World’s Leading Inclusive Dance Company to Perform in Tbilisi

The British Council in Georgia presents a impressive double bill by Candoco Dance Company, a contemporary dance company of disabled and non-disabled dancers, on 11th and 12th March 2017 at Marjanishvili Theater.

Candoco Dance Company creates profound experiences to excite, challenge, and broaden perceptions of art, aesthetics and ability. In 2012 the company performed alongside Coldplay at the Paralympic Games closing ceremony in London, and in 2015 won the UK Theater Award's 'Achievement in Dance' award. Celebrating 25 years of creating acclaimed and cutting edge work, Candoco presents one of the most strikingly physical double bills to date: Beheld and Set and Reset/Reset.

Alexander Whitley swiftly rose to fame for his daring and virtuosic choreography. Beheld, his commission for Candoco, features powerful duets and breath-taking ensemble dancing. It is set to a mesmerizing score by German composer Nils Frahm. In this piece, Candoco’s seven dancers explore the possibilities and constraints of the space around them, forming and reforming to consider how we look and what we see.

Set and Reset/Reset is an exploration of possibility, as the company’s dancers create a new version of Trisha Brown’s landmark choreography Set and Reset. The original piece was first performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York in 1983 and re-staged by Candoco in collaboration with Trisha Brown Dance Company in 2011 - the first time an iconic piece of contemporary dance was re-staged with an inclusive company.

The Sunday Times called these performances ‘a joy to watch’, while The Guardian described Candoco as ‘one of the most potent moments of Theater’. Through their performances and educational activities Candoco twists perceptions of what dance is, who can dance and who can experience it. The performances in Tbilisi will be supplemented by practical workshop with Candoco choreographers on inclusive contemporary dance: https://www.britishcouncil.ge/en/events/candoco-dance-company-workshop

Candoco’s performances in Tbilisi mark the launch of the British Council’s new program that will offer disabled artists in Georgia unprecedented and unique opportunities to develop professionally, create new work and collaborate internationally.

The British Council is the UK’s international organization for cultural relations and educational opportunities. It creates friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. Using the UK’s cultural resources, it makes a positive contribution to the countries it works with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust.

Tickets and more information:

British Council

Maya Darchia, Arts Manager, Mob: 599 902 006;

E-mail: maya.darchia@ge.britishcouncil.org

Ekaterine Patsatsia, Marketing and Communications Coordinator. Mob: 591 229 803 E-mail: ekaterine.patsatsia@ge.britishcouncil.org

by Thea Morrison