DOWNTIME - interviews with dance artists & arts leaders, talking about dance & the arts

Lloyd Newson

Lloyd Newson OBE is a director, dancer and choreographer. He formed DV8 Physical Theatre in 1986, and the company went on to tour across the world for decades, winning 55 national and international awards including the Prix Italia, Rose d'Or and an International Emmy Award. Shows include:, the hard hitting, physically combative, politically charged My Sex; Our Dance, Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men; poetic pieces with more of a  sense of narrative and/or design - Strange Fish, Enter Achilles ...

Silvia Gribaudi

Lou talked with Italian choreographer and performer Silvia Gibraudi, sometimes referred to as ‘the prophet of the free body’, in December 2022. Silvia talked about her journey of trying to find joy and grace, and bring them to people’s lives, to theatres and to people in the street.  She explained how her show Graces explores questions like ‘what is beauty?’ and ‘what does it mean to be perfect?’ in a playful, pleasurable but political way, by placing Silvia, her clown-like character and h...

Movement Direction with Ayse Tashkiran and Ingrid Mackinnon

Lou talked with Movement Directors Ayse Tashkiran and Ingrid Mackinnon about how they approach the key relationships at the heart of their work - namely directors, individual and groups of actors and other collaborators; how they try to identify and develop the ‘feeling’ or ‘colour’ of a production and how they move between leading and observing. They also shared their thoughts on how to ask for time to do the work they need to do, the practicalities that surround how often they are in the ...

Julia Cheng

Lou spoke to Julia in November 2022. They talked about how her journey and values underpin everything she does; how important it is for her to be part of a movement that advocates for the representation of people like her; how House of Absolute work as a collective, and how she approached the role of choreographer of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club.  Julia also spoke of how, in her early days of parenthood, she is trying to have conversations she might find uncomfortable, and approach them wit...

Lou Cope and Sanjoy Roy

Hello and welcome to a rather unusual one-off episode of Downtime. Lou has absolutely loved talking to all her brilliant guests about how they approach their work. But a while ago it was suggested that maybe she make a mini- episode that focuses on her work, her personal approach to dramaturgy and also CoAD - The Centre of Applied Dramaturgy - and the courses and bursaries she’s developing.  And who better to ask to hold that conversation than veteran dance critic and writer, Sanjoy Roy. 

Damien Jalet

Damien and Lou spoke in mid October 2022. They talked about the interest in ritual that has informed all of his work; his collaborations with visual artists to make the pieces Thr(o)ugh, Vessel and Skid; the impact that being caught in the centre of the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris has had on the content of his work; and what it is he is enjoying about working in film.

Caroline Bowditch

Caroline spoke with Lou about the work she has done, as a ‘mosquito buzzing in the ears of the arts industry’, striving for cultural equity both in the UK and Australia, and how far there is yet to go on that journey.  She described the work of Arts Access Victoria, including the brilliant new Alter State Festival, and all the work they have been doing with Arts Centre Melbourne to make it a truly accessible event. Caroline also talked about the costs that come along with being an arts lead...

Tarek Iskander

Tarek Iskander  is the Artistic Director of Battersea Arts Centre, in London. Born in Sunderland to parents born in Egypt, Tarek moved to the Middle East when he was five, and returned to the UK at 17, escaping from the Gulf War in Kuwait. He studied engineering before beginning a management career in the NHS that lasted more than a decade. In the following chapters of his journey he was the Interim Director for Theatre at Arts Council England, one of the founders and Associate Artistic Dir...

Participatory Practice

Lou talked with Ned, Alan and Naomi about what motivates them, what models they use, their different approaches and what’s difficult about the work they do. They talked about how trust and time are key to letting co-created ideas emerge, and they shared top tips for anyone embarking on a participatory performance project.

Sasha Waltz

Multi- award winning Sasha Waltz was born in Karlsruhe, Germany and studied dance and choreography in Amsterdam and New York. In 1993 she founded her company Sasha Waltz & Guests, together with Jochen Sandig and In 1996 together they opened the Sophiensæle, a theatre in Berlin.  In the years since, alongside her work with Sasha Waltz and guests, she has been one of the artistic directors of Berlin’s Schaubühne 1999 - 2004, and she was the joint artistic director, with Johannes Öhman, of the...

NOEL JORDAN

In this episode of Downtime, Lou talks with Noel Jordan – Festival Director of Imaginate and Edinburgh International Children’s Festival.  They talked about Noel’s approach to programming, Imaginate’s year round support for artists, the risks Noel can take in terms of programming difficult or sensitive material, and his observations about the quality and nature of work being made both in the UK and across Europe. Noel has extensive experience as an award winning producer, director, actor-d...

