The British Candoco Dance Company -to perform in Baku

The world’s leading inclusive dance troupe - Candoco Dance Company -to perform in Baku

15 February 2017 – The British Council is delighted to invite you to attend a striking double bill by Candoco Dance Company, the contemporary dance company of disabled and non-disabled dancers at 19:00 on 7-8 March 2017 at the Azerbaijan State Academic Drama Theatre. The project is organised with the support of Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Yarat Contemporary Art Space and Azerbaijan State Academic Drama Theatre.

Candoco’s performances in Baku mark the launch of a new British Council new programme that will offer disabled artists in Azerbaijan unprecedented opportunities to develop professionally and create new work and collaborate internationally.

Candoco Dance Company is a company of disabled and non-disabled dancers who create profound experiences, to excite, challenge and broaden perceptions of art, aesthetics and ability. Celebrating 25 years of creating acclaimed cutting edge work, Candoco present one of the most strikingly physical double bills to date: Beheld and Set and Reset/Reset in Baku

Choreographer Alexander Whitley is known for his daring and virtuosic choreography. Beheld, his commission for Candoco features powerful duets and breath-taking ensemble dancing with huge swathes of fabric, and is set to a mesmerising score by German composer Nils Frahm, reworked by Rutger Zuydervelt. In this piece, Candoco’s seven dancers explore the possibilities and constraints of the space around them, forming and reforming to consider how we look and what we see.

Set and Reset/Reset is an exploration of possibility as the company’s dancers create a new version of Trisha Brown’s landmark choreography Set and Reset. The original piece was first performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York in 1983 and restaged by Candoco in collaboration with Trisha Brown Dance Company in 2011 - the first time an iconic piece of contemporary dance was re-staged with an inclusive company.

The Sunday Times called these performances ‘a joy to watch’, while The Guardian described Candoco as ‘one of the most potent moments of theatre’. Through their performances and educational activities Candoco twists perceptions of what dance is, who can dance and who can experience it. The performances in Baku will be supplemented by practical master classes with Candoco choreographers on inclusive contemporary dance.

One day before the performance, on 6 March the British Council with support of Yarat will organise a seminar and round table for organisations working with people with disabilities and individuals with disabilities to share the UK and Azerbaijan experience, also to discuss next steps in inclusive culture. The event would be a valuable networking opportunity for organisations working in arts and civil society. The event will host representatives of government agencies, local and national organisations working in disability and social inclusion, dance and theatre practitioners, educational institutions, key influences, and potential sponsors.

The price of tickets to Candoco performances is 6 AZN and tickets are available at all box offices in Baku.

A press conference will be organised for Azerbaijani media with the participation of actors of Candoco Dance Company on 7 March 2017, at 11:00 at the Azerbaijan State Academic Drama Theatre.

The British Council in Azerbaijan would like to take this opportunity to thank the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Yarat Contemporary Art Space and Azerbaijan State Academic Drama Theatre.

Davud REHIMLI