Dance Double Bill – Alessandro Sciarroni and Thick & Tight

A dance double bill of works by Alessandro Sciarroni and Thick & Tight.

Submerge in association with The Lowry present Alessandro Sciarroni and Thick & Tight, performing back to back in an unforgettable evening of dance in the unique surroundings of Salford Lads Club. Plus, stick around after for a free workshop on Polka Chinata; no experience necessary!

Alessandro Sciarroni – Save the Last Dance For Me

In Save the last dance for me Alessandro Sciarroni works together with the dancers Gianmaria Borzillo and Giovanfrancesco Giannini on the steps of a Bolognese dance called Polka Chinata. It is a courtship dance originally performed by men only and dating back to the early 1900s: physically demanding, almost acrobatic, it requires that the dancers embrace each other and whirl as they bend to their knees almost to the ground.

The work was created in collaboration with Giancarlo Stagni, a Filuzziani dance master who revived this ancient tradition thanks to the rediscovery and study of some documentation videos dating back to the 1960s. Sciarroni discovered this dance in December 2018 when the dance was practiced in Italy only by 5 people in total. The project consists of a performance by the two dancers and a series of workshops aimed at spreading and reviving this popular tradition in danger of extinction.

Thick & Tight – Cage and Paige: We Could Go On and On

Eleanor Perry (Tight) and Daniel Hay-Gordon (Thick) have spent a decade building a unique style, which combines drag, drama, queer culture, lip-syncing, design, mime and high-quality dance. Their new short “Cage & Paige: We Could Go On and On” pairs the words and movements of the avant-garde composer John Cage with Elaine Paige, queen of the musical, in ways that are hilarious but also revealing.

As Cage says: “There are two things that don’t have to mean anything; one is music and the other is laughter. Don’t have to mean anything that is, in order to give us deep pleasure.”

Thick & Tight will be joined by performer and collaborator Azara Meghie, who offers a warm-hearted and full-bodied tribute to the inspirational qualities of Grace Jones in “Finding Grace”

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

There is no minimum age recommendation on this performance.

ACCESS

Salford Lads Club is wheelchair accessible and has a lift to all floors. This performance will take place on the ground floor sports court. Some bench seating will be available, and some audiences will stand.

CREDITS

Save The Last Dance For Me
Invention: Alessandro Sciarroni with Gianmaria Borzillo and Giovanfrancesco Giannini
Artistic collaboration: Giancarlo Stagni / Aurora Bauzà and Pere Jou (Telemann Rec.)
Styling: Ettore Lombardi

Finding Grace
Co-created by Thick & Tight and Azara Meghie
Grace Jones/Azara Meghie Azara Meghie
Text Azara Meghie
Costume Design Claire Ashley
Makeup Design Darren Evans
Original Lighting Design Lucy Hansom
Music Grace Jones, Konshens & J Capri, LL Cool J

Cage & Paige: We Could Go On and On
Created by Thick & Tight
Cage & Paige Daniel Hay-Gordon & Eleanor Perry
Costume Design Daniel Hay-Gordon & Eleanor Perry
Prop Design Tim Spooner
Original Lighting Design Lucy Hansom

Music John Cage, Andrew Lloyd-Webber & Tim Rice, Richard Rogers & Oscar Hammerstein, Herman Hupfeld, Elaine Paige & Barbara Dickson

Co-commissioned by London International Mime Festival and Duckie. Supported by Arts Council England, The Lowry, South East Dance, Vauxhall Gardens Community Centre, Kings Place, London Performance Studios & Rambert School

Scripts of the text in these works can be found at thickandtight.com/short-sweet-text

This event is presented in association with The Lowry