Chichester MA dance students perform new piece at Dover’s Maison Dieu
An exciting new site-specific dance event and installation created by Flexer & Sandiland had its premiere at Maison Dieu in Kent last week. Yael Flexer and Luke Brown from the University of Chichester’s Dance department worked together with MA Dance students to create part of the event. The Flexer & Sandiland team also worked with dance students from Astor secondary school, photography students from Astor College and two local community groups from Dover and Folkestone.
Audiences were led through Victorian prison cells where they met strange inhabitants, encountered pilgrims performing ritualistic dances in the Stone Hall and Courtroom and witnessed subversive jiving in the Connaught Hall, as performed there through the 1950s and 1960s. The performance reimagined key moments from Maison Dieu’s rich and layered history, drawing inspiration from stories and research shared by the building’s historian and engagement officer, Martin Crowther.
Reader Yael Flexer (Flexer & Sandiland) was commissioned by Maison Dieu and Dover County Council to create the community site-specific performance event, titled Elvis Is Still in the Building. The event celebrated the history and re-opening of Maison Dieu, as part of a large renovation project funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England.
Yael Flexer said: “It was really exciting to see our creative vision come to life at Maison Dieu. Our MA dance students have been working hard with Luke Brown and myself to create a unique site-specific work that re-imagines moments from the fascinating history of Maison Dieu, from medieval times through to the 1950s. It was great for our students to perform alongside local residents, including Astor school students, Fuddlers dance group and Flexer & Sandiland’s ‘Acting Our Age’ movement class, to create a vibrant and immersive experience that embodies a true community spirit. We are very much hoping to continue to bring dance to Dover and Folkstone with new projects in the pipeline”.
