Experience, Interact, Play,

Hear and Feel the work from a different and unique perspective

SURGE gives life to a character on the bridge between the digital and organic worlds.

 

Four stellar artists collaborate to create a brand new staged concept album.

An immersive, audio-visual, genre-breaking performance, touring exclusive new music from British music producer ITAL TEK.

 

A duet between dancer and animated light in a gripping kinesthetic relationship. A character pushed to their limits to ‘feel’ – to ‘sense’ – to ‘exist’.

 

Featuring live vocals from the performer Jemima Brown and digital design by Vent Media.

 

See SURGE as an adapted  short film on the BBC as part of Dance Passion: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0bl84zd 

 

SURGE CREATIVE TEAM:

Direction: Tom Dale

Choreography: Tom Dale in collaboration with Jemima Brown

Concept Developed by: Tom Dale, Jemima Brown and Barret Hodgson

Digital Design: Barret Hodgson

Dance & Live Vocals: Jemima Brown

Specially Commissioned Music: Ital Tek

Costume: Geraldine Wharrey, Cristiano Casimiro and Kate Morgan

Photo Credit: Alice Underwood

Production Manager: Chris Flux

 

 

“Humanity is pushing at the boundaries of evolution; the digital world is on a quest to re-create life and does this by making ever more real copies of our world which means we’re increasingly sharing the planet with a new life force: technology.  In ‘Surge’ we give life to a character that exists on the bridge between our organic and digital worlds. A character pushed to their limits to ‘feel’ – ‘to sense’ – to ‘exist.

Audiences are completely immersed inside the digital environment and we have created what is actually more than a solo – it’s a duet between dancer and the digital landscape created by Barret Hodgson of VENT MEDIA”

Tom Dale

“It’s like a Human Firework Show” Audience Member, aged 8

SPRING 2024 Tour Venues

 

 

Tuesday 27th February 2024

Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham 

BOOK HERE

 

Thursday 29th February 2024

Bath Spa University, Bath

BOOK HERE

 

Friday 22nd March 2024

Barnsley Civic Theatre, Barnsley 

BOOK HERE

 

Thursday 2nd  May 2024

Dance City, Newcastle 

BOOK HERE 

Wednesday 15th May 2024

Curve, Leicester 

BOOK HERE 

 

Autumn 2023 Tour Venues

 

Friday 13th October 2023

Pavilion Dance South West, Bournemouth

BOOK HERE

 

Tuesday 14th November 2023

Exeter Northcott Theatre, Exeter 

BOOK HERE

 

Friday 17th November 2023

Dance East, Ipswich

BOOK HERE

 

SURGE ON TOUR 

 

Friday 29th & Saturday 30th September 2023 

Young Dance Festival, Switzerland 

BOOK HERE

 

Friday 27th October 2023 

Frequency Festival at Lincoln Arts Centre, Lincoln, UK

BOOK HERE

 

Tuesday 31st October 2023 

Rond Hond Festival, Belgium 

BOOK HERE

 

Saturday 25th November 2023

Waterside Arts Centre, Manchester – PRISM: Winter Festival of Music and Light

BOOK HERE

Spring 2023 Tour Venues

 

SUB: VERSION premiered in Spring 2023 and toured venues in the UK as follows:

Friday 17 March & Saturday 18 March 2023 – PREMIERE
Lakeside Arts Centre Nottingham

Tuesday 21st March 2023 – PRESS NIGHT
The Place, London

Friday 24 March 2023
South Holland Arts Centre, Spalding

Tuesday 28^th March 2023
Riverhead Theatre, Louth 

Tuesday 18 April 2023
Hull Truck Theatre, Hull

Thursday 27 April 2023
Taliesin, Swansea

Tuesday 2 May 2023
Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford

Jemima Brown –  Soloist

National Dance Award-nominee Jemima Brown has performed with Tom Dale Company in ‘I Infinite’ and ‘Step Sonic’ and in ‘Epilogues’ and ‘We Are As Gods’ for James Cousins. 
She says: “I’ve always wanted to incorporate my love of music and dance into my work.  Having the opportunity to sing in this show is amazing new territory for me.  While it presents a tricky balance between getting the vocals and breath to work in harmony with the movement, Tom and I focused on getting it right throughout rehearsals.  We both admire Ital Tek’s work and I really enjoyed collaborating with him to find the right blend of vocals with his electronic sound.”

