the poignant last farewell, unknown to them, of two lovers. A brave piece which also takes some courage to watch. The Herald – 4 stars THE dust from 9/11 will never truly settle. Not just because artists and performers continue to respond to the events of that day, but because – as the voice-overs in Smallpetitklein's six-part collage of live dance works, film, installation and soundscape make harrowingly clear – the powdery fallout from the debris is still causing ill health today. The images that inspired choreographer Thomas Small were, however, the photographs of so-called 'jumpers'. Falling Man, the solo that ends Within This Dust, references the outlines those bodies etched upon the air: but if Tom Pritchard's eloquent limbs bring those shapes alive, the intensity of his demeanour and of the words that ripple out like a stream of consciousness, compel us to address the full horror of the situation, and ponder what we would do if... Before this, flurries of white paper have suggested the shockwaves of crumpling concrete, the snowstorm of documents spiralling from blasted offices. S/He has tenderly explored the burden of grief and loss through the patternings of a male/female duet where the mirroring of moves, the counterbalances, the high lifts, all speak of a rapport that will, like those others who perished, fall victim on 9/11. Fest – 4 stars Among the images published in the aftermath of 11 September 2001, one of the most controversial was Richard Drew's photograph of a man falling between the twin towers. Taking as inspiration this picture and all it came to represent, Smallpetitklein's thoughtfully executed triple bill is not only a beautiful piece of dance, an elegy to the estimated 200 people who died in this way on 9/11, but also a sensitive reminder that theirs was a situation any one of us could have faced. In Embers, leaves of pure-white paper fall one by one from a bundle in Marta Masiero's clutch. Later she tosses and turns in the endless mass, singling out several pages and pressing them flat, each as individual in its shape as a person. The tragic beauty of S/HE continues to haunt long after it has finished. Masiero and Tom Pritchard evoke a deep sense of loss in this duet that sees them mirroring, gliding, lifting and balancing weightlessly against one another. Finally, Falling Man uses text from Tom Junod's 2009 Esquire article on Drew's famous image to echo movement that suggests not only the freedom of flying but also the terror of falling. There is a moment when,
lying prostrate, an unseen force pins Pritchard's legs and arms back. At the utter mercy of the elements he rides this wave peacefully for a few moments. When it passes, and he falls flat again, it seems that whatever circumstances came together to cause it, he has had his moment of grace. Across the Arts – 4 stars Weightless haunting shadows form images which float through and across the space. The piece, an extension and continuation from 'Falling Man', is composed out of six different responses to the events of 9/11. Aural, visual and physical, each section depicts different ideas to form a more holistic perspective on how the tragedy shook the western world in 2001. 'Embers', a solo surrounded by crushed up paper, a beautiful depiction of the weighty-heavy suppression of those who aren't there anymore, for me stood out as the gem in this piece; so many have chosen to examine those who fell, however the people who mourn are rarely chosen as the topic of 9/11 pieces. A poignant and evocative piece which builds a larger picture, drawn from the magnification of the image of one man.
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Tayside and Central Scotland
Dance company 'overwhelmed' by 9/11 Memorial Museum performance By Graeme Ogston BBC Scotland Tayside and Central reporter 29 April 2017
Tayside and Central Scotland
SHAPER/CAPER
The dance company said performing at the 9/11 Memorial Museum was a "humbling" experience
A Dundee-based dance company which performed at the 9/11 Memorial Museum in New York has described the experience as "overwhelming." Shaper/Caper performed Within This Dust as part of the museum's 15-year anniversary programme. It was the first time a dance company had performed at the museum, which is on the site of the
9/11 attacks. The museum's executive vice president Cliff Chanin described the performance as a "moving, thrilling evening." Within This Dust is inspired by photographer Richard Drew's images, which capture a man falling from the World Trade Center during the attacks. Mr Chanin said a colleague had seen a previous performance of Within This Dust in New York and came back with a "strong recommendation" about its power.
9/11 MEMORIAL MUSEUM
The 9/11 Memorial Museum opened in 2014
9/11 MEMORIAL MUSEUM
He said: "The program staff saw some video of the work, and we were very interested. "Turns out that our audience was too, since the performance of Within This Dust generated a standing room only crowd last week." Mr Chanin said the piece was "reverent and honest" and "hits with real force." "We were all - audience, performers, staff - very conscious of the stakes of doing the piece at the museum, the site of the attacks. "A panel with (choreographer) Tommy Small and the dancers after the performance brought real detail to the thoughtfulness and commitment we saw on stage."
