The Place announces its 2024 autumn season

The Place, London’s leading centre for dance performance and creation, is delighted to unveil its autumn 2024 season, with highlights including Shown and Told by Damaged Goods, a creative exchange between Tim Etchells and internationally renowned choreographer Meg Stuart, part of an international season celebrating Forced Entertainment’s 40th anniversary. NDCWales and Scottish Dance Theatre both return to The Place with daring and dynamic double bills. Work Place artist Marikiscrycrycry will present their latest solo piece Goner, The Little Prince, Protein’s much-loved family show returns for the festive season, and BOP Jazz Dance Theatre continues to break boundaries as catalysts for UK Jazz Arts.

“Our Autumn Season is packed with work by independent artists which speaks to the thrilling diversity of dance in the UK. Much of this work has been created, in part, at The Place and we are delighted to be welcoming artists such as Ekleido and Louise Orwin back to our stage, along with associate artist Marikiscrycrycry. We celebrate longevity also: choreographer and filmmaker Rosemary Lee guides us through her filmic archive of ‘Moving Worlds’; Eva Recacha’s Because I Can, created with and danced by Lauren Potter, and Lovísa Ósk Gunnarsdóttir’s When The Bleeding Stops, both presented in partnership with Aerowaves, explore the courage and freedom of the ageing body; and we join Forced Entertainment in celebrating 40 years of work with the presentation of Shown and Told by Meg Stewart and Time Etchells. There are further international presentations of work from Taiwan and, in partnership with Dance Umbrella, Czechia. Electrifying expressions of kathak, jazz and afro-diasporic dances are presented by Pagrav, BOP jazz dance theatre and Afro Dance Xplosion who all return to our theatre this Autumn. Scottish Dance Theatre, Richard Chappell Dance, and National Dance Company Wales bring their touring works to London, and finally Protein return to The Place in December, reprising their beloved adaptation of The Little Prince, Antoine St Exupery’s fable that reminds us of the value of exploration and open-mindedness – values the artists in our Autumn season affirm! - The Place Programming Team

Highlights of the spring 2024 season include:

• Shown and Told by Damaged Goods, a creative exchange between Tim Etchells and internationally renowned choreographer Meg Stuart (31 OCT – 2 NOV)
• Goner, the latest solo show by Work Place artist Marikiscrycrycry (28 SEP)
• The Little Prince, Protein’s much loved family show returns for the festive season (22 Feb)
• BOP jazz dance theatre continues to break boundaries as the catalysts for UK Jazz Arts.
• A double bill by exciting emerging choreographic duo Ekleido (5 NOV)

Programme of work this Autumn at The Place

The Autumn season opens once again with Touchwood, a series of short performances in our intimate studio theatre, marking the end of Choreodrome, The Place’s annual programme of residencies and commissions that dance artists have been developing at our studios over the summer. Across two evenings, eight dance makers will share excerpts of their research and experiments. Each evening ends with an invitation for audiences to share their responses to the performances with the choreographers and performers, in a facilitated feedback session. (5&6 SEP)

After developing their idea at Choreodrome last year, Visually Impaired Cabaret/Performance Artist Ebony Rose Dark presents Out There/ In Here, their first full length work articulating in movement and words what it is to be ‘seen’ and ‘not seen’. Known for their performances centred around Disability, Ableism, racism, and relationships within the LGBTQ+ community, this will be Ebony’s world for you to experience, as they embark on a journey to reveal themselves and that world to you, culminating in a spectacular explosion of glitter, joy and…wings. (10 SEP)

After impressing at Resolution 2018, Tilly Lee Kronick returns to The Place presenting Handful of nothing- a palatable tale of an eating disorder and recovery. A multi-disciplinary circus artist, Tilly creates unique and exciting aerial work that challenges perceptions of circus and theatre. With a unique fusion of ingenious storytelling, innovative aerial choreography, puppetry, dance, text and song, this tale playfully explores confronting our inner demons, battles with addiction and questions of worth and weight. (12 SEP)