Barret Hodgson – Digital Design

Barret Hodgson of Vent Media is a Nottingham based innovative, award winning design artist specialising in digital visual media for live performance, art installations and art galleries and museums. Barret is one of TDC’s Associate Artists and works closely with Tom on much of TDC’s work. Previous work for Tom Dale Company includes ‘I Infinite’, ‘Digitopia’ and ‘Refugees of the Septic Heart’.  Recent work includes creating huge projection mapping for Nottingham Castle, IBM 100 Club in Lisbon, Portugal, the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum in Spain, and Birmingham MAC among others. 

ITAL TEK –COMPOSER

British electronic artist Ital Tek releases music on the label, Planet Mu.  His trademark hypnotic sound is punctuated with themes of dubstep, ambient, and more.  His composition for the five-track concept album ‘SURGE’ was developed in close collaboration with Jemima Brown and Tom Dale.

SURGE can be performed both in the round, and in a traditional theatre set up. When in the round, the audiences can get really close to the dancer as they can stand or sit around a centralized dance mat. SURGE has been performed in LIGHT NIGHT festivals, and theatres in the UK and across the world, including children’s festivals in Europe and in Sharjah, UAE.

Arena–style blades of light slice and dice the space, tessellating into patterns then shattering into
rubble, creating a digital universe for this magical creature to inhabit. Brown, her body recoiling and
rewinding with alien grace, is never less than mesmerising.
FINANCIAL TIMES ****

“The feel is unearthly, Brown’s voice pouring over a dark electronic score by
producer Ital Tek. She is part robot, part house diva… it marries dance and
technology to dazzling effect”
CULTURE WHISPER

“A mesmerising union of sound and movement: ….all sorts of references spring to mind: Blade
Runner, 90s club culture, cyberpunk, and yet it captures a conversation that is completely
now, in a tightly put–together piece that feels like a genuinely original four–way collaboration
between performer, choreographer, music and design.”
THE GUARDIAN: ****

Ten dance sketches: bold and bristling with the urgency of undiluted connection to WEN’s experimental club music.

 

TDC’s new group piece for 2023 will be an elegant selection of dance work that weaves a hypnotic journey through an array of electronic music sub-genres using WEN’s album EPHEM:ERA –“a sophomore album study on the mercurial warp and weft of modern UK dance music” Boomkat

Listen to the music here: https://wen-music.bandcamp.com/album/ephem-era

SUB:VERSION CREATIVE TEAM:

Concept: Tom Dale

Choreography: Tom Dale in collaboration with Dan Baines, Jemima Brown, Tom O’Gorman and Meghan Stevens

Lighting Design: Andrew Ellis

Music: WEN from the album EPHEM:ERA

Rehearsal Director: Sophie Thorpe

Autumn 2023 Tour Performers: Jemima Brown, John Ross, Orla Hardie and Alex Gosmore

Original Performers: Dan Baines, Jemima Brown, Tom O’Gorman, Rose Ellen Lewis, Meghan Stevens

Photo Credit: Alice Underwood

Production Manager: Chris Flux

“Drifting between club and spaced–out after party Dale’s choreography absorbs elements from
hip–hop, popping and the looseness and bounce of house dance, as if torsos are tossed in the
air causing ribs and shoulders to separate then all fall and stack back together.
Limbs fly like a 3D spirograph and blur in the light.”

