Taking its title from the Gaelic word for craving and desire, Miann is Fleur Darkin鈥檚 first full-length work as artistic director at . A powerful piece about grief and loss, the performance will appear at , London, 9 April, after which it will travel to , Glasgow, in May. Hugely popular at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe鈥檚 Made in Scotland showcase in 2014, Miann highlights Darkin鈥檚 tactile choreography.
Darkin bases her stunning piece on the intense heartbreak involved in grief and loss. She creates a ritualistic dance that is both beautifully tender and strikingly fierce. Challenging the audience to consider how they surrender a loved one to death, Miann features nine dancers that transform a defined white space where a central sculpture鈥檚 moving shadow marks the inevitable passage of time. The impressive set is designed in collaboration with Scottish Dance Theatre and Linbury Prize winner Alexander Ruth. Enhancing the visual spectacle, Glasgow four-piece The One Ensemble joins the company live on stage with a mix of accordion, strings and vocals.
Joining Scottish Dance Theatre in 2012, Darkin has already commissioned ground-breaking new work from international choreographers including Anton Lachky, Jo Stromgren and Damien Jalet. Miann is the first opportunity to see her own intuitive approach to choreography in a full-length work. Darkin notes: 鈥淚 want Scottish Dance Theatre to exist firmly in the present tense, to make and commission dance works that are viscerally modern. Scotland is such an exciting and progressive place to work, with a very international outlook, and I want our productions to both contribute to and reflect that.鈥
Miann, 9 April, Queen Elizabeth Hall, , London and 8-9 May at , Dance International Glasgow, 25 Albert Drive, Glasgow, G41 2PE.
Purchase tickets for the Southbank Centre performance . To find out more about Scottish Dance Theatre, visit .
Credits
1. Scottish Dance Theatre’s Miann by Fleur Darkin, featuring Amy Hollinshead and Francesco Ferrari 3. Photo by Brian Hartley.
