Dudendance, however, are taking the metaphor more literally. On tour in July, they have created a series of site-specific performances in the Abbeys of the Scottish Borders. Drawing on the 'the juxtaposition of spirituality and war in a meditative interpretation of invasion, conquest and contemplation,' (a liminal space itself bordering the highest aspirations and the lowest behaviour, perhaps), the company are exploring the potential of the holy house to illuminate a perennial problem.
The ruined Abbeys of the Scottish Borders are layered in history. Deeply rooted in medieval Christian mysticism and home to Premonstratesian, Tironensians, Cistercians and Augustinian orders, these great examples of medieval architecture became caught up in the anarchic struggles between Scotland and England and then were finally destroyed by the reformation.
Of course, I'd argue with the use of the word 'anarchic' to describe a battle between two nation states: brutal, violent, chaotic, vicious - but I bet there were plenty of leaders (archons, if you will) stomping about the battle-field.
Borderlands will be set within three prominent Abbey sites of Kelso, Jedburgh and Dryburgh along the Scottish Borders Abbey Way. Versions of the piece will performed at special events including celebrations for the Queen’s Baton Relay, Aberdeenshire’s Scottish Sculpture Workshop live sculpture
The piece is created with a large cast drawn from the local communities through a series of intensive workshops and rehearsals. The Borders cast consists of professionals, non-professionals, young people and international artists. In Huntly, Dudendance will be running both Summer and Autumn intensives for young people for an atmospheric night-time version at Huntly Castle.
Historically the Scottish Borders were one of the most turbulent and anarchic places in Britain with constant disputes during the Scottish Wars of Independence. 2014 will see the Scottish Referendum and the celebration of the 1st World War – Borderlands will be a poetic metaphor – a subtle evocation of what it means to be invaded.
Despite the repeated misuse of anarchy - unless there is another history buried beneath the invasions, in which the local people built local co-operatives and refused the hegemony of feudal and capitalist societies - this has got my attention. It is the mismatch of the content and the events: celebrating the Queen's Baton Relay (something to do with the Commonwealth Games?) and the Scottish Referendum sets monarchist and republican values against each other.
I am not admitting that we are 'celebrating' WWI though, regardless of Michael Gove's opinion. I wouldn't want to celebrate the dissolution of the abbeys either - at its best, the monastic tradition has preserved the interior, meditative traditions of Christianity. Mind you, that tradition does include the Knights Templar, so it has not always been averse to a ruck.
The professional/non-professional cast is another liminal space. All of these conflicts are difficult - good and evil get muddled in conflicts pretty quickly, and the righteousness of a cause does not prevent unrighteous behaviour. Like, it's good to get more critics and not privilege the authority of a critical caste: but ripping off people and printing their reviews without paying them is bad. Community-based performances occupy the same challenging territory.
Inspired by paintings of the Renaissance, the costumes by Canadian designer Heather MacCrimmon are stylistically a combination of ecclesiastical wear and armor designed for shape-shifting and movement flow. The slow meditative pace and sculptural quality of the performance unfolds like a dream around the audience who will discover different “views” of the performers through and into the ruins. Technical production will be minimal allowing the piece to become one with the space. The aim is to give the audience new perspectives of these historic places and to fully engage participants in a unique performing experience.
ANDATE Chamber Choir will accompany Borderlands in Dryburgh Abbey with a rendition of Tomas Luis de Victoria’s requiem mass and Argentine composer/musician Fabiana Galante will create a spoken and whispered soundscape with Huntly based Aurora choir.
ABBEY PERFORMANCES in JUNE 2014:
KELSO TOWN and ABBEY
June 14th at 2pm (starting point at the Market Square)
The professional/non-professional cast is another liminal space. All of these conflicts are difficult - good and evil get muddled in conflicts pretty quickly, and the righteousness of a cause does not prevent unrighteous behaviour. Like, it's good to get more critics and not privilege the authority of a critical caste: but ripping off people and printing their reviews without paying them is bad. Community-based performances occupy the same challenging territory.
Inspired by paintings of the Renaissance, the costumes by Canadian designer Heather MacCrimmon are stylistically a combination of ecclesiastical wear and armor designed for shape-shifting and movement flow. The slow meditative pace and sculptural quality of the performance unfolds like a dream around the audience who will discover different “views” of the performers through and into the ruins. Technical production will be minimal allowing the piece to become one with the space. The aim is to give the audience new perspectives of these historic places and to fully engage participants in a unique performing experience.
ANDATE Chamber Choir will accompany Borderlands in Dryburgh Abbey with a rendition of Tomas Luis de Victoria’s requiem mass and Argentine composer/musician Fabiana Galante will create a spoken and whispered soundscape with Huntly based Aurora choir.
