UK Dance Showcase – Programme Announced

Surf The Wave, a project run by Pavilion Dance South West (PDSW) has today announced the first wave of artists and companies to be programmed as part of the UK Dance Showcase, 16 – 19 May 2019.

The showcase is aimed at programmers who currently present, or who would like to present, dance in their venue, festival, museum, gallery space or any other context, with an emphasis on touring in the UK. It is an opportunity for programmers to experience dance works by new and established artists in both theatre and unconventional settings, with work being shown in Pavilion Dance South West and Lighthouse Poole theatres, as well as in churches, nightclubs and outdoors. There will be opportunities for networking, talks and pitching sessions in which artists and producers will present new ideas.

25 companies will perform in Bournemouth and Poole across the four days with a further 12 pitching to programmers for commissions and developmental funding for new and existing work.

The artists and companies that will be performing represent a wide spectrum of talent from across the industry. They are:

Agudo Dance Company, ALTERED SKIN / Shane Shambhu, Amy Bell, Anjali Dance Company, Candoco Dance Company, Company Chameleon, Gracefool Collective, Humanhood, Janine Harrington, Joss Arnott Dance, Kaleider, Light Ladd & Emberton, Lanre Malaolu, Luca Silvestrini’s Protein, Mischief Company, New Art Club, Scottish Dance Theatre, Seeta Patel, Thick & Tight, Tom Dale Company, Uchenna Dance, Vanessa Grasse and ZoieLogic Dance Theatre.

The remaining performances will be announced in the coming weeks.

Chair of the Curatorial Committee Eckhard Thiemann commented:

“As the chair of the committee, it was my job to hold a wide range of viewpoints from the committee members and find consensus.

Whilst looking through the nearly 200 applications, I observed how dance reflected on important issues and themes in current society. I feel in our deliberations we encountered a real urge from artists to reflect on the world around them. This felt like ‘real’ dance for a real and often complicated world.”