Studio Sessions

This Studio Session was a presenter programme delivered in partnership between Fabric and Fierce Festival.

Studio Sessions introduced dance artists based in England to promoters from the UK and abroad, with the ambition of creating new relationships for international co-commissioning opportunities and future touring.

As part of Studio Sessions with Fierce Festival 2024, four dance artists shared works-in-progress, offering presenters the opportunity to discover new performance works and connect with artists as they developed their practice and future touring ambitions.

AURA –Trans*Performativity

Claudia Palazzo – Our Suspended Corridors

Hetain Patel – Mathroo Basha

Lou Robbin – Tessellate

Studio Sessions 2024 brought together three companies — SAY, Tom Cassani and Jo Bannon — to share works-in-progress of new performances, presented in partnership with The Place.

Attendees also had the opportunity to experience a preview performance of Mathroo Basha, a new solo work by Hetain Patel, presented at the Barbican Pit.

The session provided an opportunity for industry professionals to discover four new works, connect with artists, producers and promoters, and build relationships as part of Dance Umbrella.

Attendance was welcomed from presenters interested in the work of the featured artists. Through Fabric International, funded by Arts Council England, financial support was available to enable international presenters to attend.

This Studio Session was a collaboration between Dance Umbrella and Fabric, with the ambition of creating new connections for international co-commissioning opportunities and future touring.

Studio Sessions 2023 was in partnership between Fabric and Dance Umbrella.

Four artists shared their works-in-progress at 2023’s Studio Sessions as part of Dance Umbrella Festival 2023, which was in partnership Studio Wayne McGregor.

Theo Clinkard, Village

Choreographer and stage designer, Theo Clinkard uses the paintings of 16th-century Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder as a point of departure for Village, a large-scale work where history becomes a way to reflect us back to ourselves and a cacophony of moving bodies, startling design and resonant song make for an urgent widescreen dance event.

Dickson MBI, Tellus

Tellus is an expression of appreciation for our mothers and the earth that sustains us all, and an apology for the destruction we have, and continue, to cause.

Rachel Bagshaw, Trio

Trio is a new piece of dance theatre that subverts our understanding of access; giving creative agency to the relationships between physical bodies, captioning and audio description. At times playful and sensual, other times manipulative and shapeshifting, three voices explore each other in a battle for dominance of the space.

Zoi Dimitriou, Boulevard Humaine

Boulevard Humaine is a new dance work by Zoi Dimitriou for 3 performers evoking the music Okho by Iannis Xenakis with additional counterpoint pieces by composer Sam Hayden. Created online and in person in Greece and the UK, Boulevard Humaine is a creative exploration of and response through dance to Xenakis’ themes and rhythms, alongside themes of interculturalism, belonging and the core question of how can we be different together.

This collaboration was possible through generous support from Arts Council England via the Dance from England programme

Taking place as part of Dance Umbrella Digital Festival, all artists shared a live stream presentation of a work in progress.

Connecting national and international industry professionals with creatives, these three informal presentations enabled presenters, funders and supporters to see work well before it hit the stage.

Studio Sessions 1 was curated for Dublin Dance Festival by Oona Doherty featured Mufutau Yusuf, THE BELFAST ENSEMBLE, Flora Fauna Project and Aoife McAtamney.

Studio Sessions 2 was curated by Lucy Suggate featured Farah Saleh, Amy Lawrence, Eve-Stainton and Zinzi-Minott.

Studio Sessions 3 curated for Dance Umbrella / ResCen Research Centre at Middlesex University by Seeta Patel featured Akshay Sharma, Joseph Toonga, Stephanie D. Handjiiska and Barnaby Booth.