Innovative Scottish dance company Curious Seed is living up to its reputation by adapting to the current Covid restrictions with its creation Field – Something For the Future. The durational outdoor dance happening, that was conceived in a physically distant world, will take place on the lower braes of Arthur’s Seat that is Holyrood Park. Using the magnificent part of the Capital’s landscape as the backdrop, performers will respond to the surrounding landscape, the elements and each other as they follow a series of movement and live sound scores, to dance and celebrate being together in the here and now.
Two groups, who have worked with the Edinburgh based Curious Seed in the past, have been invited by the company to make a guest appearance during Field. They are Dance Base’s PRIME, Scotland’s first semi-professional dance company for the over 60s and Lyra, also an Edinburgh-based company, that makes live performances for and with young people.
The work has developed through facilitating outdoor practice with dancers from the Edinburgh community in collaboration with Associate Artists, Karen Tennent and Skye Reynolds, with the ensemble of collaborators and performers that includes Alma Lindenhovius, Amy Robertson, Clive Andrews, Dylan Read, Jen Cunningham, Graeme Wilson, Hannah Draper, KJ Clarke-Davis, Marion Kenny, Sky Su and a group from Curious Seed’s Artistic Director, Christine Devaney’s Sunday practice that includes Andrada Dragoescu, Heather Rikic, Kristin Weichen Wong, Emili Astrom, Merav Israel, Monica De Ioanni, Tallulah Molleson.
In 2020, when the Festival and Fringe were non-events thanks to Covid, Curious Seed was able to share this work in Edinburgh’s Holyrood Park in the afternoon of 30th August where there was room for everyone to be there safely and to experience a live dance performance happening during what would have been Festival time. This may have been the only arts performance in Edinburgh in August 2020.
Curious Seed, that was established in 2005, has presented work across the globe from Milan to Macao, New Zealand to Norway, appearing at prestigious international festivals and venues from Sadler’s Wells to Sydney Opera House.
Field – Something For the Future Now will take place on 22 and 29 August. The 4 hour long open air performance invites audiences to come and go as they wish during the event.
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 