MEDIA RELEASE COURTESY OF: UNITYTHEATRE

As part of LEAP 2010 National Dance Network premieres Dance3 at unitytheatre.

The National Dance Network open their UK tour Dance 3 at unitytheatre as part of LEAP 2010 on 2 March. Eight leading dance promoters and programmers on the National Dance Network have selected their pick of the freshest emerging choreographic talent for Dance3, a major initiative to bring the new wave of dance-makers to audiences throughout the UK.

The choreographers’ work will be presented in a series of bite-size triple bills, managed and promoted by the NDN. The 29-venue tour begins at unitytheatre, Liverpool on 2 March.

Matthew Bourne, artistic director of New Adventures and one of the UK’s most successful choreographers, says:

“It is vital that the next generation of choreographers, who are the life blood of dance, continue to be supported through initiatives like Dance3. Equally important is the sustained support of the small-scale venues and dance organisations that support and take risks on new dance talent at early stages of their careers.“

The Dance3 choreographers are Claire Cunningham & Jose Agudo; Tom Dale; Laïla Diallo; Heather Eddington; Darren Ellis; Mickael Marso Riviere; Freddie Opoku-Addaie; Tanja Råman; Douglas Thorpe; and Ben Wright.

The triple bills are selected from the following works:

4m2 by Claire Cunningham & Jose Agudo

A Tibetan held in captivity, a stammering Swedish actress, an Icelandic woman poised perilously atop the edge of a cliff are amongst the real stories of isolation explored in this physical theatre performance.

Cabin Fever by Tom Dale

A solo, Cabin Fever is a voyeuristic look at how we operate creatively within our confined mental, physical and social realities.

Sticks And Bones by Darren Ellis

This solo for Darren and his drumsticks is an exploration of practice and the quest for perfection. When the sticks take control that’s when the trouble starts.

Between The Shingle And The Dune by Laïla Diallo

In this duet, created in collaboration with Theo Clinkard, Laïla creates physical narratives of togetherness and evokes shifting landscapes of distance and nearness.

Appel by Mickael Marso Riviere

Inspired in equal parts by B-boying, capoeira and contemporary dance, Appel is a trio of two dancers and a musician playing bansuri (flute) and tabla.

Silence Speaks Volumes by Freddie Opoku-Addaie

Powerful partnering and expansive gestures weave a rich, multicultural movement vocabulary for five dancers, performed to a soundtrack of cello and sampled lyrics from traditional Ghanaian Asante tribe music.

(re)traces by Tanja Råman

Dancer Tanja Råman, photographer John Collingswood and musician Jon Ruddick create constantly evolving maps from traces of the dancing body, exploring the world of memories.

a mind as beautiful by Douglas Thorpe

Former Phoenix dancer Douglas Thorpe explores the experience of schizophrenia. This new work for five dancers combines his trademark speed, rhythm and precision with a moving spoken narrative.

Passing Strange And Wonderful by Ben Wright

This intense physical conversation for two, framed by a rectangle of fluttering light, evokes a sense of something partially remembered.

A Blank Canvas, an installation by choreographer and filmmaker Heather Eddington, which blends dance, film and animation to humorous effect will be in the foyer of all the tour venues.

Wayne McGregor, artistic director of Random Dance and Resident Choreographer of the Royal Ballet, says:

“Dance3 is a rare and unparalleled opportunity for a new generation of choreographers to share and tour their work around the UK alongside their artistic peers. Small-scale venues and their committed audiences have always played a critical role in the development and nurturing of aspiring dance talent, often quickly embracing the experimental and encouraging innovative choreographic thought way before the mainstream. Dance3 provides a new framework for this dialogue to continue more deeply, between artist and artist; audience and artist; audiences/artists and themselves.”

Visit the Dance3 website here.

Dance 3 at unitytheatre, 1 Hope Place, Liverpool. Tue 2 Mar, 8pm.Tickets £8/£7 concessions. Book now on 0844 873 2888/ or visit the unitytheatre website here.