Designer Body 2008-09

Designer Body celebrates the body transformed.

Designer Body features seven dancers - four female and three male - each revolving on their own one metre diameter plinth dressed in full length garments that accentuate and distort the stature and elegance of their bodies.

 

The revolving plinths are programmed to work with and against the choreography and the dancers velocity with speeds of up to 20rpm. Over 50 minutes the clockwise and counter-clockwise revolutions of the plinths creates a transcendental and hypnotic effect with the dancers moving in and out of perfect synchronicity and kaleidoscopic patterns.

Throughout their orbiting journey the dancers go through a transformation as layers of clothing slip away through the rotations of the moving stages, the choreography and the wind machines. The couture designed body that was presented at the beginning of the work ends as a completely nude sculptural form - a completely different kind of designer body.

Designer Body is a richly textured piece of dance theatre with a very visual bias that is supported by the exquisite lighting of designer Malcolm Rippeth. Couturier and long-term balletLORENT collaborator Paul Shriek creates the costume designs. A specially commissioned work by :zoviet*france: accompanies the dance work with a powerfully atmospheric score containing elements of bird song, music box mechanisms, run-off grooves with penetrable bass.

Designer Body is made to be seen in many different spaces including site-specific venues as well as theatres and art galleries. It is created for a seated audience to experience the full 50-minute exhilarating journey of the body transformed from a gilded state of high aestheticism to a naked Rodin-esque rotating sculpture.

Designer Body premiered in Hall 2 of The Sage Gateshead on January 11th and 12th 2008, was performed in Liverpool as part of British Dance Edition 2008, and had a full UK Tour in Spring 2009.

Reviews and audience feedback

Reviews from Scotsman, The Guardian, CultureCatch.com, BarryPurves.com

Captivating, Beautiful, exciting, athletic and graceful. A performance not to be missed. We very much look forward to seeing your future productions.
Roger and Jude Pendrill

The dance/movement was intense, absorbing and aesthetically challenging/satisfying. Wonderful concept, amazing costumes and music. Much appreciated by me – an ex classical ballet dancer.
David Brotherton, Edinburgh – Traverse Theatre

Designer Body was fabulous, very beautiful costumes, breath-taking choreography.
M Thomasson, Leeds – Leeds City Museum

I didn’t really know what I was coming to and nothing could have prepared me for how mesmerizing and beautiful it was... thank you so much.
Lucy Johnston, London – The German Gymnasium, London

A really thought provoking evening – lots to discuss on the long drive home!
Anthony Storey, Carnforth – Traverse Theatre

Funded by

The Arts Council of England
The Northern Rock Foundation

Dancers

Gary Clarke
Gavin Coward
Katryn Jackson
Meritxell Pan Cabo
Debbi Purtill
Caroline Reece
Raymond Roa