Tuesday 18 February 2014

Express Yourself starts 26th February






Many Thanks to The Peoples Health Trust through whom we have funding to extend and develop our Wednesday mornings at The Dracaena Centre with the new group Express Yourself. We hope the group might name themselves in the future, but for now this is our working title!
We are very excited to go forwards with this project. Debbie O'Nyons who started the Healthy Living group from which Friends and Dancing blossomed, saw the need for this group and we look forward to it's development. Many people are interested and we are advertising from now!
It is local, addressing the issues for inclusion for people in our area and eclectic, determined by the interests of those attending.


HealthPerfect is a Community Interest Company committed to raising money to address health inequalities in Cornwall, Plymouth and the Isles of Scilly. www.healthperfectcic.org.uk
The Health Lottery is operated for and on behalf of 51 Community Interest Companies across England, Scotland and Wales, all holding society lottery licenses issued by the Gambling Commission. www.healthlottery.co.uk
People’s Health Trust is an independent charity addressing health inequalities across Great Britain. It works closely with each Community Interest Company distributing grants. www.peopleshealthtrust.org.uk





Dance and Communities BA Falmouth


Shallal have been asked to be involved with Dance and Communities.
We already host dance undergraduates on placement and work experience but they usually find us independently. 

Next week I am meeting with Lois Taylor who wishes to:
 *explore ideas and ways of working with partners.
           *make the course relevant to the sector and raise awareness of the range of work and working practice.  
 *to set up some opportunities for the students to shadow work, to research recent projects and in      their last module to deliver a community dance mini project, this could be a workshop or series of    sessions or a performance based project performed by them in community contexts or which they  have made with community groups.
              * know if having students with us on any of our projects next year would be useful.

I look forward to meeting Lois and will keep you all informed.

On a more superficial note I am trying out Gylly cafe as a meeting ground. 
Luke is now at school, Anna preparing for IGCSE's on home ed and Peter not very well, so home is less appropriate for some meetings. So this multi tasking ( now unfortunately uncovered as multi failing- thanks to Outnumbered on TV!) means (until Easter) I can also walk our dog Polly on the beach and stare at the sea - always a favourite past time.



Monday 17 February 2014

Scratch Night Feedback Forms

Sadly I don't have any images from this piece to post but we hope to show this new piece more in the future.....helped by useful feedback.......thank you to all those who contributed to it.

1. How did the performance make you feel?

2. What did you like / feel / positive / enjoy about it?

3. Is there anything you’d like to see more of, develop or change?


     2It was full of powerful dynamics and form.
     3. More contact I really enjoyed the contact

     2. Similar dynamics and moments of contrast
     3. maybe some unison?

  1. Captivated
  2. It was inspirational
  3. More interaction between performers

  1. Emotional, cute
  2. I did but the movement could have expanded more with the climatic point in the music score.

  1. happy, happy

  1. Was moving and lovely to watch
  2. Was great to see a duo and solo contrasts, and there was great expression throughout  movement
  3. I would like to see the group come together and create a section of unison or a dynamic climax.


  1. Inspired. Loved looking at the intricate movement
  2. I loved the opportunities the pieces created .....the possibilities of where it could go....
  3. Develop the climax possibly ...more level changes.

Thursday 13 February 2014

First feedback from Scratchnight

First bit of feedback from Wednesday Scratchnight

"So lovely to see you, I really enjoyed the piece last night, ......... Particularly the young girl who was in the duet should feel really great about her performance. She has a determined fragility on stage and I really hope she keeps at it because she’s such a joy to watch and it’s a unique quality as a performer."

Alex 
www.hope-anchor.co.uk
Alex is off exploring and creating see this link to her work.

I didn't get to see any act* except Ellie Larke and I am off to buy a song of hers on itunes,
well worth a listen: beautiful, haunting, lovely voice, style and songs.
https://soundcloud.com/ellielarke

*I sat in the cafe with Zoe having her glass of wine and had a lovely catch up chat, though we all work together the chance to enjoy a longer conversation often only arises around outings and events and when travelling.

Thank you to everyone for turning out for a 4 minute piece, it was worth it and the verbal feedback was very helpful and confirming of what i am hoping for with the work.

Last session before half term today, lots of plans in the pipeline.....

Friday 7 February 2014

Scratchnight Wednesday


Scratchnight at The Performance Centre, Tremough Campus, Falmouth University
This time we are taking a short piece from the main company.
Last time we took Shallal 2 and had a good evening and we are looking forward to being involved again.

Wednesday, February 12, 6:30pm in UTC, entrance free

Scratch night is a series of fragments of performance in-the-process 
by established, emerging and student artists. 
The intention is to share work and 
try things out with a supportive audience who are encouraged to give feedback.

https://www.facebook.com/events/637573556302102/
http://www.falmouth.ac.uk/content/scratch-night

Zoe, Skye, Anna, Colin and Katie are our performers.
Zoe and her mother Marjorie are founder members of Shallal, we have worked together for over 25 years now!
Zoe has performed solo at many events and we are always looking for opportunities to showcase her work. 
Anne and Skye are 13 and 14 they have been in Shallal for ( I'm not good on dates but) approx 4-5 years. I am delighted that they have successfully made the transitions from childhood dance into adolescence and now regularly attend Freefall classes http://www.freefalldance.co.uk/ gaining technique which supports their improvisation skills. I am aware that in 2-3 years time they could be busy with further studies, they are both educated outside school except for very short trials in school - Anna lasted 3 days! I want to provide them with interesting challenges to increase their experience and support their creative development.
Colin and I have worked together now also for a long time! 7-8 years maybe, originally coming to Open House Penzance, he then went onto facilitate it with Phil Jacobs and now supports the main company sessions and much more within Shallal. He is enthusiastically back from performing solo at The Secret Fools Show.
Colin is working with Katie in this piece.
Katie is new to the main company but has attended Shallal sessions over sometime. Her first performance was at The Performance Centre some years ago with Penryn Improvisation and Performance group which has gone onto become Shallal 2. We hope she will enjoy being back on the stage again.

The piece has only been danced twice! 2 weeks ago and today and so this is the Scratchnight value.
The question: How much rehearsal / practise does a good piece of improvisation need?
so a gentle challenge to the performers. 
They know the music and they know each other and that is the structure, there is no more instruction/suggestion.

I am still chewing over:
Structure
Stimulus 
and Suggestion
for exercises


Structure
Freedom 
and Intent
for performance quality

We are coming straight from Shallal 2 and should be on around 7pm and hope to see you there.

Time flies, it was 16th December 2011 when we performed Works In Progress  at The Platform Festive Performance Feastand here they are from that time!
http://shallal-arts.blogspot.co.uk/2012_04_01_archive.html


 Skye and Anna

Colin and Zoe

Katie