EMERGENCE 2026 Triple Bill Set for The Dukes, Lancaster

Joss Arnott Dance and the University of Salford’s postgraduate touring company EMERGENCE will bring EMERGENCE 2026, a new triple bill, to The Dukes on May 9. The programme features a company of 20 dancers performing three high-energy works by Jason Mabana and Artistic Director Joss Arnott.

The evening opens with Our Guests, choreographed by Jason Mabana. The work follows a group of otherworldly beings encountering their surroundings for the first time, drawing on Mabana’s fluid movement language and imagery inspired by synchronised swimming. Through collective motion and intimate detail, the piece explores shared physical vocabulary, curiosity, and the experience of discovery.

Rapture presents a new work rooted in club culture, blending contemporary dance with elements of vogue and ballroom. Created in collaboration with the company, the piece examines identity, friendship, and the dynamics of nightlife, tracing the shift from euphoria to instability as collective energy builds.

The programme concludes with a re-envisioned staging of Euphoria by Artistic Director Joss Arnott, with assistant choreographer Lisa Marie Robinson. Set to an original score by composer James Keane, the work explores tension, momentum, ego, and transformation, culminating in a physically driven finale.

“I’m excited to be working alongside Lisa once more with a brand-new company of talented dancers,” said Arnott. “I love to restage a work and to develop it with new dancers to see what new collaborative opportunities arise. The dancers for this year’s company have such raw talent and I’m looking forward to having them showcase this throughout the programme and tour.”

The programme contains loud music, haze, and flashing lights (no strobe).

About Joss Arnott Dance

EMERGENCE is the postgraduate company of Joss Arnott Dance (JAD), based in the North of England. The company produces contemporary dance works rooted in classical technique and shaped by a modern aesthetic. Over the past 13 years, JAD has toured nationally and internationally and has developed collaborations including a 2015 production with Dame Evelyn Glennie.

JAD places education, participation, and community engagement at the centre of its activity, presenting work designed to reach a broad range of audiences. The company’s choreographic language has been described as “exquisite to watch” by The Stage.