Patron Wayne Sleep OBE
Attending The Customs House Gala
Fertile Ground
South Shields The Customs House
Sunday 22nd
March 2015
Fertile Ground Patron Wayne Sleep OBE
will be in the audience at The Customs House on Sunday 22 March watching Fertile
Ground perform the final part of their Spring 2015 Tour.
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Alys North in On the
Darkened Wing
Photo: Kit Haigh
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Fertile Ground, the North East’s first
professional graduate dance company, will be finishing their Spring 2015 Tour
with a very special guest in the audience. Wayne Sleep OBE will be in
attendance on Sunday 22 March as the company perform their final tour date at
The Customs House, South Shields. The Gala performance will showcase
the full selection of company works, which have toured across some of the region’s leading cultural and heritage
venues, including works by renowned choreographers Tom Dale and Eleesha
Drennan.
Wayne Sleep OBE offered his support to
the company and became patron in February 2015, stating " Fertile Ground helps young dancers to
develop professionally. I know that this company will inspire everyone, and wish
them great success as they embark on the region-wide tour."
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Wayne Sleep performing in
Cinderella
Photo Credit: Wayne Sleep
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Dora Frankel, Fertile Ground Artistic
Director said “I am absolutely delighted that Wayne Sleep is coming to the Gala at
Customs House South Shields. Wayne has contributed so much to the world
of dance and is an iconic dance celebrity with a Foundation that provides
scholarships for talented youngsters in all areas of theatre and dance. It
means a great deal to the company that someone of Wayne's reputation has recognised the
importance of Fertile Ground and is supporting the company. The dancers are
both delighted and excited to perform for Wayne on Sunday 22nd March.”
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Alecia Meehan and Kayleigh
Fisk in On the Darkened Wing
Photo: Kit Haigh
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Fertile Ground began their tour on
Thursday 12 February at The Maltings Theatre, Berwick-upon-Tweed, and have
spent the last month taking dance to new and unusual settings, including Bede’s
World in Jarrow, The Bowes Museum in County Durham, and the Discovery Museum in
Newcastle. The Customs House Gala performance marks the end of Fertile Ground’s
sensational first season.
The Customs House Executive Director, Ray Spencer MBE added “I have long admired Dora Frankel as a
choreographer and as a dedicated long standing champion of contemporary dance.
Dora constantly overcomes barriers in her quest to promote excellence in the
regions dance provision. Dora is particularly keen in giving emerging
performers and choreographers an opportunity to produce to new work for new
audiences, her tenacity and determination to make things happen is a real role model
to those young people entering the business. I’m delighted her dedication is
being supported and recognised by Fertile Ground’s Patron Wayne Sleep. I hope
we have a warm South Tyneside welcome awaiting this Sunday’s Gala
performance.”
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Alicia Meehan and Alys
North in
A New Chimera by Tom Dale
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Fertile Ground’s four graduate dancers –
Alicia Meehan (Northern School of Ballet), Alys North (Northern School of Contemporary Dance), Kayleigh Fisk (University of Sunderland) and Holly Bellamy (Teesside University) – have built an exciting
repertoire of works, taking inspiration from local sites and exhibitions. Dance
duet ‘Land’ draws
influence from Discovery Museum’s exhibition ‘Destination Tyneside’, while company work ‘On the Darkened Wing’ was created in response to The Bowes
Museum’s ‘Bird’s of Paradise- Plumes and Feathers in Fashion’ exhibition.
The company will present these North
East inspired pieces along with works by high profile choreographers Tom Dale
and Eleesha Drennan, ‘A New Chimera’ and ‘Shields of Bone’. The show opens with ‘NOW’, a dynamic dance work choreographed by
the company’s Artistic Director Dora Frankel.
Fertile Ground aims to nurture,
challenge and inspire a new generation of dance artists to develop and present
inspirational and accessible dance opportunities. “As the North East’s first professional
graduate dance company, Fertile Ground offers a much-needed bridge between
University study and the professional dance industry for some of the region’s
most talented young dancers, while at the same time offering audiences the
chance to see new, high quality work made right here in the North East.” Anthony Baker, Dance City Artistic Director and Joint CEO Dora
Frankel adds, “We
offer dance opportunities to some of the region’s most talented young dancers
to work, train and perform intensively with outstanding guest teachers and
choreographers. By developing our dancers and choreographers we hope to see a
real increase in the number of artists staying in the region over the next five
'I am really delighted and moved that Wayne Sleep has offered his support - it
means a great deal to me and to the whole company that someone of Wayne's
reputation has spoken so warmly about our work.
His help and patronage ensures that our work can be
seen more widely and that our collaboration with The Bowes Museum and Cleveland College of Art and Design can be realised.' Dora Frankel, Fertile
Ground Artistic Director years, forming new artistic constellations, inspiring
children and young people and increasing appreciation and understanding of
contemporary dance in the North East.”
High profile guest choreographers include Tom Dale
and Eleesha Drennan. Tom’s work for youth companies include The Rite of Spring and leading a
Professional dancers’ Choreographic Residency in Cuba in 2012 with support from the British Council, while his
performance career includes working with Matthew Bourne in the Adventures in
Motion Pictures production of Swan Lake and in dancer roles with English National Opera
and Opera North.
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Shields of Bone by Eleesha
Drennan
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Eleesha Drennan is a recipient of this year’s Sky
Academy Arts Scholarship, out of over 1,000 applicants. In 2012 Eleesha was
awarded 1st prize at the 16th International Solo-Dance-Theatre Festival
Stuttgart resulting in a tour of in Germany, China, Brazil and UK. She then undertook a choreographic residency with
North Netherlands Dance 2012 and was House Choreographer of National Dance
Company Wales from 2011 to 2013.
Jane Tarr, Director North, Arts Council England said, “Fertile Ground helps to inspire a new generation
of dance artists as well as offering opportunities for children and young
people through its learning programme. I am pleased that we have been able to
fund its work through our National Lottery funded Grants for the arts programme
and I look forward to seeing some exciting new performances in the North East.”
Tickets:
Fertile Ground Spring 2015 Tour Gala
Sunday 22 March 2015 at 19:30
The Customs House, Mill Dam, South Shields, Tyne and Wear, NE33 1ES
Ticket prices: £12, £10 Conc, £9
Friends
Box
Office telephone: 0191 454 1234
