Named practitioners
·
Jasmin Vardimon
· Hofesh Shechter
· Shobana Jeyasingh
· Matthew Bourne
· Akram Khan
Jasmin Vardimon:
Jasmin Vardimon is interested in acute observations of human behaviour and social constructions. Often her work is interested in politics and psychology, which probably stems from her upbringing in Kibbutz in Israel (like Hofesh Shechter) and her background as a psychological interviewer.
Why has she stayed in the UK to create her work? And how does she represent or contribute to the key characteristics of the ICDS in Britain 2000-current?
“The dance community here is very versatile. The art form is varied. The English are very supportive of the variety. They want as wide a range as possible. It has created a very colourful texture,” she said, adding, “It’s a very multicultural place. There are a lot of influences. There are a lot of cultures and ways of thinking and behaving. That’s what I’m excited about as a creator, as an artist. Interpreting codes of behaviour.”
Hofesh Schechter
Multicultural /national company. Range is important as his work explores the nature of all humanity.
His work often has a political meaning, but is open to interpretation.
Maybe it is inevitable that his work is political due to his background and birth in Israel / Middle East – the political tension and war in the country now has an impact on him as a person and on the work he creates.
Shobana Jeyasingh
Shobana Jeyasingh has been creating dynamic, fearless and enigmatic dance works for almost 30 years. Born in Chennai, India, she currently lives and works in London. Her acclaimed, highly individual work has been witnessed in all kinds of venues, including theatres, outdoor and indoor sites and on film. Her work taps into both the intellectual and physical power of dance, and is rooted in her particular vision of culture and society.
Shobana’s work is often enriched by specially commissioned music composed by an array of contemporary composers — from Michael Nyman to beat-boxer Shlomo. Her eclectic band of creative collaborators have included filmmakers, mathematicians, digital designers, writers, animators, as well as lighting and set designers.
Lavishly honoured and awarded, Shobana has also made a significant contribution to dance in the UK and internationally through her published writings, papers, panel presentations and broadcast interviews.
Matthew Bourne:
Matthew Bourne’s work is Didactic, meaning it is intended to teach, particularly through having a moral instruction as an ulterior motive. Often this is an element of children’s stories and Bourne re-works older ballets and stories. Bourne clearly wants to explore messages about authority, gender, class and sexuality.
Bourne has been the UK’s biggest dance export for the last 10 years and one reason for this is that he reaches/appeals to a wide audience. Despite there being adult themes within his work there is still the ‘fairy-tale’ element that appeals to younger audiences/families.
Akram Khan:
Mission statement (website):
Akram Khan takes human themes and works with others to take them to new and unexpected places – embracing and collaborating with other cultures and disciplines.
Akram Khan is one of the most celebrated and respected dance artists today. In just over fifteen years he has created a body of work that has contributed significantly to the arts in the UK and abroad. His reputation has been built on the success of imaginative, highly accessible and relevant productions such as DESH, iTMOi, Vertical Road, Gnosis and zero degrees. Khan’s work is recognised as being profoundly moving, in which his intelligently crafted storytelling is effortlessly intimate and epic.