Early Works

Coats and Plays (2003)

Choreographed by Jacky Lansley. Performed by Gareth Farley, Jacky Lansley and Lucy Tuck.
First private performance at the Dance Research Studio in December 2002, premiered at The Place Theatre in January 2003, and a short residency at The Pegasus Theatre, Oxford, in February 2003.

REVIEWS

“…this piece hovers excitingly between theatre and dance and exists in a present infused by a premonition of what is about to become history. In love and in war. It is a great contribution by the consummate choreographer, Jacky Lansley.”
Yana Stajno on Coats and Plays

Bird (2001)

Choreographed and written by Lansley, with music by composer Philip Howard and costume design by Nina Ayres. Performed by Sonia Ritter, Fergus Early, Kevin Pamplin and third year dance and performance students from King Alfred’s College, Winchester who performed the role of ‘The Chorus’. Premiered at The South Bank Centre in March 2001, followed by a short UK tour. Funded by Southern Arts and King Alfred’s College, Winchester.

REVIEWS

“Bird unfolds on a stylish stage… more elegant still is Lansley’s weaving of history into the choreography…”
Guardian on Bird

“The show is sufficiently strange and wondrous to suggest – in a modest way – the true originality of its distant model (Fokine’s Firebird).
Better still it’s amusing and beautifully performed… …Bird was bursting with detail, erudition and droll humour.”
Independent on Sunday on Bird

Do My Shoes Reflect The Quality Of My Intellect? (1998/99)

Devised and choreographed by Jacky Lansley.
A ‘Lecture Performance’ in which performance artist Jacky Lansley creates her unique genre of cabaret, dance and drama to explore her thesis: Do my shoes reflect the quality of my intellect? In this scholarly show, the thinking foot takes centre stage in a variety of philosophical positions exploring dichotomies between theory and practice, and the space between text and body.

Part of the ‘Rough Magic’ performance season at the University of North London, and UK tour of academic institutions.

 

 

“Do my shoes reflect the quality of my intellect…? By framing my question in such a way invite you the spectators to look upon me, the performer, and to think about what as a body in this space, as a female body in this space, represents and mean.”
Quote from the original performance script, written and performed by Jacky Lansley

“The coherence of my ‘character’ – a kind of comic professor giving a bizarre lecture in Derridian metaphysics of presence and absence – enabled me to explore the idea of the spectral dancer through the contradictory positioning of myself as a very present and visceral dancer.”
From Choreographies: Tracing the Materials of an Ephemeral Art Form, by Jacky Lansley, published by Intellect Books (2017).

Through The Fire (1998)

A performance and film research project which deconstructed Michel Fokine’s 1911 ballet The Firebird and explored the collaboration between the choreographer and the ballet’s composer Igor Stravinsky.

Directed by Jacky Lansley with film maker Tamara MacLachlan. Performers: Vincent Ebrahim, Fergus Early, Cris Cheek, Luke Burrough.

 
 

“Our character research specifically focused on the demons in the ballet story and as a result a wide range of philosophical, political, visual and performative ideas poured into the studio space. Out of this process four distinct characters emerged, who, we decided, were neurotic and distressed, rather than evil…We also explored the central character, The Firebird, who is magical and distant, paradoxically quite cold and unattainable. Who is she? What is that? We decided that all the demons had some aspect of the firebird within them, like Vincent’s character, Skull, who wore a decaying pink tutu under his mack and made gestures which flickered like fire.”
From Choreographies: Tracing the Materials of an Ephemeral Art From, by Jacky Lansley, published by Intellect Books (2017)

L’Autre (1997)

Choreographed and directed by Jacky Lansley, with costume design by Paul Minter, music arrangement by Philip Howard. A duet for dancer and pianist, inspired by Michel Fokine’s Petrouchka. Performed by Philip Howard as ‘The Pianist’ and Jacky Lansley. Premiered at The Place Theatre as part of ‘The Singular Voice of Woman’ concert.

 
 

“L’Autre marks the history which has informed my own work as a choreographer. In the work I look to integrate the varied disciplines I have acquired as a performer into the genre of the actor dancer – a vision shared by many of the century’s early radicals, including Fokine. L’Autre – the other – is a psychological metaphor for those outsiders who cannot or will not fit into the dominant order of things. Petrouchka, the puppet creature of Fokine’s ballet, conveys this sense of otherness: the manipulated fairground performer doomed to a sad fate whose struggle to tell his story nevertheless becomes a symbol of life and hope. As a woman borrowing aspects of this great male role, I hope to broaden frames of reference and meaning and expand the discussion of otherness.”
Jacky Lansley, From The Stripe Theatre – Autumn Programme 1996

The Queue (1989)

Devised and directed by Jacky Lansley, music composed by IIona Sekacz, design by Muriel Douglas. Performed by: Tim Rubidge, Mary Steadman, Bruno Roubicek, Pearl Jordan, Martha Stylianou, Nigel Warrack.

The Queue was commissioned and performed by English New Dance Theatre. It was premiered at the Gulbenkian Studio Theatre, Newcastle, followed by a UK tour.

