The Pneûma Project at St John the Evangelist, 26th February 2015 – Ana Barbour reviews

The church was silent. The rustles and settling of the audience were allowed to calm. In silence and in low light we took in the gentle movement of light white cloth softly rippling and billowing. Giving time to arrive, to notice our breathing. Eventually two figures slowly appeared bearing accordians. Breathing accordians, the opening and closing of the bellows connecting with our breathing and encouraging us to expand our breath into our lungs, my ribs opening as the concertina.  An old man balancing a beautiful long and twisted driftwood branch on his shoulder slowly and carefully entered, the light behind him casting shadows of the fragile balancing act. The stick left the man’s shoulder to find a home leaning against the strong stone pillar.

 

The Pneûma Project, St John the Evangelist, 25th & 26th February 2015

For the first time the beautiful church of St John the Evangelist, now a stunning concert venue, joins the Dancin’ Oxford venue line-up. The Pneûma Project is a collaboration by dance artist Miranda Tufnell, visual artist David Ward and musician Sylvia Hallett.  This engaging exploration of breath offers its audience a beautiful and immersive performance, in which movement, sound, light and visual imagery combine to evoke the poetics of breath. Moment by moment we draw on the invisible air, catch scents, sounds, messages and signals. Our lives are suffused with myths and folklore images of the life-giving potency of breath – of breath lost and regained.

Pneûma:  nju ma, noun, Philosophy, Greek = wind, breath,spirit, that which is blown or breathed

The performance features dance artists Cai Tomos, Eeva Maria Mutka, Tim Rubidge and musician Jonah Brody.

“The combination of excellent dancing and extraordinary music was intensely moving.  I can’t wait to see the full realisation of this idea.” Orlando Gough, composer

Performances:  Wednesday 25th and Thursday 26th February, 7.30pm

Venue:  St John the Evangelist, Iffley Road, Oxford OX4 1EH

Running time:  50 minute, no interval.  Suitable for all ages.

Tickets:  £12, £10 concessions.

Box Office Telephone:  01865 305305

or book online via Tickets Oxford here

www.dancinoxford.co.uk

 

Dancin’ Oxford 2015

Once again Oxford puts on its dancing shoes for its annual festival Dancin’ Oxford.  This year’s edition starts on Wednesday 25th February and ends on Monday 9th March; its lively and wide ranging programme includes not only performances but workshops and activities to join in.  The Festival’s public launch will take place on Saturday 28th February between 10.00am and 4.00pm with free outdoor performances in the city centre, including Broad Street and Bonn Square, and featuring previous festival favourites Granny Turismo, Body Politic and Being Frank.

Companies performing in the Festival include:

The Pneûma Project at St John the Evangelist Church, Wednesday 25th and Thursday 26th February

Moving With the Times, the annual showcase of work by Oxford based dance makers and performers, this year featuring Cecilia Macfarlane, Melissa Holding, Hilary Kneale, Justice in Motion, Marina Collard, and Alan Hutson and Nicola Moses-Thrower of Unlock the Chains Collective; Pegasus Theatre Friday 27th and Saturday 28th February

 

Pneûma at the Breath Festival, Museum of Natural History 1st November

The Breath Festival presents a wealth of displays, performances, tours, talks, events and childern’s activities around breath and breathing which will take place across the University museums in Oxford.  Its facinating programme includes a welcome opportunity to see work by a much respected dance artist resident in Oxfordshire.  The Pneûma Project is a collaboration between visual artist David Ward, musician Sylvia Hallett and movement artist Miranda Tufnell that explores breath in all its aspects.  For the Breath Festival they will share a section from their full length work Pneûma (Greek for wind, breath, spirit, that which is blown or breathed).  Pneûma will create a dialogue between two dancers and two musicians and the stunning display of mammal skeletons that has such a dramatic presence in the museum.  The performance in movement and sound will evoke aspects and stories of breath, amongst the epic procession of mammals, themselves once living, breathing creatures.

Performance:  Saturday 1st November 2014, 4.15-4.45pm

The Great Hall, Museum of Natural History, Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3PW

Further information about The Breath Festival here