Of Land & Tongue
choreographer / designer Theo Clinkard
composer / musician James Keane
lighting design Guy Hoare
performers Sofie Burgoyne
Leah Marojević
Francis Christeller
James Keane
Camilla Brogård-Andersen / Lauren Potter
Luke Divall
costumes Wolf and Gypsy Vintage
Through eloquent dance, vivid imagery, conversation and song, an accumulation of untranslatable words from other cultures are brought to life to visceral, compelling and occasionally hilarious effect. Of Land & Tongue is a dance of odd sensations and unnameable experiences performed by an exceptional cast and set to live music, that invites audiences to consider the shifting relations between that which is experienced and that which can be articulated.
Of Land & Tongue was the group work that formed part of the double bill, which Clinkard's seven-strong company premiered in June 2014. Conceived for unconventional and atmospheric spaces, set to live music by James Keane and presented twice nightly to an intimate audience of just 60, this evening of work promises a rare and breathtaking experience; from nuanced performances that capitalise on the intimacy of the setting, to visceral physicality that rips across the floor at the audiences feet.
The double bill was co-commissioned by The Tanja Liedtke Foundation and Pavilion Dance South West and was created in spring 2014 through residencies at Lucy Guerin Inc (Melbourne), Critical Path (Sydney), Vitlycke Centre for Performing Arts (Sweden), Shawbrook (Ireland), Greenwich Dance, Dance East, Swindon Dance, Plymouth Dance and The Point.
"...a rump-shaking finale, which fuses street dance and contemporary shape-shifting shimmies to James Keane's thunderous soundtrack. It makes it impossible not to move in your seat” ACROSSTHEARTS.CO.UK
'Clinkard’s choreography has an unforced, unhurried quality that is very much of the moment. He muses, tinkers around with his material like a bloke in a shed, and then, quietly and deftly, pulls the loose ends together. The result is intimate, human-scale and charged with joy.'
**** The Observer
'Of Land and Tongue is like an oddball word game where dancers' bodies, actions - interactions with us - offer meanings of words that elude precise English equivalents.'
**** Herald Scotland
'The audience erupted in applause, and there was a shared sensation of joy in knowing that we’d all just partaken in something truly extraordinary.'
Photo: Pari Naderi
Zoe Manders