Pushing the boundaries
18 November 2024Our Co-Artistic Director, Anthony Missen, is pushing the boundaries in the arts in Manchester in a new collaboration with the RNCM. Here Anthony tells us more about the project and why it’s so special.
Q1) Hey Anthony, tell us more about the collaboration!
I’m really inspired to be knee-deep in this collaboration, it’s really pushing the boundaries of what we both traditionally do. We’re currently working with the RNCM on three different projects, which all culminate in performances in the next few months.
First up, is a collaborative production with the ARKEnsemble, a wind ensemble established and led by internationally renowned saxophonist, Rob Buckland. My latest outdoor creation, Umbra, forms the backbone of this performance with the music re-scored for wind instruments, which will be played live by 19 musicians.
The second collaboration is a new production of Carmen, which involves working with a mix of professional guests and senior RNCM students. We’ve been busy in the studio creating choreography for the scenes with the Chameleon stamp you’d expect. There’s some big and complex music in there, it’s been a great challenge to get my teeth into it!
The final collaboration is with their first-year strings orchestra. An evening of several works, Piazzolla’s Oblivion and Caroline Shaw’s And The Swallow will be played, with our dancers performing choreography alongside. Challenging the traditional way audiences experience live classical music, the strings players will play from memory and move around the stage with their instruments.
2) What inspired the collaboration?
Chameleon last showcased my work, Hands Down, as part of their 50th year celebrations in 2023, and we’ve been in discussions ever since about collaborating.
This Autumn / Winter, the RNCM have programmed a series celebrating the powerful synergy between dance and music, and we’re excited to be part of it.
3) How is this project pushing the boundaries?
In all sorts of ways! It’s the first time Chameleon has performed alongside a live orchestra. It’s going to be a real treat for the dancers, musicians and the audience!
The way we’re working with the musicians is also new. For musicians, sat on a chair, looking at a score, doesn’t lend itself naturally to freeing the body. The project challenges this idea by exploring the musician’s physicality and integrating them into the performance as moving bodies rather than fixed players. This is a new experience for them, which is pushing them out of their comfort zones, as a result the performance itself will shift audience perceptions of how they traditionally experience classical musicians performing on stage.
Plus, the original score for Umbra, which features Gqom and electronic music, is being re-scored for wind instruments – I can’t wait to hear how this sounds. I think the collaboration as a whole highlights how we push boundaries in the arts in Manchester! Putting our heads together, dreaming, and having the commitment to go there, do it and create something new.
5) What excites you about the project?
What’s most exciting about this project is the impact I hope it has on the younger musicians, and their thinking about how they can re-define and re-imagine what’s possible.
It’s also really exciting for me to get my teeth into music that I might not ordinarily choose to work with. Most often when I’m creating a new production, I work closely with a composer, and that dialogue means the soundtrack and choreography evolve in tandem; they fit each other like a glove.
Here, I’m responding to what the music suggests to me, the story or inspiration behind them, which in this case is everything from the Syrian refugee crisis to a story about a solider and seduction.
I’m also excited for the life of these productions beyond their performances at the RNCM. What a joy it would be for audiences to see the works in a public square or local community hall.
INFO & BOOKING
RNCM ArkEnsemble with Company Chameleon
Friday 6 December 2024, 7:30pm, RNCM
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Vivaldi to Sinatra with Company Chameleon
Sunday 12 January 2025, 2pm, RNCM
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RNCM Strings Orchestra with Company Chameleon
Sunday 12 January 2025, 4pm, RNCM
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