Siobhan Davies Company Brings Art and
Science Together in Performance, Discussion

A leading British choreographer's conversations about human movement with an architect, a linguist, a landscape designer and a heart surgeon led to In Plain Clothes, a new work to be performed by Siobhan Davies Dance Company at Bryn Mawr on Saturday, Oct. 7, at 8 p.m. in Pembroke Dance Studio. The performance, to be accompanied by a talk by Professor of Chemistry Michelle Francl, will be the centerpiece of a series of campus events, including a master class for intermediate and advanced dance students and an open discussion of the relationship between science and art hosted by the College's Center for Science in Society.

The performance and surrounding events are free and open to the public, but space for the performance is limited and reservations are required. For more information or to reserve a ticket, call 610-526-5210.

The Siobhan Davies Dance Company is widely recognized as one of Britain's premier modern dance ensembles; among its many prestigious awards are four Digital Dance Awards, two Olivier Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Dance and the Prudential Award for the Arts. Davies, described by The Sunday Times of London as "one of our longest-serving and most distinguished choreographers," formed the company in 1988 after a 15-year association with the London Contemporary Dance Theater.

Seeking to establish a more intimate relationship with audiences and to engage dance in conversation with other arts and forms of knowledge, Davies has experimented with unconventional performance spaces and collaborated with practitioners of numerous other disciplines and professions, including the natural sciences. In 2005, she was one of a handful of artists asked to participate in Cape Farewell, an expedition to the Arctic designed to raise awareness of global climate change. This project culminated in the exhibit, The Ship: The Art of Climate Change, which was presented at London's Natural History Museum and as Cape Farewell: Art and Climate Change at this year's Liverpool Biennial.

Davies' interest in the exchange of ideas between dance and other disciplines is at the center of In Plain Clothes. Her collaborators participated in the creative process throughout its composition, attending rehearsals and speaking at London performances of the piece. Davies has said, "bringing their knowledge of essential structures (such as anatomy, language, engineering, architecture and landscaping) to the studio, they've given me, and my dancers, different objectives. Each brought a method of expression which has not been within our realm before."

In Plain Clothes presents a dance performance following a talk by a professional of another discipline — what Davies characterizes as a "hinged pair." The talk is not intended to explain the dance, but to provide an intellectual framework that inspires audiences to think differently about the performance that follows. At Bryn Mawr (and at two performances at the Painted Bride Art Center in Philadelphia), Francl, a quantum chemist who has had a lifelong interest in dance, will deliver the preperformance talks.

The Guardian describes In Plain Clothes as "intense and intelligent, meticulous and beautiful" and notes, "this is a lovely endeavour, but as a work that can only successfully tour to the smallest of studio spaces, it is also a rarefied luxury."

Master Class with Siobhan Davies Dance Company
Pembroke Dance Studio, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 4-5:30 p.m.
Class is free and open to intermediate and advanced dancers. Dancers from the company will introduce Davies' methods of working with and generating movements. Reservations required for non Tri-Co students (call 610-525-5208).

Performance of In Plain Clothes
Pembroke Dance Studio, Saturday, Oct. 7, 8 p.m.
Seating is very limited and reservations are required. For reservations, call 610-526-5210

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