Fish Out of Water - tour, creation & development
Fish Out of Water is a fresh, family-friendly outdoor dance performance using hip hop, interactive sculptures & responsive music to explore themes of belonging, otherness, displacement & migrancy.
Follow the dancers as they find themselves in a strange new place and help them overcome bizarre, colourful obstacles. By the end of the show, you can help them build a home somewhere new and show them that whatever challenges we face, we are stronger together.
Fish Out of Water is the latest touring performance from MCDC Michaela Cisarikova Dance Company, known for bold visuals and her signature hip hop and contemporary dance style. Fish Out of Water is Co-commissioned by Applause and The Marlowe, with support of SELEP Ltd as a part of Catalyst For Culture and supported by Arts Council England.
UK tour in rural areas & urban spaces 2022
South by South East, Gulbenkian, Canterbury 11th of May
Brighton Fringe, i360event space, Brighton 22nd May
Dance Woking, Shepperton 4th of June
East Malling 5th of June
Plymouth central park 8th of June
Southampton Bargate 10th - 12th of June
Farnborough queensmead car park 14th of June
Crawley memorial gardens 15th of June
Hackney Pedro youth club 16th of June
Chatham Carnival, Chatham high street 9th of July
Milton Creek Country Park, Sittingbourne 31st of July
bOing International Festival, Gulbenkian, Canterbury 27th & 28th of August
Folkestone town centre, 1st of September
Bognor Regis 3rd of September
Pilgrims Festival, Dover 24th of September
Turner Contemporary, Margate 25th of September
Dance Reading, Broad Street, Reading 5th of November
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2 weeks Research & Development supported by 1 Degree East, Arts Council England and Creative Folkestone!
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Fish Out of Water is an outdoor hiphop dance theatre performance set in a giant mobile colourful sculpture exploring themes of belonging, displacement & marginality developed with Roma community of Folkestone.
People will be attracted & curious by striking images of three, intertwined dancers who move in & out to upbeat music by Randolph Matthews, bringing joy to the excluded areas during festivals, offering free events for audiences passing by. The narrative and responsive sound invites audiences to reflect, challenging their ideas about immigration with humour & charm.
Above video is from a recent research - 3 day R&D supported with space in kind from the Quarterhouse and seed funding to bring the creative team together and start exploring the themes of belonging & migration with improvised exercises supported by vocals and live music by Randolph Matthews.
I am interested in people story, just to probably avoid talking about mine and in the local Roma community is where I connect the most. Roma people are the most unique and liberal people in the area, full of joy, community and people are sometimes afraid of them. Even if it is the language, maybe some of the tradition which reminds me of home (something in my unconscious brain). I am probably the only person who can bring dance in to the community right now or in near future available to any youth but me being Slovak and talking to the community I make it accessible to them too. I do not like to exclude people, but these are the people currently excluded.
(Image from project 'It's for you' - Youth Project for Eastern European people, managed, planned and run by Michaela, supported and funded by University Centre of Folkestone & Shepway District Council 2012 - 2013)
Fish out of water it’s a fascinating image I was drown to first. It came about when I was on my own in the studio, stuck, no inspiration for a movement and I put a camera on and started to move freely, improvised to see what happens. When I watched it back some of the movements looked like fish out of water flapping around.
This is how it all started from a non-expected movement quality, which reminded me, fish out of water. I stuck with this idea, as it was very striking image and lots of metaphor in the context.
Fish out of water because even if it is quite negative image of dying fish on the literal way, I see the meaning of the phrase quite positive.
Being different and unique and maybe I want change that phrase to be seen as positive and have fun with it and change people perspective and think of it like fish outside of their surroundings, maybe adapt and learn how to breath in the land and be again the shiny fish and unique in the space and embrace it.
