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Torus

A return to the tribal, where rhythm takes over the performers and the viewer

canvas
Torus
Torus

Imagine a circle that rotates around an axis with a point anchored in the same plane. A three-dimensional figure is drawn: this figure is commonly known as a donut for its shape. It is found everywhere in nature, from an apple to the Earth’s magnetic field, and described in Eastern practices as the energetic field: Torus.

This piece is a journey that starts far out in the cosmos and implodes into planet Earth where a communal rhythm is shared and expressed by humans, merging HUMANHOOD’s energetic synergy and physical vocabulary into a tribal hurricane of effortless fluidity. Light, movement and sound are at the core of a show in which the perception of time is altered to recreate a world where rhythm becomes visual, sonic and kinaesthetic.

The research behind the work is rooted in physics and astrophysics as well as in Rudi and Julia’s personal insight into Eastern mysticism, fascinated by the connections that lie between these seemingly different fields and how these shape our human experience of ourselves and reality.

For this production, Rudi and Julia interacted with the Taiwanese percussion group Ten Drum, at their base in Tainan City (Taiwan). During the one-month residency, they learned and exchanged rhythmic patterns and recorded the tribal and earthly sounds played using traditional gongs and drums to fuse with Birmingham-based electronic duo EIF, creating an entrancing original sound score. They also expanded the concepts of the piece alongside their ongoing collaboration with the Physics & Astrophysics Department at Birmingham University, through immersive observation, movement sessions, and shared perspectives about the toroidal flow within sections of the piece.

Torus premiered at Festival Sismògraf in Olot (Catalonia) in April 2019 and was performed across the UK including The Patrick Centre (Birmingham), DanceCity (Newcastle) and The Lowry (Manchester). It has also been performed at Mercat de les Flors for Festival Grec Barcelona 2019 and Pams Link/SIDance in Seoul, S.Korea.

Gallery

Credits

Concept, Artistic Direction and Choreography
Julia Robert & Rudi Cole

Lighting Design
Tom Visser

Music Composition
Kamil Boguslawski and Kamil Ilcewicz (EIF)

Music Mastering
Alex Forster

Percussion
Huang Zhiwei (Ten Drum Art Percussion Group) & Rudi Cole recorded at Ten Drum Cultural Centre, Taiwan

Voice
Julia Robert

Set Design
Concept by HUMANHOOD, built by ARTEM

Costume Design
Mark Howard

In collaboration with
Birmingham University Physics and Astrophysics Department

Researched as part of
Choreodrome (The Place)

Commissioned by
Birmingham Dance Hub, DanceXchange and Sadler's Wells

Funded by
Arts Council England

Supported by
La Caldera, RocaUmbert

Schedule

See this production at a venue near you

Interested?

Torus is available for touring. For more information contact lani@humanhood.net

Next Production

Sphera