| Dance Workshops | Rambert Education is offering dance workshops for schools and colleges based on Constant Speed. For more information about workshops call 020 8630 0615. The workshops are specially tailored to meet the individual needs of schools or colleges. Led by a Rambert Animateur, they are suitable for students at all levels above Year 7 and are generally aimed at dance-related courses. There is a free pre-performance talk on Thursday 13 October at 6.30pm in the auditorium, which will look at the science-dance collaboration of Constant Speed. |
Albert Einstein's theories were a revolution in scientific thinking. To mark the centenary of his ground-breaking research, the acclaimed Rambert Dance Company present Constant Speed - a new work inspired by three of the physicist's key theories. Created by Mark Baldwin, the Company's artistic director, Constant Speed sees the Rambert's dancers whizzing around the stage like hyperactive molecules. "When they [the Institute of Physics] first came to me and said would you do this piece, I spoke to a professor of physics about four times a month – almost like regular tutorials," said Mark. "After a while you get to grip with some rather abstract concepts like Brownian Motion, which is about things like if you see a grain of pollen on water, it doesn't stand still – but skids around all over the place. "That's because the water molecules are so much smaller you can't see them, so it looks as if the pollen is being pushed around by unseen forces. "That's a lovely choreographic thing, as if your body is being bounced around the stage and you're not sure why. "It's the same thing as if you're trying to run across a busy Leicester Square, you can't because all the people are in the way. "But if you weave and duck and dive and then take all the people away, but keep the weaving and ducking, that also called Brownian motion, which is a wonderful choreographic device," he added. Whilst the ideas for Constant Speed are taken from Einstein's concepts, just in case you think physics class is boring, Mark is quick to point out that seeing the show won't be like going to a lesson. "It's not like you'll be watching a physics lecture in Brownian Motion or the photo-electric effect, but we've used those as a bouncing board to celebrate 100 years of Einstein," said Mark.
 | | Dark Elegies, created by Antony Tudor |
"Einstein said 'animals, vegetables and cosmic dust all dance to the same tune - intoned in the distance by an invisible orchestra'. "He, in a way, was talking musically and I've tried to come up with a very eccentric vocabulary to illustrate the way molecules bounce away in space," he added. Getting into dance The Rambert is no stranger to Norwich with a company visit to the city at least once a year. Mark is really pleased about the number of young people that come to see their shows. "I think there's a big interest among young people in dance because it's something they can be part of. I think there's an interest because young people have issues of obesity, how to use your imagination and how to create things," he said. "In fact, with the Constant Speed workshop, students are doing a dance workshop but they are also learning about Brownian Motion and E=MC2 as you're doing exercises which gets you to think about those issues. "I think Street Dance is always really interesting to young people - they think how do they do that, can I make up my own moves? If you watch video by Madonna, she uses the most incredible dancers. There's a way of thinking about those things technically, to celebrate moving around for it's own sake. "I think there's a wonderful thing about educating young people who'll be an audience of the future, people who might be involved in dance, or who might be finding a new way to discover themselves physically as dancers," he added. Programme of dance Mark Baldwin's aim with the Rambert is to try and open the company up so it can be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys dance, music, design and lighting. "There's all sorts of levels that you can enjoy the Rambert on, even if you can't dance yourself at all.Ìý I'm convinced however that everyone can. I'm convinced that when you hear music you want to either dance or sing," he said.
 | | Swamp |
In addition to Constant Speed, the Rambert will also present Dark Elegies by Antony Tudor and Swamp by Michael Clark. Dark Elegies was originally choreographed for Rambert's London season in 1937, the music of Gustav Mahler's Kindertotenlieder (Songs on the Death of Children), providing the inspiration and theme for the ballet.Ìý Swamp was created in 1986 and the revival has received great critical acclaim, including the 2005 Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production. The Rambert Dance Company perform at the Norwich Theatre Royal from Wednesday 12 - Friday 14 October, 2005 at 7.30pm. For more details call 01603 630000. | 
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