BRIGHTON

Undisciplined Festival 2023

South East Dance presents undisciplined festival on Tues 7 – Sun 11 March at The Dance Space, and partner venues Attenborough Centre for Creative Arts, and The Old Market – all in Brighton & Hove.

This collection of performances, talks and events showcasing dance with a sharp edge will be offering almost all its tickets on a Pay What You Can basis. undisciplined 2023 features a programme predominantly by and about women: from the premiere of Wendy Houstoun’s new work; a new piece from Queer septuagenarian dance artist Emilyn Claid; a first chance to see Sue MacLaine’s new work in progress; and Lea Tirabasso’s latest piece about the urgency of survival.

“When money is tight and culture wars rage, it’s tempting for arts organisations to opt for safe programming,” said Cath James, Artistic Director at South East Dance. “undisciplined is about challenging perceptions and definitions of dance, and presenting work that exists at the sharp edge of the artform. The work is provocative and asks us to look at life from new perspectives. We want everyone to be part of that conversation; and trialling a Pay What You Can ticket model allows us to remove what is a significant barrier to arts audiences at this time.”

Wendy Houstoun’s WATCH IT! (dubbed ‘quite possibly her last ever show’) combines projection, spoken word and idiosyncratic movement. Created in collaboration with choreographers Kate Champion and Hannes Langolf, it is a personal and irreverent solo work looking back over 40 years of political and artistic life.

Emilyn Claid’s Untitled is a new solo performance exploring the theme of transformation. Developed in collaboration with choreographers Heidi Rustgaard and Florence Peake, Untitled playfully embodies queering and ageing, teasing perceptions of what’s real and what’s imagined.

Sue MacLaine’s I Maybe Sometime is an ‘expedition’ inspired by the true story of Anna Bagenholm who, due to protective hypothermia, survived being submerged in icy water for 80 minutes after a skiing accident. The piece is performed live by Sue MacLaine with the digital presence of collaborators Lindsey Butcher, Seke Chimutengwende, Eleanor Sikorski and Brian Duffy.

Created in collaboration with cancer specialists, Lea Tirabasso’s Starving Dingoes is a piece for five dancers exploring the phenomenon of apoptosis, in which individual human or animal cells are programmed to die off for the benefit of the whole organism.

The Album by SAY breaks conventions of contemporary dance by bringing the infectious energy of music gigs to the dance world. The Album features fast-paced and slick dance routines to incredible music tracks from artists including UK beatbox champion MC Zani and South Africa’s hottest new duo Tina Redmxn and L Tune ‘Chillin’ and more.

The themes for this year’s festival are new rituals and states of being; and art as a radical but also kind act. Alongside performances from ground-breaking artists and choreographers is a provocative discussion about how dance companies Thick & Tight and Corali are working together to challenge stigma and elitism within dance and society.

Artists Jo Fong and Sonia Hughes invite audiences to take time out of daily life and join them for a range of free events providing moments for people to meet, chat and reflect. Sonia also presents her live installation artwork about race, claiming space and belonging I am from Reykjavik – a work that is part sculpture, part protest and part ceremony in which she finds a spot, builds a shelter, and takes it down.

Most tickets for undisciplined are being priced on a Pay What You Can basis, in recognition of the exceptionally tough economic climate and to remove financial barriers for people interested in taking part.

South East Dance is an arts charity working with dance professionals and people across the region to make the South East a thriving home for dance. They support dance artists who specialise in all forms, from breakdancing to ballroom, with funding, tailored advice and networking opportunities throughout their careers. As passionate believers in the health and wellbeing benefits of dance, the organisation also works to bring movement to as many people as possible too – particularly those who might not have had the opportunity or the confidence to give it a go before.

To explore the full undisciplined programme, visit: www.southeastdance.org.uk