RUSH is a powerful, energetic site -responsive outdoor dance spectacular. It features a locally recruited cast of dancers who perform alongside professionals from Southpaw Dance Company. Accompanied by an urban soundtrack and stunning video projections, RUSH is a visually stunning large-scale production.
RUSH was inspired by the post-2008 global cultural phenomenon of protest and riot, with people all over the world, taking to the streets to show their dissatisfaction with prevailing social and economic conditions. Mass action has become a staple of the TV news, from the first, peaceful demonstrations of the Arab Spring, to ordinary Brazilians protesting at the waste and extravagance of the FIFA World Cup, to students and young people in Hong Kong demanding democratic rights. Many would argue that the 2011 London riots had their origins in legitimate grievances (lack of employment prospects, alienation from local and national politics, hostility to police tactics) even though they degenerated into violence and looting.
Were there opportunities for engagement and dialogue that were missed? Why do so many people feel that, even in a democracy, their voices are not listened to? RUSH engages with potentially disaffected people and tells the stories that matter, finding an outlet for everyday frustrations in a huge release of energy and creativity.
This will be the third iteration of RUSH having been developed and premiered, in South Tyneside and Sunderland and secondly in Hull as part of its City of Culture programme.
In Blackpool RUSH will explore issues exposed through six weeks of dance and writing workshops to uncover material to form the show. Through the lens of the stories explored by the people involved RUSH will tell the wider story of the issues people of Blackpool face.
The two previous versions of RUSH followed five archetypal characters; a zero hours worker, an office worker, a young mother, a homeless character, a nurse, ordinary people under extraordinary pressure in the society we have created. In Blackpool we have yet to discover the stories we will tell.
RUSH was created by Southpaw Dance Company in partnership with Event International and Cultural Spring, Rush is a site responsive, touring show. The show features film projections created by NOVAK.
RUSH in Blackpool has been commissioned by LeftCoast and will take place on the site of the old Bonny Street Police Headquarters, a prominent feature of Blackpool’s skyline.
Devised by: Southpaw Dance Company
Artistic Direction: Robby Graham
Producer: Event International
Visuals and Projection Mapping: Novak
Writer: Christopher Hepworth
Southpaw Dance Company was set up in 2013 under the artistic direction of choreographer Robby Graham. The company creates dance theatre that has been called, “… witty, hard‐edged, sure in focus, and sizzling in energy” (Clement Crisp, Financial Times). Since 2013, Southpaw Dance Company has created powerful, joyous performances, from small scale solo work to large scale outdoor spectaculars, combining absolute artistic integrity with engaging narratives which inspire and excite audiences, and ultimately expresses a passion for what dance performance can be.
LeftCoast delivers highly-engaging and socially-useful arts and cultural projects in Blackpool. We discover and celebrate the everyday wisdom found in the lived experience of the town’s residents and sensitively elevate the collective skills and ideas of the people that live here through creative and purposeful endeavours.
Established in 2013, we are one of 31 Creative People and Places (CPP) programmes funded by Arts Council England. We are steered by Blackpool Coastal Housing, Blackpool Council, local cultural partners, participant volunteers and community grass roots organisations. Additionally, alongside both national and international artists, we collaborate with local creatives with intrinsic knowledge of the neighbourhoods we work in.
