Emilia Robinson

Responding to the experiences and stories collected from members of the general public in the UK and worldwide, A Closer Look is a collaborative performance and exchange project which captures and reveals essences of life as a multi layered human-being through the use of dance, theatre, digital arts, music and physical theatre. A Closer Look is supported by Curve Young Arts Entrepreneurs Project, made possible by funding from The Paul Hamlyn Foundation and The Esmèe Fairbairn Foundation.

Clearly remembering what it was a moment ago, the flickering image from your dream flees away in your waking life. Where is the seam between the mundane and the underlying current in which our imagination roams free? The stuff our dreams are made of is a co-creation devised and performed by dance artist Emilia Robinson and theatre artist Sara Ismail. A play-dance, or dance-play that begins with an exchange of realities and sets out to explore the realm of dreams, wonder-lands and nightmares.

The title refers to the incorporation of new concepts into existing schemes. Originally beginning with two separate solos, this duet explores the process of collaboration, combination and the ways in which two solos can exist together in the same place and time. The sound for the work was made in collaboration with musician and sound artist Lloyd Allen to create a atmospheric and at times quirky sound scape that works directly with the movement material.

A collaboration with creative director Kerry Francksen, PhD candidate and Senior Dance Lecturer at De Montfort University. The work emerged from Kerry’s research into digital dance performance, commissioned through a five day residency at Lincoln Performing Arts Centre, as part of their first ever micro-festival, Newvolutions. In collaboration with Lloyd Allen, musician and sound artist, who created an atmospheric sound scape "travelled, responding to the performers through live improvisation.

Paying attention to her needs as a performer, Emilia fidgets and readjusts when necessary. This idea is transferred choreographically in terms of making decisions to alter the positions of movements and/or the placing of these positions. Intrigued by the mental shifts as a thinking dancer, between being a performer and a decision maker. Moments of 'dropping in and out' of the performance, with an intentional improvisational approach. Minimalist and mismatched sound designed by Lloyd Allen.

A manifesto written and spoken aloud at the entrance of Nottingham castle grounds. The manifesto was initiated after Emilia Robinson, Evangelia Kolyra and Mafê Toledo watched a dance performance and began discussing and questioning various ideas about contemporary dance, written from the perspectives of makers-performers-watchers of contemporary performance.

In collaboration with Rachel Farrer (dance artist), Hannah Silva ( theatre-maker and writer) and Deborah Stevenson (performance poet), the work explored the connection between words and movements, within an outdoor self-made café named ‘Isabella’s’, by the entrance of Nottingham castle. This interactive piece served entertaining text, movements and poetry; abstracted from historical tales of the castle, whilst Claudio Stellato (multidisciplinary artist) served sword-chopped bananas.

In collaboration with dance artists; Evangelia Kolyra, Mafê Toledo and Rachel Farrer. Following a coincidental meeting at the bandstand, this moment and space seemed poignant, marking a time where multiple people joined together from different places, countries, backgrounds and lifestyles.The work responded to the environment; the paths leading up to the bandstand and the compass on top informed all entrances and exits, directional choices, and the live guitar accompaniment.

In collaboration with architect Victor Lam, he created a mobile structure that appeared to be a mound emerging from the ground. The structure was designed on a small scale before Victor took to the studio to start building and painting it. The piece took inspiration from a castle tour, learning that people used to go to the castle grounds to eat their lunches on their work breaks, when it used to be free entry, the solo choreography incorporated surprisingly emerging from the mound to 'break'.

With equal creative input and joint ownership, the work 4:1 derived from initiating a space restriction, using an area of the wall and the floor for the process and performance. Experimenting with the incorporation of integrated technology and projection screen within a live performance setting, and dealing with the ratio of four bodies to one wall.

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Audience Comments From Most Recent Work, The Stuff Our Dreams Are Made Of:

"What a beautiful world you just made, thank you."

"Absolutely mesmorising, this is the stuff our dreams are made of."

"Stunning. It's something really quite special. I almost felt in a daydream-like state myself"

"The traces of the performance lingered with me as I journeyed home and allowed an engagement with 'the seam between the mundane and the underlying current ...' Overall this was a powerful and engaging piece of work." (Jacky Lansley)

2011

2014

2014

2013

2012

2012

2012

2012

2012

2012

Audience Comments From Most Recent Work, The Stuff Our Dreams Are Made Of:

MAKER

4:1 In:Transit Dance Theatre