THE GUARDIAN: ****

“It is Brown whose every movement draws the eye. You would watch her fold laundry, mix a cocktail,
or creosote a fence. Brava”
FINANCIAL TIMES ****

“SUB:VERSION is a celebration of dance itself, deceptively simple but
meticulously assembled and performed by a group of dancers perfectly
attuned to Tom Dale’s vision”
CULTURE WHISPER ****

SPRING 2024 Tour Venues

 

Tuesday 27th February 2024

Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham 

BOOK HERE

 

Thursday 29th February 2024

Bath Spa University, Bath

BOOK HERE

 

Friday 22nd March 2024

Barnsley Civic Theatre, Barnsley 

BOOK HERE

 

Thursday 2nd  May 2024

Dance City, Newcastle 

BOOK HERE 

 

Wednesday 15th May 2024

Curve, Leicester 

BOOK HERE 

Autumn 2023 Tour Venues

 

Performers:  Jemima Brown, John Ross, Orla Hardie and Alex Gosmore

 

Friday 13th October 2023

Pavilion Dance South West, Bournemouth

BOOK HERE

 

Tuesday 14th November 2023

Exeter Northcott Theatre, Exeter 

BOOK HERE

 

Friday 17th November 2023

Dance East, Ipswich

BOOK HERE

 

Saturday 25th November 2023

Waterside Arts Centre, Manchester – PRISM: Winter Festival of Music and Light

BOOK HERE

 

 

Spring 2023 Tour Venues

 

SUB: VERSION premiered in Spring 2023 and toured venues in the UK as follows:

Friday 17 March & Saturday 18 March 2023 – PREMIERE
Lakeside Arts Centre Nottingham

Tuesday 21st March 2023 – PRESS NIGHT
The Place, London

Friday 24 March 2023
South Holland Arts Centre, Spalding

Tuesday 28^th March 2023
Riverhead Theatre, Louth 

Tuesday 18 April 2023
Hull Truck Theatre, Hull

Thursday 27 April 2023
Taliesin, Swansea

Tuesday 2 May 2023
Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford

Experience, Interact, Play,

Hear and Feel the work from a different and unique perspective

Come with us to explore the digital re-imagining of live choreography.

 

Get up-close and inside a boundless world, defy your senses and immerse yourself in a futuristic landscape.

 

Tom Dale Company have developed this VR version of their live dance performance SURGE which enables the audience to explore and interact with a digital version of SURGE in a host of different virtual spaces.  

 

Featuring exclusive new music from Ital Tek, this immersive experience for one, lasts up to 15 minutes, with audiences free to move around the space both physically and digitally to explore their spatial environment.

 

SURGE VR brings together a team of on-trend electronic music and dance artists, designers and technologists to prototype new concepts around performance in Virtual Reality.

 

Tom Dale Company combine movement, electronic music and the digital arts working at the cutting edge of performance. http://tomdale.org.uk/.  

SURGE VR has been developed in association with The Mixed Reality Laboratory (MRL) in the School of Computer Science at the University of Nottingham https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/research/groups/mixedrealitylab/ 

and Confetti Institute of Design and Technology in Nottingham. https://confetti.ac.uk/about-confetti-nottingham/, with the support of the Quest Lab Network https://waynemcgregor.com/r-d/questlab-network

 

 

Events

 

23RD SEPTEMBER

10:30AM – 6:00PM        DERBY CATHEDRAL

BOOK HERE 

Monday 20th and Tuesday 21st November 2023

@FABRIC Nottingham

 

KOPERGIETERY and TOM DALE COMPANY are co-hosting a 2-day international networking and ideas development workshop at FABRIC which will focus on the making and distribution of digital and non-physical performance.

 

Are you thinking about making or touring digital performance?

Want to be part of a growing community of experimental makers?

Are you an aspiring Creative Technologist, Artist or Digital Producer?

 

The first day will be an informal seminar-like event in a ‘market environment’, with a focus on methodology, interaction and knowledge sharing in the field of digital and non-physical performance.  Here we will share experiences, and new concepts and understand methodologies in how to make and distribute performing arts on a non-physical level.  The structure of the day will enable participants to present and share future plans and dreams and test these concepts with peers in a supportive environment.

Day Two will be a MAKE-A-THON – a practical workshop led by Kopergietery putting some of these methodologies and theories into practice with the goal of birthing new ideas and prototypes for digital/ immersive performance which we aim to get to proof of concept stage! This will be a fun and challenging day with the aim of deepening knowledge and relationships through focussing on the shared task.

