Dance company with a difference set for Floral Pavilion show

Jan 27 2010 by Matt Hurst, Birkenhead News

A DANCE company that seamlessly merges disabled and non-disabled performers is visiting the Floral Pavilion on Friday.

Candoco Dance Company will arrive in New Brighton for the first night of their Spring 2010 tour, having already wowed audiences in Spain, Brazil, Norway and across the UK from September to November last year.

The company is marked out by its use of disabled and non-disabled dancers, in productions that promise the cutting edge of contemporary dance.

Described as a “double bill of fierce new work”, Candoco will perform two pieces, Still and The Perfect Human by top choreographers Nigel Charnock and Hofesh Shechter.

The Perfect Human is a dark, unsettling piece that questions man’s search for perfection.

Apart from its dense character, another strong aspect of this piece is the contagious music, which alternates between rhythmic drums and lyrical classical music, complementing the relentless movement that is carried throughout.

Still, by Nigel Charnock, presents a more theatrical style of contemporary dance and, in contrast to its title, takes the dancers through a constant whirl guided by the choreographer’s eclectic choice of music.

Nigel says: “Still is a chaotic, wild, seriously funny piece about love and loss, a celebration of life and death written with bodies without limits.”

A founder member of DV8, Nigel has a string of internationally acclaimed shows to his name and worked as artistic director of Helsinki Dance Company between 2002 and 2005.

He shares the choreography credits with Hofesh Shechter, creative associate at The Point in Eastleigh.

Hofesh’s debut production Fragments toured internationally, scooping awards along the way and in 2007 his work In Your Rooms was presented at London’s three leading dance venues, The Place, Southbank Centre and Sadler’s Wells.

lCandoco Dance Company will perform at the Floral Pavilion on Friday January 29. For tickets call 0151 666 0000 or visit www.floralpavilion.com