latest news headlines
Harlequin Liberty at Tate Modern
When Dance Umbrella brought the Merce Cunningham Dance Company to perform at the Tate Modern, technical director Simon Byford was faced with two problems: how to convert the venue’s concrete floor into a sprung dance floor befitting the dance company and the event, and how to get the floor in and out each evening in less than 45 minutes. The solution to both problems was found by using Harlequin’s Liberty sprung floor panels.
The Merce Cunningham performances, the final events of Dance Umbrella’s 25th Anniversary season and co-incidentally in MCDC’s 50th year, took place in the vast, 152 metre long Turbine Hall of the Tate Modern within the embracing environment of Olafur Eliasson’s The Weather Project. Cunningham’s company of 16 dancers performed on three Harlequin Liberty dance areas, linked by a Harlequin Studio dance surface, permitting the artistes to move from one area to another and for the audience to promenade and view the performance from different vantage points. Eliasson’s Weather installation included a 15 metre diameter artificial sun powered by 240 low pressure sodium street lights, interacting with mirrors and stage fog effects to create a surreal monochromatic setting for the performances.
The choice of Harlequin Liberty floors was in little doubt as MCDC’s Bethune Street studio in New York has also recently been equipped with a permanent installation. But, what clinched the specification of the portable Liberty panels was the ability to lay the floor areas at express speed each evening after the gallery closed to the day visitors. To assist in this process Harlequin’s new storage carts enabled the floor to be rapidly dissembled after each night’s performance, then wheeled away for secure storage.
Cunningham has achieved a global reputation for modern dance choreographed and improvised for unconventional venues. Thanks to Harlequin Liberty, without compromising quality, performers are able to dance on the same flooring on tour as they enjoy in the best equipped studios. The technical team, comprising Simon Byford of Dance Umbrella with Trevor Carlson and Will Knapp of MCDC, worked closely with Harlequin’s Monica Arnott to plan, supply and deliver the complete package to a demanding schedule.
http://www.harlequinfloors.com
3rd December 2003
HEADLINES
news archive
search stories
FOOTNOTE: Select the news type you require in the red band above; this will enable you to see the current news stories from that section
© 1999 - 2012 Entertainment Technology Press Limited News Stories
