WE STEP OUTSIDE AND START TO DANCE, a New Audio Experience by Alison Carr Launches This October

We step outside and start to dance is a new immersive audio experience written by award-winning North East playwright Alison Carr (The Last Quiz Night on Earth, UK Tour; Iris, Live Theatre), which will be launched and available to download from Wednesday 28 October at Midday.

The piece is inspired by an outbreak of uncontrollable dancing recorded in the 1500s when a woman did, indeed, step outside and start to dance. And kept dancing. Within a month, four hundred people had joined her.

Why did this happen? Experts have put it down to mass hysteria brought on by extreme stress and hardships. Which surely begs the question - if ever there was a time to start dancing, isn't it now?

Following social distancing guidelines the team met for the first time at local cultural venue Alphabetti Theatre to rehearse. For most of the team this was the first time they had crossed the threshold into a theatre since the pandemic began. On Friday 15 October the entire cast and crew came together to record the audio drama on stage at Live Theatre, Newcastle, who offered the venue in support of the project. The production team is currently in the process of editing the recording for its release on Wednesday 28 October.

Participants will be invited to download the piece, press play and start to dance. Alongside the audio experience, there will also be a BSL interpreted and captioned film. Any dancing is welcome, from brilliant to terrible, it's just about taking part!

As Alison Carr explains:

We step outside and start to dance isn't explicitly about coronavirus or lockdown, but it's definitely a piece for now. It's about an extreme uncontrollable reaction to extreme uncontrollable conditions, which is something we can all relate to. I hope it helps to express or articulate some of the things we're feeling currently - lacking control, being overwhelmed, something that was once familiar (in this case dancing) becoming something alien. It's easy to feel alone in those feelings, but we aren't. There's hope in there too, it's funny, and it's fun. We're inviting participants to let loose, to lose themselves in this world. And it's something people can take part in, within whatever restrictions are in place at the time. Alone, with their family or bubble, potentially in small groups as and when restrictions change

From school disco triumphs to ballet class embarrassments and glitter soaked nights outs with friends, We step outside and start to dance is interwoven with real life tales of dance successes and disasters. To add yours, and for more information, head to www.westarttodance.com

Community groups will be invited to download packs with We step outside and start to dance activities which can be hosted in-line with government guidance. If you are a community group who would be interested in accessing these packs please contact Emma at westarttodance@gmail.com.

We step outside and start to dance is directed by Melanie Rashbrooke (Redcoat, Live Theatre; W*nk Buddies, Soho Theatre, Mixtape, UK Tour) and features local North East actors Karen Traynor, Dale Jewitt, Sarah Lewis Obuba and Eleanor Chaganis.

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