Pita, David Massingham and Liam Steel. We bring you an exclusive first look at "And Then Gone" the first piece of choreography created on the new company by Arthur Pita.

Bare Bones have been a constant fixture on Article19 over the last few years. From tentative beginnings the company has rapidly become one of the most popular contemporary dance companies in the UK. They not only offer a wide variety of choreographic work but their ability to adapt to almost any performance space, the shows are conducted in the round, means they can go places most other dance companies fear to tread.

In publicity terms this is what they have to say;

"From a single suit shared onstage between the five men (Arthur Pita), to bare-chested highly physical dance in jeans (Liam Steel) and four pieces sharing the same performance space at the same time (David Massingham), this unique programme of dance devised by men for men is set to transfix and amaze audiences."

Our video feature includes interviews with the choroegrapher, Arthur Pita, and the five dancers, Omar Gordon, John Thompson, Neb Abbott, Andrew Cowan and River Carmalt. Throughout the interview there is extensive footage from the new piece "And Then Gone" which has yet to be seen by the public at large.

We will bring you video of all three works in May.

Bare Bones 5 premiers at the Lindbury Theatre, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in London on Friday May 12th and then tours across the UK (and the Channel Islands for reasons past understanding)!

Concentrate

Concentrate
Originally uploaded by ipodule.

Oogly Boogly; part crèche, part science project, was developed by Guy Dartnell, Tom Morris and the latter’s baby daughter. The game was born when Guy managed to keep the young lady entertained with the game for a whole hour, no small feat as toddlers are a notoriously challenging audience, prone to throwing tomatoes when displeased.

Taking place inside an inflatable den created by the ‘Architects of Air’, parents sit with their little ones and a small, enthusiastic team of adult performers who switch their focus between the children, imitating their movements and echoing the noises created.

The game is demanding for the performers playing along as they attempt to faithfully mirror as many of the children’s movements as possible, drawing attention to the incredible amount of energy that kids have to expend.

The charming thing about Oogly Boogly is that none of the action is contrived and everything happens at its own pace. Some of the babies don’t become involved at all in the game, preferring to watch from the safety of their guardian’s lap. There are no toys in the space and the adults sit back from the action and don’t get involved other than to offer parental reassurance to their infants. Background music is unobtrusive, used to denote the start and end of the game rather than as a mood setter. The minimalist setting highlights the interpersonal relationships in the room and if the babies don’t start the game it doesn’t start at all.

The babies’ actions demonstrate the connections that already exist between pre-speakers and ‘grown ups’, and how much these children already understand. Some cotton on really quickly to the fact that they control the game, with hilarious results and an atmosphere of palpable glee in their manipulation of the adults, and enjoyment in being watched.

Oogly Boogly will continue to evolve over time, affected by the performers involved and the unexpected results yielding from play sessions. Many of the performers volunteer to be involved after witnessing the game as guardians, and all share a mix of playfulness and observance that makes them fascinating to the children.

With its honest and unlimited exploration, Oogly Boogly was the perfect foil to the other (non-verbal) performances of BDE, a touching reminder of how we can lose sight of our bodily freedom in the quest to embody a technical ‘perfection’.

For more information on Oogly Boogly visit their website.

Contrast

Contrast
Originally uploaded by ipodule.

Here at Article19 we are quick to comment on Arts Council England and large dance organisations when it appears they are not doing their jobs quite as effectively as we might expect them to.

We rarely pass comment on the failings of choreographers, particularly those new to the field, when they make mistakes or are flat out incompetent in the running of their fledgling companies. That time has passed however since we can’t hold ACE and NDA’s to a high level of professionalism and not expect the same of our new dance makers.

Toy Car

Toy Car
Originally uploaded by ipodule.

Now in its fifth iteration the Bare Bones company has moved along to an all male ensemble for their new touring programme featuring choreography by Arthur Pita, David Massingham and Liam Steel. We bring you an exclusive first look at "And Then Gone" the first piece of choreography created on the new company by Arthur Pita.

