Liz Lea
104b Woodlands Park Road
London N15 3SD
T +44 (0)7950 968530
E lea_dance@yahoo.co.uk
W leadance.com
Performance in Profile links:
Dance
- Small-scale companies/artists
- Middle-scale companies
- Large-scale companies
Drama
- Small-scale companies/artists
- Middle-scale companies
- Large-scale companies
Live Art
- Live Art companies/artists
Outdoor Work
- Outdoor companies
SIZE OF COMPANY
Up to 8 on the road
SCALE OF VENUE
Small- to middle-scale
PERMANENT STAFF
Artistic Director
Liz Lea
ARTISTIC POLICY
Liz Lea specialises in the field of contemporary and classical Indian dance and martial arts, drawing from the historical and contemporary to develop an idiosyncratic movement language that is expressive, detailed and dynamic. She has toured her diverse range of solo works internationally. From 2009 she will be working with an exciting range of dancers, opening up her company profile.
REVIEW EXTRACTS
‘Lea truly shone in Quicksliver… she is a huge joy to watch. She presents the unpredictable and delivers with skill and intelligence.’ The Canberra Times (Quicksliver)
‘Liz Lea’s contribution, Select Red, was for me the undoubted stand out section… Lea’s choreography had a calmness and velvety smoothness to it and again the dancers responded.’ Michelle Potter (Dancing)
‘Lea’s style presents an intriguing ambivalence. This combination, which lures us into the spell of the work but ultimately leaves us guessing, is intoxicating.’ Dance Australia (The Blue Tour)
CURRENT PRODUCTIONS
Ajanta Directed by Laurens Postma, this solo is inspired by the Ajanta Caves in India, carved into the rockface 2000 years ago by Hindu and Buddhist Monks. The work is set in an installation of 30 copper and bronze sculptures and reflects the detail of the carvings, muted beauty of the paintings and the deeply rooted sense of being the Caves hold. (Solo, 15 mins, 2 people on the road.)
120 Birds A full evening work based around the explorations of a 1920s touring dance company, revealing a rich texture of characters against a backdrop of film, fact, fashion and fiction arising from touring and dancing tales of the 20s. (55 mins, 7–8 people on the road if full evening booked.)
Bluebird The bird flies – outdoors! Bluebird has toured theatres worldwide and now leaves the stage for outdoor performances. Forty metres of silk billow in the wind as Lea flits and plays with an unsuspecting audience. (Solo, 25 mins, 2 people on the road.)
WRAP-AROUND
Workshops/Masterclasses: Contemporary technique from beginners to advanced, fusing strength, precision and opening performance, with repertoire taught at the end of class. Can run from two hours to day- or week-long workshops. 8–70 years.
Choreographic workshops: training in the South Asian movement forms is combined with working these styles with open contemporary movement to create phrases that allow attention to detail and character development. Beginners to advanced. 15–50 years.
Bharata Natyam: the basic lines and aesthetics of this form are introduced; hand gestures, foot rhythms and adavaus (sequences of steps) are taught alongside the historical background to the form, illustrating the links between cultures and peoples. Beginners to intermediate, 8–50 years.
Lecture Demonstrations: Talks/discussions on historical dance and its place in contemporary society, based around the re-interpretations Lea has done of Ruth St Denis’s 1906 solos, Ted Shawn, Martha Graham and Anna Pavlova. The talks are witty, informative and eye opening. Can easily be presented with an interpreter and a Ruth St Denis work or film. Beginners to advanced, all ages.
Post-performance discussions: Lea is an accomplished speaker and able to clearly articulate the complexities of working with the many forms she creates her works with – Bharata Natyam, Kalariappayattu, Chauu and contemporary dance. Along with her intelligent and informed dancers and collaborators, she can provide audiences with an enlightened and insightful view into the creation process of her work and that of the wider South Asian field.
Dance – Virtual and Real: workshops and discussions the practical realities of creating dance works with virtual technology, based on her recent experiences at The Royal Opera House, Korea and Australia’s Accented Body.
Growing Old Gracefully: classes designed for the older participant. Storytelling and tales with gentle movement and warm-up designed to bring out the inner performer in those have lived long and lustrous lives. Beginners to advanced. 50+ years.
Storytelling: hand gestures, fairytales and faces – all brought together with local culture to excite and engage the mind of the next prima donnas and world leaders. Beginners, 4–8 yrs.
Baroque classes: introductory classes into these C16–C17 dance styles, ranging from basic etiquette to steps and formal dances. As taught in Australia, UK, Europe and Korea. 15–70 years.
Cabaret: Burlesque is back! Lea’s early career as a showgirl in Sydney and Japan led to her solo Bluebird and in this workshop she takes participants through cabaret style and technique – feathers, heels, teeth and tails. Repertoire from Bluebird taught at the end of class. 16–50 yrs.
RECENT INTERNATIONAL WORK
2009 Australia (Associate Artist based at QL2, Canberra, Fellowship at National Film and Sound Archives), Ireland (Artist in Residence, Cork), Spain (Bluebird), India (Research and development)
2008 India (Tour of India following Pavlova Co ‘23 tour), Italy (Dialogue Residency, Florence), Australia (World Dance Alliance, Masterclass and Performance Presentation), China (Closing Ceremony of Olympic Games), South (Africa Creation of ‘Ajanta’ & teaching), India (Filming documentary on Denishawn India tour in 1926)
TOURING AVAILABILITY
Ajanta and Bluebird currently available
All performances available from mid 2010
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