Rehearsal Shots @Greenwich Dance taken by the wonderful Zoe Manders
Running on Empty: a new work in the making
Monday, 23 September 2013
Thursday, 19 September 2013
Greenwich Dance studio shots by Tim Copsey
We've been rehearsing Running on Empty at Greenwich Dance this week.
Here are some studio shots taken by Tim Copsey...
Buried in the countryside
We have been buried away in the Sussex countryside cracking on with Running on Empty.
Intense. Focused. Challenging. Exhilarating. Fulfilling. Exciting..... scary!
The sun was shining on week 1, the horses were grazing and the wild flowers were out...
Not quite Tuscany, but a pretty spot to share lunch...
Intense. Focused. Challenging. Exhilarating. Fulfilling. Exciting..... scary!
The sun was shining on week 1, the horses were grazing and the wild flowers were out...
Not quite Tuscany, but a pretty spot to share lunch...
The team started gathering for the second, third, fourth.... production meeting, it's really hotting up!
My amazing team:
Director Jo McInnes
Writer Brad Birch
Performers Greig Cooke, Scott Smith, myself (AG)
Choreographer Charlie Morrissey
Composer Scott Smith
Song writer Lee Ross
Designer Fabrice Serafino
Lighting Beky Stoddart
Producer Elizabeth Mischler
Coordinator Zoe Manders
Production manager Stocky
We've also had the lovely Lorna acting as Stage manager for us in rehearsal.
Monday, 12 August 2013
Going to Edinburgh
Time to take a break from Running on Empty...
Taking my solo Small Talk to Edinburgh Fringe:
18-25th Aug
9.30pm ZOO venues, Aviary
www.probeproject.com
Twitter: @probeproject
Taking my solo Small Talk to Edinburgh Fringe:
18-25th Aug
9.30pm ZOO venues, Aviary
www.probeproject.com
Twitter: @probeproject
Survival
From the epic to the intimate, looking at human resilience through history, our survival of the present and our fears for the future. From natural disaster to the intricate and sometimes absurd nature of our daily human interactions...
SURVIVAL. RESILIENCE.
Wake-up, open my eyes, not
sure which comes first
Put the alarm on snooze,
at least twice, 10 minute intervals
Get out of bed, put on a
t-shirt, open the blinds, just a little, switch on the kettle
Make a cup of tea,
eventually, after filling the time the kettle takes to boil doing something
banal
Switch on the radio,
sometimes, sometimes silence is ok, sometimes it’s not
Start getting dressed
between sips of tea, that’s if it’s a morning when I have something to do
Sometimes sit and
meditate for a while, 10, 15, 20 minutes at most
I don’t try too hard, but it feels
nice
Carry on with the day, turn on my laptop, make the breakfast, let other
people in.
And then came the FLOOD... and the ARK.... and selecting which animals would be left behind.
Saturday, 27 July 2013
Water bear Water bear what do you see?
Week 1 and 2 completed.
Stories written and shared.
The writer has been writing, we (the performers) have been writing, dancing, playing, speaking...
We devising this piece, and entering a process of no return.
FEAR, STRUGGLE, RESILIENCE, SURVIVAL, DETERMINATION, EMPTINESS...
THIS IS A WATER BEAR:
These Extremophiles can survive extreme conditions.
This is beautiful.
I would like one.
I WROTE THIS IN ANSWER TO SOME QUESTIONS POSED ABOUT DYING, IT IS JUST A STUDIO EXERCISE:
THIS IS AN EXTRACT FROM SOME WRITING ON FEAR:
.... Paralysed by love. Paralysed by fear. Holding fear. Seeing fear in front of me. Being fear. Urgh. A pain immense like serpents squeezing the blood flow to all your arteries, forcing your heart to panic and pant like a tired dog. A dog. He’s having heart palpitations. I feel like a dog. One of those dogs that people buy as presents for Christmas after years of yearning, and are so excited, elated and euphoric about but then inevitably discard and send back to the dogs home with teary goodbyes once reality sets in. Shit....
Stories written and shared.
The writer has been writing, we (the performers) have been writing, dancing, playing, speaking...
We devising this piece, and entering a process of no return.
FEAR, STRUGGLE, RESILIENCE, SURVIVAL, DETERMINATION, EMPTINESS...
THIS IS A WATER BEAR:
These Extremophiles can survive extreme conditions.
This is beautiful.
I would like one.
