COLIN POOLE

Contemporary dance, Dance theatre

SIZE OF COMPANY
2–3 on the road

SCALE OF VENUE
Small- to middle-scale

PERMANENT STAFF
Artistic Director
Colin Poole

ARTISTIC POLICY
Colin Poole produces distinctive dance theatre. He seeks to comment on current issues surrounding contemporary culture in a challenging, humorous and thought-provoking way. Popular culture and its relationship to personal desire, image, gender, social and cultural identity all inform his work.

REVIEW EXTRACTS
‘Bold and brilliant. And yes, watching a naked man play at being a tiger, swishing its rump, then a crocodile, then Anna Pavlova's dying swan, boureeing to Gladys Knight and the Pips, did indeed nudge me out of my comfort zone.’ Jenny Gilbert, The independent (Joyride)

‘Poole has a flair for theatricality, a tremendous stage presence, interesting ideas and the technical ability to carry it all off – a real pleasure to watch.’ Mary Brennan, The Herald (The Box Office)

‘Pure physical comedy... hilarious… they played shrewd games with celebrity posses… Crazy changes of music ranging from Britney’s Hit me Baby to Debussy’s Claire de Lune.’ Donald Hutera, Dance Europe (Bad Faith)

CURRENT PRODUCTIONS
Joyride Solo danced by Poole, interrogating notions of freedom. (25 min, 1 on stage, 2 on the road, contains nudity.)

The Box Office Solo danced by Poole questioning “blaxploitation” stereotypes through scenes of ghetto violence and exploitation. (20 mins, 1 on stage, 2 on the road, contains strong language.)

Bad Faith A tragic-comic duet exploring sex, seduction and deceit in contemporary couplings and relationships. (25 mins, 2 on stage, 3 on the road, contains scenes of a sexual nature.)

WRAP-AROUND
Workshops are available from one-off masterclasses to longer residencies. These workshops integrate Poole’s extensive knowledge of release-based dance techniques, Feldenkrais, yoga and aikido and are suitable for all ages and backgrounds. Post-show talks which further debate themes and concepts explored in the work are also available.

RECENT INTERNATIONAL WORK
2007 Cyprus, France (The Box Office/Bad Faith)
2006 Italy (The Box Office/Bad Faith)

TOURING AVAILABILITY
From January 2008