Review of the Year
Rosie Kay Dance Company 2008

The Wild Party
The Wild Party continued and finished its tour, creating havoc and public disorder in Abertillery, South Shields, Basingstoke, Hay on Wye Literature Festival for Sky Arts, Spring Loaded Festival at The Place, London and Lichfield Festival.

“The Wild Party lives up to its title, with four characters who are hell-bent on having a good time. Rosie Kay, as lead performer and choreographer, possesses a pitiless eye for the body language of the inebriated, and, in this 75-minute bash, perfectly captures the gaudily self-conscious gestures of the wasted, their slippage between painful deliberation and shambolic blur… Kay's is a sparky talent”
Judith Mackrell The Guardian April 9th 2008

The company truly had a wild time, and the very last gig was quite a feat after star performer Nick Carter was struck down with meningitis 10 days before the final show. Thanks to Jake Nwogu who stepped in at the last minute and gave a fantastic performance, and we are pleased to say that Nick is fully recovered. The costumes have been hung up, the stockings drying above the bath, the gun fully cleaned. Thanks to everyone who made it such a blast, and it’s ironic that a work based on a poem written just before a massive financial crash ended its tour literally just before another global financial crisis. Prophetic perhaps?

Double Points: K
In May Rosie Kay and Morgan Cloud premiered Double Points; K as part of International Dance Festival Birmingham in a double bill with Double Points: Two. After spending time with choreographer Emio Greco in Amsterdam learning his style and his work, Rosie Kay created her own interpretation looking at synchronicity, and the concept of 1 and 2 on stage. With a soundtrack of Bach and Dub Step, Double Points: K went on to be a smash hit at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, with Rosie and Morgan doing a gruelling two week run.

"An Everest of synchronicity, timing, defined body lines and stamina. For Kay, this choreographic re-interpretation is a triumph. Catch it if you can."
**** Mary Brennan, The Herald

" A joy to watch from beginning to end. Dancing in perfect unison with partner Morgan Cloud, she covers the stage with so much choreography, we're fit to bursting by the end. A fringe must see for all dance fans."
**** Kelly Apter, The Scotsman

"Thank goodness for the inimitable diva of dance, Rosie Kay... this duet is high energy, thrilling, pure contemporary dance. It's a perfect vehicle for Kay's capacity for great explosive drama married with technical precision."
**** Chitra Ramaswamy, Scotland on Sunday

Supernova
Autumn 2008 was very busy for the company. After returning from Edinburgh the dancers went into production of Supernova, the brand new work by the company that explores the cosmos, space, time and energy but embodies it in five stunningly athletic female dancers.

After a very short creation and production period, the work premiered to a sold out audience at The Patrick Centre, Birmingham Hippodrome. The company and creative team joined together after the show to answer question by the audience that included ‘What is the best and the worst thing about Rosie?” Answer “You are pushed to your limits - and that’s the best AND the worst thing!!”

“I rate Rosie Kay as one of the brightest and most enterprising young choreographers currently at work in the UK. In making this dance she is, once again, firing on all cylinders”
Donald Hutera, The Times on Supernova

“Kay proves that it is possible to make good, accessible dance that is clearly and unashamedly based in technique. It’s quite refreshing to see a small and still relatively new company that does not feel the need to resort to gimmicks or shock tactics. “
David Mead, Ballet Dance Magazine on Supernova

Supernova toured to Stratford Upon Avon as part of its music festival, and to Telford, Wellingborough, Coventry and Derby in Spring 09.

Rosie Kay was also busy making commissioned works for The Soho Theatre (A Couple of Poor Polish Speaking Romanians Dir. Lisa Goldman), Double Points: Wolf for gifted students of the University of Wolverhampton, a version of Supernova for Halesowen College, and a DanceXchange Associate Artist project with Gifted and Talented children with special needs.

Rayne Foundation
After secondments that have lead to Rosie Kay working with Emio Greco |PC in Amsterdam, Anthony Minghella in Botswana on the set of The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency and shadowing MPs on Westminster, Rosie Kay probably had her greatest adventure when she joined the 4 Rifles Battalion for two weeks on Dartmoor and Salisbury Plain.

With the Rifles, she joined them on a 4-day and night exercise on Dartmoor, watching battle attacks, joining in with 'battle physical training' and rifle target practice back at the barracks on Salisbury Plain, and even spent two days as the enemy with R Coy fighting the Coldstream Guards. It was a truly amazing experience, at times frightening but hugely challenging and a lot of fun. War will never quite look the same, and Rosie thanks the 4 Rifles and particularly A Coy for all their help and support, and wicked sense of humour.

Rosie Kay: Latest News

Rosie Kay is currently producing her new show, 5 SOLDIERS- The Body Is The Frontline which will premiere at the International dance Festival Birmingham in April before touring nationally.

Most of the past year has been taken up with preparation for this work- researching, making new contacts in the military, collecting an international team of collaborators and finding the right cast.

Research and development started in December at Warwick Arts centre. This was the perfect way for the team to get to know one another, living and working together for 10 days, and to learn basic training, such as battle PT (physical training) and basic battle exercises. The team got up early to jog to the Warwick University campus and did early morning exercises, much to the bemused surprise of the campus residents! The ten days culminated in a sharing of choreographic ideas.

Studio work commenced in January at DanceXchange, our quiet bubble burst after only two weeks when we were joined by the BBC and then broadcast on the lunchtime and evening news!

The studio work built up to a sharing at British Dance Edition, as a work in progress, and the company took a well earned break.

In the intervening time Rosie Kay has concentrated on a few other projects; her ongoing role as Course Leader for the Centre for Advanced Training (CAT) choreographing the students in a collaboration with Lichfield Cathedral Choir performing Pergolesis’ Stabat Mater, working with Community Vibe on a People Dancing Project which brings dance to hard to reach groups of people with mental health issues, and choreographing University of Wolverhampton students in a work based on 5 SOLDIERS.

The company are back in the studio in March and move to the theatre to produce the work in April. The UK tour is looking very exciting, and includes two very unique performances at the Rifles Club drill hall in Mayfair, London in May.