GRUPO CORPO
Mon 5 – Wed 7 Aug

UK PREMIERE

The legendary Brazilian dance company blends Brazilian forms with ballet and contemporary dance to create a unique style.

Legendary dance company Grupo Corpo summons Brazilian history, culture and spirituality in two UK premieres.

Gil Refazendo pays a transformative homage to one of the godfathers of Brazilian music, Gilberto Gil; refazendo translates as 'remaking’. The dancers pivot between graceful movements and high-energy motion to the sound of Gil's eclectic mix of samba, bossa nova and electronica.

Gira, meaning 'spin', draws on rhythms and movements inspired by the rites of Afro-Brazilian religion Umbanda. In Umbanda rituals, participants dance and spin, releasing control of their bodies to the spirits of deities. Gira evokes these rituals, with dancers jumping and floating through ritualistic movements, ballet and contemporary. São Paulo jazz group Metá Metá's soundtrack is inspired by Eshu, a deity who mediates between the human and spiritual realms, whose dynamism is evoked in the dancers' perpetual motion.

This is a joyful performance, illuminating the uniqueness of Brazilian culture.

CAT POWER SINGS DYLAN ’66
Sun 18 Aug 2024, 8:00pm

The infinitely gifted singer-songwriter Cat Power takes on Bob Dylan’s legendary 1966 'Royal Albert Hall' concert.

Despite an album labelling error, Bob Dylan’s legendary ‘Royal Albert Hall’ Concert did not take place in London. In fact, the counterculture icon played at the Manchester Free Trade Hall at the end of his ‘Dylan Goes Electric’ tour. Dylan’s transition from folk to rock sparked great controversy amongst the audience, with one person even heckling ‘Judas!’

It’s this iconic performance that the infinitely gifted singer-songwriter Chan Marshall – AKA Cat Power – has chosen to take on. From ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ to ‘Like a Rolling Stone’, this is a song-by-song recreation of Dylan’s set list. Admired for her own triumphant lyrics, Marshall’s ‘masterful’ (The Line of Best Fit) live cover project demonstrates her steadfast devotion to her ‘God’ Dylan.

Experience the drama and brilliance of Dylan’s 1966 ’Royal Albert Hall’ concert in Marshall’s ‘dusky, sacred voice’ (The Guardian) – with an injection of her ethereality, spirit and idiosyncratic charm.

GRIT ORCHESTRA
Sun 25 Aug 2024, 8:00pm

Winner of the Scottish Awards for New Music for innovation in New Traditional Music, the GRIT Orchestra is bound to push the limits of genre and Celtic culture.

The GRIT Orchestra unites Scotland’s leading folk, jazz and classical musicians. Renowned for their ‘trailblazing spirit’ (The Guardian), the 80-strong orchestra amasses to conjure an enthralling incarnation of Scotland’s contemporary musical landscape.

Assembled by Celtic Connections in 2015 in homage to the late Martyn Bennett, the GRIT Orchestra is led by composer and conductor Greg Lawson. Bennett is celebrated for his virtuoso fusion of Celtic, Scandinavian and Islamic traditions with techno, breakbeat and techno. In 2018, GRIT orchestrated Bennett’s kaleidoscopic second album, Bothy Culture, which takes inspiration from Scotland’s rave scene and the experience of staying in a Highland hut – otherwise known as a ‘bothy’.