Take a group of young girl dancers from Huddersfield, put them with an all-male cast of adult professional dancers and what do you get?
The answer is Men & Girls Dance, a daring and provocative performance piece.
But before the show can go on (it’s coming to the Lawrence Batley Theatre in early June) the search is on for girls, aged 8 to 11, to share the stage with members of the internationally-renowned performance company Fevered Sleep.
Auditions are being held at the theatre on Friday and Saturday, March 18 and 19, and will take the form of free, creative workshops.
Rose Condo, head of community engagement at the Lawrence Batley, says Fevered Sleep artistic directors David Harradine and Sam Butler are not looking for girls who have undergone rigorous dance training, but those who have a sense of adventure.
“They are wanting young people who can move and are able to be playful,” she explained.
“There will be a two-week residency in Huddersfield to rehearse and create the show, which contains a lot of improvisation.”
Around 10 girls are needed for the show, described as ‘a celebration of the rights of adults and children to be together, to play together and to dance together’.
Fevered Sleep has a reputation for taking creative risks and with Men & Girls Dance it is presenting a topic that has become a society ‘issue’.
As Rose explains: “The piece wasn’t created as a reaction to the issue of contact between adults and children, it was created more as an interesting artistic juxtaposition. But they got feedback that it could be quite controversial.
“At the LBT we acknowledge this, but the purpose is to celebrate a creative, safe environment where these two groups can play together – and it’s really positive.”
Rehearsals for the performance will take place after school hours during the week starting Sunday, May 15, and through half-term from Sunday, May 21. The show is on Friday and Saturday, June 3 and 4.
Fevered Sleep specialises in creating art that ‘starts conversations’ and it hopes that Men & Girls Dance will produce a reaction from Huddersfield audiences.
The company is planning to hold two ‘Talking Spaces’ at which members of the public will be able to explore the issues surrounding the dance piece.
Should adults be wary of interacting with children? And has society gone too far in its desire to protect the young? These are just some of the questions raised by Men & Girls Dance.
Those wishing to audition for the show should visit https://feveredsleep.wufoo.eu/forms/lbt-audition-workshop-with-fevered-sleep/ and complete the online form.
