• Photo: Alice Underwood

  • Photo: Alice Underwood

  • Photo: Alice Underwood

  • Photo: Alice Underwood

Blame Game

Kundle Cru
Ireland, Sweden, UK, Holland, Italy and France

Following the success of Union Black (2018), Mateusz Szczerek (Ireland/Poland), Alessio Motta (Sweden/Italy) and Manu Debuck (France/Sweden) are working on Blame Game,  a new show that merges hip hop with circus. They have been joined by the London/Hong Kong Parkour and Art du Deplacement  artist Louise Wong, Dutch Juggler Liza van Brakel, Ugandan Krump dancer Timothy Kakeeto, and UK dancer Jack Bain to further develop this work-in-progress.

Using innovative dance moves, Chinese pole and juggling, Blame Game  explores our constant search for a scapegoat. By pointing the finger at the ‘other’, those who we disagree with politically and socially, we escape our personal responsibilities.

The artists have had a number of R&D residencies including at London’s Redbridge Drama Centre, Newbury’s 101 Creation Space, PPCM in Paris, Subtopia in Sweden, Holland’s Atoll Festival, St Agil in France and Rua Red in Ireland. They also presented work in progress performances at Circusstad in Rotterdam in May 2019 and a filmed performance at the 2020 Belfast International Arts Festival.  Further online residencies have since taken place with Scottee and Friends’ Notepad Warrior, Ben Duke (Lost Dog Dance) and with movement director Aline David.

Footage on this page is from 101 Outdoor Arts, Corn Exchange Newbury’s dedicated creation space for outdoor arts, they hosted an 11 day residency, about which you can read more here.

Please get in touch if you are interested in being part of this. Watch this space for further details.

Press

  • COMPANY BIOGRAPHY

    Alessio Motta is an Italian born circus artist living in Stockholm, Sweden. Alessio’s key disciplines are Chinese Pole and Dance-Acro. He attended the circus course at Scuola di Cirko Vertigo before studying his degree at DOCH University of Dance and Circus. Alessio teaches circus at Sundbyberg Kulturskola, Stockholm and is an experienced workshop leader. Working alongside Far From The Norm, he was one of the core company members for Union Black, a hip hop dance and circus project funded by Creative Europe which toured to Sweden, Ireland, France and England. Alessio performs internationally and is a member of Rough Connections (RoughCo) as well as a founder member of Kundle Cru.

    Matt Szczerek is a Dublin based dance artist (contemporary-urban) and a professional member of Dance Ireland. Over the last three years he has danced regularly with CoisCeim Dance Theatre, performing as a principal dancer in the Wolf and Peter, Sydney Opera House (2017) and in RTE’s 1916 Centenary performance at Bord Gais Energy Theatre, choreographed by David Bolger. Matt toured nationally with Monica Martin Munoz’ work Princesses can be Pirates (2018-2019) funded by the Arts Council which concluded with performances at the Dublin Dance Festival. In January 2019 Matt was selected as a one of three choreographers to present his work as a part of Lighting Design for Dance project mentored by Liz Roche in partnership with the Lir academy and Dance Ireland. In 2018 he presented Fable for Dublin Fringe Festival at Project Art Centre which was nominated for a best ensemble award. In 2017 Matt was selected by Far From The Norm, led by Botis Seva to be part of an international cast for production of Union Black funded by Creative Europe, which toured to Sweden, Ireland, France and England. Matt is the Director/Curator of Dance2Connect, a three-day urban dance festival at the Civic theatre, South Dublin. Funded and supported by Dance Ireland, Tallaght Community Arts, Civic Theatre and the Arts Council. Most recently Matt received an Arts Council Ireland bursary award with co-production support from Crying Out Loud (UK) for a new choreographic work Blame Game.

    Jack Bain is a Dublin based dancer who specialises in hip hop and house. He has participated in a number of funded residencies collaborating to develop work and focusing on his dance practice. He has worked with Manchester International Festival, Boy Blue Entertainment, Dance2Connect, Kundle Cru and participated in Breakin’ Convention at Sadler’s Wells.

    Liza van Brakel grew up in the Netherlands performing circus from a very young age, she joined the youth circus in her hometown and at that moment fell in love with it. Liza studied circus at the University of Arts, Rotterdam where she started to combine her two favourite disciplines, object manipulation and acro-dance. The outcome of which was her unique juggling research based on movement and physicality. In 2017 Liza graduated from Codarts Circus Arts and has since had the honour to perform at many different events all over the world. Her solo show Ain’t No Easy Way Out was nominated for the BNG Circus Prize, 2017 and has been performed at Berlin Circus Festival, ATOLL Festival Karlsruhe, Festival UP Brussel, and at many more international events. Liza is also a member of the Gandini Juggling Company and since 2018 has worked with TENT, Monki Business and on Blame Game, co-produced by Crying Out Loud. Liza’s work explores new possibilities that lay on the intersection of street-dance and circus.

    Louiseanne Wong studied music at the University of Manchester and has trained as a dancer in contemporary, jazz, modern dance, hip hop, ballet, Limon technique, Release technique and house. In 2014 she was awarded an MA in Choreography with Merit from the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London. Since then she has worked with Kundle Cru, Monika Jaeckel, Anton Mirto, Rosie Kay Dance Company and Esprit Concrete amongst others. Louiseanne has worked extensively as a coach and teacher, most recently co-leading a group of 50 young people for the Roundhouse Street Circus to perform in an outdoor spectacle. Her work as a choreographer includes Utilis Apparatus, Material Choreography and Skinship.

    Timothy Waliggo Kakeeto is a professional dancer and Krumper currently based in Stockholm.