Photo Credit: How long is a piece of String by Fully Booked Theatre at Hartlepool Town Hall. Photographer: Phil Hill
MoveAhead Commissions
Our MoveAhead commissions are currently in progress. After a competitive process taking place in Spring 2024, the four succesful commissions have been selected and preparations are underway for their performances in 2025. The successful group of commissioned companies span emerging and established makers and movers, with a focus on working with communities in the Tees Valley, across a range of themes including railways, connections, childhood emotions and lighthouses.
TeesDance is pleased to announce the successful commissioning of new dance works for 2025 as part of the MoveAhead programme, supported by Arts Council England and Tees Valley Combined Authority, which will celebrate and reflect the cultural richness of the Tees Valley. This initiative will showcase the diverse talents of local artists, companies, and festivals, with many creators presenting work in the region for the first time. The project highlights the vibrancy of the local artistic community and TeesDance’s commitment to fostering creativity and innovation in the area.
TeesDance, in partnership with Darlington Borough Council, Hartlepool Borough Council, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, and Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, have supported four commissions, each with £5,000 in funding. Below are the commissioned organisations and their exciting projects:
Darlington:
Project: Carriage
Resound Theatre is an emerging physical theatre company based in Darlington, formed in 2022 as a partnership between Elliot Mann and Matty Muir. Their work blends object theatre, intuitive movement, and sonic design to create ground-shaking theatrical experiences. Carriage features two workers in a cluttered space filled with railway materials, trapped in a cycle of labour - inspired by the momentous first journey on the Stockton & Darlington Railway 200 years ago. Through a journey of discovery and invention, they transition from rigid routine to the euphoria of creativity. Blending object puppetry and acrobatic movement, the performance celebrates human connection and the magic of invention, highlighting what can be achieved together. Resound are one of the most exciting companies working in the Tees Valley and we can’t wait to see their work presented in the birthplace of the modern passenger railways - Darlington!
Hartlepool:
Project: The Lighthouse Project
Beth Veitch is a dance artist, facilitator, and maker based in the North East, whose practice centres around the creation of collaborative artistic work with a Northern voice. The Lighthouse Project will involve the community of Hartlepool, a live folk musician, and two professional dancers. It explores themes of architecture, safety, and community resilience, using movement as a metaphor for the iconic beacons that guard our coastlines. The project invites everyone to participate, whether in the process, performance, or as an audience member, emphasising that we can be lighthouses for one another in difficult times. During the interview process, it was clear that Beth had a deep understanding of coastal communities and the issues they faces, and we’re excited to see the project get underway! Image Credit - Saya Naruse
Redcar and Cleveland:
Project: Up in the Sky
Founded in 2013 by acclaimed choreographer Johnny Autin and based in Birmingham, Autin Dance Theatre is a pioneering touring company dedicated to inspiring and educating through socially relevant, multi-disciplinary arts. This outdoor aerial dance and physical theatre performance, which will be mounted at the Between the Tides festival, explores themes of displacement, change, resilience, and belonging. Following two siblings navigating challenges using a striking 7-metre truss structure, the performance combines dynamic aerial and ground dance elements, engaging young audiences and inviting them to reflect on their own adaptability and the power of connection amidst adversity. As one of the best outdoor arts companies in the country, we are delighted to working with Autin Dance Theatre on the follow-up to their hugely successful shows Parade - The Giant Wheel, and Eko the Sea Giant. Their ability to pair high quality dance with on-the-street spectacle, whilst presenting family friendly narratives is what most excited us about their proposal. The company have also committed to working alongside Tees Valley creatives as part of their development process.
Stockton-on-Tees:
Lizzie Klotz and Luca Rutherford
Project: The Fabric of Us
Lizzie Klotz and Luca Rutherford have been collaborating for over six years, developing work as an interdisciplinary duo spanning dance theatre, theatre, public art, installation, and community engagement. This new outdoor dance work, to be mounted at the Stockton International Riverside Festival (SIRF), focuses on connection, informed by community engagement that explores relationships in our modern technological world. It delves into the places we meet, the moments we connect, and the uniting threads in our lives, emphasising the importance of togetherness in a divided society. As two of the best contemporary performance makers who have a wealth of experiencing in engaging communities in their person-focussed socially-engaged practice, we are looking forward to working with the pair to deliver the commissioned piece at SIRF in 2025. Image Credit Amelia Read.
