A pioneering dance experience that blossomed in the stunning
Cotswold setting of Hidcote Manor Garden during the summer will offer a new and
inspiring way to experience the medieval Blackfriars Priory in October.
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| Ballet Cymru's Daisuke Miura and professional freelance dancer Alice Sheppard. Just two of the 50 + Stuck in the Mud cast |
'The show, called Stuck in
the Mud, brings together 10 dancers from Ballet Cymru, 3 professional
disabled dancers and a cast of 80 disabled and non-disabled school and
community dancers. Local production
company GDance is particularly excited to be working with Alice Sheppard, a
stunning disabled performer originally from Gloucester, now based in New York.
Alice took an unconventional route into her dance career, having
studied English at Oxford University and a PhD in Medieval Studies at Ithaca
University, New York. She was Associate Professor of English and Comparative
Literature at Penn State University in 2005 when she resigned from her post to
learn to dance.
She studied ballet and modern techniques for a dancer using a
wheelchair in New York in 2005. Her performance debut was with Kitty Lunn’s
company, Infinity Dance Theatre, at the Joyce Soho Theatre in New York.
Since then she has toured and performed in the USA with prominent
choreographers such as Marc Brew, Sonya Delwaide, and David Dorfman.
Alice joined AXIS Dance Company in 2007 as a teaching artist. She
participated in the company’s weekly classes and co-facilitated classes for
dancers of all experience levels as well as workshops for teachers wishing to
integrate disabled dancers into their classes.
She says: “My life was changed when, in 2004, I saw
disabled dancer Homer Avila take the stage. That performance and a conversation
in which he dared me to take a dance class led me from my world as a professor
of Medieval Studies to a life as a dancer.
“I
dance now because dance is the ultimate freedom. I dance because the discipline
and creativity lift me into a new experience of my body. I dance because I know
that this work is life-changing. Dancing shows me how essential the disability
arts and culture movement is to our understanding of humanity.”
Involving a community cast of 80, from all backgrounds and of all abilities,
while challenging, attempts to address the need to increase opportunities for
disabled young people to access dance.
Stuck
in the Mud will go on tour to Newport in Wales and a European tour is
envisaged in 2014.
The venture is made possible by a unique collaboration between the
National Trust, Cheltenham Music Festivals, and two dance organisations that
share a commitment to work with disabled dance artists: Ballet Cymru and
GDance.
Choreographed by renowned disabled choreographer Marc Brew, the
show will consist of an hour-long dance experience with performances at 3pm
& 7pm on Sunday 13 October, and 1.30pm, 6pm & 8pm on Monday 14
October. Tickets can be purchased from
Gloucester's Guildhall (tel:01452 503050 or visit www.gloucester.gov.uk/guildhall)
from as little as £5 for children and with special deals for group bookings and
families.
Audiences and participants at the
Hidcote shows in July commented:
“Excellent – eye-opening, enjoyable, magical! Lyrical and beautiful!
“Excellent – eye-opening, enjoyable, magical! Lyrical and beautiful!
One of the most beautiful things I’ve seen.
The kids loved it. It was like an adventure
... magical and sublime”
The kids loved it. It was like an adventure
... magical and sublime”
And a participating community
dancer said :
“Taking
part in Stuck in the Mud has been one of the top 3 most fabulous experiences of
my Life!”
GDance is a Gloucester based dance charity, nationally renowned
for its work with children, young people and adults facing disabling
barriers. To support its invaluable
ongoing work, enhancing the lives of local people, GDance is reliant on the
generosity of funders, donors and audiences.
Stuck
in the Mud is supported by the National Trust, Arts Council England and Arts
Council of Wales.
http://alicesheppard.com/artist-statement/
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