Leeds-based dance company VERVE is presenting a breathtaking triple bill of works this season, exploring new creative territories and approaches.
The company is captivating audiences with each performance on an 18-date international tour, after a world premiere at the Riley Theatre in Leeds on 1 and 2 March.
Each year, VERVE commissions choreographers from all over the world to create an artistically distinct, physically daring and boundary-pushing programme of dance work. For 2024, VERVE is collaborating with Joy Alpuerto Ritter and French collective (LA)HORDE, in addition to staging new work from resident Artistic Director Matteo Marfoglia.
The three contemporary dance works showcase the breadth and variety of the genre, offering audiences a range of experiences that evoke and challenge.
VERVE Artistic Director Matteo Marfoglia’s debut creation for the company ‘A Field of Beauty‘ is a visually stunning and virtuosic work celebrating individuality, uniqueness and freedom of expression.
Los Angeles-born, Berlin-based choreographer Joy Alpuerto Ritter has crafted a character-driven work, Forget-me-not, exploring the intricate dynamics of family relationships, questioning what lies beneath the surface of a family portrait.
Rounding off the triple bill, acclaimed French collective (LA)HORDE present a restaging of People used to die –originally created for the Montreal School of Contemporary Dance in 2014. Taking inspiration from the European movement ‘Jumpstyle’, the work is an explosive and unrelenting test of physical endurance for the dancers.
VERVE is the internationally touring postgraduate company of the Northern School of Contemporary Dance and comprises eighteen talented dancers trained at some of the world’s leading conservatoires, each on the cusp of their professional careers.
Artistic Director Matteo Marfoglia: “We are thrilled to embark on this international tour with our acclaimed creative set of artists; it fills us all with a great sense of anticipation and excitement. This year’s triple bill is testament to our dedication to pushing artistic boundaries and exploring new territories. As we prepare to share our work on tour with our audiences, we carry with us this spirit of creativity, innovation and collaboration.”
VERVE 2024 Tour Dates:
Wednesday 17 April – Cast Theatre, Doncaster
Friday 19 & Saturday 20 April – Dance House, Cardiff
Thursday 25 April – Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton
Tuesday 30 April – Leeds Playhouse, Leeds
Thursday 2 May – Harrogate Theatre, Harrogate
Tuesday 7 May – JVHome, Ashford
Thursday 9 May – Taunton Brewhouse, Taunton
Saturday 18 May – York Theatre Royal, York
Wednesday 22 May – Teatro Kismet, Bari, Italy
Finale – Friday 24 & Saturday 25 May – Riley Theatre, Leeds
More tour information and about VERVE here.
Photography by Elly Welford.
