Sadie's Blog

I was very excited to be starting at BE Festival this week.  Although it means it has been pretty hectic as I have been juggling work, home and pleasure, it has been a great first week.  I feel (and I hope) that I have fitted in where needed and that going forward I am going to become part of what seems like a great partnership and vision.

There is lots to do and with the Festival happening in the first week of July, it all needs doing now or very soon, so I have hit the ground running and it feels great.  Its good to get stuck in, and there is an energy about it all which can only be a good thing.  I’ll keep you posted on the programme as i know more …. watch this space

It was bitterly cold, the wind was biting and it felt more like January than a ‘cool’ April evening. However this did not deter me from the fun I had on Berlin Love Tour, part of this year’s Fierce Festival 2012.

To begin with it is quite unusual, funny and bizarre, walking round a familiar city being told you are standing at the Brandenburg Gate, Hitler’s Bunker or the Wall, when you are in fact in Brindley Place. Watching passes by wondering what you are doing is a fun side-line however, before I knew it I was totally absorbed in the history and culture of Berlin, and not only did I find myself suspending my belief about where I was, but also taken on an extraordinary tour of love, lost and remembering.

This is no ordinary tour, indeed you move from a traditional city tour to a personal journey with your guide who is both informative and moving in her words! You learn about the love in her life, the loss of it yet it cleverly links with the city, its history and her history coming together as one, the themes of memorial, remembering, forgetting, moving on, and understanding linking both your narrator and the history of the city and its people.

At our last stop, although cold (at one point I thought I would never feel my fingers again) I had truly been moved. The end was just… beautiful. Berlin Love Tour you warmed my heart!

I cannot describe the delight I got from seeing Dachshund UN and all those lovely dogs!  Bennet Millers Dachshund U.N. is described as a large scale architectural installation and a performance work that examines the role of the United Nations as a risk management organisation.  The scale replica of a former U.N. office in Geneva, Switzerland, was constructed outside Ikon on Saturday at which we saw it host a meeting of the U.N.’s Commission on Human Rights, at which the world’s politicians were live dachshunds.

There was quite a crowd, quite a lot of dogs, a real buzz in the air and rightly it was the  joyful and chaotic experiment it had been billed as.  It was interesting to see which countries were most ‘vocal’ and those others entering into a ‘special relationship’ the irony of which was not lost on anybody.  To see international work of this scale in Birmingham was a joy, and to see so many people watching, photographing, laughing and reacting even better.  More please!

On the other end of the spectrum I then visited Graeme Miller’s ‘Track’ a moveable participatory installation, which couldnt have been more different.  I laydown on the track and was moved by a ‘grip’ on a slow, smooth journey along a 100 metre length of dolly track while gazing upward to the concrete toweres and weaving motorway of spaghetti junction.  Despite its iconic landmark status and grey conrete stature the journey was surprisingly serene and immersive.  I was surprised how long it took to move the 100meters and how different things looked and sounded.  It wasnt what I had expected to experience at all.

Next up, Berlin Love Tour on Wednesday!

Incidently, this weekend I went on a Willow Workshop and bade a bean climber for the allotment, and some sculptural hanging light type items.  Here’s some pictures; just look how beautiful and colourful the willow is before we got started bending and weaving!

Fierce kicks of this week on Thursday with Pilot which looks set to be an exciting and interesting evening, and amongst all the parties and late night events that are taking place there are some family friendly and also free performances that are as interesting and edgy. I am particularly looking forward to Dachshund UN which will see over 40 ‘sauage dogs’ come together to re-create the UN in a large installation in Birmingham.  You can see a quick video of it here to get a flavour of what it’s going to be like (organised chaos?) and the sixe of the installation which in itself is going to have an impact.

What I like about these types of installations/performances is that not only are they enjoyable to watch but it gets you thinking and talking which is always a good thing.

I am also keen to attend Track which will allow for a new outlook on the world and I hope to do in tandem with my daughter who I am sure will find it extremely exciting.

I will also be going on the Berlin Love Tour which will be most interesting as I have always wanted to go to Berlin, and I guess as I have not made it there, its great it has come to me and I will get to ‘see’ it after all.

Reviews to follow once experienced.

Last week I was not only fortunate enough to catch the new Blanca Li show Elektro Kif at Warwick Arts Centre, which was marvellous (and a long time since I had seen a dance performance)  but I then got to go with 3 of the dancers to an all girls school in Solihull to see them lead a workshop based on the performance.  The show involves a mix of breaking, vogue, popping and locking, and they make it look easy, but seeing the dancers break the moves down and teach just a fraction of the piece (and by fracion I mean about 16 beats) and see this take the best part of an hour and then see them lead it at actual speed was brilliant.  It really made me appreciate how difficult it is and how intracate the moves are and need to be.

