Monday 11 – Friday 15 November
Bethany Edwards and Tess Letham (collaborating performer) will be working together to begin developing the structure of an improvised performance in three acts; two solos and a duet. Inspired by theatre and comedy improvisation they will be playing with using prompts and input from the audience as springboards for performance. Though working with solely improvised content they will be searching for a specific compositional approach. A shared practice of strategies and concepts built together to form a foundation from which the unexpected can grow. The material Tess and Bethany will be working with involves combinations of voice and movement; improvised text and sound alongside dance and physicality. They are both interested in the theatricality and storytelling potential of movement and the nuance offered by words and imagery. The overarching question they will be addressing is what are the parameters for ‘success’ in this form of improvised performance?
Sharing’s
Company Class & Test Performance
Wednesday 13 & Thursday 14 November | 10:15 – 12:00 | Book Here
Drawing from their existing personal practices and their residency process, Bethany and Tess will share an improvisation based class. We will begin by warming up our bodies, voices and imaginations through tasks and games. Before gently opening into performance working solo, duet and in groups. Following the class participants are invited to act as a test audience for Bethany and Tess as they try out their strategies for dealing with external input as inspiration for improvisation. Space open from 10:00.
Work-In-Progress Sharing | Friday 15 November | 16:00 | Book now
Bethany and Tess invite you to be part of an informal studio sharing of their research so far. Keep an eye on Dance Base socials and for QR codes around the building to provide input for us to practice improvising with!
About Bethany Edwards
Bethany is a dance artist working across improvisation, performance, teaching, devising and creative facilitation. She is a founding member of bad body chaos code, a pop-punk band working collectively to produce euphoric, surreal performances. In 2022 they took their debut album ‘Headliner’ – a comedic riot grrrl witchy extravaganza – on a European tour.As a performer Bethany has created new works with choreographers including Becky Namgauds, Tim Casson, Tess Letham and Hannes Langolf. Touring across the UK and Europe in contexts as diverse as pubs, galleries, stately homes, theatres and high streets. Bethany regularly performs improvisation solo, in duets and ensemble. She has performed with Collective Endeavours and Something Smashing across the UK. And performed solo at Roadhouse in Leeds and at TicTac Art Centre in Brussels. She also works extensively in inclusive dance, currently as Artist Development Lead for Anjali, a dance company for artists with learning disabilities. Within and beyond the dance world Bethany is interested in bodies as storytellers, working non-hierarchically and seeking out experiences of collective joy.
About Tess Letham
Tess is an award-winning performer and prominent dance-theatre maker based in Edinburgh. Her work spans theatre, film, outdoor and large-scale spectacle and has included performance projects by Shotput, Simon Fildes/Cagoule, David Zambrano, PanicLab, and Mairead McClean/The Wapping Project, as well as her own productions. Her own creations have included “How to Survive the Future”, and mid-scale work, “Remedy for Memory”. Her latest projects are being developed under FairPlay, which include “Where We Used to Wander” and currently in development, “What ever happened to Harmony Banks?”
Improvisation is at the core of her performance practice, in 2019 she participated in 60 Days of Improvisation for Performance with internationally renowned teacher David Zambrano, supported by Creative Scotland, In 2021, she was awarded the #LoveDanceScotland bursary for her project “Six for Six”, supported by Dance Base and Tramway. Her teaching methodologies have been significantly influenced by her extensive training with David Zambrano, including Flying Low, Passing Through, Improvisation and more recently Couple Dancing, sharing this work across the UK and beyond. Alongside this her curatorial work and leadership has been instrumental to the development of award winning Hidden Door festival.
Instagram: @tessletham
Website: tessletham.com
Supported through Dance Base’s Paid Artist Residency Programme