February 27, 2026
The Take Art Dance specialism is looking at a busy period with Spring Forward coming up and the Rural Touring Dance Initiative starting its new season. It feels like we're dancing into the new year!
Our busy Spring touring season is already off to a great start with two sell-out performances of Splice/Rorschach by Ekleido.
The double bill features club-dance styles like vogueing so it was a great choice by Super Culture to host the show in Weston Super Mare nightclub The Electric Banana. Making our way down a side street towards the neon sign hanging over a single metal door certainly didn’t feel like your average rural touring night out!
Usually home to heavy metal and something scarily called ‘deathcore’, our host for the night, club owner Darren said these bassy dance beats were ‘dainty’ in comparison! He’s never hosted anything like this before but both he and Ekleido’s production manager, Charlie Knight, found it really interesting to work together.
27 students, lecturers and volunteers contributed their time to decorate the club, host the event and perform alongside Ekleido in a dance choreographed during a 2-day workshop with the company in January.
The results were fantastic, especially considering some of these students had never danced before.
Joe Miller, Weston College dance tutor said:
“I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Ekleido and Super Culture for last night. My students were incredibly grateful for the opportunity to perform the piece you collaboratively developed during the workshops. Watching them perform on stage was truly a special moment.”
DJs and much dancing followed the show itself.
The event brought so many people together who may not otherwise meet. It shows us how rural touring, even, or maybe especially, in our market towns, is all about community.
Video courtesy of of Joe Miller, Weston College dance tutor
With a good but short night’s sleep in the bag, Ekleido headed straight off to another workshop with BA dance students at AMATA in Falmouth, many of whom have attended workshops with at least one RTDI company every season since 2023.
They also make up over a third of the 100-strong audience for the show and have the opportunity to attend a professional masterclass in partnership with Hall for Cornwall the following day. Again, great examples of how an RTDI visiting artist or company can present an opportunity for people and organisations in a town, village, or even county to come together.
One third year student said “My dream would be exactly what they're doing. Create a work, a piece of choreography and then tour around Falmouth and get funding. So, yeah, I guess all the performances we see here kind of drive me to think I can stay here and I can make it work. They're living their dreams. That's what I wanna do. So, yeah. Awesome. Thank you. Thank you so much.”
Activities like this that happen around the shows RTDI tours are such a huge boost for dance in the South-West.
With 9 more performances, several workshops and 3 residencies still to come, we can’t wait to see the magic unfolding between now and the end of the programme in June.
Buckle up folks, we’re going for a ride!
