Contemporary dance tour to kick off at Sunderland College

A striking contemporary dance show will be staged in Sunderland later this month.
Fertile Ground dancersFertile Ground dancers
Fertile Ground dancers

Dancers from Fertile Ground are limbering up to stage Twilight Dances at Sunderland College Arts Academy, Durham Road, on the opening night of a North East tour.

Four young female professional dancers from the North East take to the stage as they perform new work created by Fertile Ground’s artistic directors and former Rambert dancers Renaud Wiser and Malgorzata Dzierzon.

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Schubert’s beautiful String Quartet No.14 composed in 1824, also known as Death and the Maiden, has been used as inspiration by Dzierzon and Wiser to create a 45 minute piece of contemporary dance that audiences can enjoy with live musical accompaniment.

Renaud said: “Schubert’s String Quartet No.14 is known for its dramatic and lyrical nature and provided us with the perfect starting point to create a dance that looks at our eternal quest for youth and immortality.

“We are combining movement and live music as a metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life. Audiences can expect to be transported by the beauty of the music and by the performance of the dancers and musicians.”

Every year, Fertile Ground recruits a new company of professional dancers from or trained in the North East and gives them the opportunity to develop as artists.

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The company this year includes 23-year-old Megan Otty from Sunderland.

Megan, a former Biddick Academy pupil, said: “Fertile Ground is unique in that it offers dancers, like me, who are in the early stages of their career an opportunity to perform high quality work created by nationally and internationally recognised choreographers as part of a professional company.

“It has been an amazing experience to be part of the Fertile Ground team and I am really looking forward to performing at venues across the North East and further afield.”

l Fertile Ground perform at Sunderland College Arts Academy on Monday, May 20. For more information about tour dates, to watch the trailer, or to buy tickets visit www.fertileground.org.uk