The ancient practice of whirling is being re-purposed in this offering as surreal, female only physical theatre, that not only puts the HER back into heresy, but a soul into solidarity. Using an eclectic, but middle-eastern heavy playlist engages simultaneously with the origins of whirling but also with on-going and very current issues of conflict and oppression in the region and beyond. Snippets of translation from the lyrics together with their Visual Vernacular interpretation, striking visuals of a steam-punk persuasion create vignettes for both a trance experience of whirling and for a deeper reflection on fears about prejudices of who we are, where we’re from and where we want to fly. The intention is to invite the audience, via this hypnotic technique, to be fellow travellers in search for the road, a flight path to a more open and colourful sky.
OUR TURN: Is a newly minted group of female whirlers, the core of which is the dynamic duo of ViVine and Slow Tornado: a multi-generational pairing. Slow Tornado is a whirling elder, initiated dervish, from Brixton, and ViVine is a much-sought-after street theatre and an intrepid fire performer from Leipzig. They're both from eastern-Europe originally. Their meeting point is whirling, with the aim of transposing the practice to experimental theatre. Their collaboration grew out of daily zoom sessions during lockdown.
They'll be joined by a Visual Vernacular artist, the unicyclist Hanna, and some more whirling sisters from London, and from the continent.
Cast & Creative Team Idea, music selection, choreo outlines, lyrics translation arrangement: Slow Tornado
Devising: ViVine & Slow Tornado
Director: Victoria Mascord
Costume and props ideas: Slow Tornado
Costume & props execution: Agnes Molnar, Malen Moreno, Nina Castro, ViVine, Hanna
Sound engineer/s: Emmie Ward, +
Visual Vernacular: [Zoë McWhinney]
Voice artist:
Unicyclist: Hanna