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David Bower of Signdance Collective blogs on the work and travels of a dynamic sign dance performance company

Louisiana - No Passport Theatre Conference 2014
10 November 2014

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The much-anticipated performance of Carthage/Cartagena, written by Caridad Svich and developed with the Signdance Collective International under the direction of Beatriz Cabur played to an enthusiastic audience overcrowding the large dance studio. The text of Carthage/Cartagena is a series of multi-lingual letter-song-poems connected by themes of displacement, exile, and human trafficking. This verse play dramatizes moments of “desterrar,” or being ripped away from homeland and...

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Signdance Collective trailer for BAD ELVIS
16 July 2014

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In collaboration with BBC Radio 4 the show premiered in Manchester /Salford at BBC Centre and then went on tour in Miami, USA. We are looking for venues , promoters , festivals , and events to showcase and perform Elvis . The show lasts one hour , and is a great , fun roller-coaster ride . Directed By - Sue Roberts  Written By- Katie Hims Puppet - Barbara Bulatovic Choreography-Isolte Avila  Producer- Jane Jutsum Features the SDCI International Touring Ensemble featuring ...

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David Bower from SDC recalls Lou Reed
29 October 2013

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black and white portrait photo of Lou Reed in his prime

Lou Reeds music, art and his words, have always been a big part of my life. His work basically forms one of the big themes that have coloured my days. My memories both good times and bad have somehow never been all that far away from the energy and sentiment of Velvet Underground etc. Even though I know that his music lives on in all the influences that he had on other artists somehow the world will be just a little less cool without him. Thank you for your art and thank you for helping me...

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CARTHAGE By Caridad Svich/ SDC's New International Collaboration GRAZ EDITION
4 October 2013

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After  Signdance Collective's second USA tour in 2013. to the West Coast...... The company reunited in Austria and met with director Beatriz Cabur to work on ‘Carthage’ new play written by playwright Caridad Svich. First things First. We made the space we were to work in for the next four days ready. Earth, gravel, dust Sitting above the ‘Fish & Gigs’ restaurant in Ligist, is a large abandoned room, remnants of gym equipment scattered everywhere: benches,...

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Signdance 2013 Spring Tour
21 April 2013

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Signdance Collective's 2013 United States East Coast tour  Of Half A Penny and The Other Side Of The Coin   a phenominal success.  Happy Spring! Signdance Collective's 2013 -Tour started with performances in New York City at the No Passport Conference / New York University on February 28th and March 1st We were also invited to deliver workshops and took part in the conference it self at New York University. Dead Days Beyond Help (Our in-house band) also played two gigs...

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Rapid Intervention - a film by Mark Collins
21 September 2012

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Black and white film poster of a young person's face behind the barrel of a gun

Set in a sleepy seaside community where nothing out of the ordinary happens, Chris Davidson is on a journey fraught with physical, mental and spiritual obstacles. His internal struggle with a diminishing faith is coming to a head as he strives to keep his life on track The larger than life fragments of our existence pieced together like an entwining kaleidoscopic playback of our lives magnified on a bigger screen. A gritty yet reflective film with elements of the supernatural, this dramatic...

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Stuck In The Middle With You and Lovin'It!
8 September 2012

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Black and White photograph of a signer standing next to David Bower dressed in white shirt and braces

The Company was neither part of Unlimited or Liberty, but! What a Great summer for SDC! Our international tours with Ana Desetnica and The Lent Festival in Slovenia, with Salvia  and The British Council in Estonia, plus tours to The USA and Austria's Kulturwerkstaat were great! We were selected for SHOWTIME - The London 2012 Festival which covered both the Olympics and Paralympics. We were also lucky to work with TOGETHER! Fest in Newham so we were very much in the picture we...

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SDC 2012 World Tour. Join us !
28 January 2012

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Filming in Greece/ Athenas Temple during the 2011European Tour

Signdance Collective/ International Signdance Theatre 2012 Tour Taking a leaf out of an age old tradition and trekking the road less travelled, we can confirm that we are continuing our international tours and collaborating with the wild and free artists of the world. We have been collaborating and touring this way long before it became the buzz words here and were incredibly a flagship organisation for a while, before the more sensitive artizens among us began to choke on their breakfast,...

