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COMMON THREADS

Global voices in dance and performance

A performance weekend exploring identity, memory, loss, and self expression through movement, theatre, and multimedia.

Featuring works curated by Finleigh Zack:

The Power of Perspective – Finleigh Zack Dance
Memory Traveler – Conjure Collective
Stasiland – Premier Dance Theatre
MOTHERLOAD – VIM VIGOR DANCE COMPANY

PROGRAMME A

March 21st, 7pm & March 22nd, 8.30pm

THE POWER OF PERSPECTIVE- FINLEIGH ZACK DANCE

The Power of Perspective: I, II, III is a three part investigation exploring the perception of different relationships embedded in our life. Each part examines personal purpose and our role in the community, focusing on relationships with self, intimacy, and society to offer a new perspective on our place in the world. Can we unpack the true human experience and analyze our interactions? This piece aims to strike a harmonious balance between self and others, demonstrating how a perspective can transform the perception of an entire body of work. By bridging the gap between these two subjects, this exploration has the potential to redefine how audiences perceive and connect with our community. Ultimately, the piece aims to capture the authentic essence of expression and its profound impact on the human experience.

STASILAND- PREMIER DANCE THEATRE

Stasiland is a dance-theatre piece set in the shredded document ruins of East Germany. Delving into a world of total surveillance where anxiety is the regime we explore the stories of East Germans living under the eye of the Stasi and their informants. We watch as through the reconstruction of documents left in the wake of the police state the characters discover the secrets of their own lives revealing their poignant stories of connection and loss.

Inspired by the book Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall by Anna Funder & designed in the round for audiences in Galleries, Libraries & Theatres.

PROGRAMME B

March 21st, 8.30pm & March 22nd, 7pm

MEMORY TRAVELER- CONJURE COLLECTIVE

Memory Traveler is a dance trio and multimedia performance that explores the intersection of personal loss, collective grief, and the fleeting innocence of childhood. Through movement, sound, and imagery, it blends the weight of tragedy with the lightness of play, creating a dreamlike experience where memory and imagination merge. Set against the unpredictable beauty of nature, the performance invites reflection on how human connection can transcend grief, offering light even in our darkest moments. In this suspended space between past and present, it reminds us that, despite life’s fragility, there is always room for hope, joy, and the resilience of being fully alive.

MOTHERLOAD- VIM VIGOR DANCE COMPANY

MOTHERLOAD is a dance theater work inspired by the bold, emotional intensity of Pedro Almodóvar’s films and his nuanced portrayal of women and gender. With a provocative blend of vibrant energy and raw physicality, the work delves into the complexities of identity, desire, and freedom. It explores the tension between living authentically and the societal pressures that often seek to suppress individuality. Performers embrace the power of self-expression, diving into moments of unapologetic rebellion and personal transformation, while confronting modern anxieties about gender roles, expectations, and societal constraints. The piece critiques the rigidity of normative identities, celebrating the fluidity of gender and the strength in embracing one’s true self. It urges audiences to challenge conventional boundaries, embracing chaos, passion, and the power of self-determination as acts of resistance, ultimately calling for a fearless pursuit of life’s deepest truths before they are lost to fear or convention.

Event details

21 March 2025 - 22 March 2025

7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

£11 - £15

Please note, we are on the second floor, accessed by a staircase only. Regrettably the studios are not wheelchair accessible.

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About the Companies

FINLEIGH ZACK DANCE

Finleigh Zack Dance is a NYC & London based contemporary dance company supporting mental health advocacy in the arts industry. The company was founded in 2020 and in 2021, the organization incorporated as a 501(c)3 non profit organization. The group has performed at various venues around New York and abroad including the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, The Halley Space in London, England, Gibney Dance Center, Center for Performance Research, The Mark O’Donnell Theater, Arts On Site as well as Club Evasion Detente Sante in Le Pontis, Verteillac, France.

