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Dance Meets Art at Whitechapel Gallery
The incidence of dance performances in unusual venues seems to be growing in popularity and in the process the art form is becoming more accessible to new audiences. Recent examples include Rambert Dance Company’s performances of Constant Speed on the Jubilee Line at Canary Wharf underground station and Waterloo’s Eurostar terminal in January and then last month’s fusion of art and dance at London’s Whitechapel Gallery.
The common factor in both events - and indeed any similar dance performance venue - is the imperative of a good quality dance floor. Not only does the right type of floor provide the correct blend of spring and traction needed by dancers to fully express their artistic skills, but it offers essential safety features pertinent to each performer’s well being - needs backed by the benefits of considerable medical research. The task of providing such floors often leads to British Harlequin plc, a company already recognised by the dance community as world leaders in advancing the technology of floors designed in sympathy with performers’ requirements. For such special occasions Harlequin have a number of solutions they can deploy.
The Whitechapel Gallery’s launch of Art Plus Dance 2005 - a new annual event for the art world calendar – was billed as a platform for showcasing and celebrating the arts in London and featured performances choreographed by Rafael Bonachela, winner of The Place Prize 2004, and Associate Choreographer for Rambert Dance Company. His award-winning work, ‘E2 7SD’ and ‘Irony of Fate’ were both performed and demanded a suitable floor.
For the event, designed by Michael Howells, the Whitechapel was transformed into a magical world for a unique experience of art and dance. But before any performance could take place, an important part of the preparation concerned conversion of the venue into a space that could host professional dance, equipped with a floor of the right quality. Event organiser, Emily Daw, turned to British Harlequinfor help, well aware that the floor should provide a safe performance surface.
The solution was Harlequin’s Liberty sprung panel dance floor, laid in an area of the Gallery to convert the unyielding hard wooden floor into a performance space. ‘Irony of Fate’ featured Rambert dancer Amy Hollingsworth and violinist Ruth Palmer, in a work described as being a dialogue between the two – the dancer responding to the crisp, complex and occasionally abrasive music. This was followed by ‘E2 7SD’, inspired by the eponymous East End post-code for Hackney Road, and performed by Antonia Grove and Lee Claydon. The accompanying sound sculpture by Oswaldo Macia was composed from the audio diaries of the dancers.
http://www.harlequinfloors.com
6th April 2005
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