Impermanence presents VENUS: a quadruple bill of dance, music, film and theatre at Bristol Old Vic

Set to take the Bristol Old Vic main stage by storm on May 3-4, IMPERMANENCE will present VENUS, an ambitious mixed programme of four pieces, blending dance, music, film and theatre.

It is the culmination of three years work and the company’s first new show since the long shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic, coupled with the funding challenges that have affected the arts sector so profoundly.

For directors Joshua Ben-Tovim and Roseanna Anderson, VENUS represents an exciting upward surge of momentum for IMPERMANENCE, who continue to spearhead the dance community within Bristol from the historic Grade II listed church The Mount Without – where they have been resident since 2012.

Impermanence, Enemy of the Stars, performer Evan Schwarz – photo: Jake Duncan

“We’ve never been in doubt that there is a big dance audience in the city,” reflects Ben-Tovim, “and hopefully the more that is offered, the more audiences will grow.

“We feel hugely grateful to everyone that has come to see both our own work and that which we’ve programmed over the last seven years. Bristol is an amazing place to be based; we’ve always felt inspired by the energy of people wanting to come and see new things.”

Impermanence, Cosmic Yoghurt, performers Oxana Panchenko, Yos Clark, Bryony Pennington – photo: Jame Randall

Although they would certainly like to be able to resource “a two-act extravaganza” some time in the future, configurating VENUS as a multi-genre quadruple bill has very clear benefits – not least of which is the opportunity to showcase the diverse range of interests and outputs that characterises IMPERMANENCE.

“It feels like a great model for creating work,” says Ben-Tovim. “We’re still refinding our stride post-Covid, but hopefully the show will have a good launch, then a successful tour in 2024 and we can get back into the rhythm of making a new show each year.”

Impermanence, Feral, performer Kip Johnson – photo: Jake Duncan

The company is currently well into rehearsals for VENUS, which will preview at the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield before premiering at Bristol Old Vic, and then moving to London’s Wilton Music Hall.

All four works in the programme – three live and one film – are set to new compositions. Though they represent a rich and eclectic mix, a politically-charged atmosphere pervades throughout.

Impermanence, Feral, performer George Monbiot – photo: Jake Duncan

Venus

An explosive live work for seven dancers directed by Anderson and Ben-Tovim, Venus was created in collaboration with writer Peter Clements.

It was inspired by the actions of Mary Richardson, a suffragette who once vandalised the Rokeby Venus painting at the National Gallery in protest at women being denied the vote, before going on to lead the Women’s Section of the British Union of Fascists.

This political ambiguity lies at the crux of the piece, which is soundtracked by composer Li Yilei’s pulsing electronic composition.

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Enemy of the Stars

Created by Ben-Tovim in collaboration with dancers Kennedy Jr Muntanga and Evan Schwarz, with mentoring from the late Sir Robert Cohan, this is a dance adaptation of Wyndam Lewis’ 1914 play – written only months from the outbreak of World War I.

The work was considered by some to be the first modernist play, with links drawn to Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, written four decades later.

This adaptation features a chamber ensemble score by Ben Oliver. Two characters rage against themselves and each other through suicidal musings and desperation for meaning, echoing the way in which the Modernist movement sought to be reborn from the ashes of Victorian morality.

Impermanence, Enemy of the Stars, performer Kennedy Jr. Muntanga – photo: Jake Duncan

Cosmic Yoghurt

Choreographed by Anderson and performed by three dancers, Cosmic Yoghurt pays homage to the paintings, stories and speeches of British Surrealist artist, Leonora Carrington.

The piece moves between wild and domestic spaces; and from human to animal realms. Within this alchemical habitat, the dancers channel the extraordinary energy, imagination and independence of the Surrealist movement.

Original music comes from Bristol folk musician, Nick Hart.

Impermanence, Cosmic Yoghurt, performers Roseanna Anderson, Yos Clark – photo: Jon Archdeacon

Feral

A short film devised and created by Ben-Tovim and composer, Hollie Harding, Feral brings together a number of notable collaborators in a cross-genre exploration of ecological crisis and a loss of connection with nature.

It is based on the book Feral: Rewilding the Land, Sea and Human Life by George Monbiot, who also appears in the film. Harding’s original score features a special recording of a live performance by four musicians from the London Symphony Orchestra, along with other elements, Foley sound effects and on-location field recordings – accentuating the relationships between sound and sight, and the dependency of humans on the ecology that surrounds them.

The locations range from an ancient oak forest on Dartmoor, to Tintern Abbey, the Severn estuary mud flats and a matrix of flooded waterways around Oxford.

Impermanence, Feral, performer George Monbiot – photo: Jake Duncan

As the company nears its opening performance, Ben-Tovim is upbeat.

“We have some of the absolute best and most iconic dancers in the sector working with us and it feels like a massively generous and exciting process,” he smiles.

“You work so hard to get these short periods of creation set up, and then they’re over so quickly… it feels a bit like a dream that we don’t want to wake up from.”

VENUS is at Bristol Old Vic on May 3-4 at 7.30pm. Limited tickets are available at www.bristololdvic.org.uk.

Main photo: Jake Duncan (Roseanna Anderson in Feral)

Read more: Bold vision positions The Mount Without at the heart of Bristol’s dance community

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