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Our Little Big Dance Cycle Two commission takes flight on a national tour

Thu 15 June 2023
Part of: Little Big Dance | 2019-2024
Skydiver (c) Nikolas Louka

Little Big Dance presents Skydiver by Xenia Aidonopoulou

● Premiering at Dance Umbrella, London on 21, 22, 24, 25 & 29 Oct, then touring to:
● Yorkshire Dance, Leeds, on 27-28 Oct as part of Children & Their Grown Ups Festivals (tickets on sale in August)
● Dance East, Ipswich, on 11 Nov
● Take Art, with MacMillan Theatre, Bridgewater, Somerset, on 19 Nov
● South East Dance’s The Dance Space, Brighton, on 15 Dec.
● GL4, Gloucester on 27 April, 2024

A stellar creative team is behind our third Little Big Dance commission, premiering at Dance Umbrella, London’s international dance festival, in October before heading off on a national tour.

Skydiver by international Dance Artist, Xenia Aidonopoulou is a new pioneering, multi-sensory dance theatre show, created for children under five.

The piece has been commissioned by the Little Big Dance programme, a partnership of dance organisations including South East Dance, Dance East, Yorkshire Dance, and Take Art, which is challenging the industry to rethink how dance is made and presented for very young audiences.

Greek Dance Artist, Director and Dramaturg Xenia Aidonopoulou was selected from an open call last year to receive £30,000 to create her new work Skydiver, with mentoring support from early years dance workers, practitioners and specialists; and in collaboration with pre-school children in early years settings around the country.

‘It’s a rare opportunity to be able to actually spend time with your potential audience – in my case, with under five-year-old children- before entering the rehearsal studio,’ says Xenia Aidonopoulou.

‘The Little Big Dance research process has helped me deepen my relationship to this very special audience, made me feel more confident about my creative ideas and the means I use to communicate them.

The resulting piece is a highly visual theatrical experience for families that evokes a magical dream-like world in the skies, brought to life by a stellar cast of creatives.

Music for Skydiver’s dreamy soundscape is being composed by Lana Del Ray’s former Musical Director, Jonny Pilcher, who has scored Oscar and BAFTA-winning documentaries and feature films; as well as award-winning plays and contemporary dance pieces.

Puppetry and designs will be created by Alison Alexander, who has collaborated on design with companies including Little Angel Theatre, Goblin Theatre, Monstro Theatre and Tate Modern.

Costumes come courtesy of Mayou Trikerioti who has dressed prestigious actors including Jim Carrey and Charlotte Gainsbourg; and who recently designed costumes for the latest David Cronenberg film Crimes of the Future.

Skydiver is a Little Big Dance commission, led by South East Dance, in partnership with Dance East, Yorkshire Dance and Take Art. Little Big Dance is funded by Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Arts Council England and is supported by Dance Umbrella, and Strike a Light Festival.

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