Hannah Ekholm and Faye Stoeser also first caught eyes at Resolution, and we are very excited to have the choreographic duo Ekleido, known for their work in contemporary dance and underground club dance scenes, back on our stage with an exhilarating new double bill. Opening the programme is the critically acclaimed Splice in which two dancers find the balance between limitation and possibility to solve a physical puzzle. Completing the evening is the world premiere of Rorschach. Inspired by the Rorschach inkblot test, you will witness themes of human perception through live, moving adaptations of the mysterious inkblots formed by three dancers. Both pieces feature new original scores by world-renowned electronic musician Floating Points, fresh from his critically acclaimed work with San Francisco Ballet earlier this year. (5 NOV)

After presenting a promising first sharing of her work in progress at The Place in 2023, award-winning performance artist Louise Orwin returns for the much-awaited London premiere of her full-length solo show FAMEHUNGRY, a helter-skelter nose-dive into the TikTok universe and the attention economy, asking what it means to be an artist now. Fusing performance art and very real and very live TikTok, this is a real-life experiment of hunting for fame and fortune. Made in collaboration with an actual Famous TikToker, The Almighty Algorithm, and a host of TikTok-Famous Faces, FAMEHUNGRY asks what the future looks like if all roads lead to TikTok. (3&4 OCT)

Prague-based contemporary dance and physical theatre collective POCKETART impressed last year with their clever, original work global societal issues. Back this year as part of Dance Umbrella, Fairy Tales comes to the UK for the first time, featuring eight female dancers and two musicians. Exploring the intersection of femininity, identity and self-discovery, Fairy Tales aims to connect us to our past by revisiting childhood experiences. By taking on different roles from fairy tales, the dancers envision new fantasies that reimagine how we see our happy endings. With striking visuals, melodic sound and virtuosic dance performance, Fairy Tales invites us to playfully reconsider our own identities. (22&23 OCT)

“…this is the kind of work that needs to be seen.” – Broadway World UK

Frame Rush is an annual festival of screendance works directed and produced collaboratively by the current cohort of MA Screendance students from London Contemporary Dance School. This year’s edition, Frame Rush 24, is a double bill of screendance films that explore what it means to be present in today’s society, with artist Q&A’s offering unique insight into the artists’ creative processes and intentions. (13 SEP)

Continuing with dance on screen, Moving Worlds is a celebration of the legendary choreographer, filmmaker and The Place associate artist Rosemary Lee and her unique contribution to dance film making over the last 35 years. Presented by the artist herself in an informal setting, Moving Worlds will be a chance to see a wide variety of ground-breaking international renowned dance films rarely seen, from the 1990s to the present day,

Known for her articulacy, Rosemary Lee reveals how and why she made these films and answers audience questions, in a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. (14 SEP)

“…the real deal…one of the most gifted, level-headed, and articulate artists in the UK.” – Donald Hutera

The Place is very excited to mark Forced Entertainment’s 40th anniversary, celebrated with a London-wide season of work in partnership with the Southbank Centre and Battersea Arts Centre. The Place will present Shown and Told by Damaged Goods, a dynamic performance collage, balancing fixed material and possibilities for free play. Arising from an exchange between Tim Etchells, artistic director of Forced Entertainment, and internationally renowned choreographer Meg Stuart, it exposes their different practices and sensibilities, exploring the relationship between movement, image and performing bodies. (31 OCT – 2 NOV)

After a successful premiere at the Yard theatre, we look forward to present Work Place artist Marikiscrycrycry (Malik Nashad Sharpe) and their latest solo work Goner. This work follows the figure of the Goner - someone who is doomed with no chance of survival, bound to death, a lost and hopeless case - on a sensuous, suspense-filled and fearsome choreographic journey into the psychological depths of horror. Lightly touching on the topics of abuse, Caribbean migration, alienation, belonging, addiction, and violence, Goner is utilising the formal tools of solo authorship and the aesthetics of horror to create radical visual culture from the marginalised perspective, and to tease out and establish a Black tradition of horror for the live context. There will be blood. (28 SEP)