I WROTE THIS IN ANSWER TO SOME QUESTIONS POSED ABOUT DYING, IT IS JUST A STUDIO EXERCISE:
I WILL DIE
I WILL DIE
And when I leave what will
I leave behind?
A two bedroom flat, with
my half eaten breakfast on the table next to my morning mug of tea, and the
unopen bank statements piling up on the sideboard?
Will the sheets be crisp
and fresh and recently laundered, or still warm and full of the smell of me and
many a well slept night of dreaming?
I want to leave my
children behind, I owe them to the future and the future to them. And if I have
done any good, said any good, lived any good, pleased someone, loved someone,
helped someone, held someone, listened, touched or witnessed, may that be left
behind too.
May others enjoy what I
have enjoyed, over and over and over again.
Keep sucking at it till
its dry
I WILL DIE
I WILL DIE
And when I do, let others
rejoice, “She is dead!”
I owe you that, I owe you
no suffering.
I owe you nothing, I leave
you nothing.
Burn the bank statements
and the bed sheets, wash the bowls and the cups.
And please just bury me in
the earth, and let the earthworms nestle, the vultures peck out my eyes, and
the maggots fester, till I am all used up.
For my deeds have all been
done.
I WILL DIE.
I AM NOTHING.
AND I WILL DIE.
THIS IS AN EXTRACT FROM SOME WRITING ON FEAR:
.... Paralysed by love. Paralysed by fear. Holding fear. Seeing fear in front of me. Being fear. Urgh. A pain immense like serpents squeezing the blood flow to all your arteries, forcing your heart to panic and pant like a tired dog. A dog. He’s having heart palpitations. I feel like a dog. One of those dogs that people buy as presents for Christmas after years of yearning, and are so excited, elated and euphoric about but then inevitably discard and send back to the dogs home with teary goodbyes once reality sets in. Shit....
Annoyances... a studio stream of consciousness
Pass
Fail
Distinction
Guns that don’t shoot
Knickers that don’t fit
Dog shit on the pavement
Too many cars on the road
and the people in them
Parents, in general
People who claim to be shy
and then draw attention to themselves
Supermarkets, consumerism
and adverts about weight loss
Fabrics that old people
wear
Lazy teenagers and their
push-up bras
New Look, Peacocks, M
& Co
Mass excursions to
peaceful beauty spots
Preachers
Extremists
Attachments to anything or
anyone just “because” and not for love
Bus fare inflation
Men that grab you in bars
Men with girlfriends that
grab you in bars
Men with wives that grab
you in bars
Cats
Plastic
Facebook
Cosmetic surgery
Racism, sexism, homophobia,
agoraphobia
Photos in drawers, boxes,
on cds, hard-drives, anywhere but in albums
Big brother
My little brother starting
an argument just for the sake of it
Clever people that break your heart
War
Rules
7 out of 10
8 out of 10
10 out of 10
Friday, 5 July 2013
Why is she running?
I went for a run yesterday and a four year old child in a pushchair said as I passed, "Mummy, why is that lady running?"
I wanted to say, "because I love to run!" but I didn't, because it felt slightly mental and also I wasn't loving running much at that moment!
I was more curious to see what her mother might say in response. It's so interesting that a young kid would view running as a strange and rare occurence for a grown up to be doing. Her mum was a little embarassed and said quietly "She's just running. Um, er, you run sometimes don't you!"
Imagine the world in a future where the need to run decreases to such an extent, and maybe even walking becomes rare, or moving at all becomes unnecessary.... How little will people need to move to survive?
We can already order groceries and almost everything we could possible need direct to our homes. There is a new phone app which enables us to have a lover at our front door within minutes- so no running involved in that game anymore!
I wanted to say, "because I love to run!" but I didn't, because it felt slightly mental and also I wasn't loving running much at that moment!
I was more curious to see what her mother might say in response. It's so interesting that a young kid would view running as a strange and rare occurence for a grown up to be doing. Her mum was a little embarassed and said quietly "She's just running. Um, er, you run sometimes don't you!"
Imagine the world in a future where the need to run decreases to such an extent, and maybe even walking becomes rare, or moving at all becomes unnecessary.... How little will people need to move to survive?
We can already order groceries and almost everything we could possible need direct to our homes. There is a new phone app which enables us to have a lover at our front door within minutes- so no running involved in that game anymore!