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Signdance Collective/ Theatre International to perform at National Cultural Diversity Network Awards 2011
12 November 2011

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SDTI Signdance Theatre International Logo

Here we are almost  at the end of 2011. Its been quite a year for us. We have toured six different countries with some beautiful and exciting projects. Our highlights have included the international tours of New Gold with a bigger ensemble. Jacob Casselden and Laura Goulden have been a wonderful addition to  Signdance's work. They both worked with us on the 'HERE' quartet and we are looking forward  to working with them on  future projects. We have been involved...

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Autumms Up ! SDC's Autumm Tour & Thanks

29 August 2011

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Tingle Tangle Festival Graz Austria HERE ' the new international quartete

SDC and SDTI want to thank everyone that made SDC's summer so exciting and such smooth running! It was an incredible season , so congratulations to the company , guests , and in-particular our supportive partners- ETHOS Festival Turkey, Driving Inspiration U.K, Accentuate, Thessalonikki School Greece , Your Stage Athens ,! Ana Desetnica , CAMPAIGN! ,Flora Swlavidu Expressive Body Training  Athens, Kulturwerkstatt Graz, Urban Warrior N.C, Wycombe Ats Centre and our fantastic base -...

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Signdance Collective International tour continues
6 July 2011

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New Gold

Signdance Collectives directors have spent five fantastic days at the Ana Desetnica/111/) international festival in Slovenia, Ljbljana. We  are being mentored, coached, by its director Goro Osojnic as well as experiencing some of the best in international street theatre performance. We saw groups from Spain, Barcelona, The Netherlands, Ukraine, Canada, Germany, Iran, Slovenia, Mexico, France, Czech Republic and Belgium! . The artists are open and with wonderful communication skills. We are so...

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SDC's International 'PITCH' A great success
17 June 2011

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photo of an outdoor sculpture in the shape of a large ear

Signdance Collective is in Greece/ performing, giving training workshops to actors and international sign-language interpreters, and in residency at several places across Greece. We have had major successes in Thessalonikki, Athens and Siphnos island. Five performances in Thess, Three shows in Athens, three shows in Siphnos, one at the opening of the VSA Festival on the island tomorrow. And fab audiences and audience response. This matched our successes at the ETHOS Festival Ankara earlier in...

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Signdance Theatre International SDC's Greek & Welsh& Turkish Tours
29 April 2011

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SDTI Arriving in Greece

March 30th untill April 4th -The Company (Signdance Theatre International / SDC)  was priviledged to participate at the Ankara Festival of Performance ETHOS / ETHICS . The Festival is  a regular mainstream event, but has the unique quality of having companies from Kurdistan, Iraq, Iran, and from the whole region. We were finally able to return after a five year absence, and it really did feel like a home-coming. With great organization, full theatres, and...

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El Grande Signdance 2011 Diario

4 March 2011

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Latest News  -During 2011 and 2012! SDTI will be  working on major projects in the USA (at  Urban Warrior  N.C with Proffesor Roger Braswell  and in San Francisco with dancer Antoine Hunter'Company UrbanJazzDance.Com www.AntoineHunter.com  ) , the U.K,  Greece, (Deaf Cltural Development Centres) In Slovenia (With Primoz  Bayziac and Ana  Desetnica) Austria (with Kultuur WekStaat) The Company has new performers a new base and exciting international...

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David Bower blogs about the Signdance Collective’s approach to choreography
10 January 2011

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photo of male and female dancers imposed over top of each other

From experience I would say choreography is about listening visually, with the eyes and finding the right moment to act and react. Choreography begins with a simple idea like the movement of the sea and how the light plays on water. Or it could be creating a sign name for ourselves using sign language and taking that as a basis for a movement - and then creating interaction between that movement and other sign names. We don’t believe interaction between the dancers has to be in time -...

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Signdance Collective present New Gold Phase 2
18 October 2010

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photo of dancers against a white background

Long days into the night! We haven't stopped at all this year. Signdance Collective has been creating our new street signdance show, 'New Gold'! Supported by: Create Compete Colaborate , ACCENTUATE Creative Campus , Bucks New University , Arts Council England. We have also been performing both Dances For A lost Traveller and New Gold at lots of very cool venues! These are just a few! The National Theatre of Slovenia in Nova Gorica , Lent Festival Maribor, Ana Desetnica Ljbljana ,The Siti...

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David Bower stars in Little Voices - a new film by Post Graduate Students at Glamorgan University / Welsh Film Academy with Screen Wales.
9 August 2010

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production shot

Little Voices is produced by Chris Colton, directed by Chris McFall, and co-stars Rebecca Hurst. Producer Chris Colton sent David Bower the script for Little Voices after contacting him through Signdance Collective. His immediate impression was that it was unsentimental, uncompromising, and edgy, with a chunk of grit thrown in for good measure. The film is the story of an isolated deaf man struggling to cope with the loss of his partner. David Bower says: "To me it is a strong metaphorical...

