City of Culture project by Echo Echo

The Motion Ensemble performances bring an element of surprise to the city Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company’s current City of Culture project The Motion Ensemble,has been surprising audiences throughout the week with its unique style of totally improvised performance.
Echo Echo Dance Theatre stage a new work as part of the City of Culture celebrations.Echo Echo Dance Theatre stage a new work as part of the City of Culture celebrations.
Echo Echo Dance Theatre stage a new work as part of the City of Culture celebrations.

The company’s core ensemble of locally based dance artists have been joined by two local musicians, Lorna McLaughlin (The Henry Girls), and Mark O’Doherty (Little Bear), along with 10 international guest dancer-choreographers and musicians from Moldova, Russia, Finland, US, Germany, Israel, Italy and Sweden to create The Motion Ensemble. This enigmatic group have been bringing spontaneous performances to locations throughout the city including The Craft Village, An Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin, St Columbs Park House and Echo Echo’s own Dance and Movement Studios in Magazine Street.

Artistic Director, Steve Batts, explained: “The Motion Ensemble is a very special performance project. We have put together a large international ensemble of exceptional improvisers, with backgrounds in dance/movement and music. They have been joined by members of the Echo Echo ensemble and are making daily performances all around Derry-Londonderry. Every performance will be different so we’d like to invite you to come along to watch as many of them as you can and join us on a journey of creativity and discovery.”

Echo Echo’s Development Officer Anna Nolan commented “There is something for everyone in The Motion Ensemble’s performances. You can be sure that each one will include elements of humour, mystery, fun and beauty. In the upcoming weeks the Motion Ensemble will be performing in an array of different venues and spaces in the city, including The Guildhall Square, The Craft Village, The Verbal Arts Centre and The City Factory. All performances are free to the public, so come along, you will be surprised.”

Mayor Martin Reilly said: “It was a great evening, great studios and location too to watch a sunset”.

Specially commissioned performance maps have been distributed in city centre cafes and public spaces, and are also available direct from Echo Echo or on the company website.

The Motion Ensemble is one of three ambitious projects produced by Echo Echo in 2013. ‘Without’ is a seven screen video installation with sound score that will open at the end of August 2013, directed by long time influence on the company’s work, the acclaimed choreographer Rosemary Lee. Echo Echo will then curate the first Dance & Movement Festival to be held in the province in November 2013 with a programme of local and international works.

Echo Echo’s programmes are supported by City of Culture 2013, DCAL and Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

For more information please visit www.echoechodance.com or call 028 7130 8883.

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