Fish Tank - a new Festival of Contemporary Dance presented by postgraduate students from London Contemporary Dance School

FISH TANKis a festival of contemporary dance presented by postgraduate students from London Contemporary Dance School (LCDS). The 2023 edition takes place

from 15 – 29 November 2023across The Place Studios, The Place Theatre and Studio Wayne McGregor. It contains live performances, screenings of dance for film, installations and discursive events created by graduating students onMA ScreendanceandMA Expanded Dance Practice, as well as continuing students on theMA Dance: Participation, Communities, ActivismandMA Dance: Performance courses.

This event will mark the first time that postgraduate students from all four MA courses share work together in different venues, in an experimental and interdisciplinary play with formats of presentation, showcasing exciting ideas by emerging artists and voices of the future.

Welcoming this new initiative, Director of Dance Studies, Dr Lise Uytterhoeven, says: “For several years, we have been building up to this moment: the first year that all four MA courses are up and running together. Supported by expert faculty, the students have been working closely with the wider producing and events expertise at The Place, exploring different spaces and unusual ways of presenting work. These are the fresh voices of tomorrow, working at the forefront of research-led practice. This is just the beginning of the postgraduate innovations at The Place. Keep an eye out for further symposia, festivals, and performances!”

The festival offers an encounter with transdisciplinary approaches that manifest new ideas on dance performance and presentation, dance making and the un-making of worlds. The works presented think through a wide range of topics, including collective resilience, reality on the Internet, the body as archive, desertification, identity and social justice. Creative approaches utilise imagery, music and physical storytelling while discursive exchange deals with aspects of care, crossings and resistance.

Festival Programme:

Fish Tank 1 & 2- Wed 15 Nov&Fri 17 Nov, The Place Studios

Graduating MA Expanded Dance Practice students present work in Studios 1 & 2 at The Place

Fish Tank 3 - Thurs 23 Nov, The Place Studios

Graduating MA Expanded Dance Practice students present works in the Robin Howard Dance Theatre at The Place

Fish Tank 4-Tue 28 Nov at The Place Theatre

Graduating students on the MA Screendance course present films, alongside installations, a discursive event by students on the MA Dance: Participation, Communities, Activism course, and a special live work by MA Dance: Performance students

Fish Tank 5 - Wed 29 Nov at Studio Wayne McGregor

graduating students on MA Expanded Dance Practice present work alongside installations, a live work by students on MA Dance: Performance, and a discursive event by students on the MA Dance: Participation, Communities, Activism course.

Tickets for all events are from £3 on a pay what you can basis, available to book here.