Popping up in Manchester
20 August 2018On Thursday 13 and Saturday 15 September, we’re popping up in our home city of Manchester with a trio of free performances – and the UK premiere of Amaranthine, a magnetic short dance piece that tells the story of two people who are deeply in love, and in conflict.
Thu 13 Sep, 6:15pm
The Foundation Coffee House
Lever St, Northern Quarter
Sat 5 Sep, 1pm
Tony Wilson Square
First Street (outside HOME)
Sat 15 Sep, 3pm
St Ann’s Square (outside Barclays Bank)
Talking about the pop-ups, Kevin Edward Turner, our Co-Artistic Director, said, “We always love to premiere our work in Manchester. This piece will go to lots of different festivals nationally and internationally, so for us it’s important we share it with audiences at home before we take it on the road and take it out there.”
A male and female duet, Amaranthine (pronounced am-a-ran-thine), is one of Chameleon’s outdoor works, which means it can be adapted and performed in all sorts of spaces.
Kevin explains, “The great thing about our outdoor work is that it has been designed to be performed in all different contexts, transforming the spaces it’s performed in and creating a more unexpected and memorable experience for our audiences. Amarathine premieres at The Foundation Coffee House in the Northern Quarter, for example, meaning it’ll have an element of surprise – after all, it’s not often you see highly physical, contemporary dance in a coffee shop!”
After the premiere, we take Amaranthine outside to Tony Wilson Square on First Street and, following on, will be surprising shoppers with a pop-up outside Barclays Bank on St Ann’s Square.
Amaranthine, a joint choreography by Kevin and dance artist, Navala ‘Niku’ Chaudhari, follows a couple in conflict as they desperately try to reconnect and find resolution. Intricate and emotionally charged, the pushes and pulls of disagreement and heated argument are felt, as is the appreciation of space, understanding and, eventually, acceptance.
Talking about Amaranthine, Niku says, “It’s a story that a lot of people can relate to, as it looks closely at the male and female relationship. The movement is also very powerful and risk-taking, using a style that’s an amalgamation of the techniques that Kevin and I both studied, and which was very instinctive to how we wanted to express the story.”
Amaranthine will be performed by our Company Dancers, Theo Fapohunda and Juliana Javier. Performances are free and there’s no need to book, just come along.
Performance dates & times
Thu 13 Sep, 6:15pm, The Foundation Coffee House, Lever St
Performance in the main bar area.
Join us early for a complimentary drink beforehand.
Sat 15 Sep, 1pm, Tony Wilson Square, First Street
Performance outside in front of HOME.
Sat 15 Sep, 3pm, St Ann’s Square
Performance outside in front of Barclays Bank.
Watch the teaser for a taster…