Didy Veldman's New Company Releases Performance Dates for this November!

Award-winning choreographer and former Rambert dancer DIDY VELDMAN has developed an excellent reputation for her expressive, thoughtful, dynamic work for a wide range of dance companies including Scapino Ballet in Amsterdam, Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève and Rambert. She has recently formed UMANOOVE, her own company, to develop and perform her latest work, 'THE HAPPINESS PROJECT' which premieres at Ipswich Jerwood DanceHouse on November 4th before touring.

"We're all interested in being happy," says Didy, "and The Happiness Project examines the idea of happiness as something we strive for, as something fleeting, something that can be very elusive or even absent."

This physical, theatrical work is made in collaboration with four highly acclaimed independent dancers: Dane Hurst, Mathieu Geffré, Hannah Kidd, Estela Merlos. Music is by the celebrated composer/violinist Alexander Balanescu who will play live onstage and whose music Didy has used frequently over the years.

"My aim is to find a common language between the movement, drama and the music on stage in my investigation of western society's endless search for fulfilment."

Didy is a keen collaborator and will be working once again with designer Kimie Nakano/Rambert 'The Three Dancers'; Les Grands Ballets Canadiens 'The Little Prince'; Luzerner Theater '4 Seasons' and Lithuanian National Ballet 'Carmen' chor: Didy Veldman. Kimie studied in Tokyo, Paris and London and has worked with Akram Khan, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, ENB, Sylvie Guillem and many more.

The Happiness Project - November 2016 tour dates:

November 4th Ipswich, Jerwood DanceHouse www.danceeast.co.uk

November 9th Bracknell, Southhill Park Arts Centre www.southhillpark.org.uk

November 10th Winchester Theatre Royal www.theatreroyalwinchester.co.uk

November 12th AMATA, Falmouth University www.amata.org.uk

November 14th Bath Spa Live, University Theatre www.bathspalive.com

November 15th Birmingham, DanceXchange, The Patrick Centre
www.birminghamhippodrome.com/about-us/the-patrick-centre

November 17th Chichester University, The ShowRoom www.theshowroomchichester.co.uk

The tour will continue in spring 2017

Publicity: judy.lipsey@premiercomms.com www.umanoove-didy-veldman.org

CAST and CREATIVES:

Choreographer/director DIDY VELDMAN (left) trained at the Scapino Academy in Amsterdam; she danced with Scapino Ballet (Netherlands), Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève and Rambert and began choreographing in 1987, creating work for the repertoires of all three companies and many others. In 1992 she co-founded Compagnie Alias with Guilherme Botelho in Switzerland and won two major choreographic awards with her first piece.

She joined Rambert in 1994 as a dancer and created three works for the company. Her first storytelling work, 'Carmen', created for Northern Ballet Theatre, was premiered in Leeds in 1999 and toured Britain; it has since been re-staged for Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal in Canada and twice for The Royal New Zealand Ballet and she has re-created the work for the Lithuanian National Ballet.

Didy left Rambert in 2000 and has made a variety of pieces - some with full symphony orchestra, some smaller works as part of a triple bill. She has worked with companies such as Cedar Lake/USA, Cullberg Ballet and Goteborg Ballet/Sweden, Iceland Dance Company, Ballet Bern/Switzerland and others in Canada, Portugal, New Zealand and more. She was Guest Artist Choreographer at Jacob's Pillow in the US in 2010 and 2013. She recently re-staged 'See Blue Through' with Phoenix Dance Theatre and Introdans and will be re-staging 'Frame of View' for Danish Dance Theatre and 'The 3 Dancers' (performed by Rambert in 2015) for Introdans in 2018.

Romanian-born composer/performer Alexander Balanescu is a prolific composer and one of the most visionary and exciting violinists of our time. As leader of the Balanescu Quartet, he was instrumental in rejuvenating new music, revolutionising its repertoire and its relationship with the audience. Throughout his career he has drawn inspiration from his collaborations with Pina Bausch, Meryl Tankard, Matthew Dunster (for the Royal Shakespeare Company) and Chiara Guidi and more, and has refused to acknowledge divisions between different musicAl Fields, working with such diverse artists as Michael Nyman, Gavin Bryars, David Byrne, Kraftwerk, Pet Shop Boys, Goldfrapp, Depeche Mode and Grace Jones.

DANCERS:

DANE HURST is a South African-born, London based dancer, choreographer and creative director. He won the Critics' Circle, Best Male Dancer of the Year Award in 2014 and the Spotlight Best Emerging Dancer of the Year Award in 2007. Since 2004 Dane has performed with Rambert, National Dance Company of Wales and Phoenix Dance Theatre. He has created and performed his own work at the Barbican, QEH, Wilton's Music Hall, Linbury Theatre, The Place, Lilian Baylis, Peacock, and more. He is Artistic Director of the Moving Assembly Project in London and Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

MATHIEU GEFFRE trained at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris and performed in works by Dominique Guilhaudin, Emilio Calcagno and Frédéric Lescure. In 2009 he joined Dansgroep Amsterdam under Itzik Galili and Krizstina De Chatel and performed in works by Mark Baldwin, Liat Waysbort etc; in 2011 he joined Noord Nederlandse Dans with Stephen Shropshire and was with National Dance Company Wales 2012-16 performing works by Eleesha Drennan, Angelin Preljocaj, Christopher Bruce, Alexander Ekman, Johan Inger and Caroline Finn among others. Since May 2016 Mathieu is a London based dancer, teacher and dance maker.

HANNAH KIDD trained at Elmhurst Ballet School and London Contemporary; she performed with Richard Alston Dance Company 2007-13 and was nominated for the Critics' Circle National Dance Award for Outstanding Female Performer in 2012. Hannah is a member of New Movement Collective and has worked with Mark Bruce Company ('Dracula', 'The Odyssey'), Darren Ellis Dance, Scottish Opera and more.

ESTELA MERLOS trained at Escola de Dansa Madó and at Central School of Ballet. After working with Rosella Hightower's Cannes Jeune Ballet (2004-2006 France) and IT Dansa (2006-2008 Spain), she joined Rambert 2008-2014. She has performed works by Jiri Kilyan, Nacho Duato, Christopher Bruce, Carolyn Carlson, Merce Cunningham and has worked with Didy Veldman, Shobana Jeyasingh, New Movement Collective, AVA Dance Company. Her own work has been presented in Spain and the UK, most recently receiving commissions by Ignition Dance Festival, Wilton's Music Hall and British Spanish Society.