Interestingly the perfomance was preceeded by Junior Boys from Coventry’s Freeman Dance School as a curtain raiser.  The boys had took part in a competition entitled Dance Your City where groups from across the country were encouraged to submit videos of themselves performing in front of local landmarks. The boys performed as 2-tone gangsters performing to The Specials’ hit single Gangsters and they were just brilliant!  you can see the video here.

This also conicides nicely with the filming of the first of 6 films from the Boys Dancing project that I am working on at Warwick Arts Centre.  The project (in it’s third year) has seen hundreds of boys and young men experience the challenge, exhilaration, discipline and fun of making and sharing dance with dance-making taking place in schools, youth centres, Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) and will result in performances in theatres and schools, site specific work, and 6 dance films that will form ‘The Quiet Man Suite’.  Filming starts on Wednesday this week for the Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire based film and will see the boys dancing in various interesting locations …. I’ll post some footage when i get some however the next few weeks promise to be hard work and i imagine, surprises!

The day was suppossed to involve rebuilding beds on the allotment, but the weather stopped that straight off and so we ventured out for the day.  We started at Town Hall Symphony Hall for Musical Pic Nic which was lovely, singer Nia Lynn and her trio lead a morning of song with young children.  So some nice call and response with actions went down a treat with my 3 year old and all for free!  What was really interesting for me was to experience such an event with traditionally trained musicians and to then follow this by attending Ping! at Warwick Arts Centre.

This event couldnt have been further from the first one.  Music and Ping Pong, very none traditional, audience participation for a vocal Ping (which I ended up being part of) and experimental looping of ping pong sounds coupled with drumming and basketball performance/bouncing!  It was most emjoyable and I really enjoyed (even if it was a surpise to suddenly be involved) the vocal Ping! promenade and singing Three Blind Mice in Cannon and a round!  Although I cant say I was very good at it!

Ping! was part of the New Music 2012 programme of work which forms part of the cultural activity that is taking place in the run up to, and alongside the Olympics so check the link to see if there is a performance near you!.

PS: did I mention I was going to the Olympics!

I have been taking in a lot of film recently and thought I would give a quick round up of what I have seen (and hope to see):

The Descendants: There is a lovely feel to this film about a father trying to overcome his wife’s boating accident, affair and become ‘dad’ again with his daughters. Marvellous to see Clooney in a none ‘sophisticated and suave nice guy’ scenario and instead really getting to grips with something different.  Beautiful cinematography.  However not sure this is everyone’s cup of tea as very little happens.

The Artist: I think I reached this post too much media hype.  Don’t get me wrong I liked it but was left wanting more (more dancing at least) but not sure what.  I just didn’t feel as wowed as I felt I should, although Dean Dujardin was marvellous and I cannot get over how much you get from him as an actor just through expression alone.  Fully deserving of his BAFTA and will be surprised if he doesn’t get the Oscar.  I also understand why this is so award heavy, but it took me a good 20 minutes or so to settle in to the film which I think was more about (lack of) story for me than sound.

Attack The Block: Marvellous romp of an Alien Invasion attacking a South East London Housing Block.  There’s little more you need to know, other than I think there is a divided audience for this – take it at face value for what it is, a movie set with the backdrop culture in the present day for young inner city kids but is essentially good gory fun with a well balanced sense of action and the absurd.

A Monster in Paris: It’s no Toy Story, but then doesn’t profess to be.  What you get is a very enjoyable kids’ movie which pays homage to other ‘monster’-classics like Frankenstein and The Phantom of the Opera.  It’s beautifully put together with a monster who turns out quite different to what we expect, with enough slapstick humour and adventure to keep all amused.  A sleeper cartoon hit I think!

Took my daughter to see Ring a Ding Ding by the marvellous Oily Cart last weekend at Warwick Arts Centre. I cannot recommendtheir work highly enough.  We were taken on a journey (primarily for 3-6 year olds) from the moment the doors opened to their stage.  We donned headgera given to us by the performers (rather large red bows like the leading character Alice) and rang bells as we ran through hoops before taking a seat in the audience in the round. 

My daughter then, as the story of a run-a-way dog and its trip to the moon (via, motorbike, boat and balloon) unfolded, helped with and became part of the show by aiding the rotation of the table-top circular stage.   She was captivated and immersed, and her confidence grew as the narrative went on. 

Beautifully done!  Here we are in our Bows!

Last night I went to The Ritz for afternoon Tea who knew that sandwiches could be that good! And scones too, so light and airy it was like eating a pillow!  It was such a marvellous experience, such an opulent room, a lovely cup or 3 or 4 of Earl Grey to accompany the delights, and a glass of champagne to toast!  I cannot get over too, how full you can be on tiny cakes…
We ended up catching the wrong train home, despite running for that particular train (don’t ask) but despite this a marvellous time.  I don’t think I could sleep because of the sugar high but this is a small price to pay for a wonderful evening with friends.  Yum!