Scottish Dance Theatre return to The Place to set the stage on fire with two of their most physically daring and dynamic works by two of the most exciting female choreographers in the European dance scene: Roser López Espinosa and Sofia Nappi.  Roser López Espinosa’s The Flock, premiered in 2023 in Dundee, sees the dancers embark on a fascinating journey inspired by the migration of birds. It is an adventure to move on together and reach a shared goal: to fly through immense landscapes, through the vast open sky. Moving Cloud by internationally acclaimed choreographer Sofia Nappi is an exhilarating meeting of contemporary dance and traditional Celtic folk music composed by TRIP, LYRE LYRE, Cormac Byrne, Greg Lawson, Charlie Stewart and Innes White. (17&18 SEP)

Award-winning artist and choreographer Dollie Henry MBE and jazz composer Paul Jenkins, bring an exciting, original and innovative evening of jazz theatre to The Place this Autumn with a double bill: Footprints in Jazz is a suite of contemporary jazz dance works that captures the individual and collective expression of BOP. Every step and every story will take you on a theatrical journey, that represents the richness and depth of original jazz compositions. Touches of Miles pays homage to the life and music of jazz trumpeter and composer Miles Davis. The production brings to the stage a riveting live jazz ensemble who bring to life Miles’ classic compositions including, All Blues, Milestones and more. The music lays the canvas for a captivating narrative of jazz dance theatre, that colourfully weaves through each musical variation, capturing the cool enigmatic character reminiscent of a true jazz music legend. (20&21 SEP)

Dance artists Eva Recacha and Lovísa Ósk Gunnarsdóttir explore the experience of women and aging in a double bill, opening with Because I Can, a delicate dance solo made by Eva Recacha in collaboration with iconic British performer Lauren Potter and sound artist Alberto Ruiz Soler. The work visits notions of power, memory and growing old, in a poetic stream of consciousness, leaving a delicate scent of nostalgia and loss. When the Bleeding Stops is a performance work by Lovísa Ósk Gunnarsdóttir, addressing the silence and taboo that seems to engulf menopause in Western society, as well as her personal experience of aging as a dancer. Extending an open invitation online to participate in her project, Lovisa worked with a large number of women from across Icelandic society. When the Bleeding Stops invites the audience into a world of vulnerability, shame, empathy and humour. The work transports us into the privacy of the participants homes, and dives deep into the many layers of the female experience associated with menopause and invites us to laugh, cry and celebrate with these women. (24 SEP)

Frontiers, a double bill by National Dance Company Wales, offers the company’s signature blend of brilliantly crafted, life-affirming dance. AUGUST by Matthew William Robinson is about saying goodbye and the changes that fling us together and tear us apart. Bathed in the fading colours of dusk and neon accents of night, AUGUST navigates a sensual landscape shifting between perilous and beautiful. Skinners by Melanie Lane, an Australian choreographer of European and Javanese heritage, explores the challenges of living in a digital age. We use filters to blur reality and avatars that disguise our identities. We talk to AI. We are teetering on the edge of a thrilling and terrifying future where human bodies glitch between flesh and illusion, fact and fiction. Beyond the fantasies that technology makes possible, our humanity remains. How do we return to the physical world, and to the skin we are living in? (8&9 OCT)

Protest becomes party in Hot House, the latest work from Richard Chappell Dance, which invites audiences to consider how the impact of the cost-of-living crisis can be turned into a defiant, powerful celebration of collective resilience. Fusing highly physical contemporary dance, atmospheric lighting, and an eclectic score influenced by Chinese, Indian and European classical music played live by a violinist Enyuan Khong, Hot House is a love letter to how music can give us an irresistible urge to move and feel. Providing a space for audiences to come together and be uplifted by Richard Chappell Dance’s ensemble of outstanding performers, Hot House conjures the intensity of a fire sparking, burning bright, and ultimately reducing to embers before being revived. Reflecting on how our inner flame can manifest courage, strength, and compassion. (1 OCT)

