It’s just over two weeks since our Festival of Commissions weekend and we’re still reeling from the fabulous feedback and the wonderful support we’ve had from our community. The festival weekend celebrated the breadth of talent and inclusive practices of our ‘We Are Open’ commissioned artists as they showcased their work developed in response to the pandemic and the impact it has had on us all.
We welcomed celebrated choreographer Lukas McFarlane, as the guest Artistic Director of our recently formed Wac Arts Dance Company. Lukas, who was crowned best dance act, on Sky One’s, ‘Got to Dance’ back in 2013 is well known for his work on The X Factor and Strictly Coming Dancing. He, alongside fellow commissioned artist Kloé Dean, worked with the 15 members of the Dance Company across the 6 weeks’ training programme, exploring and developing material for his commissioned piece, Isolation.
The short dance film Isolation premiered on Sunday 25 July 2021 and considers how the news coverage around the pandemic formed the backdrop to everyday life in 2020. The poignant and powerful piece explores the isolation and loneliness that infected our day-to-day lives; and how secluded in our homes we as individuals were all affected in different ways. As the piece progresses, it sheds light on how our collective fear transformed into collective resilience and determination to beat the virus. Isolation celebrates how human connection and the coming together of communities from all backgrounds brought us together with hope and one collective vision of ridding the world of the virus.
Take a look at this exclusive behind the scenes footage and hear what Lukas had to say about the creation of Isolation:
And if this and Isolation are not enough!? Why not find out just how to recreate his moves from the film at home, thanks to this choreo tutorial from Lukas! We’d love for you to share your dance videos with us and Lukas and be in with the chance of it being selected to appear within an edited compilation!
All you need to do is:
- tag @wacarts and @lukas_mcfarlane on Insta with #lukasmcfarlanedancechallenge
- or, DM your video to us in Instagram with a chance to appear!