Bare Bones have been a constant fixture on Article19 over the last few years. From tentative beginnings the company has rapidly become one of the most popular contemporary dance companies in the UK. They not only offer a wide variety of choreographic work but their ability to adapt to almost any performance space, the shows are conducted in the round, means they can go places most other dance companies fear to tread.

In publicity terms this is what they have to say;

"From a single suit shared onstage between the five men (Arthur Pita), to bare-chested highly physical dance in jeans (Liam Steel) and four pieces sharing the same performance space at the same time (David Massingham), this unique programme of dance devised by men for men is set to transfix and amaze audiences."

Our video feature includes interviews with the choroegrapher, Arthur Pita, and the five dancers, Omar Gordon, John Thompson, Neb Abbott, Andrew Cowan and River Carmalt. Throughout the interview there is extensive footage from the new piece "And Then Gone" which has yet to be seen by the public at large.

We will bring you video of all three works in May.

Bare Bones 5 premiers at the Lindbury Theatre, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in London on Friday May 12th and then tours across the UK (and the Channel Islands for reasons past understanding)!

ACE New Headqaurters

Posh Perth
Originally uploaded by ipodule.

Arts Council England (ACE) has refused to release detailed budgetary information to Article19 under the Freedom of Information Act regarding the 4Dance television programme commissioned by ACE and produced by Channel 4 Television and MJW Productions in London.

ACE granted £117,500 to MJW Productions to produce the 90 minute programme that was broadcast on Channel 4 in December last year featuring numerous short dance films with Jonzi-D acting as the programme's presenter.

Documents released so far have provided very little insight into the production of the show itself. Following February 2005 there appears to have been no recorded communication between ACE and the shows producers even after it aired on national television. Some four months later ACE admits that the evaluation process for the programme has not even begun.

Detailed budget information has not been released to Article19 because of what ACE describes as;

"protecting the public interest in ensuring that the commercial interests of funded and other organisations are not prejudiced by the release of detailed budgetary information."

In other words they are more than willing to tell us how much money was spent but not what that money was spent on.

The 4Dance programme received a scathing review on Article19 shortly after it was broadcast. Channel 4 refused several times to reveal just who was participating in the programme or just when it would air on the national channel. As late as November 2005 there was still no firm date when the programme would finally appear.

Article19 has complained to Peter Hewitt, the Chief Executive of ACE, as per their own complaints procedure, for the release of the withheld information. Article19 is also filing an official complaint with the Information Commissioner for the following reasons;

1.> Failure to fully disclose all information under the terms of the act.
2.> Supplying damaged and unreadable information.
3.> Failing to supply information within the time frame given by the Freedom of Information Act.

The complaints procedure will take some time, we will keep you informed of its progress.

Ace Thins the Herd

Arts Council England (ACE) is currently in the process of deciding whether or not to lay off 42 members of staff within its central office in London and save the funding giant £2million in the process.

The press release states that;

"The proposed changes will [deliver] cost savings. Under the current plans there will be a reduction of 42 posts from the current national office. This is a 21% cut in permanent staff. The saving in salary and associated costs as a result of these changes is approximately £2 million per year."

If the proposals go ahead ACE central office will no longer be responsible for distributing funding but will focus on 'advocating' the arts instead. Article19 was under the impression that's what they were supposed to do but we thank them for the clarification.

At present ACE is its own biggest client costing more than £40million to run the council across England as a whole. The organisation was restructured three years ago to form one Arts Council having previously been made up of several Regional Arts Boards.

Peter Hewitt, ACE's Chief Executive, says in the release; "This review of the national office will give the Arts Council the right structure and shape for the 21st century." We can only hope the shape it ends up in is not that of a pear!

[ note: this is a demo weblof ofr a news pice, the information here is copied from www.article19.co.uk]