The mission of FZD believes that through the language of physical movement, artists can find new ways to express themselves.

Our mission is to bring perspective, awareness, and inspiration to mental health through dance, and give voice to young adults that have been personally affected or know someone affected by mental health.

The organization strives to use art and movement to explore ideas around mental health by offering resources in a creative space. Learn more about the company on our website finleighzackdance.com or our socials @finleighzackdance

CONJURE COLLECTIVE

Conjure Collective, founded in 2024 in NYC by twin sisters Anabelle and Rainey Scarborough, brings together artists from diverse backgrounds to create collaborative, transformative spaces. Through pop-up performances, community workshops, and immersive events, the collective fosters connection and nurtures artistic expression. In 2022, Anabelle, Rainey, and Devin Fulton of Dev Dance Theater in Ojai, CA formed a spontaneous creative partnership that led to the development of choreographic and artistic work together in California and now in London. Dev Dance Theater, founded by Devin Fulton in 2019, explores themes of mental health and personal transformation through movement. The company empowers women by creating emotionally driven performances that spark connection, healing, and growth. Rooted in a deep commitment to storytelling, Dev Dance Theater provides a platform for diverse voices to share their experiences with strength and resilience. This collaboration underscores the artists’ deep commitment to healing, storytelling, and empowering emerging voices, all while inspiring lasting change in their communities. The team is eager to continue their artistic partnership, bringing their shared vision to life once again.

VIM VIGOR DANCE COMPANY

VIM VIGOR DANCE COMPANY is a physical dance theatre company under the artistic direction of Shannon Gillen and co-choreographer, Jason Cianiculli. Founded as a collaborative think tank in 2015, VIM brings together innovative and profoundly gifted artists from around the world to create original, cutting edge, dance theatre. Since its founding, VIM has performed and taught at renowned venues and festivals across the USA, Europe, Canada, Central America, South America and in Nordic countries. In 2025 the company will create and teach at Chisenhale Dance Space in London, IAB in Barcelona, b12 festival in Berlin, the University of Limerick, and Zagreb Dance Company in Croatia. In tandem with building new works, VIM’s decade strong education platform is dedicated to supporting the professional lives of artists of all ages with ongoing classes, workshops, and annual winter / summer intensives. Applications for our 2025 intensive in August are now live. As in-house artists at the University of Michigan, VIM recently launched Michigan Movement Performance Project, a program that runs seven weeks embedding participants with two professional companies, where they will train, create and perform new work, audition for companies, and deepen their choreographic voice through on-going mentorship. This program is open to all professional artists 18+. MMPP 2025 will feature companies VIM VIGOR and celebrated Spanish company MARCAT under the direction of Mario Bermúdez and Catherine Coury. Additional details on this and many of the exciting new projects that VIM is creating are available on the company’s website www.vimvigordance.com

PREMIER DANCE THEATRE

Premier Dance Theatre, currently based in Southampton, works across the South and in London creating dance theatre pieces that are rooted in contemporary dance. With a focus on storytelling collaboration is essential to this work. Our processes draw on a variety of art making practices, inviting artists from across the UK’s vibrant art and performance scene to share their unique stories in creation and performance.

We are committed to fostering working environments that are collaborative, experimental, supportive, risk taking & innovative, while providing opportunities to those in the transition between training and professional life. Additionally, we strive to make work that can be situated in multiple environments, allowing outstanding dance-theatre to be accessible to communities across the UK and internationally.

Founded in 2024 by Olivia Wallis Jackson.

Accessibility

Please note, we are on the second floor of a warehouse building, accessed by a staircase only. We regret that we cannot currently adequately support wheelchair users and those for whom stairs are a barrier.

We are committed to removing other barriers to access. If you would like to talk to us about your access needs, please contact: sam@chisenhaledancespace.co.uk. Read more about our commitments to anti-ableism as part of our Artist Community Culture Document.

For more information about our building and our space, visit our website.