“Choreographically I have drawn on, and been inspired by, the particular qualities and skills of the company. Much of the material in ‘The Queue’ is based on their own memory and autobiographical experience.”
Jacky Lansley

REVIEWS

“This Newcastle-based dance company enhanced its growing reputation with this premiere production of a most though- provoking piece…A very talented group of dancers vividly show Man trying to come to terms with his own existence and do it in a powerful, but often humorous way.”
Gerry Troughton of News Guardian (Thursday May 25, 1989) on The Queue

“…the moral tale is developed with clarity without sacrificing depth. Jacky Lansley has promised much since she took over what used to be ENT. She has lived up to those promises.”
Dick Godfrey of The Journal  (Wednesday May 17, 1989) on The Queue

 

EARTH (1998)

‘EARTH’ was created by English New Dance Theatre (ENDT) and commissioned by Rotherham & Sheffield Dance Project (project leader/Antony Waller) as part of the Spring Dance Theatre Residency in 1988.

Project credits: Jacky Lansley (Artistic Director), Tim Rubidge (on-site Project Leader), Nigel Warrack (Workshop Tutor), Michael Hulls (Designer and Tutor), Shirley Pegna (Composer and Musician). The performance was evolved through workshops and discussion and performed by over 70 intergenerational local participants.

 

 
 

“The project ‘EARTH’ reflects ENDT’s concern with art based community work and explores personal and political issues through the integration of dance, theatre, music and visual arts. Through innovative multidisciplinary performance ‘EARTH’ investigates a group of British people’s responses to their local and global environment.
Complex urban images of industry, consumerism, public transport, waste, television and leisure are looked at in relation to creative lifestyle and different landscapes.”
From programme notes by Jacky Lansley

Frank (1987)

Choreographed and directed by Jacky Lansley, performed by Tim Rubidge. Commissioned by New Midlands Dance Company.

“Frank’ is concerned with deconstructing a male stereotype with restricts both men and women. As a woman director, I have provided a place for Frank to cry”.
Jacky Lansley

REVIEWS

“Frank, portrayed by Tim Rubidge, is an archetypical sales man, for whom fantasy takes over when, after a strong drink, and after having torn up all the pages of promotional material, he embarks on a wild barefoot dance on his office chair. 
Devised and directed by Jacky Lansley, this is a brilliantly timed and perfect introduction for workshop and teaching sessions about making dances.” 
Mary Clarke, The Place on Frank

Speaking Part (1982)

Choreographed and directed by Jacky Lansley, music compiled by Jacky Lansley, design by Ginnie Humphreys, performed by Corrine Bougaard.

Choreography commissioned by Extemporary Dance Company with funds made available by Southern Arts.

The actress rejects the Hollywood stereotypes of her profession, the dancer allows us to glimpse the drudgery behind the glamour. Improvisation, humour, protest and a surreal juxtaposition of images demonstrate the versatility and skill of a female performer who begins to find her own voice.

REVIEWS

“The highlight of the show for me was Speaking Part danced by Corrinne Bougaard as an actress rejecting the tinsel superficiality of Hollywood, showing instead the drudgery of her life with its monotony and the disappointment at the lack of recognition of her talents.” 
Woking News & Mail on Speaking Part

 

Impersonations (1981)

Choreographed and directed by Jacky Lansley, designed by Ginny Humphreys, music hall songs and sound effects compiled by Jacky Lansley, danced by Timothy Lamford, Catherine Mills, Tam, Steinvor Palsson.

Impersonations was commissioned by Spiral Dance Company and premiered at Theatre Clwyd.

“Impersonations is a dance theatre piece which draws on images from early music halls. The piece is constructed as a series of acts and divertissement, which like the tradition of music hall, present a variety of entertainers, including male and female impersonators and the more serious ballet and song artistes. The visual design of the piece and the various sound effects, songs and old recordings evoke a Victorian atmosphere which hints at the melodramatic. “
From programme notes

REVIEWS

“….Favourite of the night was the fourth piece, Impersonations, based on a dance montage of acts and specialities of the old music-hall. Choreographed and directed by Jacky Lansley, it has novel touches, a nice sense of fun, and maintains a semblance of  activity at a level out of ratio to the number of dancers. Timothy Lamford’s strong presence gives it substance”
Walter Huntley from The Echo (October 2nd 1981) on Impersonations

Mirror Mirror on the Wall (1981)

A performance which used interdisciplinary languages to deconstruct images and themes from traditional folk stories, such as Snow White, to explore contemporary ideas around equality, gender, collectivity and personal empowerment.

A London School of Contemporary Dance (LSCD) third year degree performance at The Place.

Choreographed and directed by Jacky Lansley, sound tape and live music by Sylvia Hallett, slides by Jeanette Iljon, lighting by Peter Mumford, storytelling by Marlene Wright, danced by Susan Booker, Karin Charlswoth, Maria von Hertzen, Bernadette Iglich, Eva Kapazoglou, Deborah Lee, Glenda Norde, Patricia Salvatori, Kenneth Tharp, and Anne Went.