Discopia & We Are The World

THIS IS NOW is a double bill from Excessive Human Collective’s Artistic Director Imogen Reeve navigating technology, gender and the apocalypse.

Teetering on the edge of the uncanny and steeped in surrealism, the audience is pulled into a hallucinatory tapestry of the past, present and future. Equal parts beautiful, humorous and horrifying, Excessive Human Collective joins the collaborative forces of renowned chamber group Larisa Trio, and rising composer Devon Bonelli to bring you this unforgettable sensory experience.

We Are The World

“The cyborg would not recognise the garden of Eden, it is not made of mud and cannot dream of returning to dust.” – Donna Haraway

Three performers wander an infinite landscape, their bodies merging with machine, as they grapple with visions of hyper-femininity. With the cyborg as a metaphor for fragmented identities, We Are The World looks at the space between fiction and fact, and what it means to be a creature of social reality as well as a creature of fantasy. Hyperfemme cyborgs, the merging of body and machine and a post apocalyptic landscape, what more could you want?! 

“We Are the World sees three women in pale pink negligee, their dance a slow sensual prowl, deliberately voluptuous, but interrupted by droid-like glitches. A comely smile starts to spread on one woman’s face then suddenly jolts to neutral as if someone pressed the reset button. Choreographer Imogen Reeve has absolutely committed to a vibe, a weird, eerie/dreamy one at that, this trio of sirens like the Virgin Suicides meets Ex Machina.” – The Guardian 

“Excessive Human Collective’s sci-fi romp through the pink void is an enigmatic exploration of femininity for the ChatGPT generation. We Are The World is bold and dynamic, oscillating between the natural and the uncanny. Choreographer Imogen Reeve shows some curious innovations with the AI aesthetic in the piece, limbs ripple and twitch while faces flicker with unnatural, flirty expressions. Once the dirty bassline kicks in the dancers’ articulations become fuller, punctuating the beat with hair-whips and beauty queen waves. Hannah Durkan is especially magnetic as an eerie robo-Marilyn Monroe. The work is relevant, political but not preachy, even a little cheeky. A Philip K. Dick story in a post-brat world.” –  Eoin Fenton, The Place

DISCOPIA ARTISTIC TEAM:

IDEA AND DIRECTION: Imogen Reeve
CHOREOGRAPHY: Imogen Reeve in collaboration with original cast Annie Kelleher, Eva Leemans, Lisa Chearles, Rachel Sullivan
Performers:  Allegra Vistalli, Jorden Brooks, Hannah Durkan
SCENERY:  Imogen Reeve
SOUND: Devon Bonelli, Larisa Trio
COSTUME DESIGN, COSTUME REALIZATION AND MANUFACTURING: Rosie Whiting
LIGHTING DESIGN: Mark Baker
PRODUCTION MANAGER: Charlotte Woods
PRODUCER: The Middle Floor
WITH THE HELP OF: Arts Council England, Royal Northern College of Music, Exeter Phoenix, Make Tank, Help Musicians, PRS Foundation, Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Guildhall School

WE ARE THE WORLD ARTISTIC TEAM:

IDEA AND DIRECTION: Imogen Reeve
CHOREOGRAPHY: Imogen Reeve in collaboration with performers
PERFORMER COLLABORATORS: Allegra Vistalli, Jorden Brooks, Hannah Durkan
SCENERY: Imogen Reeve
SOUND: Devon Bonelli
COSTUME DESIGN, COSTUME REALIZATION: Imogen Reeve
LIGHTING DESIGN: Charlotte Woods
PRODUCTION MANAGER: Charlotte Woods
PRODUCER: The Middle Floor

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