Communication Research
'Communication research' from Greig Cooke:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=fHVfh5C9UUE
I think it's supposed to be me and him in conversation.
Well, I think it went quite well, and we seem to be capable of listening and understanding each other.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=fHVfh5C9UUE
I think it's supposed to be me and him in conversation.
Well, I think it went quite well, and we seem to be capable of listening and understanding each other.
Thursday, 27 June 2013
Making sweet music together
Day 1 and 2 of Running on Empty
Myself, Greig Cooke and Scott Smith- the 3 performers- begin the process at Scott's home in Shoreham making music togther, and tinkering about with some of the songs we already had from Lee Ross.
Brad Birch is busy writing away (think Nicolas Cage as Kaufman in the film Adaptation) and we are waiting in gentle anticipation to see how the story will unfold, or maybe there will be no solid story, what's ever solid anyway.
We have done the research, we know how this beast will work, and it is a beast. The writing comes next and will inform all the next moves.... this is the exciting bit!
Well, whilst we're waiting i can go for a run (tick!) and practise the few chords i have learnt on guitar and banjo...
Myself, Greig Cooke and Scott Smith- the 3 performers- begin the process at Scott's home in Shoreham making music togther, and tinkering about with some of the songs we already had from Lee Ross.
Brad Birch is busy writing away (think Nicolas Cage as Kaufman in the film Adaptation) and we are waiting in gentle anticipation to see how the story will unfold, or maybe there will be no solid story, what's ever solid anyway.
We have done the research, we know how this beast will work, and it is a beast. The writing comes next and will inform all the next moves.... this is the exciting bit!
Well, whilst we're waiting i can go for a run (tick!) and practise the few chords i have learnt on guitar and banjo...
AAAH!
Saturday, 22 June 2013
The Beast
"I love the beast. I actually look forward to the beast showing up, because every time he does, I handle him better. I get him more under control."
... on ultra running in the Sahara.
Instead of cringing from fatigue, you embrace it. You refuse to let it go. You get to know it so well, you're not afraid of it anymore. You can't hate the Beast and expect to beat it; the only way to truly conquer something, as every great philosopher and geneticist will tell you, is to love it.
Ummmm, Ok, I'm going to face the beast. I'm not afraid of that cold windy day outside, of the steep wooded hill I have to climb to get up on the hill and run across the top. I'm not afraid of the blustery sea in the distance, calling me in. Just me, a little human, padding alongside the ever present ferocity of nature. Bring it on, and we shall see if I learn to love to beast or not!
... on ultra running in the Sahara.
Instead of cringing from fatigue, you embrace it. You refuse to let it go. You get to know it so well, you're not afraid of it anymore. You can't hate the Beast and expect to beat it; the only way to truly conquer something, as every great philosopher and geneticist will tell you, is to love it.
Ummmm, Ok, I'm going to face the beast. I'm not afraid of that cold windy day outside, of the steep wooded hill I have to climb to get up on the hill and run across the top. I'm not afraid of the blustery sea in the distance, calling me in. Just me, a little human, padding alongside the ever present ferocity of nature. Bring it on, and we shall see if I learn to love to beast or not!
Born to Run
Way before we were scratching pictures on caves or beating rhythms on hollow trees, we were perfecting the art of combining our breath and mind and muscles into fluid self-propulsion over wild terrain. and when our ancestors finally did make their first cave paintings, what were the first designs? A downward slash, lightening bolts through the bottom and middle- behold, the Running Man.
Running was indispensable; it was the way we survived and thrived and spread across the planet. You ran to eat and to avoid being eaten; you ran to find a mate and impress her, and with her you ran off to start a new life together. You had to love running or you wouldn't live to love anything else. And like everything else we love- everything we sentimentally call our 'passions' and 'desires'- its really an encoded ancestral necessity. We were born to run; we were born because we run.
From Born to run by Christopher McDougall, I really recommend the read!
I just looked out my window to see a man running past, the typical Brighton type- beard, thin well-worn T-shirt, white running shoes- battling against the wind and hill, red faced and sweaty. I'm thinking I'm gonna put my runners on and follow him, see if I can impress him, this is 2013 after all!
Running was indispensable; it was the way we survived and thrived and spread across the planet. You ran to eat and to avoid being eaten; you ran to find a mate and impress her, and with her you ran off to start a new life together. You had to love running or you wouldn't live to love anything else. And like everything else we love- everything we sentimentally call our 'passions' and 'desires'- its really an encoded ancestral necessity. We were born to run; we were born because we run.
