Epic Luxe (2019-20)
By
Frances Disley & Fallen Angels Dance Theatre
Four dancers wearing colourful tie-dyed clothing against a white background with a painted pale green circle on the wall, dancing on a dancefloor painted with abstract patterns. The dancer in the foreground obstructs a dancer positioned behind her and the other two are visible either side of her, slightly out of focus. The three dancers in the background are each holding a stick painted white, yellow and red. Photo credit: Livia Lazar.
A collaborative piece by Frances Disley and Fallen Angels Dance Theatre, where the dancers explore their experiences in a live, sensory installation.
For over a year, Fallen Angels have been working with Disley to support and enhance their regular group sessions at The Turnpike, in which they support people in recovery from addiction through the medium of dance. Using colour, pattern, props and play, the artist has co-choreographed new work with the group to create a sensory exploration of their experiences.
Disley says, “It’s a sculptural, painterly work where the dancers activate and shift the piece constantly via their movement and interaction with the objects involved. Central to the work is a large painted dancefloor, which was initially intended to act as a score for the performance, but has become a document to how the work has evolved and adapted in response to circumstance and the needs of the dancers.”
Epic Luxe has taken an interesting shift in its timeline, becoming responsive to social distancing measures, physical connection and the sharing of props, and physical and psychological support structures. The piece incorporates the impact of lockdown on the dancers, who shared their experiences and challenges digitally throughout this period. “This was a deeply collaborative process where the performer’s reactions and responses were welcomed throughout the creative process,” Disley says. “Developing a dance work within a gallery space as opposed to a theatre or dance studio allowed me to profile the physical objects and the dancers on a par so that they truly function as a collaboration with a levelled hierarchy. I think stripping out the possibility of any theatrical lighting or ambient enhancers associated with theatre allows for a clarity in what the viewer is exposed to, which I have loved wrestling with.”
Epic Luxe is an outcome of Activations at The Turnpike, moments when artists come together to experiment and create with communities. Often interdisciplinary in their approach, an Activation allows the gallery, and the town, to become a live testing ground for new ways of making art towards a long-term, sustainable and socially just recovery.
To watch Epic Luxe, as well as behind-the-scenes footage, click the videos below:
“The work has constantly evolved through testing and play whereby each element informs each other to become a dance installation. The dance floor initially acted as a response and guide to the dancers, and then as the piece shifted new layers were added, and it’s become this rich document to the passing of time and development of the piece.”
“This is the first time Fallen Angels has collaborated with a visual artist. The project was an amazing opportunity for people in recovery from addiction to explore, play and be immersed and indeed become the art. Fran’s approach enabled us to approach making art and movement in a very different way, and opened everyone’s mind and body to new experiences.”
“I feel like I’m part of something more when I come here, which makes me feel more connected to my life outside of here. It has like a knock on effect, I seem more positive, more brighter... I wanna get into the stream of life more.”
