Quick Fire Questions

What did your parents give you?
Life.

When did you know you wanted to choreograph?
As soon as I decided to dance at the age of 17.

Dance has taken me …. ?
Into a beautiful, painful and savage world.

What impact did having a family have on you and your creativity?
Confirmed how I already approach the process.

Where do you live and why?
In a cellar in Somerset. I come out when I’ve got a new idea for a piece.

What do you think are the two most important qualities to have?
Compassion and a sense of humour. Getting up when you’ve been knocked down is pretty important too.

What do you think everyone is looking for? Is everyone looking for anything?
How would I know what everyone is looking for? I think if we could we’d probably want to understand death. We all have that in common.

Who is someone you admire?
I admire loads of people for different reasons, it’s difficult to pick out just one. Anyone who works hard for little or no acknowledgement. I see teachers doing that.
And Leonard Cohen…as an artist - and as a teacher.

Your dream?
Keep making the work and watch my children grow up.

Who is your creative adviser/mentor/collaborator?
Everyone I work creatively with.

What’s your ambition… either personally or professionally?
Make some movies, cut a blues album,  write more books, go to America, get better at DIY – which is never going to happen.

Mark Bruce Company is performing Made in Heaven at the Tobacco Factory in Bristol from the 18th to the 20th May. Then on tour. For full details visit www.markbrucecompany.com

These clips were taken at two of the residential homes involved in the project.

Life Circles has been funded by The Baring Foundation, Arts Council England and The Guildford Academic Associates.

Our partners in kind are: Dance South West, Activate , Dance in Devon, The Foundation of Community Dance, Age UK, NHS Somerset The Alzheimers Society  and Arts and Health South West.

Remember, you’re never too old to put on your dancing shoes!

This Febuary Take Art was delighted to host the wonderful Caroline Horton and her show You're Not Like the Other Girls, Chrissie, which took place in four village hall venues across Somerset.

Please check out the wonderful film about Caroline Horton, made by John Holman from Transition Vision, who documented many of the artists and shows on last season's rural touring programme.

A bit about the artist: Caroline Horton is an actor who likes to write and perform her own material. The production she was touring Somerset with was You're Not Like Other Girls, Chrissie, a story of a love that survived World War II. It is a beautifully balanced piece and will have you chuckling and choking back tears by turns. Here Caroline talks about her career to date and the show, whilst she waits to take the stage at Ashbrittle Village Hall. She is too modest to mention that her acting in "Chrissie" won her "The Stage's" best solo performer at the Edinburgh Festival in 2010.

Note from Transition Vision: "Take Art continues to bring top quality performance to Somerset in spite of the adverse funding situation now that Somerset County Council has decided that the arts have no value to the people of the county but need all the support it will be able to muster to carry on their work. This was shot and edited by John Holman. Performance material by kind permission of Caroline Horton."

May 10: The Octagon Theatre, Yeovil, May 14: The Tacchi Morris Arts Centre, Taunton, May 21: The Brewhouse Theatre and Arts Centre, Taunton

Lightstream has been designed and directed for 2-5 year olds by Early Years visual art expert Richard Tomlinson and National Early Years Director Jo Belloli. It will feature brilliant Early Years actor Frank Wurz, with specially composed and live music by leading Somerset artist Tim Hill.

Richard Tomlinson said, “Lightstream is a fun and imaginative adventure through light and space. There will be big lights and tiny lights, lights that glow and lights that move. Even some noisy lights! The performances will last 45 minutes and will be followed by a snack. All young children are welcome, along with a grown up of their choice.”

The show will be launched at The Octagon on Thursday 10 May at 10am, with a repeat performance at 1pm. On Monday 14 May, Lightstream will be taking over the Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre in Taunton, with two shows at 10am and 1pm. Tickets will cost £4 and can be purchased from the venues.

Then on Monday 21 May, to celebrate the arrival of the Olympic Torch in Somerset, you can take part in a FREE drop-in Lightstream workshop at the Brewhouse Theatre & Arts Centre in Taunton. This workshop is open to Under 5s and their families and will run from 2pm to 3:30pm. The Brewhouse will also be exhibiting an exciting Lightstream installation, incorporating glimpses of film, colour and light, which will be on view throughout the afternoon until late.