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Signdance Collective report on their summer touring program to Holland and Slovenia
16 June 2010

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photot of three street theatre performers

At the moment we are at the Oeral Festival in Holland Freisland. We are staying on a big barge for the 10 days of the Festival, and have been invited by Captain Aad Van Ploeg to do small sign-theatre street interventions/ invisible theatre. It is the most innaccesible Festival ever! The buses have signs saying "Please give your seat to an INVALID if he or she needs it." We are finding it difficult to get from venue to venue, with buses only every two hours and no electric bicycles, buggies or...

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Signdance Collective perform at Signcircle before doing their pilot New Gold at Bucks New University
10 June 2010

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photo of three street theatre performers

The stop before the New Gold shows was 'SignCircle' the big Deaf gathering in North West England. Fab festival with Caroline Parker in action and some new wonderful Deaf performers skimming across the boards! It had a huge attendance of more than 1,300 people made the events turn into real spectacles. And although the festival isn't massively funded, it has a great spirit, and is run beautifully. Back at the SDC ranch BNU (Bucks New University) we performed our new street theatre / signdance...

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Signdance Collective's new base at Bucks New University
17 January 2010

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a black and white photo of two hands held palm to palm

SDC has a new base...well, its first ever real base, at Bucks New University, High Wycombe! Up until now the company/collective has existed virtually, without admin, storage, rehearsal or production space. The new facilities are splendid, offer wonderful opportunities for Signdance Collective artists and collaborators to create music, dance, film and music. This new partnership will open up exciting possibilities and give us core support from university tutors and...

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Signdance are now company in residence at Buckinghamshire New University
22 November 2009

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distorted photo of performers on stage

The times They are a-changin'... We have some very cool events coming up , and this brief blog is an intermediary! On 3 December 2009 SDC will help launch Arts Council England  South East  Accentuate Project, at The Brighton Dome. January 2010, SDC becomes company-in-residence at Bucks New University  We are excited about this new development , as SDC will finally have a home .We have invited Anjali Dance Company to also perform at the launch and really looking forward to working with the...

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David Bower have set up a youtube channel
17 September 2009

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Signdance Collective 'signs of Brilliance' Time Out

I have just sent off the first off-line version of a film project that SDC have been working on. The great news is that SDC has its own channel on YouTube. There are currently four films on the site. 'Listen' - prepared by SDC music director Luke Barlow -Travelling and 'Here', are part of our latest production, 'Dances for a Lost Traveller'. The third - 'Firesigns' - is the result of an on-going collaboration with several Dutch artists. Joke Mennsink, director of ’Voor TV’ has been...

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SDC Dances For A Lost Traveller (previously Three Films + One)
27 June 2009

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In rehearsal with Here musicians : Liran Donin , Mark Holub & Luke Barlow

Signdance Collective is at The Warehouse Theatre in Croydon for a three week run. So far it  has been a mixture of Time Out Critics Choice!  to small but beautifully formed and loving audiences. It's a tough time for Signdance Collective, with funding challanges, relocation etc. but it's a good time for our art. The company is making & presenting  work that we really believe in. Work - that may be challanging to the mainstream - but is none-the-less our art. We are finding the strength...

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Part three of David Bower's stunning account of Signdance's trip to India in 2009
27 April 2009

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photo of performer Isolte Avrila

Visually India is a very powerful place to be. Some Deaf people talk about visual music. For the Deaf the view out the window is our visual radio. The many sights that I saw remained etched in my minds eye. Now that I’m back home, it all remains vividly superimposed on everything I see. For instance a quiet British country road teems with an almost hallucinatory vista of Indian life. It’s dificult to comprehend why we don't have the same diversity of life here in these...

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Part two of David Bower's account of Signdance's work in India 2009 part two
28 February 2009

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On reading the Hindu Times, one article seeks to illustrate the different ways people have of describing India. In so many words, one school tries to categorise India as having "a beginning, a middle and a full stop". It basically tries to pigeon-hole India: the writer goes on to say that it is ludicrous to attempt or even want to do this. In my layman's opinion, I couldn’t agree more. To me India is infinite, and the matrices multi-prismatic; all of life is here, the trials, the...

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