Sense of Freedom: Mark Smith and Deaf Men Dancing Tue 24 May
Sense of Freedom is a suite of dances by Mark Smith for his company of four deaf men. Song lyrics or spoken poetry are the choreographic starting points.
Sign language or mime, directly referencing the source text, is variously elaborated, jazzed up and refracted across the group. Song lyrics or spoken poetry are the choreographic starting points. Sign language or mime, directly referencing the source text, is variously elaborated, jazzed up and refracted across the group. The formation dancing and regular rhythms work well in the peppy opening number (to the Pet Shop Boys) and to the blokeish banter of the second section. But when the tone gets more serious (a poem about expression and sensation), it looks doggedly literal. The underlying idea is richly suggestive - choreography as a kind of physical song, with the body as both words and music - but these dances remain shackled to actual words and music; they need more sense of freedom.
Deaf Men Dancing will present Sense of Freedom and will participate in a Question and Answer session with the audience after the show.
To book your tickets, please visit Brighton Festival Booking Information
Nb If you book as a delegate, this performance will be included in the delegate booking price.
Pavilion Theatre
Tuesday 24th May
7.45 pm
Ticket price: £15
Mark Smith and Deaf Men Dancing
Choreographer Mark Smith uses a fusion of different styles of dance incorporated with sign language to create exciting and unique work for his all-male dance company, Deaf Men Dancing, a collaboration of professional male dancers & choreographers who like Mark are deaf. Mark’s work as a choreographer includes the recent Sadler’s Wells' production of Shoes & the Union Theatre’s Iolanthe. The essence of Deaf Men Dancing is to use sign language as an inherent part of the creative process and integrate it into the movement vocabulary, rather than use it as a commentary to the performance. The elements of the signing are teased out and drawn into something uniquely beautiful.
Deaf Men Dancing events: Sense of Freedom & Alive!