Press Releases

Date: 5 February 2003

In autumn 2002, Visiting Arts and Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation announced the launch of a new series of awards which will support the creation of new work by Portuguese performing artists in the UK. The Portuguese Performing Arts Awards will fund UK performing arts organisations wishing to commission Portuguese artists not resident in the UK to come and work with their UK counterparts.

The residencies and the period of joint exploration that the awards will provide will nurture and support the development of new artistic commissions, allow for educational and professional development for artists and members of the general public and encourage public UK performance of new work by Portuguese artists.

The awards will involve contemporary commissions in the fields of drama, dance, music, physical theatre and performance art. The awards will support creative collaborations between arts organisations based in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and Portuguese artists working in the performing arts.

Visiting Arts and Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation are now delighted to announce the award winners. The six successful collaborative projects will take place between 1 April 2003 and 31 March 2004.

Dance

Phoenix Dance Theatre (Leeds) and Rui Horta
Rui Horta, in residency with Phoenix Dance Theatre, will create a dance work for the company. The residency will include master classes for students at The Northern School of Contemporary Dance and for young choreographers from across the UK at Yorkshire Dance.

Random Dance Company (London) and Rui Horta
A newly commissioned work from Rui Horta as part of a triple bill which includes pieces by distinguished choreographers Wayne McGregor and Shobana Jeyasingh. The new work by Horta will be toured nationally, helping introduce Horta's work to Random's existing UK audiences

Music

Brouhaha International (Liverpool) and Tocá Rufar
Tocá Rufar, a percussion orchestra directed by Rui Junior, will collaborate with Brouhaha International in the development of a multi-cultural dance/music touring project. The project will involve twelve performers from Portugal and the UK. Accompanying the performances will be educational workshops designed to have a substantial impact at community level, creating new initiatives and future sustainable projects

Theatre

Dodgy Clutch (Newcastle Upon Tyne) and Teatro Ka
Dodgy Clutch Theatre Company from NE England and Teatro Ka from Portugal work together on the development of a new piece of large-scale, site-specific outdoor spectacular theatre. The two companies aim through this residency to nurture a creative partnership fusing their two distinct styles of performance and presentation.

Ridiculusmus (London) and Miguel Antunes
Ridiculusmus will collaborate with Miguel Antunes in the development of a new theatrical comedy sketch performance, with Antunes both performing and directing parts of the work. The company proposes to develop the work, then perform it at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2003.

Workhorse Productions (London) and Guilherme de Mendonça
Workhorse Productions and Guilherme de Mendonça will collaborate in the adaptation of Mário de Sá Carneiro's novella Loucura (Madness). It is anticipated that the work created will tour regionally, with possible performances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

For further information please contact:

Nelson Fernandez, Head Performing Arts & Training
Visiting Arts
Telephone (direct) - 020 7389 3017
E-mail nelson.fernandez@britishcouncil.org
or
Miguel Santos, Programme Director, Anglo-Portuguese Cultural Relations
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
Telephone (direct) - 020 7908 7622
E-mail miguel.santos@gulbenkian.org.uk

Notes to Editors

Visiting Arts
Visiting Arts is an independent educational charity, which promotes cultural relations through the arts. It is funded by the British Council, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the Arts Councils of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Its work covers funding, consultancy, advisory services, publications, training and project development to facilitate the presentation of international arts in the UK. The Chairman of Visiting Arts is Richard Lambert, former Editor of the Financial Times.
www.visitingarts.org.uk

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian was an Armenian born in 1869. He became a British citizen, conducted much of his work in Britain, and finally settled in Portugal. The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation was established in Lisbon in 1956, a year after his death. The UK Branch of the Foundation, which is based in London, has a history of initiating or supporting pioneering developments in the fields of Arts, Education, Social Welfare and Anglo-Portuguese Cultural Relations. The Anglo-Portuguese Cultural Relations programme aims to help projects that promote contemporary Portuguese culture in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

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