Yama Dance Company with Xavier De Santos bring together two of their most recent works – Wonderlane and Are We There Yet? – this time in an integrated double bill, where film and live performance converge on stage, delving into realms of nostalgia, childhood and motherhood.
In Wonderlane, they reminisce on memories and stories of the days spent playing in the streets and in the adventurous playgrounds of past freedoms. This screendance was inspired by a collective of photographers who captured the streets of Britain fifty years ago and the lost art of playing outside. Wonderlane, since 2022, has won awards at various festivals around the globe and has been screened in Mexico, India, France, Malaysia, Portugal, Switzerland, Italy and Hungary.
Are We There Yet? explores underlying themes that emerged in Wonderlane, resulting in a choreographic exploration of mystic presences, stories of picnic rituals and the wildness of open skies. With whispers of motherhood elements, the performance recalls the timeless yearning for ephemeral moments and collective journeys in life.
Yama Dance Company is a Bath-based performance company formed for women and men age 60 and over who wished to dance again or were new to dance. They meet weekly, and work with different choreographers to devise and develop ideas and original work, create new social connections, and share work with wider dance communities through performances and workshops, whilst dealing with the challenges of ageing. ‘Dance is what keeps us breathing!’
Xavier De Santos is a Bath-based freelance movement practitioner and artistic director/co-founder of AllouAqui Dance Theatre. While focusing on choreography, filmmaking and education, Xavier blurs the lines between artistic disciplines accentuating the theatricalisation of the moving body, for both the stage and screen. His dance journey began at Balleteatro in his hometown, Porto, Portugal which then led him to a BA degree in Contemporary Dance at Bath Spa University, where he is now an associate lecturer for both the Acting and Dance degrees. Xavier is also currently studying a Master’s programme in Professional Arts Practice at Middlesex University, London, which is enabling him to question, develop, and research movement within his interdisciplinary practice.