ABBEY PERFORMANCES in JUNE 2014:
KELSO TOWN and ABBEY
June 14th at 2pm (starting point at the Market Square)
Admission Free
JEDBURGH ABBEY
June 22nd from 2pm (three performance cycles 2-5pm)
June 22nd from 2pm (three performance cycles 2-5pm)
Historic Scotland site -admission charges apply.
DRYBURGH ABBEY
June 29th from 2pm (three performance cycles 2-5pm)
Historic Scotland site- admission charges apply.
18th June: Queen’s Baton Relay in the Borders 6pm
Admission free
DRYBURGH ABBEY
June 29th from 2pm (three performance cycles 2-5pm)
Historic Scotland site- admission charges apply.
18th June: Queen’s Baton Relay in the Borders 6pm
Admission free
16th August: Living Sculpture Walk at Scottish Sculpture Workshop 4pm
Admission free
Following on from a summer-school intensive with local young people *Borderlands will be a starting point to create a living sculpture promenade performance at the site of the former sculpture park in Lumsden Aberdeenshire. The performance will be followed by a BBQ at SSW.
Admission free
Following on from a summer-school intensive with local young people *Borderlands will be a starting point to create a living sculpture promenade performance at the site of the former sculpture park in Lumsden Aberdeenshire. The performance will be followed by a BBQ at SSW.
HUNTLY HALLOWEEN at HUNTLY CASTLE
1st November 6pm
Admission free
Starting point at the Deveron River car park then promenade to the Huntly Castle. This night-time version of Borderlands is created with a group of young people from Huntly who have taken part in Dudendance’s summer and autumn school intensive training.
Argentine composer Fabiana Galante has been commissioned to work with local Aurora Choir on a spoken and whispered soundscape to accompany the live performance.
Fabiana Galante is considered to be Argentina’s foremost experimental pianist and composer. She has won critical acclaim for establishing the avant-garde music festival Experimenta and Instantes Sonoras and collaborated with high profile artists such as Kazuo Ohno. During her MA study in Scotland at the RSAMD she performed at the CCA, Tramway, Northern College in Aberdeen , Dundee and St. Andrew’s Universities and premiered work by Scottish composer Ross Campbell . She has worked with Dudendance since 2001 and also created experimental music for the Huntly Pipe Band, collaborated with violinist Paul Anderson and performed in the SOUND festival.
Clea Wallis and Paul Rous met at Camberwell Art School in 1984 and formed Dudendance with a group of seven performers and art students. Clea subsequently studied under expressionist choreographer Anna Sokolov in New York and Pina Bausch in Wuppertal Germany. Paul worked with Laurie Booth and Motionhouse, taught in prisons, formed his own company and performed for several companies including Dance Unlimited.
Dudendance have created over twenty works having been based in London, Glasgow, Aberdeenshire and working internationally in Germany, Canada, and South America. Recent site-specific productions include Into the Wild and This Side of Paradise made with young people in Huntly. A strong link to South America since 1992 has resulted in co-production, tours, film projects and interchange in Brazil and Argentina.
1st November 6pm
Admission free
Starting point at the Deveron River car park then promenade to the Huntly Castle. This night-time version of Borderlands is created with a group of young people from Huntly who have taken part in Dudendance’s summer and autumn school intensive training.
Argentine composer Fabiana Galante has been commissioned to work with local Aurora Choir on a spoken and whispered soundscape to accompany the live performance.
Fabiana Galante is considered to be Argentina’s foremost experimental pianist and composer. She has won critical acclaim for establishing the avant-garde music festival Experimenta and Instantes Sonoras and collaborated with high profile artists such as Kazuo Ohno. During her MA study in Scotland at the RSAMD she performed at the CCA, Tramway, Northern College in Aberdeen , Dundee and St. Andrew’s Universities and premiered work by Scottish composer Ross Campbell . She has worked with Dudendance since 2001 and also created experimental music for the Huntly Pipe Band, collaborated with violinist Paul Anderson and performed in the SOUND festival.
Clea Wallis and Paul Rous met at Camberwell Art School in 1984 and formed Dudendance with a group of seven performers and art students. Clea subsequently studied under expressionist choreographer Anna Sokolov in New York and Pina Bausch in Wuppertal Germany. Paul worked with Laurie Booth and Motionhouse, taught in prisons, formed his own company and performed for several companies including Dance Unlimited.
Dudendance have created over twenty works having been based in London, Glasgow, Aberdeenshire and working internationally in Germany, Canada, and South America. Recent site-specific productions include Into the Wild and This Side of Paradise made with young people in Huntly. A strong link to South America since 1992 has resulted in co-production, tours, film projects and interchange in Brazil and Argentina.
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