Now in the final stages of production, the highly anticipated ‘Made In the North East’ commission, The Monocle, begins its tour of the region in February. The work is inspired by the secretly notorious 1930s Parisian lesbian club Le Monocle and will be performed by six outstanding dancers. Conceived as a fun night out, The Monocle will re-shape the traditional theatre into a club where audiences can participate in a highly virtuosic evening mixing dance and live music. The evening will be a 1930s themed spectacle with live singers, dramatic sets, stunning costumes and world-class dance.
The Monocle will be performing at the following venues:
- Gosforth Civic Theatre – 5 Feb
- Darlington Hippodrome – 10 Feb
- Alnwick Playhouse – 11 Feb
- Middlesbrough Town Hall – 16 Feb
- Queen’s Hall, Hexham – 17 Feb
- The Fire Station, Sunderland -19 Feb
- The Witham, Barnard Castle – 24 Feb
- Dance City, Newcastle – 26 Feb
CLICK HERE to book tickets to see The Monocle at Dance City.
Six outstanding dancers have been recruited to bring the vision of The Monocle to the stage. The dancers have been rehearsing and training intensively with Rendez-Vous dance for the past four months to create the production. Meet the dancers who are bringing The Monocle to life:
Natassa Argyropoulou (she/her)
Natassa began her training at her home town, Athens, Greece. At the age of 19 she moved to the UK to study at Northern School of Contemporary Dance. During her training she had the chance to work with choreographers such as Thick&Tight and Phil Sanger. Currently in the last year of her BA honors degree, she will be joining Rendezvous dance on a placement for the creation and touring of ‘The Monocle’.
I’m so grateful to be joining Rendez–vous dance as an apprentice on the Monocle. Not only because this means a lot to me as my first step out to in the dance industry, but also because of my big interest in cabaret and in re-shaping what a theatre performance can be. I’m full of excitement, ready for new explorations inside and outside of me. I know this process will bring me closer to the dance artist I want to be.
Alyssa Lisle (she/her)
Alyssa grew up in the North East and trained on the BA programme at Dance City, Newcastle upon Tyne. Since graduation, she has worked with companies such as Fertile Ground and Company of Others. Alyssa’s values are joy, empowerment and experience, which she uses to drive forward her artistry in all areas of her work.
I am so excited to be joining Rendez–vous Dance as part of ‘The Monocle’. This work is extremely important to me as an artist and as an individual, and I am looking forward to working with such an amazing team and take on my next challenge. I am grateful for the opportunity to move, create and perform.
Zara Phillips (she/her)
Zara began her contemporary dance training at the Lowry CAT scheme in Manchester, during her time she was able to work with Akram Khan, Jamaal Burkmar and Phoenix Dance Theatre. Later she joined the National Youth Dance company, partaking in a national tour with the work ‘MADHEAD’ created by Botis Seva. At 18 she then began her training at Northern School of Contemporary Dance, now being in her 3rd year she will be joining Rendezous Dance as an apprentice.
I can’t wait to start in the studio with some amazing artists for the making of ‘The Monocle’, as one of the most rewarding things within a creative process is being able to learn from others. This experience I believe will help with the transition between training within an institute and becoming a professional artist, fully immersing myself within a role. Having been given this opportunity I am very grateful to be joining the company and extremely excited to see where this journey takes me.
Ellis Saul (she/her)
Originally from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Ellis discovered dance at Dame Allan’s Schools and began training as part of the Dance City CAT scheme. Ellis graduated from London Contemporary Dance School with a first class honors degree and a recipient of the Peggy Hawkins Scholarship for outstanding potential. Upon graduating, she was part of the post-graduate company EDge 2016, touring internationally and went on to complete her Master’s degree with distinction at LCDS.
Ellis has performed works by Crystal Pite, Alexander Whitley, James Cousins, Renaud Wiser and toured nationally and internationally with multiple dance companies including Tony Adigun’s Avant Garde Dance and Shaper/Caper.
Ellis became an alumni choreographer in Youth Dance England Young Creative’s programme and choreographed work in collaboration with Wimbledon College of Art and for the Newcastle CAT. She has also choreographed for circus artists, Nikki & JD and collaborated in ‘Knot’, which has since won the Total Theatre & Jacksons Lane award for Circus 2019.
I was drawn to the intricacy and how emotional integrity is physicalised by Mathieu and Rendez-Vous dance. I’m immensely excited to be part of The Monocle, to delve deep into the creative process and I look forward to the stylistic, theatrical nature of the creation and learning about the source’s historical significance.
Nicole Nevitt (she/her)
In 2016/17 Nicole joined National Youth Dance Company under the artistic directorship of Damien Jalet. She is a 2020 graduate from Northern School of Contemporary Dance with First Class Honours, where she worked with artists Marivi Da Silva, Wayne Parsons, Gary Clarke and Lea Anderson. In 2020/21 Nicole joined Scottish Dance Theatre as an apprentice performing works by Theo Clinkard, Janine Harrington and Joan Clevillé. Nicole is researching/working on a production with Roberta Jean. She has also trained and competed in the Indigenous Ryukyuan Martial Arts, Karate.
Eileih Muir (she/her)
Eileih Muir trained at London Studio Centre before completing a Masters at The London Contemporary Dance School. After graduating she became an apprentice with NDCWales before joining the Richard Alston Dance Company. Eileih has since worked as a freelance artist with Joss Arnott, Itzik Galili and Shobana Jeyasingh as well as guesting with companies in the UK and Europe. Eileih has been a member of Company Wayne McGregor since 2019. Alongside her work as a dancer, Eileih co-founded multidisciplinary company Flavour&Some and works with her partner, choreographing and directing immersive dining experiences.
