Up in the air...

So much stuff going on right now in the land of R2M..it's bonkers! I still have my tan from the previous 2 months of sun and surf in Australia. But the stress might turn me pale once more. Apart from my impending identity crisis i'm busy juggling many balls...literally and metaphorically. This business is such an amorphous beast by nature that trying to stay on top of things is only a temporary state leading into chaos. The amount of energy one can expend into doing just that, ought to be enough to warrant any kind of fee at the end of a project...but it isn't. How is this business sustainable in the long run? I guess the dance industry as a whole will endure, but dance companies are another thing entirely. Much like dance itself you have to enjoy it in the moment and fall in love with the memory. However, we are not quite there yet. So dealing with the here and now, one of the balls up in the air takes the shape of a new/old duet that has been in the works since last dec. To be honest, it all started back in 2006 but if you have been paying attention to these posts then you'll know the back story. Sprawl will be a short duet created by Jennifer Paterson from All or Nothing and R2M. The piece is intended for outdoor spaces but will also be suitable for more traditional theatre venues. There are blocks...lots of them...we build things, we break them down and start all over again. Its like life...but a much shorter version. We're hoping to get this piece out and about this summer. You shall be informed.

So what else...well i'm off to Finland to oversee, partake in and perform at a screening of Public Service at the Loikka Dance Film Festival in Helsinki. Always game for a chance to get back over to scandinavia. Looks like a groovy festival and communications with the team up there have been good. The short film has been an incredibly useful and low cost method of spreading the word about R2M. If you have some work on film and haven't distributed it...do it. The bonus part of this trip will be to catch up with the legendary solider of fortune Jarkko Lehmus. The former Scottish Ballet pin up boy returned to his roots and has since been rocking the Finnish dance scene...no doubt killing it on the Zumba front as well. I will, however, be staying well clear of the crazed finnish lady who stole a pair of my American Apparel jogging pants...those that know, know!

March rounds off nicely with a presentation of Squish. Rejected for inclusion in a festival run by the same organisation where the work was developed (?), the good folk at City Moves reckon it's top material for the upcoming festival March Moves. R2M will be double billing with the coolest dancer in Scotland (no, not double billing with myself), Mr Jack Webb. Not to be missed.

See you next month for April Angst...x