Through & Out: Skipping Extravaganza

Greenwich Dance12 July will see South East London’s Greenwich Park taken over by a skipping extravaganza. Hundreds of people are expected to join in the hugely entertaining and energetic Through & Out: Skipping Extravaganza, a brand new commission by Greenwich Dance for Big Dance 2014, which forms part of the Royal Greenwich Festivals 2014.

Devised by choreographer Jorge Crecis, Through & Out is a cross between dance and rope skipping that paves the way for a new choreographic game for all, dancers and non-dancers alike. Hundreds of dance-skippers, including professional dance artists and a local community cast from across south east London will come together for an epic performance to the sounds of an original score by composer The Artist. Audiences will all be taken into the heart of the action in Greenwich Park, against the iconic backdrop of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, with an audio soundtrack to listen to through headphones, which can be downloaded on to mobile phones or MP3 players in advance for a totally immersive experience.

The team of dance artists are working with groups at schools, community centres and youth dance groups around Greenwich and beyond, ready to jump 121 times per minute, with 1,500cm of skipping ropes following 440 hours of rehearsal and 59 different skipping moved. The dancers are expected to jump an astonishing 4,000 over 30 minutes.

Greenwich Dance is the home of dance in South East London as a meeting place for artists, audiences and communities. It aims to set the standard for dance locally, nationally and internationally. Big Dance is the biennial festival of participatory dance delivered by the Foundation for Community Dance and the Mayor of London and is supported by Arts Council England, Creative Scotland, Arts Council Wales and British Council.

Compass Commissions: Greenwich Dance & Trinity Laban Partnership

Greenwich Dance & Trinity Laban Partnership

The Greenwich Dance & Trinity Laban Partnership is looking for UK based dance artists and companies to create three new pieces of work for presentation at both Greenwich Dance and the Laban Theatre during July 2013-April 2014, falling under the umbrella “Compass Commissions” for newly conceived work.

The trio of commissions offered are listed as the following:

  • One outdoor/site-sensitive work

A work conceived to be performed at a specific site or (preferably) be adaptable to perform in any number of non-traditional performance spaces.

  • One theatre-based work

A work conceived for performance in a conventional theatre setting which will stand alone as a full performance event, with potential to tour to a range of dance/performance venues, nationally and internationally.

  • One work for a family audience

A work which will stand alone as a full performance event, with potential to tour to a range of dance/performance venues, both nationally and internationally. The work may be conceived for performance in conventional theatre venues but other modes of presentation will be considered.

Each commission will receive support in the form of a minimum of one performance opportunity, rehearsal facilities for maximum of six weeks, production time, technical support, sharing opportunities mid-process and admin support or desk space if required. Artists may or may not have a previous relationship with either organisation involved

This dynamic partnership has been created by Greenwich Dance & Trinity Laban to provide ground-breaking dance performance, bespoke support for dance artists and an all-embracing programme of community and education work across South East London. As a result, new choreographic and creative work may have the chance to be conceived.