5 Soldiers Dance Company Returns to Birmingham and Plans US tour

The acclaimed 5 SOLDIERS dance show returns home to Birmingham this week after attracting audiences of 85,000, and plans are now being made for a US tour.

The Rosie Kay Dance Company (RKDC) production has enjoyed a string of 4 and 5 star reviews during a UK tour that began at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August before continuing to Army barracks and drill halls in London and across England.

It was also live streamed internationally by The Army and BBC Arts Digital.

Rosie Kay, the Midlands choreographer who created the show, said: "Everyone is really looking forward to coming home to Birmingham this week. We are a small Midlands dance company with a great deal to celebrate.

"Our aim is to bring exciting, athletic dance with intelligent themes to the widest possible audience and this tour has far exceeded our hopes and expectations.

"The reception for 5 SOLDIERS was brilliant wherever we went and we are thrilled to be picked out by international agents while we were in Edinburgh as a show they are keen to transfer to the USA."

The transatlantic trip is likely to include a showcase performance in New York in January at Association of Performing Arts Professionals conference, the world's premiere gathering of the performing arts presenting industry.

This summer the show was selected by digital arts development organisation The Space for live streaming from London. It has now reached more than 80,000 viewers in digital form, with over 5,000 people having seen live shows and a series of free outdoor performances.

This week's performances, in partnership with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, will take place at the Army Reserve Centre, Golden Hillock Road, on Friday and Saturday (13 & 14 October).

Young people from Rockwood Academy will present their own brand new dance work, created in response to 5 SOLDIERS, as a curtain raiser to the main performance on Friday. On Saturday young people from the Boydrox Dance Company in Kettering will introduce the main show with their response to 5 SOLDIERS.

Both performances will also be followed by a panel discussion where the choreographer, dancers and local military will answer audience questions.

5 SOLDIERS is a gritty dance work that follows four young men and one woman as they are trained and then deployed in a war zone. It is a visceral tour de force with a powerful physicality, moments of humour and is full of honesty - all inspired by input from serving and former soldiers.

Military audiences have applauded how well it reflects their experiences, their passion for their work and the risks they face. It weaves a story of physical transformation, helping us to appreciate what makes a soldier and how warfare affects those who put their life on the line.

Lieutenant Colonel Robert Lovett, commanding officer of 48 Signal Squadron, based at the Sparkbrook Army Reserve Centre, said: "We are pleased to be hosting 5 SOLDIERS and hope as many people as possible from the local community come and see this powerful show."

The national tour has been part of a broader initiative by the Army to engage with the public through the arts.

Lieutenant Colonel Jo Young, the Army's officer for the arts has organised a range of festivals, photographic exhibitions and performance to build networks between the service community and the wider population.

She said: "Many people simply don't have connections with the Army in the way they used to. The arts are a way we can engage in new and different conversations with those who rarely meet soldiers in their day-to-day life. Through initiatives like the 5 SOLDIERS tour, we can talk to them about issues we are all interested in like diversity and inclusiveness. We firmly believe that as society's army we should reflect the society we serve."

5 SOLDIERS was first toured in 2010-11 and was created by Rosie Kay after intensive research, including spending time with The 4th Battalion The Rifles. All the cast have experienced military training as part of their research and to prepare for this dynamic interpretation of Army life.

Kay added: "We've been struck by how this work directly communicates with soldiers, officers and military families, but also with people who have no connection to the military, and even with peace activists. This is truly a humanistic portrayal of war; complex, nuanced, uncomfortable-yes, but overall, impassioned and truthful.

"Just as important is that the Army recognising that the arts are an effective way to build links with sections of the community and open up discussions about its role in today's world."

5 SOLDIERS has also been attracting academic interest and was recently features on the cover of Dance Research Journal.

An article by Professor Matthew Reason entitled Representing Soldiers to Soldiers Through Dance: Authenticity, Theatricality, and Witnessing the Pain of Others explored the response of serving soldiers to the show.

One senior officer was quoted as saying: "I went from a position of trying to stand off, to one where one was completely part of the performance, if that makes sense. ... I'd say you were with them, rather than watching them."

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