This workshop is open to artists and freelancers who work with digital artwork.  We are open to hearing from people with all levels of experience. Everyone who feels this might enrich their practice is welcome to apply including theatre and dance artists, digital technologists, directors and producers.

The goal of the event will be to develop innovative guidelines that share views and interests on making durable immersive performing arts with a focus on digital, participation and e-inclusion. All research will be documented on http://allthescreen.com/

A light lunch will be provided on the day, and a contribution towards travel for unfunded artists is available up to a maximum of £30 per person. We have a budget to cover any access needs, please contact laura@tomdale.org.uk if you require any support.

Additionally, if you have any further questions, feel free to get in touch with us by emailing Tom at tom@tomdale.org.uk

 

To book your space register here

 

The KOPERGIETERY team coming to Nottingham:

Ilja Van Autreve

Ilja Van Autreve is the coordinator of the Medialab at KOPERGIETERY in Belgium.  Dedicated in investigating the line between performing arts for young audiences and digital media, the Medialab is an innovative space and mindset in a theatrical context. Every two years, Ilja curates Festival Digital, a festival where media, technology and science meet with performing arts for a young audience.

Lucas De Wulf 

Lucas De Wulf, artist name Nearly Norman, is an immersive storyteller. He’s a creative technologist who uses new media to research human interactions. Lucas believes that our human behaviour has been changed and will be ever changing by the rapid development of technology.

 

The workshop is part of a KOPERGIETERY visit to the UK as a continuation of the research project All the Screen’s a Stage.  This UK residency at Fabric with Tom Dale Company, is the second part of a research visit which commences with a workshop in Edinburgh with Imaginate.  

This four-day workshop is a great opportunity for dancers to work closely with Tom Dale and TDC company dancers and collaborators to delve into their movement, music and choreographic world.

Physically diving into Tom’s most recent work SUB:VERSION participants will engage in repertoire, improvisational journeys, investigation and play.

The objective of the workshop is to offer insight into experiential principles of movement and choreographic techniques in a rewarding relationship to music. Participants will learn how to interconnect with the qualities that come from improvisational practices through to choreographed structuring.

Each day will begin with a warm-up/ class lasting 45mins – 1hour. We will energise and open ourselves ready for a day of learning, experimentation, performance and play.

Workshop details:

Date:            Tuesday – Friday, December 12 – 15 2023
4 Days 10:30am – 4:30pm,

Location:          TripSpace, Arch 339, Acton Mews, London E8 4EA 

 

Fee:                    £225

(The first 5 to book will receive a 10% discount! The discounted price is £202.5)

 

*Please note refunds will not be accepted after 12th November 2023 due to the limited availability of spaces.

Urban Explorers is Tom Dale Company’s flagship annual dance project integrating TDC professionals with youth dancers from across Nottinghamshire, working in partnership with Inspire County Youth Arts.

Expect evocative, free-flowing urban contemporary dance borne out of the intensity and creativity of the UK’s electronic dance music scene.

URBAN EXPLORERS’ annual spectacular performance offers young dancers from across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire the opportunity to work alongside professional dancers from the internationally renowned Tom Dale Company. Each year the company takes inspiration from TDC’s touring work to create an awe-inspiring performance for the city.

Urban Explorers particularly targets young people from areas of high deprivation and low arts engagement, giving young dancers the unique opportunity to make and perform work alongside professional dancers, supporting progression routes into creative careers or higher education.

We want to celebrate the young people’s dedication, teamwork and enthusiasm for the work. Here’s a highlight of the Urban Explorers legacy:

UBX:SRG

Celebrating light, choreography and electronic music SUB:VERSION at Nottingham Contemporary will bring the audience directly into the performance space for a new kind of interactive viewing experience.

A dynamic lighting design will enable the audience to move to designated areas and enjoy this unique dance and light event from an array of perspectives.

The boundaries between performer and audience will shift as the performance spaces and viewing spaces literally change shape, creating spaces within spaces.

