Download PRESS RELEASE: RTDI Commission Announced!

PRESS RELEASE
Friday 7 October 2016
bgroup’s Ben Wright returns to the UK to make intimate new
piece for village halls
Lighthouse-inspired work is the first commission for the Rural Touring Dance Initiative
Choreographer/Director Ben Wright is to make his first work in the UK since 2013 following a commission
from the Rural Touring Dance Initiative, launched last year by The Place, National Rural Touring Forum
(NRTF), Take Art and China Plate to bring contemporary dance to village halls and community venues around
the country.
The Keepers will be a seafaring story conceived for small spaces, told through dance and music. Ben
Wright will collaborate with musician and writer Stuart Warwick to explore an eerie relationship between two
keepers at an isolated lighthouse. The Keepers will be a haunting tale of love, death and monsters, accompanied
by original music. Designer Will Holt will design a set that evokes the intimacy of a lighthouse within each venue
the production visits.
Speaking about the commission Ben Wright said “After spending the last 3 years creating dance for largescale venues in Sweden, this prospect of being invited to village halls to share work in an intimate and tangible
way is extremely beguiling. The rural touring circuit offers a unique opportunity for artists to meet and entertain
people up close and on their turf. It is the nature of this invitation that I am most enamoured with, this chance to
present dance work at the behest of individuals who are so passionate about staging theatrical events at the heart
of their communities”
Ralph Lister of the NRTF and Take Art said “We loved the idea of Ben making a ‘jewel’ of a show, small and
perfect; taking the best that dance has to offer, combining it with high production values, creating an immersive
piece that takes place within the intimate setting of a village hall"
Eddie Nixon, Director, The Place said “This initiative was about bringing ambitious dance to rural touring and
The Keepers is just that. A big idea, created by hugely experienced artists, for places where you can literally feel
the dancers moving and hear every breath. We're all delighted that b-group are making this show with us.”
The Keepers will be created during Summer 2017 and will begin touring later in the year. Productions for
rural touring are selected by local promoters from a menu of available shows, so the exact regions the production
are not yet known but could include villages from Cornwall to the Scottish Highlands.
Ben Wright is an independent artist working in contemporary dance, Opera and Theatre. He trained at The Ballet
Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance and worked primarily as a performer between 1991 2006. Since January 2014 he has been the Associate Artistic Director of Skanes Dansteater in Sweden,
where this month he will debut his new production To see the world while the light last at Malmo Opera.
Other recent choreography credits include work for The Royal Opera House, National Theatre Wales, Washington
National Opera, The Donmar Warehouse, The Michael Grandage Company, English National Opera,
Glyndebourne Opera and The Metropolitan Opera New York. As a performer he created the role of the Prince in
the original cast of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake and has danced with Ricochet, London Contemporary Dance
Theatre, Richard Alston Dance Company and Stan Won’t Dance before forming bgroup in 2008.
Press Contact: Elin Morgan at Mobius 020 3195 6269 [email protected]
The Rural Touring Dance Initiative is a three-year scheme for making and touring dance performances to
and for rural areas. Made possible by a grant from Arts Council England’s Lottery-funded Strategic Touring
Programme, the initiative is led by National Rural Touring Forum (NRTF), which joined with dance institution The
Place, arts charity Take Art and independent producing studio China Plate to deliver the scheme. During Autumn
2016, companies including Luca Silvestrini’s Protein and Lost Dog have been among the first to tour, taking
adapted versions of existing shows on the road. The Keepers is the first dance work to be especially
commissioned especially for the rural touring circuit as part of the initiative.
@rural_dance | #ruraldance | www.ruraltouring.org | @bgroupdance |
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The NRTF is the membership organisation identified a paucity of dance on the rural touring circuit and the
development of a dance project is evident in its business plan. As a result of a fruitful relationship that has
developed with The Place and a successful dance showcase at the New Directions Conference 2014, curated in
partnership with China Plate, there is momentum to develop dance and rural touring - 89% of conference
attenders scored the dance showcase highly or very highly. Through its members the NRTF can access a huge
rural touring circuit with over 2,000 promoters. Individual rural touring schemes will play an integral role in the
successful roll out of the project.
The Place has been a driving force for contemporary dance in the UK for 45 years. The Place is unique and is
comprised of; a training organisation, a producing and receiving theatre, a home for a national touring company
and a hub for hundreds of independent artists. Our artist development department provides professional
development, training, residencies, commissioning and producing support for dance artists at each stage of their
career. Having developed a relationship with the NRTF and after attending the New Directions Conference there
is an understanding, excitement and new commitment to supporting dance artists and the dance sector to engage
with and take advantage of rural touring opportunities.
China Plate’s portfolio of activity encompasses developing, making and programming new work. They have
worked closely with the NRTF for a number of years and curated the New Directions Showcase Festivals in 2012,
2014 & 2016 and programmed the Edinburgh Village Halls Project 2011 – 2013. They are interested in the
interrogation of ideas and form and believe that rural communities should have direct access to the highest quality
contemporary work. The cross over between dance and theatre is of particular interest and over the last few years
China Plate has developed close links with Dance East, programming dance with them into the Pulse theatre
festival and worked with Warwick Arts Centre to programme, commission and develop work with a number of
choreographers including Charlotte Vincent, Tom Dale and Aakash Odedra.
Over the last 9 years Take Art has hosted the Somerset county dance agency, supporting the infrastructure for
the development and promotion of professional dance in Somerset. It has also run a rural touring scheme since
1987 and the services have worked and gained experience together. Take Art was the lead county dance agency
in Up Close, the first south west rural touring dance project in partnership with Dance South West in 2007. The
current Dance Director toured rural schemes extensively as a dancer with Pretty Good Girl Dance Theatre in 2009
and 2010. Its hands on experience of and commitment to dance and rural touring at a local level provides the
partnership with a grounded perspective.
Press Contact: Elin Morgan at Mobius 020 3195 6269 [email protected]
The Rural Touring Dance Initiative is a partnership project led by The National Rural Touring Forum with The
Place, China Plate and Take Art. The project is funded by Arts Council England through its Strategic Touring
Fund.
Press Contact: Elin Morgan at Mobius 020 3195 6269 [email protected]