GARDEN UNLOCKED

2022

Swapping Shadows

2018

Garden Unlocked is a work for three dancers and three musicians. But it is also a work that draws heavily on its location. Throughout, the dance and music seem to be shaped by the surroundings, by the architecture and space around, as well as with each other.

David Mead, Seeing Dance

Garden Unlocked is a promenade performance in which people get to take a breath of fresh air in places that are not usually accessible to the public. The journey begins in a narrow, enclosed space where things soon get tangled up. Eventually, the performers find a way to escape and guide their audience on a path of playful interactions between musicians, dancers and their surroundings. They finally reach a wide open garden where the dance and music rise in lightness and freedom.

Developed in residencies at The Horton (Epsom) and P.A.R.T.S. (Brussels), Garden Unlocked combines site-responsive choreography, semi-aleatoric music and structured improvisation. The performance encourages people to go for walks and explore the outdoors to support their physical and mental wellbeing.

Intimate, moving, fluid

Audience member, Bloomsbury Festival 2022

Eye-soothing synchronisation, syncopation, mirroring and the dancers’ personal connection made Swapping Shadows joyfully easy to watch.

Stephanie Brown, Resolution reviews
Production
Details

DANCERS
Miles Chai, Francesca Matthys & Yanaëlle Thiran

CHOREOGRAPHY
Yanaëlle Thiran

MUSIC
Owen Ho

MUSICIANS
Josh Law (viola), June Lee (violin), Sarah Ovenden (flute) and Kosuke Shirai (clarinet) from Ensemble Matters

PHOTOGRAPHY
Dimitri Djuric, Stuart Keegan, Marc Philippe Legein & Lawrie Smail

DURATION
17 minutes

REVIEW
Seeing Dance

PAST PERFORMANCES
19, 20 and 21/10/2022: Premiere and series of 3 performances at Bloomsbury Festival (London)
19/08/2022: Sharing of a work in progress at P.A.R.T.S. (Brussels)
16/06/2022: Sharing of a work in progress at The Horton (Epsom)

A beautiful, thoughtful interlude that will dance through my day!

Audience member, Bloomsbury Festival 2022