ANNABELLE LOPEZ OCHOA

Lou spoke to Annabelle while she was at Jacob’s Pillow, in June 2022. They spoke about where Annabelle’s passion for working across genres comes from, the detail of how she prepares and what she asks of her dancers in the studio, and how she and her dramaturg and long time collaborator Nancy Meckler work together.  Annabelle also talked about what she thinks a female choreographer can bring to female roles, and what changes she’d like to see in the programming of major companies – one of wh...

JONZI D

Jonzi D is the founder and Artistic Director of Jonzi D Projects and Breakin’ Convention the international Hip Hop festival he founded in 2004 with Sadlers Wells. A dancer, spoken word artist and director, he is the foremost advocate for hiphop theatre who has changed the profile and influenced the development of the UK British hip-hop dance and theatre scene over the last two decades. He has been actively involved in British hip hop culture, rapping and b-boying since its genesis. As well ...

KATY PYLE - USA

New York based Katy Pyle is a genderqueer lesbian dancer and choreographer who founded their dance company Ballez in 2011 to explore their complicated relationship to the cis-hetero patriarchal form of ballet, and to make space for their own, and their communities’, presence within it. The mission is to reimagine ballet through collaborative, community-minded, and antihierarchical approaches.  Katy is working to insert the herstory and lineage of lesbian, queer and transgender people into t...

JOSEPH TOONGA - UK

 Joseph Toonga is from East London. He makes and performs dance productions that tell stories of the under-represented, relevant to the here and now which are embedded in the languages of contemporary dance and Hip Hop. Joseph is Artistic Director of Just Us Dance Theatre, has created work for Edge; National Youth Ballet of Germany;  Richard Alston Dance Company and Junior Ballet Madrid.  He is also co-founder of Artists 4 Artists and recently became The Royal Ballet’s first Emerging Choreog...

SEASON TWO INTRO

Carlos Acosta

Born in Havana in 1973, Carlos Acosta trained at the National Ballet School of Havana in Cuba. After winning a succession of awards, including the Prix de Lausanne in 1990, he went on to dance professionally with the world’s most prestigious ballet companies, including The Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Houston Ballet and Cuban National Ballet company. Carlos retired from classical ballet in 2016, after 28 years, having performed almost every classical role from Spartacus to Romeo. ...

Downtime with Michael Keegan-Dolan

Michael Keegan-Dolan founded Teaċ Daṁsa in 2016 as a means to forge stronger connections with the native traditions, language and music of Ireland, as exemplified by the company’s first two productions, Swan Lake / Loch na hEala (2016) and MÁM (2019). Previously Michael was AD of Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre creating three Olivier Award-nominated productions: Giselle, The Bull, and The Rite of Spring. Giselle won an Irish Times Theatre Award and The Bull won a UK National Dance Award.    In ...

Downtime with Shobana Jeyasingh

Lou's guest on Downtime today is Shobana Jeyasingh, an internationally recognised choreographer who founded Shobana Jeyasingh Dance 30 years ago. She has created over 60 critically acclaimed works for stage, screen, and public spaces such as Palladian monasteries, fountain courtyards and city offices.  In addition to her work with SJD she has also been commissioned by Rambert Dance Company, Ballet Black, Wayne McGregor/Random Dance, Beijing Modern Dance Academy and many more. Shobana is th...

Downtime with Pontus Lidberg - Danish Dance Theatre

Lou's guest on Downtime today is Swedish choreographer, film maker and dancer Pontus Lidberg. Pontus became Artistic Director of Danish Dance Theatre in 2018 . He has also been commissioned by  Paris Opera Ballet, New York City Ballet, Martha Graham Dance Company, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, Acosta Danza, Balletboyz and Beijing Dance Theatre. Lou joined Pontus virtually (sadly!) in his wooden hut on a lake in Sweden on July 31st 2020. They talked about his work as a film-maker and a choreog...

Downtime with Kate Prince

My guest on Downtime today is Kate Prince - the AD of Zoonation – and the choreographer behind the massive hits Some Like it Hip Hop, Into The Hoods and most recently Message in a Bottle – a show set to the music of Sting which premiered at Sadlers Wells in Feb 2020. She was also, as we’ll hear, choreographer on the west end hit Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, and she co-wrote SYLVIA at the Old Vic. Her commercial credits include Strictly, the Olympic Games of Beijing, The tour de France an...

