LINA: Astronomy and Dance Tour Autumn 2017

Aim

Science, music and dance collide: we're touring a dance duet inspired by musicians and astronomers William and Caroline Herschel.

Forged Line Dance Company is hoping to tour its first contemporary dance duet, Lina, across South West England in autumn 2017. We need your support to make the tour happen!

The tour will engage audiences across science and arts, giving the chance for adults and young people to learn something new while enjoying high quality dance performance. This project has three strands - live performance, film, and education work.

The performance
Lina is a new dance duet based on the lives of William and Caroline Herschel. Both musicians and astronomers, they studied the stars from their garden in 18th Century Bath. They made astounding contributions to science, such as William’s discovery of the planet Uranus in 1781.

Lina delves into the caring yet complex relationship between William and Caroline, where family ties are tested by individual ambition. Featuring an original soundtrack by Emma Holbrook incorporating music by William Herschel, this emotionally charged yet playful duet is inspired by themes of creativity, invention and frustration that shaped their extraordinary story. 

Lina was premiered at the Mission Theatre in Bath earlier this year, and received fantastic reviews from audience and local press.

“Astronomy, wonderful choreography and beautiful original music, wrapped up in a captivating performance with moments of real joy and tenderness. I loved it!” - Audience feedback

"This was the performance of two exceptionally talented dancers, delivering a choreographic narrative of tangible beauty and humanity" 
- Bathcast review

Film 
The company are working with filmmaker Stacie Bennett to make a short film in the Herschel Museum, blending information about the Herschels with dance. The film will be shown before the live duet on tour, giving a visually engaging introduction to the story. The film will also be available on the project website, ensuring that people can continue to discover the Herschels' story online.

Education 
We'll deliver workshops in schools, exploring science and dance with young people. These workshops will promote cross-curricular learning, exploring concepts in science through creative and physical engagement.

For tour dates and more info: www.forgedlinedance.co.uk

What will your donation go towards:
Here are just a few of the costs involved with planning a tour...

• Rehearsal space We've been lucky enough to receive some space in kind from Bath Spa University dance department, but we need your help to cover additional studio time. Donation of £7.50 = 1 hour of space!
• Travel and accommodation We're excited to be heading all round the South West, from Penzance to Havant, so we need places to rest our sleepy dancing bodies. 
• Artist fees Dancers, a film maker, a composer and a technician all need to be paid for their hard work. We do these jobs because we love them, but we need to eat too!

So please, dig deep and let's celebrate the Herschels, two wonderful and creative people who contributed so much to our understanding of the universe. 

Thank you!

This project successfully funded on 11th September 2017