From Born to run by Christopher McDougall, I really recommend the read!
I just looked out my window to see a man running past, the typical Brighton type- beard, thin well-worn T-shirt, white running shoes- battling against the wind and hill, red faced and sweaty. I'm thinking I'm gonna put my runners on and follow him, see if I can impress him, this is 2013 after all!
Friday, 21 June 2013
Lift off, we have funding!
Running on empty has its Arts Council funding!!!
we are so unbelievably happy...
we are most definitely celebrating...
we are very thankful.
Now lets all go and make the best art we can possibly make.
Photography: Matthew Andrews
Wednesday, 10 April 2013
Jackson Browne
Greig Cooke's funny and ironic contribution to this blog. A little tune from before I was born entitled 'Running on empty' by Jackson Browne
I find his slinky hair and the backing singers particularly fascinating...
I find his slinky hair and the backing singers particularly fascinating...
The photoshoot
Me and Greig keeping warm on our desperately cold photoshoot w/ Matthew Andrews in the Sussex Downs last week... Snowfall in April
Monday, 25 March 2013
when a lion wakes up...
"running unites our two most primal impulses: fear and pleasure. We run when we're scared, we run when we're ecstatic, we run away from our problems and we run around for a good time.
When things look worst,we run the most. We have seen distance running skyrocket, and its always in the midst of a national crisis. Maybe it was a coincidence.Or maybe there's a trigger in the human psyche, a coded response that activates our first and greatest survival skill when we sense the raptors approaching."
"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, I knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa a lion wakes up, it knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve. It doesn't matter if you're a lion or a gazelle-when the sun comes up you better be running."
From Born to Run by Christopher McDougall
When things look worst,we run the most. We have seen distance running skyrocket, and its always in the midst of a national crisis. Maybe it was a coincidence.Or maybe there's a trigger in the human psyche, a coded response that activates our first and greatest survival skill when we sense the raptors approaching."
"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, I knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa a lion wakes up, it knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve. It doesn't matter if you're a lion or a gazelle-when the sun comes up you better be running."
From Born to Run by Christopher McDougall
Saturday, 16 March 2013
I am hungry
I am hungry
You are hungry
We are hungry
I will hunt
You will hunt
We will hunt
you are stronger
I am fitter
you are lazy
I am angry
What the fuck are you mumbling on about?
Be more assertive
less habitual
You always do what you want anyway
less habitual
You always do what you want anyway
It was simpler on my own
I'm not sure I want to cohabit this planet with you
you primitive ape-like beast
I'm not sure I want to cohabit this planet with you
you primitive ape-like beast
but i like the way you smell and the warmth of your skin.
Can we eat now?
I am hungry
You are hungry
We are hungry...
Can we eat now?
I am hungry
You are hungry
We are hungry...
A new producer
I would like to welcome to the project my new producer (Producer- Artist development at South East Dance) Elizabeth Mischler.
We have been working together over the last few weeks on a GFA and booking of a tour for Running on Empty. Elizabeth is nothing short of outstanding, and I'm really excited about us producing this work together.
We have been working together over the last few weeks on a GFA and booking of a tour for Running on Empty. Elizabeth is nothing short of outstanding, and I'm really excited about us producing this work together.
Everyone can run -
it is a primitive instinct. Escape from danger. Hunt for food. Competition.
Freedom. Gameplay. It reminds us to breathe. It makes us feel alive.
Running wild
Running out of time
Run away with me?
Running out of love
Running on Empty
Running on Empty
tells the story of two people colliding over time, where a relationship filled
with curiosity, intimacy and tension can suddenly explode into movement – until
something has to be said. Dance, text and
song combine to take us through an ever changing, ever growing web: between
peace and struggle, between reality and fantasy, between escape and
confrontation.
Perpetual,
repeating, like a cycle, like running...
“I’m attracted to writing that is timeless, that speaks of simple human interaction, chance encounters and of deep-rooted connections, connections between physical and emotional mindsets, underpinned by these central questions: ‘what gives a person the ability to run for a long distance? And what is the connection between the physical act of running and the mind power involved in any action that repeats a pattern over and over again over time?’ Stamina and longevity are about more than just fitness, and can also be applied to human relationships and, finding further analogies for that, running away from something, going full pelt, a step too far, running on empty.” (Antonia Grove)
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