Humbling experience Mr Small said it had been a "humbling" experience to perform in the museum space. He said: "It was overwhelming, it was quite the experience. "It's a really amazing, beautiful museum that so sensitively looks at and explores the events of the day.
SID SCOTT
Within This Dust has also been performed in Berlin and Sao Paolo
"To actually perform it there was just absolutely incredible." Mr Small said the group was unsure whether the performance would attract an audience. He said: "We were pleasantly surprised a few days before it to find out that the show had completely sold out. "They ended up having an overfill area just outside the auditorium to watch it on the screen." Within This Dust was first performed in full at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2012 and has since been shown in Berlin and Sao Paolo.
'Incredibly welcoming' Although the show had already been performed three times in New York, Mr Small said the experience was "absolutely" different for himself and dancers Ellen Cobbaert and Vince Virr. He said: "It was quite humbling to be in that space and to think that literally metres away the attacks happened. "It was a hugely emotional experience for the dancers, they found it quite a difficult thing to embark on. "They're both very seasoned performers, but they had said they felt the weight of what they were doing." Mr Small said the audience members, which included many directly affected by the attacks,
were "incredibly welcoming." He said: "It was a really lovely thing to experience. "I had the feeling I had the very first time we performed it in New York. "It was 'oh my goodness, what are we doing?' and 'is this the right thing to do?'" "Particularly when you're in that space and you have so many people directly affected by the attacks being there in that room. "But those worries quickly went away."
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More on this story Dundee dance company to perform at 9/11 Memorial Museum 3 February 2017
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Within This Dust Tour Information Booking: Please contact us to express your interest in programming ‘Within This Dust’. We will be delighted to discuss price packages and options. Contact:
Yolanda Aguilar, Director of Operations Tel: +44 (0) 1382 413 007 or +44 (0) 7716 106 549 Email: yolanda@shapercaper.com
Information Choreographed by Thomas Small. Duration: 1 hour with no interval. Travel entourage 1 Artistic Director 2 Performers (1male and 1 female) 1 Technical Manager/Technician 1 Producer Total: 5 people on the road Promoter’s obligations The promoter will cover the cost of the following: • An agreed contribution to travel from Scotland to venue • Local travel i.e. from accommodation to venue etc • Hotel accommodation for full tour entourage. Min rating ***. • Catering/Per diems per night for full tour entourage • Local Technical staff and equipment hire required • All marketing associated with the performances Promoters agree to pay fees within 1 week of performance via bank transfer. Please note: We do not expect anything to be re-charged to Shaper/Caper unless explicitly agreed.
Technical Rider Within This Dust Tour Please note: A high quantity of haze, use of talcum powder and fire proofed paper is essential to the running of this piece. Please get in touch as soon as possible if you have any concerns about this. Triple Bill comprising of 2 solos, 1 duet and animation. There will be a pause after the first piece and an another after the second piece. During the first pause, music is played as part of a sound installation and the lights are set at a low level. During the second pause, an animation is played on the cyc/white screen. There is an exhibition of images including a film to be played in the foyer/bar area before and after the show. The company will provide a display boards (or other method to display photos. The venue will provide a table, black tablecloth, power, large TV monitor with an HDMI input or other playback for this. The piece is performed in costume. 3000 pieces of paper provide the setting for the first two pieces. The first piece uses talcum powder and requires the dance floor to be cleaned and mopped during both pauses. We need two technicians to support the clean up during both pauses. The venue agrees to provide bin bags and discard/recycle
the paper after the show through their usual methods at no charge to Shaper/Caper. Shaper/Caper will provide a MAGICFX Swirl Fan XL (snow machine) to be hung USR between the two upstage LX bars. Follow this link to see the model we use: https://youtu.be/OxKUVD_cnfg This effect will also use white fireproofed confetti. This is controlled by DMX. Staffing • It is essential to pre-rig and lay dance floor for this performance prior to the get in. If this cannot be achieved please contact Shaper/Caper as soon as possible to discuss. • The Technical Manger/Technician can operate lights and sound if they are positioned together. See notes below for positions. • The performance requires 2 people on stage during the show to reset and mop the stage in the two pauses and open and close the blacks in front of the cyc. • In a flying house, 1 flyman is required to operate tabs and fly the full black on cue. Sample Schedule for a show starting at 8pm: Time
Activity
09:00-13:00
Get in. Rig LX and focus. Rig Sound
13:00-14:00
Technicians LUNCH. Dancers warm up onstage
14:00-16:00 16:00-17:00 17:00-18:00 18:00-19:00 19:00-20:00 20:00-21:00 21:15 onwards
LX Plot. Sound System check. Set up exhibition. Technical rehearsal Notes and final fixes Dinner Warm up onstage. Show prep. Paper set up. Show Get out
Setting The venue will provide: • A sprung or semi sprung wooden floor. The stage surface must be smooth, level and clean. • Ideal performance area = 8m x 8m. • Black vinyl dance floor, full black and 4 sets of black legs. • White cyc or BP screen to show animation on, full black to be flown in or drawn across on cue. • An AV projector, focused onto white cyc or BP screen. Shaper/Caper will provide films to run from a laptop via QLab.
