Phoenix Dance Theatre enter their 30th year of producing and touring and, more than most companies, they have been through their fair share of ups and down. So far, 2011 seems to be one of the ups.
The company has a new AD, in the shape of Sharon Watson, and three new pieces of work to tour from a diverse range of dance makers. We have Richard Wherlock with ‘Switch’, Philip Taylor creating ‘What it is’ and ‘Melt’ crafted by Ms Watson herself.
Also in the mix is ‘Pave up Paradise’ created in 2004 by Lost Dog duo Raquel Mesegeur and Ben Duke, re-staged for this new tour. All in all it’s an eclectic mix that delivers entertainment in spades from the company of 9 dancers.
Phoenix say this much about ‘Switch’;
“Switch is the first work for Phoenix by Ballett Basel Artistic Director Richard Wherlock. Fast paced and packed with complex choreography the piece is backed by a pulsating soundtrack from established European dance composer bfree.
Clad in vibrant costumes of intense colour, Switch features six dancers in perpetual motion, weaving their way through a frenetic, passionate and highly charged new dance work.”
Our video features bring you three sections from ‘Switch’ and a short section from ‘What it is’ for your enjoyment, the company’s tour features all four works however. The combined tour is know as ‘Reflections’.
As if May 23rd we’ve added an interview with two of the company’s dancers, Azzurra Ardovini and Ryu Suzuki along with footage from ‘Melt’ and ‘Pave up Paradise’.
We plan to bring you some interviews with the company in the very near future.
‘Switch’ and ‘What it is’ are performed by Azzurra Ardovini, Amanda Lewis, Talitha Luke-Eardley, Phil Sanger, Ryu Suzuki, Josh Willie with Sara Silva and Sandra Martinez.
The company continue to tour throughout the year so check their website for details.