RePUBLICA
Juan Carlos Otero , Keir cooper
& LOLA RUEDA WITH EMMA FRANKLAND
Photos: Chris Payne / People Staring
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In a fusion of anarchic theatre and dance, a flamenco dancer, a guitarist and a stripper reclaim the forgotten history of events preceding the Spanish Civil War. With the rise in opposition between anti-austerity and far-right movements all over Europe and the UK, REPUBLICA is a timely examination of the last time a government dared to take power from the super-rich to distribute it equally amongst its people. The music from this piece will also exist in this year's BODIES project - the collaboration of guitar & dance. - - - - - - REPUBLICA explores the topic of TIME in two upfront ways: the first, using a phenomena of recent history to disrupt the dominant political narrative - time as a weapon. The second is within the flamenco form itself. The myth of flamenco is just as contentious and disputed as other Spanish history. Designed in part to allure tourist money, it was a gypsy peasant obsfucation of rhythmic timing to create dance that appeared mystic and ungraspable. Twinned with a new score that approaches guitar-for-flamenco with new technologies and even further rhythmic obsfucation, both within the guitarwork itself and in fusion with the footscore, we present a performance that eats itself and ‘re-flamencos’ the art form, creating readings and representations that feel urgent, challenging, entirely new & historically linked. Lighting design - CUBE Production Manager - Liz Ridgway Developed at HOME Manchester Roundhouse, London The Bike Shed's Unit Space Laboratorio de Acción Escénica: Granada, Spain and with Arts Council England Performed at VIVA! Festival – HOME, Manchester 3rd – 4th April 2017 Marlborough Theatre - Brighton 21st October 2017 South Street Arts, Reading 16th November 2017 Voila! Festival - Cockpit Arts London. 13th/14th & 17 November 2018 Omnibus Theatre, London 20-22 Feb 2019 Arts Council & British Council's Wild Conference, Leeds (Excerpt) July 2019 Rich Mix - London February 2020 Future Dates TBC |
