“We booked Mathilde for the Rotherham Open Arts Festival and have to say that we were blown away by their performance. Sensitive, imaginative and thoughtful; it was utterly gripping!”
Steve Rogers, Artistic Director, Open Minds Theatre Company
Mathilde are a collective of five improvisers who integrate movement and sound, taking playful and entertaining improvised performance and participation to music events, theatres and festival. They are popular with a wide range of audiences.
Performance
Dancers and musicians navigate the physical and sonic space, exploring the boundaries of each others’ realms and giving way to enchanting spontaneous interactions that draw you in and carry you with them on the journey.
The performers each bring their unique skills, presence and personalities, whilst sharing a common interest in creating a spontaneously composed performance which is intricate, human and communicative.
“The best thing I saw at this year’s Light Night” Audience member
Mathilde performances so far
- Seven Arts, Leeds, 27 March 2010
- Bradford Playhouse, 15 May 2010
- Old Vicarage (Seth’s House) 25 June, 2010
- Moor Music Festival, 13 August, 2010
- Rotherham Open Arts Festival, 21 September, 2010
- Light Night Leeds (with Strati Project and J&M), 7 October 2010
- Cuts Cafe, Leeds, 5 February 2011
- SARSVL Benefit, Leeds, 8 April, 2011
- Roundhay Bandstand, Leeds, 14 July, 2011
- St Margaret’s Church, Manchester, 15 July 2011
- Ecclesfield Community Festival, Sheffield, 16 July
- 7 Arts Leeds, September 2011
- Club Integral, York, April 2012
Participation and Workshops
Mathilde has created and tested simple scores that make participation easy and accessible. Improvisation is not seen as something scary and unattainable, but a way for anybody to freely explore a truly magical way of interacting with other people.
“I was amazed at how comfortable I felt, and how much fun it was!”
Workshop Participant
Background Information
Matilde is a Leeds based collective made up of five professional practitioners with performance experience both nationally and internationally. All are passionate about introducing improvisation to a wider audience and are engaged in various other collectives and organisations on a participatory and organisational level.
Seth Bennett (UK) Double bass and trombone
Marie Andersen (Denmark), Dance and aerial theatre
Oliver Dover (UK) Saxophone, bass clarinet, trumpophone
Rachel Dean (UK) Dance artist and singer
Daliah Toure (Austria/Guinea) Dance and visual artist
More on the Mathilde blog http://mathildedance.blogspot.com/
