Edinburgh-based dance theatre company Curious Seed collaborates with composer Luke Sutherland (Mogwai, Long Fin Killie, Rev Magnetic) to present a world premiere solo performance And the Birds Did Sing.
It takes place as part of Dance Base’s acclaimed programme at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2019.
Written and performed by renowned choreographer, Christine Devaney (Artistic Director of Curious Seed), And the Birds Did Sing tells the story of a woman who remembers a girl who knew a woman who listened to the birds.
Inspired by the depth of feeling in those tiny moments of knowing that the world will never be the same again, this evocative solo work has been developed through the ongoing collaboration between choreographer Christine Devaney, musician Luke Sutherland and artist Yvonne Buskie, exploring the connections and interplay between music, dance and the origins of stories.
And the Birds Did Sing is part of a larger project called Moving Monologues which Curious Seed will produce in the future.
Christine Devaney, Artistic Director of Curious Seed, said: “I’ve been collaborating with Luke Sutherland for many years on projects of varied nature and scale. Our work comes from what feels to me like an alchemy between music and movement; words and threads of stories emerge which are woven into the work.
“The title of this piece And the Birds Did Sing came to me during a challenging, but beautiful moment in my life and wouldn’t leave. This was the seed from which everything else around the show has grown.
“I didn’t start with the intention that the fragments of text, movement and music that we were creating would become one narrative, but then visual artist Yvonne Buskie joined us and the story of Birdie – the woman who the birds sing moments of people’s lives to- emerged out of some childhood memories that were stirred as we created together in the studio.
“It’s a very collaborative, layered and responsive process between the three of us, which I hope is reflected in the performance despite it becoming a solo!
“The story of Birdie fascinates me – it’s a little like a fairy tale that we see through the eyes of the narrator when she was a child, but (now an adult) she still seems believes it. I love the idea that by telling the story of Birdie, a woman we’re not even sure is real or not, we end up telling so much more”
Curious Seed has previously won a Fringe First Award in 2009 for its production Found.
· Venue: Dance Base, Venue 22
· Dates: 2 – 11 August (not Mon) (40 mins)
· Time: 14:15
· Duration: 40 mins
· Ticket prices: £9 to £13
· Box office: edfringe.com
· Advisory: Ages 12+
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