Box Office Numbers

• The Octagon Theatre: 01935 422 884
• The Tacchi Morris Arts Centre: 01823 414 141
• The Brewhouse Theatre and Arts Centre: 01823 283 244

Lightstream has been produced by Somerset RFO, as part of the Arts Council England funded Light Waves project, a collaborative arts project bringing together visual arts, early years and out door celebration with the Cultural Olympiad theme of light, the Jubilee theme of lighting beacons and local traditions including wassail, solstice and carnival. 

For more information please contact Gina Westbrook at Take Art on 01460 249450 or email gina@takeart.org

ENDS

Note for Editors:

Press contact: Louise Bennett 01460 249450, louise@takeart.org

To request a CD of images please contact Louise Monks. www.takeart.org

Take Art is a pioneering arts charity, serving the towns, villages and rural communities of Somerset. We do this by providing accessible opportunities for people of all ages to participate, experience and work within the arts.

Box Office Numbers
The Octagon Theatre: 01935 422 884
The Tacchi Morris Arts Centre: 01823 414 141
The Brewhouse Theatre and Arts Centre: 01823 283 244

Lightstream has been produced by Somerset RFO, as part of the Arts Council England funded Light Waves project.

For more information please contact Gina Westbrook at Take Art on 01460 249450 or email gina@takeart.org

ENDS

Note for Editors:
Press contact: Louise Bennett 01460 249450, louise@takeart.org
To request a CD of images please contact Louise Monks. www.takeart.org

Take Art is a pioneering arts charity, serving the towns, villages and rural communities of Somerset. We do this by providing accessible opportunities for people of all ages to participate, experience and work within the arts.

In fact many people are having to think carefully before getting into their cars - getting to and from work is the number one priority. Social and recreational car journeys are being sacrificed and those on limited disposable incomes are travelling less. The AA noted that car journeys were down by 20% in January of this year compared to the same period in 2011.

The Arts are being driven still further out of villages and smaller communities in Somerset by drastic cuts to local authority arts funding, which currently works out at 50p per head (less than a Mars Bar). Also out of the £475,000 investment the Somerset local authorities have made to the arts this year, £450,000 is going to the two theatres in Taunton and Yeovil, towns with a combined population of 150,000 people. That means the remaining £25,000 local authority arts spend is being allocated to the rest of the county, approximately 350,000 people -  so 95% of the money for arts is going to only 30% of the Somerset population.

It is understandable that the two main theatres should receive considerable support from the local authorities and that along with being a wonderful resource for residents, they also attract patrons from outside the towns. However, as local authority funding gets tighter and arts budgets are reduced further a one dimensional consolidation of funds into two building based organisations is too clunky a solution. It means that the majority of council tax payers are excluded from access to a cultural offer.

In short as fuel prices go up, arts access goes down.

Ralph Lister

Executive Director of Take Art

Taunton Deane District Council has also made the decision to reduce their arts provision to Take Art by 24%, a cut that will also lead to a significant reduction in shows for local people.

Both of these announcements follow hot on the heels of Somerset County Council and Mendip District Council’s incredibly unpopular 2011 budget decisions to cut 100% of their arts funding.

Sarah Peterkin the Director of Take Art Live said, “The knock on effect to rural touring in Somerset due to all the arts cuts has been devastating and last year we were unable to programme any shows in Mendip at all.  In fact the whole of the rural touring scheme was cut by over 35% in just 12 months.”

Take Art Live Rural Touring has now been running for 25 years and was one of the first schemes of its kind in the country. Its popularity and courage to programme cutting edge work in theatre, music, dance and children’s shows has meant that every year thousands of Somerset people are given access to high quality arts experiences on their doorstep.

Sarah Peterkin went onto say, "We used to do 15 shows in Taunton Deane and next year we will only be able to do 11, leaving four more villages without the opportunity to benefit from the joys of live entertainment in their village. Unless alternative funding is raised, Sedgemoor will not have any subsided shows at all in 2012/2013.”

Take Art are currently investigating new ways to raise funds for Somerset rural touring and will be doing everything possible to make sure this vital service to Somerset communities isn't lost altogether.

If you would like to support us, offer a donation or join our mailing list please contact Louise Monks or Sarah Peterkin at Take Art. For more information or to request an interview please call 01460 249450.