Downtime with Jo Verrent

The extraordinary Jo Verrent is my guest on downtime today. Jo is the senior producer for Unlimited - the world’s largest commissions programme for disabled artists, ensuring that work gets seen, discussed and embedded within the cultural fabric of the UK, and further afield, with partners such as ACE, Creative Scotland, Southbank Centre, and the British Council. I joined Jo on July 7th via her laptop in her home in Yorkshire, England. We talked about the work the disability arts community...

Downtime with Gary Clarke

Today’s Downtime chat is with UK-based choreographer Gary Clarke. Gary is known for creating a place to tell socio-political stories and histories of the British working class, in a contemporary dance setting, which is no mean feat! He is loved and respected by audience and dance professionals alike. Lou and Gary have worked together for over 12 years. Lou was dramaturg on COAL (UK Theatre Award & Critics Circle Award), and Wasteland, among other projects and productions. Gary and Lou spok...

Downtime with Aditi Mangaldas

In this episode Lou spent some Downtime with Aditi Mangaldas, a leading dancer and choreographer in the classical Indian dance form of Kathak, based in Delhi, India. Aditi runs her own rep company -  Aditi Mangaldas Dance Company – The Drishtikon Dance Foundation. It is here that she experiments with what she calls ‘contemporary danced based on Kathak’. Her productions, for example Inter_rupted and Within, have toured the world to great acclaim. Lou zoomed into Aditi's life while she was in...

Downtime with Sharon Watson

For the past 11 years Sharon Watson has been AD of Phoenix Dance Theatre. She is now CEO & Principal of Northern School of Contemporary Dance. This exciting and inspiring conversation took place as Lou joined Sharon in a personal moment that merged quiet reflection with exhilarating potential, as Sharon spoke of her journey as a black, female leader and artist, and her determination to seize the opportunity for radical change now.

Downtime with Claire Cunningham

One of the UK’s most acclaimed and internationally renowned disabled artists, Claire Cunningham is a performer and creator of multi-disciplinary performance based in Glasgow, Scotland. Claire and Lou talked about two key themes of Claire’s thinking and work – our relationship with time, (and the concept of ‘crip time’); and the ‘choreography of care’ .

Downtime with Cathy Marston

Cathy Marston is an award-winning choreographer, based in both Switzerland and the UK. Recent shows in the UK include The Cellist for The Royal Ballet, The Suit – initially created for Ballet Black, and Jane Eyre and Victoria for Northern Ballet. As we’ll hear she recently made Mrs Robinson for San Francisco Ballet and should now be working on Of Mice and Men for The Joffrey Ballet. Cathy was Associate Artist at the Royal Opera House from 2002-2007 and Artistic Director of Bern Ballet from ...

Downtime withTheo Clinkard

I had a great chat with choreographer, dancer and designer Theo Clinkard, in early June 2020. In addition to making pieces for his own company, pieces like Ordinary Courage (2012) Chalk (2014), Of Land & Tongue (2014), This Bright Field (2017), he has also made work for Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, Danza Contemporanea de Cuba, and Candoco Dance Company - among others. Theo and I talked about the work he is currently developing ‘The Century Project’, his desire to engage in slow thin...

Downtime with Lucy Guerin

Melbourne-based choreographer Lucy Guerin presents her work regularly across Australia and Europe. In addition to touring such shows as Split, Attractor and Untrained with her own company Lucy Guerin Inc, she’s also made shows for Lyon Opera Ballet, Chunky Move, Dance Works Rotterdam and Ballet Rambert. We talked in early June 2020 about how the enforced Downtime had brought an unexpected relief from the pressure to tour internationally, a positive focussing in on ‘home-grown’ work, and how...

Downtime with Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui

Belgian/Moroccan Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui is one of the world’s most sought after  choreographers. He’s made over 50 shows, works in contemporary dance, ballet, film and theatre and has picked up a frankly embarrassing haul of awards. Collaborators include Antony Gormley, Damien Jalet, Marina Abramovic and Beyonce – to name but a few. I worked with Larbi and Gormley on Sutra, and with Larbi and Damien Jalet on the Olivier Award winning Babel (words) around 2008 – 2010. As well as running his ...

Downtime with Botis Seva & Lee Griffiths

For this episode of DownTime I was so pleased to be able to talk with Botis Seva and Lee Griffiths. Botis is a dance artist, choreographer and director working in contemporary dance, physical theatre and hip-hop – he is the AD of HipHop Dance Theatre company – Far From the Norm. Lee Griffiths is the Creative Producer of Far From The Norm, and also, alongside Joseph Toonga and Emily Crouch , runs Artists 4 Artists the UK’s first artist-led Hip Hop theatre initiative. Lee and Botis also hap...

Downtime Series Intro