REQUIEM: JOURNEY'S OF THE SOUL

A powerful, staged re-imagining of Mozart’s iconic Requiem as Opera North and Phoenix Dance Theatre join forces with South African partners Jazzart Dance Theatre and Cape Town Opera.
Mozart’s awe-inspiring choral masterpiece and Neo Muyanga’s new commission After Tears: After a Requiem combine with the intense expressive physicality of two leading contemporary dance ensembles in a powerful double bill. This is an emotional response to the grief experienced by so many around the world during the pandemic.
The evening presents a fascinating perspective on the journey of the soul invoking South African cultural traditions on the themes of collective loss, the rituals of mourning and remembrance, and celebration of life. It will offer a vibrant contemporary counterpoint to the classical elegance of Mozart’s choral lament with rhythms to move us, heal us, and strengthen us for the future ahead.
Led by Phoenix Dance Theatre guest choreographer and Artistic director of Jazzart Dance Theatre Dane Hurst and Opera North music director Garry Walker.
Co-commissioned by LEEDS 2023, supported by The British Council. 

WEST SIDE STORY: Symphonic Dances

West Side Story is a landmark of musical theatre and Bernstein’s stand-alone Symphonic Dances extracted from the show are packed with mambos, waltzes and cha-chas. Inspired by the events of his native South Africa, Phoenix Dance Theatre’s Dane Hurst creates an entirely new dance work which responds to these rhythms as dancers navigate the rough edges and walls of city life, exploring conflict and the need to connect.
West Side Story Symphonic Dances: An introduction... (operanorth.co.uk) 

 FALLING MAN

'Falling Man is a remarkable performance of rare intensity and range from Hurst. At some points he is raging, carving up the space. But he is also unafraid to be weak, pliant, drained and frail. Yet the night terrors that haunt him haven’t quite dragged him down yet.

Tom Rowland’s films are projected on a large screen at the upper level of the Wilton’s stage, with most of the dancing at a lower level. Sometimes there are just very subliminal unsettling images that you can’t quite grasp, but still disturb. Tom Rowland also wrote the music/soundtrack, which featured some warm and tender live guest vocals from Apricity, appearing up in a corner of the Wilton’s balcony. It was an enterprising use of the space. The modest scale of the Wilton’s stage suits the piece, giving it a nightmarishly claustrophobic feel, and you are really up close and personal with the dancers. 

Falling Man is a powerful and unsettling work. It has been more than a year in the making from Hurst and Rowland. It’s a finely crafted piece, well-honed and thought through. That’s all the more remarkable given that its creation seems to have been the personal initiative of them both, with no funding credited in the programme. These performances at Wilton’s are its only currently scheduled dates and that’s a shame. Falling Man is a huge achievement, performed with intensity and charisma, and we really need to see it again in our theatres.' Bruce Marriot - Dance Tabs

REQUIEM: Journeys of the Soul 

Mozart’s iconic Requiem is reimagined in a powerful double bill alongside a new commission by Neo Muyanga, as Opera North and Phoenix Dance Theatre join forces with South African partners Jazzart Dance Theatre and Cape Town Opera. Mozart’s awe-inspiring choral masterpiece is paired with South African composer Neo Muyanga’s After Tears: After a Requiem. Both works are choreographed by Dane Hurst for two leading contemporary dance ensembles, in an intensely emotional response to the grief experienced by so many around the world during the pandemic.
After Tears presents a fascinating perspective on the journey of the soul invoking South African cultural traditions on the themes of collective loss, the rituals of mourning and remembrance, and celebration of life. It will offer a vibrant contemporary counterpoint to the classical elegance of Mozart’s choral lament with rhythms to move us, heal us, and strengthen us for the future ahead. Led by Phoenix Dance Theatre guest choreographer and former artistic director Dane Hurst (West Side Story Symphonic Dances) and Opera North music director Garry Walker.

Co-commissioned by LEEDS 2023, supported by The British Council.

SLEEPING BEAUTY

An award-winning film by Composer Fabio D'Andrea who has directed a series of dance music videos entitled '24'. The Sleeping Beauty' - one of the first videos from the series, directed by Fabio, choreographed by Dane Hurst and featuring actress Emma Rigby, showcased at numerous film festivals and has won over 20 international awards, including 'Best Music Video' at the prestigious LA Short Fest. https://www.fabiodandrea.com/fabio

 JAZZART DANCE THEATRE  

Jazzart Dance Theatre, one of South Africa's oldest contemporary dance companies invited Dane to be Associate Artist in Residence, a new position created during the pandemic in 2020. Working remotely from London he choreographed new work and contributed to the training programme for 15 young and talented trainee dancers. Dane created short films, curated photoshoot campaigns and a dance theatre production entitled Changing Tides. www.jazzart.co.za 

MOVING ASSEMBLY PROJECT  

Moving Assembly Project is a registered UK Charity founded by Artistic Director Dane Hurst in 2016. The slogan, ‘movement beyond borders’, captures the essence of what lies at the heart of MAP.  The aim of the organization is to use the arts to create opportunities and bring people together: across borders, ethnicity, sexual orientation and economics. The creation of dance, photography, spoken word and film is used to inspire young people and artists from areas of socio-economic hardship to develop and prosper; addressing inequality of opportunity enabling them to expand their skills set and move beyond their circumstances and geography. MAP aims to provide an artistic voice to young people and artists from challenging and historically marginalized backgrounds to share their passion and cultural narratives with the rest of the world through performance, exhibition and film. 

