Fresh Friday with Thick & Tight

Today’s Fresh Friday workshop welcomes back Eleanor Perry of Thick & Tight dance company. Eleanor, and fellow Thick & Tight dancer Daniel Hay-Gordon, are alumni of Rambert School from 2012. Today Eleanor rejoins her alma mater to lead our second and third year students in their weekly workshop.

Thick & Tight follow ballet and contemporary dance techniques whilst including their musical and intricate style that takes inspiration from queer performances such as drag, camp humour and lip-syncing. The close relationship between movement and design will be a focus for Eleanor’s work with our students today allowing them to investigate a range of LBGTQ+ issues and understand the relationship between queer culture and dance. Thick & Tight describe the heart of their practice as ‘developing choreography, storytelling and teachings in relation to [LGBTQ+] issues with a hope to keep developing positive narratives within the dance ecology and beyond.’.

After finishing their training here at Rambert School, Daniel Hay-Gordon and Eleanor Perry began by making small scale work at pub theatres and gay pubs and have gone on to present their shows at high-profile venues such as Sadler’s Wells, The Royal Opera House, The Place and Tate Britain. Alongside many other international festivals such as Stockholm Fringe, Klovnbuf International and Tokyo Tokyo. Throughout all their performances they’ve maintained a focus on presenting their work in socially engaged contexts such as LGBTQ+ venues, family festivals & charity fundraisers. In 2022 Thick & Tight look forward to presenting new work at Tokyo’s National Noh Theatre for the Tokyo

Thick & Tight are aiming to ‘study and create new work which reflects their artistic research & interest in the potential of dance as a political art form with the power to create positive social change.’ with our students today. We look forward to seeing their great work and are so happy to welcome alumni Eleanor Perry back to our studios.

Photographer: Judita Kuniskyte