Habitual Welders
Choreography: Jan De Schynkel

Cutting edge yet accessible; a thought-provoking piece with a constantly increasing trance-like pace. Under the highly technical, dynamic and challenging movement vocabulary lies a collage of interlocking traces of relationships, offering lyrical images of tenderness alternating with violent disruptions.

Just as welding in a figurative sense means to form a harmonious or effective whole and literally it means to unite by softening, I have tried to find a choreographic system in the piece to put aggregates of relationships together.

The piece allows space for the audience to contribute their own individual thoughts to movements and structure, in parts influenced by the Organum style of Perotin's medieval music - which also inspired many minimalist composers such as Steve Reich. This lyrical piece offers steady direction which underlies a kaleidoscope of shifting textures.

Music: Downland, Perotin, Michael Gordon, Gavin Bryers, David Lang

 

Social Disease
Choreography: Gary Clarke

Social Disease is a slick and stylish piece of work based around the paradox of self image, self loathing and becoming a super star. The piece dives head first into some of Warhol's most personal works including the hard hitting and darkly provocative collection: The Disaster Paintings. Set to a glamour-rock soundtrack by The Velvet Underground, a company of 4 women step out of 'Andy's wardrobe, to present a series of shocking and painfully truthful images.

 

The Up and Down People
Directed by Tom Roden
(New Art Club)
Devised and written by Tom Roden and the dancers.
Artistic Advisors: Pete Shenton
(New Art Club) and Anna Williams

The Up and Down People is a sad and funny dance piece for an open space. It uses text and movement to tell the stories of people who are impossibly up, people who are impossibly down and people who are somewhere in between. A woman in a shopping centre, a woman sitting in a tree, The Up and Down People asks its audience to look at very specific things at very specific times and is something of a response to people that say "cheer up, it might never happen".

 

Lines
Choreography: Rachel Wesson

Lines is a collection of thoughts and ideas abstracted from vintage photographs, personal encounters and verse
‘Cheap trash, Long arms, funny legs - entertain
Provocatively talkative, Art School drop out....’
[Yes i do by chicks on Speed]
ARCHIVE

Ascendance Dance Company > 1999 - 2004

Previous Tour Schedules
Previous Projects
Repertoire ADC

G&T Tour 2004
Repertoire
   Film Extracts

‘A less realistic still life’ Gary Clarke (2004)

Gary Clarke explores the work of Yorkshire Artist David Hockney and how his personal experiences have shaped his work. The piece looks at the ways in which Hockney’s work differed and changed daily with a constant shift in mood, texture, and form from still life to the abstract.

 A Less realistic still life extracts

10SD Emma Clayton (2003)

Originally created in and around the sculptures at Leeds City Art Gallery, ‘10 Short Dances’ was choreographed as part of a multi media project with Batley School of Art & Design, Leeds Art College and local artists.
Double Take Tour 2003

Soleil (2003) Rachel Wesson

Soleil captures individual aspirations through emotive physical movement, encompassing all that is beautiful?

Like soothing waves, Soleil teased away the aches and pains' (Rachel Tomkin, Resolution)

Snap Back (2003) - Emma Clayton & Edward Johnson

This beautiful duet is inspired by Edward Allington's Garden Sculpture (1951) of a classical figure anachronistically enclosed within a cubist cocoon. With only spy holes to look out and to look in .........glances are passed and ignored.

Shenanigans behind the bookshelf (2000) Tracy Witney (originally created at Borders Bookstore);

A lighthearted look into the lives of three characters whose paths cross during their adventure into a bookstore. The three dancers fly across the furniture with acrobatic flair and finesse! Who will win the game?

Leeds City Art Gallery Residencies

Snap back......and the elastic surrounds (2002) Kate Mason

A site specific piece created at Leeds City Art Gallery

Throwing shapes (2000) Emma Clayton

Throwing Shapes was originally created and performed at Leeds City Art Gallery, drawing large audiences from across the region. In this piece the audience become an important part of the performance environment. Visitors are led through the gallery rooms, and watch the dancers reflect the art, become characters looking at art and even become the art itself!