"a welcomed blazing commentary of the energy currently circulating society" - Crack Magazine

Internationally acclaimed dance duo Igor x Moreno return to The Place with Concerto a piece representing both songwriting and choreography. It is Igor x Moreno's first 'danza canzone' -- a form inspired by 'teatro canzone' made popular by Giorgio Gaber. The work is intimate and visually rich and is presented as a playlist of songs written by Moreno Solinas, arranged by Simone Sassu and performed live by Moreno Solinas and Igor Urzelai Hernando. (16 OCT)

Our partnership with Afro Dance Xplosion continues with the ADX2024 - Festival, celebrating dance forms from Africa and its Diaspora, bringing together the best of dance, with homegrown and international artists. The weekend kicks off with a unique showcase, featuring a stunning collaboration of choreographers and artists, followed by workshops, films and talks.  ADX 2024 - Beyond Borders is a celebration of Rhythms from Africa, its diaspora and beyond. (8 NOV)

West Yorkshire company Speedwell Dance are quickly establishing a reputation for high quality, truly interactive performances for all ages. The Mountain Witch, co-created with children through extensive play sessions in community settings, is an adventurous tale of an ancient and powerful witch, seasons gone awry and the determination of children to put things right. Join musicians and dancers to awaken scampering creatures, tiptoe past the Mountain Witch’s cave and finally convince her to let the sun return. With inspiring dance, songs and original music played live on clarinet, flute and cello, this is a playful and inclusive experience for children aged 3-8 years and their grown-ups. (29 OCT)

“Every big fish has a fisherman’s name written on its back”— an urban legend inspired Shimmering Productions’ creation Islands, which explores the delicate energy sprung from the bond between human beings and islands and which premieres in the UK at The Place. Taiwanese choreographer WANG Yeu-Kwn collaborates with the Indonesian dance artist Danang Pamungkas to realise a duet which seeks connection between bodies and land, gradually recollecting and identifying who we really are as islanders (12&13 NOV)

Pagrav Dance Company return to The Place this autumn with Aunusthan, a celebration of the ancient yet always-evolving multifaceted art of Kathak. This evening of exhilarating choreography transports the audience into a breathtaking world of weaving patterns and riotous rhythms - drawing them in to revel in the colour and music of India, and the pure technique and virtuoso dynamism of the performers. Featuring a cast of talented British Asian dance artists who have trained with the company, Aunusthan also showcases the bright future of Kathak in the UK. These exceptional performers, alongside a number of the country’s most talented musicians, bring their passion and creativity to every moment of the show, creating an unforgettable experience for all. (16 NOV)

The season is completed by LCDS students presenting their celebrated annual event, Collaborations, a highlight of the London Contemporary Dance School's performance calendar for the past 20 years. The showcase brings on stage the results of our unique partnerships involving student choreographers from LCDS with student composers from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and student designers from the BA Theatre Design course at Wimbledon College of Arts, UAL. Each Collaboration performance will be lit by bespoke designs created by lighting design students from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). (5 &6 DEC, 12&13 DEC)

Fresh is our annual showcase of dance created and curated with young people for the young at heart. This vibrant evening presents a mixed bill of bite-sized performances as professional and youth companies share our stage for the night, and budding dance enthusiasts rub shoulders with professionals. (23 NOV)

Lastly, for this festive season, we are delighted to welcome back The Little Prince, brought to life using Protein’s critically acclaimed mix of dance, humour and spoken word. Winner of the Fantastic for Families’ Best Family Event Award 2020 and nominated for Best Modern Choreography at the National Dance Awards 2021, this enchanting story of love and friendship, based on the world-famous story by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is reimagined on stage for children and adults alike. (17-24 DEC)