THIS BRIGHT FIELD to Premiere at Brighton Festival 2017

This Bright Field, by choreographer and stage designer Theo Clinkard, receives its world premiere on Thursday 25 May as part of Brighton Festival 2017.

Over the last five years, Brighton-based choreographer Clinkard, has built a reputation for creating affecting and visually arresting work. He follows his recent commissions for Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch and Danza Contemporanea de Cuba with This Bright Field, a new work for his company conceived in two parts.

Part one takes the audience on stage in small groups for an intimate encounter with Clinkard's exceptional company of twelve dancers. Visible within a maze of constantly moving screens, tender exchanges between the performers help the audience to connect with the cast.

In part two, Clinkard's choreography takes to the full stage on a cinematic scale. Retaining vivid impressions of the first part, and with the familiarity of the individual dancers still in mind, the audience is back in the auditorium seats.

This Bright Field draws on an international cast: Temitope Ajose-Cutting (England); Pau Aran Gimeno (Spain); Natalie Corne (Wales); Nick Coutsier (Belgium); Luke Divall (England); Mathieu Geffré (France); James Keane (England); Meri Pajunpää (Finland); Colas Lucot (France); Leah Marojevic (England); Stephanie McMann (England); Antonin Rioche (France); and Crystal Zillwood (England).

Stage Designs for This Bright Field is created by Clinkard himself. Clinkard has worked as a stage designer for over 15 years (Sydney Dance, Malmo Opera, Skanes Dansteater, Opera La Scala, Scottish Opera and Scottish Dance Theatre among others) and conceives the designs for his own work in parallel with his choreographic thinking.

Live music is composed and performed by James Keane. Having worked with Clinkard as composer Of Land & Tongue, Chalk and Somewhat still, when seen from above, Keane has recently composed for Charles Linehan's A Quarter plus Green that premiered at Brighton Festival in 2016. Other work includes creations for Clod Ensemble, Joss Arnott and many years touring as a musician with Hofesh Shechter Company.

Guy Hoare (Lighting Designer) has been designing lighting for theatre, dance, opera and musicals for almost twenty years. His designs for dance have been seen all over the world and include pieces for Sydney Dance Company, Christopher Bruce, Arthur Pita, Shobana Jeyasingh, Mark Bruce, Ben Wright and Claire Cunningham. Hoare lit Clinkard's Of Land & Tongue and Chalk.

Costumes designer Rike Zöllner has worked across theatre and opera and in dance with National Dance Company Wales, Motionhouse, Nofitstate, Kerry Nicholls, Eleesha Drennan, and Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch.

This Bright Field is a Dance4 co-production. Co-commissioned by Brighton Festival, Dance4, Greenwich Dance & Trinity Laban Partnership, The Lowry and Tramway, with additional support from The Point, The Miskin Theatre and the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Photo credit: Pari Naderi