NOCTURN
Name: John Darvell
Company: NOCTURN
Dance Level: Established
Bio
CREATION
INNOVATION
PARTICIPATION
Involving and affecting local communities and/or other professionals in his work, people’s lived experiences are right at the heart of John’s creative process.
John’s themes often investigate the effect modern technology can have on our lives, explorIng our dependencies and the impact on wider society. He creates work that asks the individuals and groups to use the very subject of his intrigue, such as their mobile devices, favourite social media or other omnipresent technology.
It’s about serious questions in a fun way;
It’s online or anywhere in your everyday life;
It’s accessible to all, often free, always fun.
It’s never too late to dance: John’s story
“Simply, I had a midlife crisis. I looked at my life and realised I wasn't doing the one thing I was passionate about, dancing! I took a leap of faith. Ditched the 9-5, got myself retrained and soon set up my own company.”
John is a gay man from a working class background in the North East. Throughout childhood he endured the harshness of school bullying and, despite his potential, only scraped through education. Incorporating strong aesthetics from his years as a visual designer.
John’s professional journey into dance began in his late 30’s when he took the courageous step to leave his office job security behind and risk a full career change by retraining in contemporary dance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Incorporating strong aesthetics from his years as a visual designer, John has developed a distinctive approach to choreography and creating interactive immersive experiences.
John has often been celebrated for inspiring and empowering young people and adult dancers alike during 15 years of school and community outreach work.
John has written articles for People Dancing, the National Dance Teachers Association, and his educational work has featured in publications such as Kidscape - ‘How to create kind schools’ alongside contributions from Dance United and 2Faced Dance and Headteacher Update for all UK Primary Schools.
For John it has been a creative and personal roller coaster since founding NOCTURN in 2007. And throughout the high and lows one thing stays constant...
… untapping people’s creativity
“I create thought-provoking, darkly cinematic, alternate worlds but with their roots firmly embedded in the here and now. Exposing a visually and mentally engaging movement language for our dancers to power-play lyrical intensity against the sharp shocks of life’s blows and arrows.”
Dance Style: Contemporary, Dance for Film, Digital Dance, Film, Interactive Digital Dance, Interpretive Dance, Movement Direction
Work Context: advertising,commercials,community,corporate events,dance theatre,digital internet,documentary,film,outdoor events,own company,participator performance,physical theatre,television,trade shows,video
Personal Contact
Email: help@nocturndance.co.uk
Website: https://www.nocturndance.co.uk
Credits
2005
Reservations by No Dance! Plenty Movement
Performed live at Resolutions at The Place, London 2005
2009
Disrupted Prediction
4Motion Dance Theatre
2010
Nomore
NOCTURN’s first professional work ‘nomore’ was a dark, raw, disturbing study of Genie, a modern-day "wild child" who, until discovered at the age of 13, had lived in a state of severe sensory and social deprivation. NOCTURN
2011
A Bitter Pill
Exploring the complex, often hidden, intense distraughtness of panic attacks, in collaboration with 4Motion Dance Theatre.
2012
Tree of Light
A large scale outdoor dance extravaganza Tree of Light was a national Arts Council England supported ‘Legacy Trust UK’ project to create an unforgettable contribution to the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad using a large group of community performers. Lead Choreographer Charlie Morrrisey. The Cultural Partnership.
2013
Fractured Landscapes
Fracture Landscapes featured four flash fiction online video shorts released over a 4 week period, confronting the maelstrom of emotions we feel during a period of personal loss. A piece widely shared online and showcased at Dance Film Festival UK, 2016. NOCTURN
2013
Dareyouwatch
Dareyouwatch, co-commissioned by SHP Live, integrated writing, storytelling, digital cinema and online interaction in and around a live durational performance. NOCTURN
2014
The Boundless Museum
A live-streamed improvisational piece for sculptor Jon Lockhart (www.jonlockhart.com) who works mainly in mixed media installation, using made and found objects. Jon Lockhart
2014
The Fortress
A timeless story about family, hope & regeneration
A choreography commission for a mid-scale touring outdoor show, by Beautiful Creatures, and was first premiered as part of the Caversham Festival to audiences of over 2,000 people. Beautiful Creatures
2016
Revelations of Miss White
A Facebook Dance Mystery. A disturbing adventure, featuring a terribly proper English lady whose dreams begin to crack on her Facebook profile. NOCTURN
2016
And They Have Escaped
Is being constantly ‘online’ a good thing? In a self guided experience, free to the public, we asked our audience to consider if always being online means missing out on their real lives?Fusing a museum collection with contemporary dance, motion sensors, projection mapping and a custom made mobile phone app they could interact with three very different provocations. NOCTURN
2021
The Riddle
A digital outdoor treasure hunt. The Riddle, invites audiences to playfully re-engage with their outdoor environment, solve some clues and have fun creating a dance. The Riddle’s central character is Pæn, a mythical figure in the landscape, who will lead you on a bespoke outdoor dance trail. Participants can reveal his entertaining short films using QR technology on their mobile devices. NOCTURN
2021
Smile Inside
Oxfordshire patients become storytellers to inspire artists & the community. NOCTURN and iID