•
VGA cable from projector to control point required. Shaper/Caper can bring a projector if required. A hazer machine. This is required to be positioned up Stage Left in wing. Please ensure you have sufficient fluid for both rehearsal and performance. It is essential the venue fire alarm system can be adequately isolated onstage, auditorium and surrounding areas, to allow for the amount of haze that is required for ‘Within This Dust’. The show cannot be performed without haze as it’s integral to the narrative of the show.
Sound The venue will provide: • Playback run from a laptop via QLab (Shaper/Caper will tour the laptop for this) • Onstage foldback. The sound mixing position should be located in the audience area with a good view in order for technician to see and hear the performance correctly. It is absolutely not acceptable for the mixing position to be in a booth. Please reserve a space in the audience area for the mixing position. The final section of the show features a spoken monologue. The performer does not use a mic for this so it’s important that the technician or AD can ride the sound fader during this section. Lighting The venue will provide: • 41 circuits required in total (27 @ Floor, 3 FOH and 11 Overhead) • 8 x side lighting booms required (4 per side containing 3 lanterns) • Lantern count – 29 Wide Profiles, 6 Parcans CP62, 3 Parcans CP61, 1 pair of Birdies (to be mounted on the floor) 6 2kw Fresnels. • All colour including Lee 201 and Lee 241. Shaper/Caper do not tour colour. It will be necessary for the lighting control position to be in the auditorium alongside sound mixing position. Please reserve a space in the audience area for the lighting control position. Lighting can be simplified if necessary, see focus notes or contact Emma Jones – Lighting Designer via Shaper/Caper. Please note: It is vital that there is a lot of haze on stage for the final piece ‘Falling Man’. Please let us know if the air handling or conditioning in your venue will prevent a thick haze effect. The production cannot be performed without haze.
Other requirements The venue will: • Provide a comms system between stage, sound mixer position and lighting control. • Provide 2 secure and clean dressing rooms with toilets, showers and wash basin facilities. These should be for our exclusive use. These should have working 13 amp sockets, a steam iron and ironing board. • Provide 12 x 500ml bottles of still water. • Provide 2 clean towels for the performers and ice packs. • Ensure temperature is maintained at 20-25ºC on stage and in dressing rooms. • Provide a company office accessible at all times throughout our stay. This can be a dressing room providing it is warm and has working electrical sockets and Wi-Fi access. • Provide free access to Wi-Fi for all company personnel. FOH Information • The audience will not be admitted into the auditorium until 5 minutes before the start of the show unless venue has tabs. The show starts with a dancer preset with 1000 pieces of paper in her hands therefore she cannot be in position until 5 minutes before the show starts. • Shaper/Caper will provide the venue with a PDF file of our Programme. The venue will print this out and distribute to audiences at no cost to Shaper/Caper. • The show is recommended for audiences over 14 years due to the subject matter. • See previous note about exhibition boards and provision of table, TV monitor and tablecloth in FOH area.
To conclude, in addition to the stage, lantern and sound requirements required above, the venue will also provide as a minimum: • An AV projector and VGA cable to control point and white cyc/screen to project onto (we can provide a projector if needed). • A hazer machine and fluid These pieces of equipment will be provided by the venue at no charge.