 MOVING ASSEMBLY PROJECT 

In 2018 Moving Assembly Project, directed by Dane Hurst, embarked on a new cross-cultural collaboration between UK and SA connecting professional artists and students from Nelson Mandela University, Jazzart Dance Theatre and Rambert School. MAP supported a team of UK artists including a student from the Rambert School to travel to South Africa and join an expanded Moving Assembly team made up of students and professional Artists in South Africa. The project resulted in the creation of new work performed at the National Arts Festival and Mandela Theatre alongside the delivery of free workshops in dance and photography. 
The expanded artistic team facilitated MAP programme workshops with 160 inexperienced youth in the northern areas of Port Elizabeth leading to a stage performance, alongside the professional artistic team. The photography workshops lead to the exhibition of photographs at the Mandela Theatre. The performance was awarded a Standard Bank Ovation Encore award in recognition of its  merit. 

Hip Hop Shakespeare Company 

Hip-hop Shakespeare presents: ‘This Gives Life To Thee’ ft. Akala/Nitin Sawhney/Dane Hurst - performing live to a hip-hop soundtrack inspired by all of William Shakespeare’s collective works, this latest Hip-hop Shakespeare track ‘This Gives Life To Thee’ is a rhetorical conversation between Akala and William Shakespeare using mostly Shakespeare’s most famous quotes and references to explore one question: what is the secret source of William Shakespeare’s long-lasting legacy? This is a conversation between two poets with two poetic styles, 400 years apart. Featuring award-winning dancer-choreographer Dane Hurst (Rambert Dance) performing in response with musical composition by the renowned composer/producer Nitin Sawhney with a handful of original lyrics written by Akala. 

TRAPPED

Trapped #01 is a series of films conceived by Dane Hurst and inspired by the stories of people that were captured and trapped on the inside of prison holding cells in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The images were originally part of the Moving Assembly Project, 'Freedom of Expression' exhibition at the Oxo Tower in 2019. The images were captured by photographer Karl Schoemaker with poetry written in response by LyricL Nkechi and choreography created by Dane Hurst. The films were part of a proposed series to be screened at the BEYONDBORDERS exhibition with featured live poetry, music and dance performances inspired by the photographs. The exhibition was postponed then cancelled due to the Covid 19 pandemic. The films were intended to show how the capturing of important moments in time through photography can inspire creative and collaborative responses in poetry, film and dance. Filmed and edited by Pierre Tappon. Performed by Jordan Ajadi.

BEYOND BORDERS 

Moving Assembly Project started a #mapdanceaday series to stay active and inspire their dance students and supporters during the lockdown period. MAP posted a dance video everyday until the end of lockdown and invited people to share their home-dance films during that time. All of the films were edited together to create one final film #BEYONDBORDERS as a symbol of celebration at the end of the lockdown.

The final film, BEYONDBORDERS was an amalgamation of all the videos received from around the world and edited by Jean Du Toit in South Africa. The team at MAP are incredibly proud of the film as it stands as a celebration of everyone positively coming together during a time of global lockdown and pandemic. We thank everyone who participated, without their trust and support we would not have been able to create the film. 

ANIMALIS: The Art of Violence 

A series of intimate performances at the Dulwich Picture Gallery, choreographed by the critically acclaimed dancer Dane Hurst, give form to the emotional tensions, psychological resonances and physical impulses on display in Ribera: Art of Violence. Expect to be challenged, entertained and enlightened.  

SACRED SPACE  

An artistic collaboration sparked by the themes associated with a new international stage production of 'Requiem: Journeys of the Soul' between arts organisations across UK & SA. This film is a poetic response to a call back to nature, a return to the energetic centre, to the beginning of all things 'ignited' within the natural landscape of South Africa.
'Emerging from the inner cocoon, a sacred space, a return to the centre, to the beginning in reconnection with source energy, a life giving vibration present within the landscape where nothing dies and everything lives in cycles and symbiosis' - Dane Hurst.

Choreography & Performance Dane Hurst | Filmed and edited by Robyn Walker www.robynwalker.co.za | Directed by Warren Petersen www.bakedink.co.za 

REQUIEM: Journeys of the Soul

A powerful, staged re-imagining of Mozart’s iconic Requiem as Opera North and Phoenix Dance Theatre join forces with South African partners Jazzart Dance Theatre and Cape Town Opera. Mozart’s awe-inspiring choral masterpiece and Neo Muyanga’s new commission After Tears: After a Requiem combine with the intense expressive physicality of two leading contemporary dance ensembles in a powerful double bill. This is an emotional response to the grief experienced by so many around the world during the pandemic. The evening presents a fascinating perspective on the journey of the soul invoking South African cultural traditions on the themes of collective loss, the rituals of mourning and remembrance, and celebration of life. It will offer a vibrant contemporary counterpoint to the classical elegance of Mozart’s choral lament with rhythms to move us, heal us, and strengthen us for the future ahead.

Directed and Choreographed by Dane Hurst with Garry Walker as conductor, Set & Costume Design by Joanna Parker and Lighting Design by Peter Mumford.
Co-commissioned by LEEDS 2023, supported by The British Council and National Arts Council South Africa 

 SYMPHONIC DANCES 

A behind the scenes clip of rehearsals for West Side Story: Symphonic Dances with Opera North and Phoenix Dance Theatre 2021. www.phoenixdancetheatre.co.uk