Studio Sessions is a presenter programme, introducing dance artists based in England to promoters from the UK and abroad, with the ambition of brokering new relationships for international co-commissioning and future touring.
At this year’s Fierce Festival, four dance artists – AURA, Claudia Palazzo, Hetain Patel, and Lou Robbin – will be sharing works-in-progress.
Attendance is welcomed by presenters who are interested in the work of these artists. To register your attendance at this event, please e-mail pippa@wearefierce.org to reserve your place.
About the Works
Our Suspended Corridors, Claudia Palazzo
Comprising dance, live sound, wheels, text and a lot of strip lights, Our Suspended Corridors explores notions of urban healing and the concrete fetish, the absorption of bone, noise and cement. Navigating the complex tensions between inherent strength and the impact of damage.
Trans*Performativity, AURA
Trans*Performativity is an ongoing project that consists in the transposition of trans* experiences into contemporary practices that fuse audiovisuals and the creation of collective performances. The movement subjectively represents processes of transformation and metamorphosis, the scenography proposes an innovative and safe space, the costumes weave individual and collective identity and the light design gives visibility to underrepresented matters, allowing the audience to perceive, understand and participate freely.
Mathroo Basha, Hetain Patel
After the loss of several first-generation immigrants in his family, Hetain reflects on the ceremonies, rituals, recipes, and Brit-Gujarati language that connect them. Responding physically to audio interviews with female family members speaking in Gujarati about inheritance, loss, and the future, Hetain amplifies spoken language through choreographed movement. His body becomes a conduit to share his own inherited stories.
Tessellate, Lou Robbin
Lou draws from Inner Child Healing and Therapeutic practice in a multidisciplinary performance about how to change your mind. It’s a story set in adolescence in a dreamy teenage girls’ bedroom, with fluffy orange rugs, a killer dressing table, and a glittery inflatable bean bag chair.
About the Artists
AURA
AURA (1997, Porto-London) is a transdisciplinary artist interested in identity and sustainability issues and co-founder of Asterisco, a space and platform for underrepresented artists. Her work has been showcased internationally across Portugal, Poland, France, Italy, Sweden, and the UK. AURA holds a MA in Performance Making by Goldsmiths and a BA in Fine Arts and Intermedia by ESAP. Attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk during Erasmus and is currently studying a PG in Cultural Management and Sustainability at University of Coimbra.
Claudia Palazzo
Claudia Palazzo is a London born and based artist and dancer working across the intersections and contradictions of dance, performance art, installation, alternative cabaret and film using her body as a responsive site to her environment and territory. Her work exists somewhere between the nightclub, gallery and street, and focuses on the live experience and a place to be able to shift through, let go and sit/deal with. As a performer Palazzo has worked with Carlos Motta, Complicité, Carlos-Maria-Romero aka Atabey Mamasita, Ann-Liv Young, SERAFINE1369, Eddie Peake, Cyberdog, Franko B, Sinead O’Connor, Lucy McCormick, Marisa Carnesky, Thick and Tight, Michael Dean and many others.
Hetain Patel
Hetain Patel is a London-based artist and filmmaker known for his work in various mediums including films, performances, and photography. His art has been showcased worldwide in venues such as Tate Modern, Venice Biennale, and Ullens Centre for Contemporary Art. His work, exploring identity and freedom, has been viewed over 50 million times online, including his 2023 TED talk Who Am I? Think Again. Hetain has received several awards such as the Film London Jarman Award and the Best International Film award at Kino Der Kunst Festival. He is a patron of QUAD, Derby, and serves on various committees. Patel is represented by Chatterjee & Lal in Mumbai.
Lou Robbin
Lou is a multidisciplinary artist, wellbeing practitioner and creative producer, with a particular interest in mental health, performance, and producing innovative participatory projects and events. Centring care at the core of their work, Lou utilises their creativity to explore themes such as personal and structural change, identity, and togetherness. Drawing upon their background in Psychotherapy, Breathwork and Somatic practice, they intend to bridge the gaps between alternative play and wellbeing for the somatic liberation of othered bodies.