Our funders include:

This four-day workshop is a great opportunity for dancers to work closely with Tom Dale, Jemima Brown and TDC company dancers and collaborators to delve into their movement, music and choreographic world.

Physically diving into Tom’s most recent work SURGE and forthcoming work SUB:VERSION participants will engage in repertoire, improvisational journeys, investigation and play.

The objective of the workshop is to offer an insight into experiential principles of movement and choreographic techniques in a rewarding relationship to music. Participants will learn how to interconnect with the qualities that come from improvisational practices through to choreographed structuring.

Each day will begin with a warm-up/ class lasting 45mins – 1hour. We will energise and open ourselves ready for a day of learning, experimentation, performance and play.

Workshop details:

Date:            Monday – Thursday April 4-7 2022
4 Days 10:30am – 4:30pm,

Location:           Studio Wayne McGregor, Here East, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London, E15 2GW

 

Fee:                    £200

Discount:      £175 (For the first 10 booked) 

*Please note refunds will not be accepted after 21st March 2022 due to the limited availability of spaces..

Sunday 13th February 2023 10:30am – 1:30pm 

Tom Dale Company led by Sophie Thorpe

Location:
Signature Dance Studios,
Nottingham, NG1 5FX

TDC launched in 2022 Contact Improv Workshops led by the incredible Sophie Thorpe.
The sessions were an open level class and we welcomed all abilities. 

We were delighted to host a number of sessions that explored a number of the fundamental techniques that underpin CI in a relaxed, fun and nurturing environment. We worked on building trust and a heightened awareness, listening and responding in the moment. An opportunity to find new connections, both in the body and with others as we fall into motion, momentum and flow. Followed and guided into a jam at the end of the session.

 

 

 

We are now taking a break from these workshops but we hope to be back soon. 

If you are interested please sign up to our mailing list and hear about our upcoming news and workshops. 

Performances, Sharings, & Workshops in Nottingham this November

A series of events in Nottingham where Artists and Audiences explore creative digital technologies & interactions. 

Engage in immersive dance, explore Virtual Reality and Volumetric Capture as tools, and enjoy stunning performances live or digital.   

SATURDAY 13^th November 3pm & 6pm

The world premiere of Tom Dale Companys’ SURGE LIVE

A stunningly visual, immersive dance performance, set inside a digitally projected landscape to an evocative music score from acclaimed electronic musician Ital Tek. A concept album live on stage including live vocals from performer Jemima Brown.

https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/theatre/event/5499/surge-live.html

Tuesday 2nd – Wednesday 3rd November

Immersive Storytelling Symposium

Immersive performances, captivating presentations, and expert panel discussions, this hybrid event will connect artists, researchers and creators from across the globe.

https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/creative-technologies/event/5529/immersive-storytelling-symposium.html

2&3 November at Lakeside

5&6 November at Broadway

Experience, interact, play. 

Harnessing the fields of human-computer interaction and VR technologies  SURGE DIGITAL is highly experimental, immersive dance experience in its prototype stage. Be one of the first people to find out what Tom Dale Company has been making.

https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/theatre/event/5518/surge-digital.html

Friday 12th and Sat 13th November.

FACADES

A room-scale dance-theatre virtual reality (VR) experience created by Displace Studio; a collaboration between Digital Dance Artist Kerryn Wise and Creative Technologist Ben Neal.

http://facades.info/

8^th November 9am-1pm

MONETISATION of IMMERSIVE CONTENT

A practical workshop for artists, creatives and entrepreneurs who want to explore the revenue opportunities of making immersive content.

Led Catherine Allen and Emma Hughes of Limina Immersive

Thursday 4 November 10-3pm

Performance Playday

This workshop will explore Virtual Reality and Volumetric Capture as tools for performance making. No prior experience of VR is required to take part; suitable for anyone interested in developing their understanding of creative technologies in performance.

 

Virtual Reality and Performance Playday | Lakeside Arts, Nottingham

9^th November 12-4pm

BBC MAKERBOX WORKSHOP

A free practical workshop for innovative artists led by the BBC. Exploring  their suite of interactive tools for artists and filmmakers.

https://nearnow.org.uk/events/facets-2021