Introduced by Frank Bock, Emilyn Claid and Simon Ellis explore the theme of falling through a range of different frames including live performance, movement & arts practices, psychology, politics, philosophy, sociology and aesthetics. Underlying the talk is an understanding of falling as an embodied action that carries physical or emotional risk and the potential for growth and change. The talk draws on Emilyn’s specific research interests from her perspective as a psychotherapist and choreographer, proposing that the dialogue with Simon might be framed as an act of uncertainty, of falling.
This talk was part of Crossing Borders 2012 and was presented in partnership with London Contemporary Dance School and Dance Umbrella.
Learn More:
Films from the talk:
Bas Jan Ader Fall 1 (1970)
Bas Jan Ader Fall 2 (1970)
Bas Jan Ader Broken Fall
Bas Jan Ader Tea Party (1972)
Bas Jan Ader I’m Too Sad To Tell You (1971)
Rosemary Lee Meltdown (2012)
Daniel Libeskind architect
Martin Buber Elements of the Interhuman
Emilyn Claid is an artist whose career spans across 50 years of British Dance theatre practice. Emilyn is Professor of Choreography at University College Falmouth. Her career stretches back to the 1970s when she was co founder of X6 Dance Space in London and editor of New Dance Magazine. She was artistic director of Extemporary Dance Theatre in the 1980s; then worked with Phoenix Dance Company and Candoco Dance Company in the 1990s while performing and producing her own shows such as Virginia Minx at Play (1992). In 1997 Emilyn was awarded a PhD (1997) and currently works as a practice led choreographic researcher within an academic context and as an independent dance artist. She recently qualified as a Gestalt psychotherapist. Emilyn’s work embraces here and now encounters with uncertainty in relational practice as the core for writing, making and meeting.
Simon Ellis is a New Zealand born independent artist whose performance work has included site-specific investigations, dance on screen, writing, digital outcomes, black box works, and installation. Simon teaches at the University of Roehampton where he also runs the MRes Choreography and Performance programme. His work Gertrud was a finalist in The Place Prize 2008, and his screen project, Anamnesis (2009) was awarded School Jury Prize for Best Film at the InShadow Festival in Lisbon. Simon recently premièred a new project – Because We Care – with Colin Poole, and performed his adaptation of Deborah Hay’s I Think Not in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. www.skellis.net.
Adapted from bios published in 2012
