Crow's Feet - Dance Collective
Crow's Feet - Dance Collective
The fabulous Crows are
celebrating their 10th anniversary in 2009.
Ten years ago director Jan Bolwell, at the age of 48, was recovering from two bouts of breast cancer. She decided to start dancing again to aid her recovery. A group of women about her age saw Gaylene Preston’s film about breast cancer ‘Titless Wonders’ in which Jan dances her work ‘Off My Chest’.
They approached her and said, ‘we want to dance like that. Will you teach us?’ Crows Feet Dance Collective was born.
An original group of four has grown to eighteen, and now boasts six grandmothers, with the eldest being 69. Bolwell has now choreographed 15 dance works for the Crows, and each year they stage a concert in Wellington.
This year they are staging two new works as part of the Wellington Fringe Festival from February 27th till March 1st.
Photo by Penny
Towns
CHOROS, is a wild,
sensuous Bacchic revel danced to View From Olympus by
acclaimed New Zealand composer, John Psathas.
Bolwell
says of this new work:
“I have had a love affair with
ancient Greek theatre since my student days. While lecturing
at Dunedin College of Education in the 1980s, I co-directed
and choreographed a memorable production of Euripides’
The Bacchae. It is exciting to re-visit this material
with Crows Feet Dance Collective, and especially to
choreograph to the fabulous score by John Psathas.
The cult of Dionysus originated in Asia and these bacchants
will have an exotic Persian flavour with designer Jane
Ferguson emphasizing eastern colours and motifs. We have an
expert belly dancer in the group and we are making use of
her skills to learn this quintessentially eastern dance
form.
LEAVING HOME, the other new work, is
Bolwell’s tribute to her great, great, great grandmother
Jane Broadfoot who left Scotland as a young newly married
woman in 1843.
“I find myself returning to my Celtic
roots which become more important as I grow older.
Takitoru (1995) was a first attempt to look at my
heritage, in that instance from a bicultural perspective. It
is fascinating to re-visit this theme in LEAVING
HOME with Crows Feet, and to choreograph to
Kilt, the wonderfully evocative music of renowned
Wellington composer, David Downes.
Wellington Performing Arts Centre, 36
Vivian Street
Full $20, Concession $15, Fringe
Addict $13
27 February 8pm
28 February
2pm & 6pm
1 March 4pm
Bookings: Downstage Theatre, cnr
Courtenay Pl & Cambridge Tce.
Ph: 04 801 6946 or
online at www.downstage.co.nz
For
further information go
to:
www.crowsfeet.org.nz