A new full-length work by Eva Recacha, The Picnic presents a large group of young humans enjoying themselves in a surreal blend of parading, celebrating, indulging and co-operating activities, all emerging from a dreamlike picnic scenario. The work, co-created scenographer Kate Lane, sound artist Alberto Ruiz Soler, lighting designer Jackie Shemesh and a cast of 15 professional and participant performers, explores themes of utopia and it is inspired by the painting ‘The Garden of Earthly Delights’ by H. Bosch, which presents many human figures in a terrestrial paradise, indulging in worldly pleasures.
At The Picnic, a self-made feast, we create moments of visibility and dignity – for ourselves and others-, moments of recognition, of freedom, of care, alongside moments of desire, pleasure, joy, and revel.
The tone is that of a dream; filled with strange scenarios of strong visual, tactile and aural textures that invite our senses to indulge into physical sensations and our minds to follow surreal invitations. As the dream unfolds The Picnic world gears towards a collective celebratory moment.
Co-commissioned by Sadler’s Wells and South East Dance, with support from London Contemporary Dance School. Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
The Picnic premiered at the Lilian Baylis Studio at Sadler’s Wells on the 27th November 2024.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Direction & Choreography: Eva Recacha
Performance and devising: Alicja Nauman, Charlotte Mclean. Scilla Rajalin & London Contemporary Dance School Students Alma Kremnitzer, Bris Elorza Ordoñez, Eduarda Faccio Barone, Elina Wates, Jack Baron, Jon Rodd, Louise Warwicker, Mahala, Tucker, Ro Goodman, Rosie Robertson, Serra Rosebay, Sian Yi, Xel Renata Ortega Garcia.
Sound: Alberto Ruiz Soler
Scenography: Kate Lane
Lighting Design: Jackie Shemesh
Associate Lighting Designer: Joe Hornsby
Text: Devised by the Creative Team and throughout R&D periods
Rehearsal Director/Assistant choreographer: Scilla Rajalin
Production Manager: Ben Moon
Costume Supervisor: Sophie Donaldson
Costume Assistants: Francis Morris and Emma Lyth
Promotional Images: Rocio Chacón
Production Images and Super 8 Film: Camilla Greenwell
Studio Trailer: Genevieve Reeves
Production trailer: Roswitha Chesher
R&D
The 2023 R&D period of The Picnic was supported by London Contemporary Dance School and supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. It focused on interaction with props and costumes, exploring design led structuring ideas. The main topics of this research were cooperation and agency of materials.
The 2021 R&D period of The Picnic was supported by Sadler’s Wells and using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. It involved the band The Yonis, long standing collaborator Alberto Ruiz Soler, and a group of LCDS alumni. It focused on exploring notions of synchronicity, togetherness, parading and picnicking. The topics explored back then were patriarchy and misogyny..
More about The Picnic.
The work development started in 2021, and several research and outreach periods were undertaken prior to the creation period in Autumn 2024. Throughout this time The Picnic operated as a community creative dance project exploring togetherness through movement practice and the building of surreal scenarios through playful use of props to create surreal feast/picnic environments.
During the creation period the choreographic fabric evolved strongly linked with the design created by Kate Lane, as all props and costumes were devised – informed by research periods – before commencing rehearsals. This generated a strong co-creation dynamic between the scenographic and choreographic elements in the work, and a particular attention to expressions of materiality across human bodies and design elements.
In The Picnic, the choreographic material explores notions of viscerality and indulgence, connectivity and synchronicity, care and playfulness, giving rise to moments of cooperation, action, support and celebration.
The specially composed sound by Alberto Ruiz Soler situates The Picnic in a world fluctuating between a blissful dream and a hardcore rave. The score explores the materiality of sound through textures creating oneiric, at times harmonic, at times dystopian spaces that hold love, care, fear and anger.
The Picnic is currently tour booking. If you are interested please contact us.
