Preview: Eliot Smith Dance On Tour

NORTHERN HERITAGE CELEBRATED IN POWERFUL NEW DANCE WORKS PERFORMED ON SPRING TOUR BY LEADING REGIONAL DANCE COMPANY

Newcastle based Eliot Smith Dance has since its inception in 2012 taken its work across the North East and beyond. With four new exciting dancers from Cyprus, Spain, Italy and Scotland joining existing company dancers  ESD is on the move throughout the region in April and May  in a Triple Bill of works.

Eliot Smith's newest creation PORTRAITS OF COURAGE  is inspired by the genius and courage of four great northerners: William Armstrong, George Stephenson, Grace Darling and Emily Wilding Davison, and is the perfect dance work  to complement the planned Great Exhibition of the North, celebrating the North’s great art, culture, design and innovation that has shaped our lives.

MOONLIGHT depicts one couple's passion as they explore the strength of their growing love for each other under the moonlight in a vivid and powerful pas de deux.

Eliot's hugely popular PITMAN returns in the form of three new sections: The Miner, Progging the Mat and The Xmas Tree set to popular music of the 20s and 30s.  It tells the story of the miners and their community through dance interpretations of the famous paintings of the Pitmen Painters that are on permanent exhibition at Woodhorn Museum. 

The life of the these talented Northumbrian miners will find a resonance in Spennymoor, the home of the Spennymoor Settlement and the so called Pitman’s Academy which nurtured the talents of working men such as Norman Cornish and Sid Chaplin.

The performance affords the opportunity for two local young people to join the professional dancers in ESD’s interpretation of the Xmas Tree.

There will be an opportunity to see local talent on display, when members of Chance 2 Dance, based in Sunderland, take part in a curtain raiser performance.

Eliot Smith explains “I never really use elaborate stage effects for my works, I focus on the body alone, the movement and the emotion.  My new Triple Bill really does offer you that.  I am inviting my audience back to our great Victorian era, and to celebrate our Pitmen Painters.  Expect powerful dancing fused with our love of the North-East heritage.” 

This programme is supported and funded by Arts Council England, Northumberland Arts Development, Akzo Nobel and Dance City.  PITMAN is in collaboration with Woodhorn Museum, with kind permission of The Ashington Group Trustees.  PORTRAITS OF COURAGE is in partnership with Armstrong Studio Trust and George Stephenson Railway Museum.

Website: www.eliotsmithdance.com

Spring 2018 Tour dates and venues:

Saturday Apr 14, 2018 GOSFORTH CIVIC THEATRE 7:30 PM

Sunday Apr 15, 2018 GOSFORTH CIVIC THEATRE 2:30 PM (MATINEE)

Saturday Apr 21, 2018 SUNDERLAND ROYALTY THEATRE 7:30 PM

Friday Apr 27, 2018 BLYTH PHOENIX THEATRE 7:30 PM

Saturday May 05, 2018 BAMBURGH PAVILION 7:00PM

Saturday May 12, 2018 WARKWORTH MEMORIAL HALL 7:30 PM

Thursday May 17, 2018 NEWBIGGIN MARITIME CENTRE 7:30 PM

Saturday May 19, 2018 SPENNYMOOR EVERYMAN THEATRE 7:30 PM

Duration: 70 minutes including 10-minute interval 

Tickets: www.eliotsmithdance.com/tickets