On Wednesday 4 January Botis Seva arrived in Dundee to start work with Scottish Dance Theatre dancers on his new work TutuMucky which will premiere at Dundee Rep Theatre on Friday 10 February.
The up and coming London based choreographer has been a sell-out success as a Wild Card act at Sadler's Wells attracting new audiences to contemporary dance with his hop hop influenced physical language.
He won the Copenhagen International Choreography Competition 2016 for 60 Sec, "a fiery work for six dancers with a taste of hip-hop that visualized Ezio Bosso's music Thunders and Lightnings."
Scottish Dance Theatre has commissioned Botis Seva to create this new work, TutuMucky with the dancers of the company in Dundee. The new work will build on Scottish Dance Theatre's commitment to widening the appeal of and audiences for contemporary dance.
Fleur Darkin, Artistic Director of Scottish Dance Theatre, said "In March 2016 I found myself in the front row of an industry showcase event watching works by new choreographers. I as good as fell off my chair from the intensity of one performance - dancers wide-eyed and surging with adrenaline to the urgent rhythm of a new idea of what dance can be. The piece was Reck, made by Botis Seva on his company Far From the Norm. I tracked him down and begged him to make a piece on us. His dancing is electric - wired performers bent double in defensive almost tribal language, and giving their entire being to the audience and the music. Botis is a 24 year old autodidact - he has been developing his style for ten years through the international hip hop scene. Our audiences are going to be stunned by his vital take on dance and his vision to communicate the desperation that a lot of people feel about the threat of the times we live in. He is a startling artist and our audiences are in for a treat - he knows how to make you want to dance - even if you're sitting down. Be ready to fall off your chair!"
The award-winning Anton Lachky's Dreamers returns to the stage in this Double Bill. A hit for Scottish Dance Theatre in 2015, this work sees Lachky create a new idea of what reality is and how we define it by making sense from nonsense and exploring links between reality and surrealism. Dreamers are people who dare to dream while not being asleep.
Darkin said, "Scottish Dance Theatre has performed Dreamers for many audiences since its creation in 2015. The piece has the extraordinary ability to transmit joy and pain across cultures - when we performed it in Seoul, Lachky's tradeMark Lunatic work enjoyed a standing ovation. We're inviting a new generation of dancers into the company and look forward to a fresh interpretation of this lyrical, poignant and hilarious work. The more you watch it, the more you see. Do not miss!"
The Dundee performances will also open with Where I Belonged, a short work choreographed by the young Scottish choreographer Steven Martin and performed by Scottish Dance Theatre's Youth Dance Company. This group meets weekly at Dundee Rep and is open to young people aged 12 - 18. The participants have danced at Theatre Royal, Glasgow and Macrobert, Stirling in addition to Dundee Rep.
Dreamers & TutuMucky
Dundee Rep Theatre
10 & 11 February at 8pm
www.dundeerep.co.uk 01382 223530
Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh
3 & 4 March at 7.30pm
www.traverse.co.uk 0131 228 1404
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