Amy Bell and Valentina Golfieri

I Just Close My Eyes: Here Are The Devils at Choreodrome and Touch Wood

amybellvalentinagolfieri — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:27:22 +0000

Thanks to the support of The Place, 4 weeks of Summer 2011 were happily spent getting our teeth into new duet I Just Close My Eyes: Here Are The Devils. Exploring the twisted world of a pair of faded wannabe divas, we began to investigate the slippery notions of failure and authenticity in performance. We were joined in the studio by best selling Italian writer Lorenza Ghinelli as dramaturg. The research culminated in a Touch Wood work in progress performance at The Place which gave an excellent chance for us to consolidate what we had worked on and to cast a forward looking eye to the future development of the piece. Watch this space…

Photo: Simon Palmer

Sadler’s Wells Summer University

amybellvalentinagolfieri — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 11:51:57 +0000

We are delighted to have both been individually selected for Sadler’s Wells Summer University. The first of its kind in the UK, Sadler’s Wells Summer University is a four year open programme studying the art and craft of choreography.

From 15 – 26 August 2011, we were given the opportunity to work with award-winning choreographer and author Jonathan Burrows for a fortnight of intensive talks, lectures, discussions and workshops, alongside 13 other young professionals. With additional input from guest artists and speakers including Liz Lerman, Matteo Fargion, David Hinton and Rudi Laermans the course focused on compositional and choreographic processes, performance and philosophies. It encouraged us to question how dance can be made and what it might communicate to somebody watching. We look forward very much to next year’s installment.

Photo: Ben Dowden, Jerwood Studio at Sadler’s Wells

LC3 British Library Performance Project

amybellvalentinagolfieri — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 11:31:36 +0000

In June 2011 we were invited to create an improvised site-adaptive performance on final year BA students from London Contemporary Dance School.

The piece was inspired by and performed as part of the Out of this World science fiction exhibition at the British Library, and there was also another opportunity to air to work the nearby St Pancras Church. The piece was a chance for students to cast an ironic eye over the kitsch of 50s and 60s science fiction B-movies.

Photo: Richard Thompson

Perlas a los Puercos at gDA Family Cabaret

amybellvalentinagolfieri — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:52:58 +0000

Sat 9 April 2011 saw a newly extended version of our miniature work Perlas a los Puercos at Greenwich Dance Agency‘s Family Cabaret.

The afternoon was a feast of acts to delight all ages, featuring dance, circus, music and all the best bits of a traditional cabaret (table service, compѐre, great atmosphere). The line up included ENB, Levantes Dance Theatre and the excellent Steve Blake on the fiddle.

Presented as part of the Greenwich Children’s Theatre Festival.

Photo: Carmen Klammer

7 Days in Russia

amybellvalentinagolfieri — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:29:28 +0000

Thanks to Liliya Burdinskaya and all at Bye Bye Ballet we had a great time during our residency in snowy St Petersburg in April 2011.

We began the research for our new duet which culminated in a studio sharing at which we also performed That Was the Time I Stopped. This initial research and the feedback we gained has proved vital as we continue work on the emerging piece. We also enjoyed meeting the other artists using the spaces in the building and the dancers that came to our technique and creative sessions. We hope to come back again and show you the finished piece!

Photo: Amy Bell and Valentina Golfieri

St Petersburg Residency

amybellvalentinagolfieri — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 14:49:28 +0000

We are delighted to be heading off to St Petersburg to start the initial R&D for a new short work. Our research will see us exploring the absurdity and vulnerability exposed when the performance personae of iconic singers begin to slip. The ravages of time, substance abuse, ego trips out of control and ridiculous backstage rituals will be some of our starting points. We’ve been invited to take up the residency at the end of March in the multi-purpose art space Bye Bye Ballet run by Liliya Burdinskaya and Alexander Kondratenko. The centre was established in 2009 and plays host to dancers, musicians and artists who want to learn, share or show their work. We will also be leading daily technique and creative classes there. We will post details of how we got on once we get back!

That Was the Time I Stopped at ROH2 Firsts

amybellvalentinagolfieri — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 07:24:28 +0000

We are excited to be performing That Was the Time I Stopped on Tues 16 and Wed 17 Nov 2010 at 19.45, the Linbury Studio Theatre at The Royal Opera House.

We perform as part of Firsts 2010, a season showcasing performances from some of the most diverse and genre-defying artists in the UK today.

Tickets are £5 and can be purchased from The Royal Opera House Box Office on 020 7304 4000 on online

Perlas a los Puercos at 60×60 Dance, Stratford Circus

amybellvalentinagolfieri — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 22:02:13 +0000

In July we cretaed and performed a new one minute work, Perlas a los Puercos, as part of 60×60 Dance at Stratford Circus, London. 60×60 Dance brings together dance and electronic music in a one-hour performance in which every minute of the hour sees a dance maker and composer collaborate. We were assigned a richly eerie and beautiful soundscape by harpist and composer Anne van Schothorst.

After its huge success in the US, 60×60 Dance arrived in London this summer for its European debut to celebrate the two-year countdown to London 2012.

“The idea – 60 new dance pieces are performed to 60 new pieces of music, each lasting no more than 60 seconds – is quite mad. But it’s this kind of madness that makes the cultural world go round…”
The New York Times

That Was the Time I Stopped at London Graduate Fashion Week

amybellvalentinagolfieri — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 21:31:58 +0000

In June we took That Was the Time I Stopped outside and opened London Graduate Fashion Week at Earl’s Court. The week showcases the very best up and coming fashion designers in the UK and we were delighted to perform the work in such a visually vibrant context. That Was the Time I Stopped was this time performed as part promenade, part installation piece outside the exhibition centre as part of the T-Mobile Big Dance.

That Was the Time I Stopped at The Place 40th Birthday Celebrations

amybellvalentinagolfieri — Tue, 04 May 2010 13:14:04 +0000

Another chance to see our duet!

That Was the Time I Stopped is one of over 50 that will be performed at The Place over the course of a single weekend entitled Something Happening.

The weekend is a showcase for the range and quality of artists that The Place is currently engaged with, and it forms a centrepiece of their 40th birthday celebrations.

The weekend – Sat 15 and Sun 16 May – is divided into five sessions; each session includes a seat for a full length show in the theatre, and the chance to see different performances in studios, specially configured spaces and site-specific locations throughout The Place’s building.

That Was the Time I Stopped is in Session 4, which is on Sunday 16th at 12.00 and 13.00 in Studio 8 (Robert Cohan Studio), at The Place, 17 Duke’s Road, London, WC1H 9PY.

Tickets cost £10 per session, and you can save money by booking for three or more sessions to get a full taste of the range of work that’s on offer.

For full details of the programme for session 4 and to book go to:

http://www.theplace.org.uk/5037/whats-on/something-happening-session-4.html

or call 020 7121 1100.

I hope that you’ll be able to join us– and join in the birthday celebrations!