The Point Eastleigh Announces Associate Artists for 2016/17

Four new artists and companies have been selected to join The Point for the next 18 months as Associate Artists. Joining the venue with some fantastically creative ideas and exciting works in development, these new artists have been selected based on their talent, passion and drive for the arts and performance making.

The Point's Associate Artist scheme is recognised as a model of best practice within the creative sector, championing new work and providing vital support for the next generation of dance and theatre makers.

The Point is delighted to announce its new Associate Artists for 2016/17:

• Lorna Rees - Gobbledegook Theatre - Led by Artistic Director Lorna Rees, Gobbledegook will spend the next two years making a touring outdoor work about clouds, with a particular focus on climate change. Lorna will be working with Eastleigh residents to test out ideas throughout the year.
• Ceyda Tanc - Ceyda Tanc Dance - As an Associate Artist, choreographer and Artistic Director Ceyda will focus on creative and artistic mentoring in developing her artistic voice and new double bill. Ceyda challenges traditional gender representation within Turkish Folk Dance, with women performing male roles in a contemporary context.
• Guillaume Pige - Theatre Re - Theatre Re fuses movement, mime and theatre to create stunning visual work that has a strong message behind it. The company will focus on developing, opening and touring new production The Nature of Forgetting. As Associate Artists they will look to make a step-change and explore how they can develop their profile throughout the UK and internationally.
• James Finnemore - Contemporary dance artist James Finnemore has quickly developed a sensitive, ethereal dance language that builds on his experiences as a dancer for world class artists. James will work on new ways to convey narrative within his work, using Bloom - his current work in development - as a starting point. The artist has previously worked closely with renowned artist Hofesh Shechter and currently performs as a dancer in Gary Clarke's COAL.

"We were delighted with the response to our Associate callout this year and are absolutely thrilled with the artists we have selected, whose work spans dance, theatre and outdoor arts. Not only are they brimming with talent, their level of ambition means that with our support and their ideas, the next year is going to be a very exciting journey for us all. Watch this space!" - Sacha Lee, Creative Producer at The Point.

The four new associate artists will become immersed in life at The Point, becoming involved in performance opportunities as well as being lucky enough to use the Creation Space to develop new and exciting works. Through this venture with Eastleigh's various ever-growing arts hubs, the companies and solo practitioners will receive mentorship in a number of ways, including assistance in marketing and funding advice, to creative feedback during rehearsal periods. The selected artists will also have extensive networking opportunities, regionally, nationally and internationally; pivotal at all stages in their artistic journeys.

On becoming an Associate Artist Ceyda Tanc said: "I am extremely excited to be offered an associateship at The Point and I am looking forward to integrating more into the dance community based there. I believe the support received through the associateship will enable me to take my company to the next level."

James Finnemore added: "I am delighted to be offered an associateship with The Point. I am very excited by the prospect of working alongside an institution that is a strong advocate of new ideas and has a proven track record of supporting emerging and established artists."

Guillaume Pige of Theatre Re said: "This is fantastic news and we could not be more happy and excited about the next 18 months! It is also the perfect timing as we have just started developing our most ambitious project to date and we will definitely need The Point's help, trust and support on all fronts to make it work."

Lorna Rees said: "Gobbledegook are absolutely thrilled to be one of the new Associate Artists at the Point, and look forward to working with them on developing our new work, Cloudscapes. Gobbledegook make innovative, site responsive work and we're very excited about this new relationship as we think it will enable us to work with new, exciting artists and meet brilliant new audiences."

Associate Artists for 2015/16 now transition to become Supported Artists. Visual theatre company SharkLegs have benefited immensely from this coveted programme, having won the Les Enfants Terribles Award which led to a commission at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe, while Sole Rebel Tap have created two new works and spent several periods in the Creation Space developing these inspiring dance pieces. Luke Brown has developed a dance double bill while curating the second Pitch., a platform event for emerging dance artists to showcase works.

The Point's Associate Artist and Supported Artist programme is funded by Arts Council England. To find out more visit: www.thepointeastleigh.co.uk