The next stage - quick! Before I hit 31!!!

Piece By Piece company choreographer Despina Mavrou is looking for female dancers for the next stage in development of her latest piece, "The Big Three... oh"

About the piece:
Having recently turned 30, I decided to create a piece about some of the issues that started creeping up - perceptions of age, combined with issues of unfulfilled career potential, insecure housing, the dreaded biological clock and the way all these things affect women in particular (see previous posts for more info). As a first stage, I developed movement material alongside text and worked during a 10 week residency at Clarence Mews with actress Rachel Drew to present the work in June 2010. The next stage will concentrate on developing ways to communicate the ideas behind the piece solely through movement.

About the dancers:

• Some contemporary dance training and a willingness to participate actively in the creative process (including using your own thoughts, stresses, experiences or anecdotes to create movement) is necessary.
• It would be a plus if you are around late 20s or early 30s, although other perspectives that come with different ages (younger or older) would also be welcome!
• You need to be available from 2nd to 8th August every day (about 4 hours a day, mostly afternoon and early evening).
• The piece will be developed in Hackney, London in the space of a week, culminating in a studio performance. There might be possibilities for future performances.

Please send an email to the address below by the end of Sunday 1st August with a short paragraph about yourself and your previous dance experience – no need to send whole CVs! Also feel free to bombard me with any questions you might have, no matter how trivial (as long as they relate to this project). Make sure you include a mobile number so I can text you the address of where we will be working.

As we are not funded, sadly there is no money - even for travel expenses. However it will be a great opportunity for gaining further dance/performance experience and working in a truly fantastic space for a week!

Email: piecebypiecedance@ymail.com

The Big Three... oh.

Work is under way to bring all the ideas I've had, along with your stories, thoughts and general input, onto the stage. I have been rehearsing with Rachel Drew as part of a ten week creative residency at Space@Clarence Mews, and we have already come up with a structure for the piece. Here's the blurb for it:

"Perceptions of age, combined with issues of unfulfilled career potential, insecure housing, the dreaded biological clock and the way all these things affect women in particular invade the stage while Despina and soon-to-be-thirty Rachel try to make their way through life's hiccups to get to that mythical place of happiness/ stability/ accomplishment (delete as preferred). Will they make it? Does this place exist, or is the whole project one big circular argument?"

30 part deux

Following a good response from people regarding the previous post (30), I have further formulated a plan on what I want this piece to be about.

It seems to me that there are issues regarding and pressures put upon women's lives in a way that is not the case when it comes to men's lives. Of course this isn't exclusive to women aged 30, but it's still a milestone age and therefore some of the issues and pressures arise or become more prominent when a woman hits this age.

So here's what I'm asking: can you write one sentence (or more if you want) giving your thoughts or opinion on what an issue or kind of pressure might be? Even if you're not sure, just a few words on what you think could possibly may be an issue will do!

X d
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30

Some of you may be aware that last September I turned thirty. "So what?", you may ask. "Big deal". Well, that's what I thought until it happened. It's just a number and it shouldn't affect me really. But it did. So I decided to deal with it by turning it into a positive thing, i.e. create a piece about it. Here's what I'm asking of you, dear friends, family and colleagues:

Have you recently turned thirty? What difference did it make in how you see yourself or how you see the world around you? What did you expect before turning thirty and to what extend were your expectations met? How much do you think conventional ideas about youth and age have affected you in relation to being thirty?

Is thirty a distant memory? How do you remember behaving when you first passed the threshold of thirty? What advice would you give me or anyone else turning thirty? Does being older really make you wiser? If yes, how?

Are you so young that thirty seems ages away? Have you set yourself goals to achieve by the time you turn thirty? What are they? What's your understanding of age? How do you view people who are thirty and over?

Same deal as always, you can post anonymously if you want. Stories and anecdotes are especially welcome, as are thoughts, ideas and all sorts of philosophical ramblings.

xxx
Despina