Now in its eight year, Spring Forward is a 3-day performance platform (the third day takes place on 17 May at The Octagon Theatre in Yeovil) designed to give young people aged 11-21 the chance to perform on a professional stage in front of hundreds of people.

30 groups will star in the Taunton event from a range of schools and youth dance groups, appearing over two days and showcasing a range of highly inventive, fun, invigorating and truly inspired new dance pieces.

Take Art Youth Dance Director Katey Leader said, “Dance is a great way to get young people engaged in the arts and their communities, it positively impacts on their health and builds self esteem and confidence.”

Take Art, who are the county dance agency, are constantly looking for ways to support and provide opportunities for young people within the region and Spring Forward is their flagship event, growing in size and popularity every year, as more and more young people are experiencing the joy that dance can bring to their lives.

Please support this fantastic event by coming along in March to the Tacchi Morris. To book your tickets please visit www.tacchi-morris.com

ENDS

Note for Editors:

Press contact: Louise Monks 01460 249450, louise@takeart.org

To request a CD of images please contact Louise Monks. www.takeart.org

Take Art is a pioneering arts charity, serving the towns, villages and rural communities of Somerset. We do this by providing accessible opportunities for people of all ages to participate, experience and work within the arts.

This 11 minute film features Antonia Grove from Probe Dance and her solo show ‘Small Talk’.

‘Small Talk’ was filmed at St. George's Hall, Hinton St. George and was shot and edited by John Holman for Transition Vision's Art and Entertainment Channel.

To find out more please visit the Transition Vision website

This March Take Art are delighted to be touring Ben Osborne’s ground breaking Jurassic Journey to eight Somerset venues, a multi-media showcase that tells the story of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, inspired by its geology, wildlife, culture, its people and its landscapes.

Since 2009 award-winning photographer Ben Osborne has been recording a visual and audio diary of his experiences as he travels the Jurassic Coast. The show Jurassic Journey is a culmination of this work and an exciting fusion of photography, digital imagery, music, poetry and sculpture made from flotsam and jetsam, love and genius.

Along with Ben’s photography, film and hugely entertaining presenting skills, the show will also feature specially commissioned music by Dorset composer Sammy Hurden, poetry by inventive Devon-based poet Matt Harvey and some engaging puppet art by artist/sculptor Lal Hitchcock.

Commentary, audio-visual sequences, sound-scapes and humour will create a richly entertaining evening for anyone interested in what happens when four artists take a close (and occasionally sideways) look at the Jurassic Coast.

Jurassic Journey will be touring round Somerset from the March 14 to March 24, stopping off at Holford & District Village Hall, Stoke St Mary, Clapton & Wayford, West Camel, Wellington Arts Centre, Ashbrittle, North Cadbury and Kingsdon Village Hall.

Sarah Peterkin Diretor of Take Art Live said, “Ben is well-known in Somerset for his wonderful shows, Life in the Freezer and Common Source. We are delighted that he has created a new show about the beautiful Dorset coastline, a favourite walking spot for so many Somerset folk. Jurassic Journey promises to be a real highlight of the season.”

To find out when Jurassic Journey will be visiting near you and to book tickets please visit our What's On.

www.takeart.org

ENDS
Note for Editors:
Press contact: Louise Monks 01460 249450, louise@takeart.org
To request a CD of images please contact Louise Monks. www.takeart.org

Life Circles is a new two year project and a new partnership between Take Art Dance and Core Dance, with a focus on engaging the frail elderly in movement, dance and imaginative play.

The project started in January in eight residential settings throughout Somerset, Devon and Dorset, with six groups of fragile elderly and two groups of active elderly.

The workshops are being delivered by Take Art Dance and Core Dance, who are providing weekly dance sessions with three experienced dance practitioners, finding ways for the elderly participants to express themselves through dance.

The artists are also working alongside a filmmaker, who is producing a dance training film, documenting how movement can help older people value their experiences, remain playful and continue to be creative and imaginative.

Life Circles has been funded by The Baring Foundation, Arts Council England and The Guildford Academic Trust.

Our partners in kind are: Dance South West, Activate , Dance in Devon, The Foundation of Community Dance, Age UK, NHS Somerset The Alzheimers Society  and Arts and Health South West.

Remember, you’re never too old to put on your dancing shoes!