Alleyne Dance present Far From Home, a new touring production.
Founded by identical twin sisters Kristina and Sadé Alleyne, Alleyne Dance’sFar From Home is touring the UK in 2023 and coming to Dance City on the 28th April 2023.
The production looks at humanity through stories of migration and the consequences of seeking “a better life” due to social or political devastation. With the powerhouse physicality, exuberance and style of Kristina and Sadé Alleyne, Far From Home brings the company’s exuberance to the stage. Featuring illustrative choreography, circus skills, West African, Caribbean, Hip Hop, Kathak and Kathak dance influences, Far From Home is inspired by the duo’s training as athletes. It highlights the trauma experienced by migrants as well as how it impacts communities where migrants “settle”.
Taking audiences on a journey of separation, loss, travel, friendship, struggle plus the joy of reunification and reconciliation, Far From Home unpicks the meaning of tolerance and the practice of integration in our increasingly politically partisan world. This production features costumes by Giulia Scrimieri who has worked on shows such as Game of Thrones and for the Birmingham Royal Ballet. The music by Giuliano Modarelli (Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Jose Agudo) features Alleyne’s trademark rhythms created via the dancers’ own bodies. Emanuele Salamanca (Aakash Odera Company, Expo Milano) and Salvatore Scollo’s (Alesandra Seutin, The Place London) set and lighting design layer shadows and natural materials including earth and water, all of which contribute to the atmosphere of Alleyne Dance’s most ambitious project to date.
The Alleyne sisters are joined by four professional dance artists from Argentina, France, Greece, and Italy. Bryan Doisy, Giorgia Gasparetto, Juan Jesus Giraldi and Iro Konti’s stories have contributed to and enriched the creative process. The performance will be further enhanced by the participation of a community cast of Dance City performers.
Dancers from Dance City’s CAT and Boundless with join with Alleyne Dance. CAT is the Centre for Advanced Training here at Dance City for 10-16 year olds and is part of the Department for Education’s Music and Dance Scheme offering Contemporary and Street Dance training to young people across the North East. The Dance City CAT Contemporary programme is based in Newcastle and the CAT Street Dance programme is based in Sunderland. Joining Alleyne Dance and CAT will be Boundless. Boundless is the name of Dance City’s 55+ company which provides a unique opportunity for mature dancers in the region to develop their contemporary dance and performance skills as well as technical ability.
Kristina and Sadé Alleyne said: “The research and creation process for Far From Home has taught us so much. It has been a true privilege for us to speak to many people who have been affected by the themes in this production and to be trusted to bring those stories to life on stage. It has also been a dream of ours to expand Alleyne Dance, so we welcome our new company members with open arms and thank them for everything they have given to creating this work.”
Far From Home has been co-commissioned by The Place, Dance City Newcastle, Dance East and Dampfzentrale Bern with support from Arts Council England National Lottery Projects Grant.
