Article about Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company
written by freelance journalist Seth Linder Between June 23rd and June 26th, 32 dancers, professional and volunteers, adults and children, will perform a spectacular new contemporary dance piece on a giant chessboard of 64 one-and-a-half metre, black and white squares covering the floor of Derry's beautiful Guildhall. The Chess Piece is the latest in a series of groundbreaking performances from one of the most unique and fascinating dance companies in the UK or Ireland, Derry's own Echo Echo.
OriginsFounded by Ursula Laeubli and Steve Batts in Amsterdam in 1991, Echo Echo worked in various European countries before Pauline Ross at the Derry Playhouse invited them to host a workshop in 1997. English-born Steve, who grew up in Portstewart, and Ursula, who is Swiss, so impressed Pauline that she invited them to form a resident dance company at the Playhouse.
Poetry of movementOne of the few dance organisations in Ireland at the time, Echo Echo would prove to be no ordinary company. There are no showy pyrotechnics and despite the internationally acclaimed quality and creativity of the company's dancers - no stars. Instead their ethos is based on the poetry of movement, their work developing organically from the dancers themselves, professional and non-professional. Steve explains:
Universal gift"Echo Echo is focused around the idea of movement as a poetic medium, something that is a universal gift. There may be different forms and styles but beneath it all is a universal desire in all of us to create a poetic form in movement. So we start with the natural poetic intent of people, whatever their experience in movement, whether they're professionals like myself or kids coming into the company or adult volunteers".
Unique wisdomWorking on the premise that each person has a unique wisdom, Echo Echo draw people into a resonant world of movement experience, no matter whom they work with. "For instance", Steve says, "I don't have the story that say a quadriplegic has in their perception of poetic movement. It's about opening up a world of movement which isn't sabotaged by the idea it has to be about jazz hands and kicking up your legs up and is about removing the sense that it's a contest or there's a right way of doing it".
Northern Ireland's leading contemporary dance companyOver the years Echo Echo, now based in Derry's Waterside Theatre, has developed into the leading contemporary dance company in Northern Ireland and one of the most interesting in the UK or Ireland. With a wide-ranging educational brief, their classes begin with five-year-olds, include University of Ulster students, whose dance degree is part taught by Steve and Ursula, and go right up to volunteers in their seventies. Over the years, such a large number of local people have studied and worked with them that the company not only has a retinue of eight professional dancers to work with but a large pool of talent who can be called up for specific projects.
Developing local talentTypical of the policy of developing local talent is Ayesha Mailey, choreographer of The Chess Piece, who first came to their workshops in the late 1990s, graduating from youth dances classes before taking a dance degree at Chichester University in England. Having qualified in 2004, she is now a key member of the team, helping to deliver their outreach programme as well as teaching dance at the North West Institute Creative Arts Department.
ResonanceAs well as dancers who have developed through their children's and youth classes Echo Echo also develop relationships with dancers, choreographers and musicians from around Europe, such as in their 2005 production Resonance. Directed by Wolfgang Hoffman, a three-time Edinburgh Fringe First Winner, Resonance explored the relationship between a couple who can't bear being close or apart.
Ripple AffectOne of the most exciting performances of recent years was Ripple Affect, where Steve's inspiration was the simple, everyday concept of a hug. Expressed through movement, it explores the imprint each hug leaves in people's body and minds. As always with Echo Echo, the choreography grew out of the dancers and their lives, rather than being imposed on them.
Henry Girls"The work doesn't exist somewhere out there", Steve says, "We start with the dancers as people and work from there". An extraordinary piece, widely acclaimed on its 2009/2010 tour of Ireland, it was enhanced by the beautiful music of the multi-instrumentalist Henry Girls from Donegal, who worked in tandem with Steve and the five dancers from the company when composing the music. Haunting, with traditional and world influences, it beautifully complements the power of the dancing,
Cheerleaders for danceThe quality and inclusivity Echo Echo brings to both its classes and performances, has created a growing interest in contemporary dance in the city. One of the dancers (and co-devisers) in both Resonance and Ripple Affect was American Emily Welther, who, though based in Germany, has become a key member of the team. Last year she led an intensive three-week education programme for young people between 16 and 18, for those who might be considering dance as a career. Tellingly, several have now made that choice.
The Chess PieceThere is growing excitement about Echo Echo's latest production, The Chess Piece in Derry. A collaborative piece involving the company's professional dancers, adult volunteers and dancers from the youth and children's classes, it typifies what makes Echo Echo special and is one of the largest productions the city has seen for years. Aged from 7 to 67, each dancer, as always, has been involved in its creation as well as execution.
Olympic ConnectionFirst conceived in early 2008, it is the first part of Echo Echo's three-year Into-Contact programme funded by Legacy Trust UK, which was set up to create a lasting legacy from the 2012 Olympic Games. The Chess Piece will deliver its sports and dance theme (The Verbal Arts Centre in Derry will explore sport and the word). Next year Echo Echo will look at the theme of movement and climbing (in collaboration with artist and rock climber Dan Shipsides) while in the third year, the theme will be memories.
Magical ExperienceAwarded the Inspire Mark, which recognises exceptional and innovative projects inspired by the 2012 London Games, The Chess Piece is set to be one of the highlights of the cultural year in Derry. "It's going to be a magical experience", Steve says. "Along with the 32 dancers, we have the input from our partners In Your Space, who bring their costume, street performance and big event expertise to the production and music from Ray Curran, who toured with the Duke Special Band for two years. Different cultures inspire the movement and costumes, so it's a kind of journey in dance around the world exploring themes of competition, territory, power, difference and similarity".
City of Culture"The Council, which has been very supportive to Echo Echo over the years, has done great work in animating city places and with festive events and encouraging participation in the arts. What I would like to see more of is a quality of cultural engagement where people who really want to get deeply into the arts can take that further. The only way to engage people is through quality; great musicians, for instance, who are dedicated to helping kids play. If we dumb down those we are trying to draw into this world will say TV is better and they're right. I'd like the City of Culture to help people here step into the world of the artist. It can scary and challenging, but where else would you want to be".
Thanks to Seth Linder for this article. Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company - Derry, Londonderry, Northern Ireland, Ireland
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