Kieran Page and Melissa Hetherington. Photo: Hugo Glendinning
Acclaimed by audiences and critics alike, the latest work by Michael Clark visits Coventry’s Warwick Arts Centre on Wednesday 6 March 2019.
to a simple, rock ’n’ roll . . . song. has been described by London’s Evening Standard as ‘an adrenaline shot that sends you away buzzing’.
At first, a reflection on Erik Satie and his influence on Clark’s mentors past and present – the dance meticulous and coolly refined. Next, commanding choreography pulsating with a propulsive force to the punk rock of Patti Smith’s landmark album, Horses.
Then, an iridescent tribute to David Bowie, intricate, sublime, the mood moving from elegiac to joyously rebellious.
Enjoying its world premiere at the Barbican, London in 2016, the Olivier Award-nominated to a simple, rock ‘n’ roll . . . song. comprises a triple bill of gorgeously arresting choreography.
Performances by a company of fearless and otherworldly dancers are complemented by Charles Atlas’s scintillating lighting design, which features a stage adaptation of his multi-channel video installation Painting by Numbers.
LISTINGS
Wednesday 6 March 2019
Michael Clark Company
to a simple, rock ’n’ roll . . . song.
Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL
7.30pm
Tickets: £30 (£28), £26 (£24), £21 (£19) Under 26s £16
Box Office: 024 7652 4524
Web: www.warwickartscentre.co.uk
Choreographer: Michael Clark
Lighting Designer: Charles Atlas
Costumes: Stevie Stewart, Michael Clark
Commissioned by Barbican, London. Supported by Patrons of New Work. Co-produced by Barbican, London, Michael Clark Company and Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg. Michael Clark Company is supported using public funding by Arts Council England.
NOTES FOR EDITORS
- Michael Clark is widely regarded as one of Britain’s leading choreographers.
- Clark’s work seamlessly crosses the boundaries between the worlds of classical ballet, contemporary dance, fashion, music and visual art.
- An opportunity to experience Clark’s latest work, following a sell out world premiere in London in 2016.
Olivier Awards 2017: Michael Clark nominated for ‘Best New Dance Production.’ - Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards 2017: Michael Clark nominated for ‘Best Modern Choreography.’
- The production features original lighting design by artist and filmmaker Charles Atlas, a long-term collaborator.
Act II features a stage adaptation of Charles Atlas’s psychedelic multi-channel video installation, Painting By Numbers, first shown in London in 2010. - Costumes design is by Stevie Stewart, co-founder of the iconic 1980s label Bodymap, and another longstanding creative collaborator with Michael Clark.
- The work is set to music by Erik Satie, Patti Smith and David Bowie, including the title track from Bowie’s final studio album, Blackstar.
‘There is no dancer-choreographer alive who so naturally treads the line between the rigour of classical dance and the reckless glamour of rock and fashion. Clark may need dance, but British Dance needs Clark even more.’ – The Independent on Sunday
ABOUT MICHAEL CLARK COMPANY
Hailed as “British dance’s true iconoclast”, Michael Clark is a defining cultural figure. Since emerging in the 1980s as a prodigy at London’s Royal Ballet School, he has remained at the forefront of innovation in dance, collaborating with such compelling artists as Sarah Lucas, Leigh Bowery, Peter Doig, Charles Atlas, Jarvis Cocker and The Fall – among many others – winning rave reviews and countless awards.
From the outset, Michael Clark’s performances have been marked by a mixture of technical rigour and experimentation, intense and fine-tuned choreography intersecting with elements of punk, Dada, pop and rock. His productions repeatedly break new ground, provoking and electrifying audiences. As The Guardian noted of a recent performance at the Barbican: “throughout the evening, the dancers’ prodigious command and affectless efficiency make them look superhuman.”
Michael Clark founded his own company in 1984. It has since toured worldwide to perform at leading houses in Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Australia, as well as on its home stage at the Barbican in London, where it has been a resident company since 2005. Michael Clark Company has introduced dance to new audiences by performing at unorthodox venues such as the Glastonbury Festival, the legendary Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow and contemporary art museums, including Tate Modern in London and the Whitney Museum in New York, as well as through its collaborations with leading artists, fashion designers, musicians and filmmakers.
MEDIA CONTACT
For further media information about this specific performance (at Warwick Arts Centre), please contact us.
For all non-media related enquiries, please contact the venue or MCC.
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