DIY Night - Diagrams of Love

About the Show:

Diagrams of Love is a subversive anti-patriarchal duet that straddles Mixed Martial Arts, sculptural modern dance and Occult Live Art. This is a charged exploration of desire and Qabbalistic transformation, which animates the sex magic corpus of Ithell Colquhoun—radical 20th century woman artist who explored the realms of ecology, magic and mysticism in her work.

Slow down and witness this subversive journey to apotheosis, as we writhe around the energy exchange that arises in pursuit of Colquhoun's “Divine Androgyne”.

The performance will be followed by an Audience Discussion, hosted by Curator and Performance Artist Stephanie Hadfield.

Doors open at 19:15 for a 19:30 start. Ticket price includes a drink of your choice.

Trailer

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Content Notice:

The work includes simulated violence and eroticisim.

About the Artists:

Melissa Rayne (Choreographer & Dancer)

I am a neurodivergent & disabled Outsider Dance Artist. My anti-patriarchal trans-disciplinary practice, DanceArt, is an alchemical modality, harnessing automatism to allow space for organic movement to emerge.

Credits include: Arts Council England DYCP Award (2024), Alchemists (2024) choreographed for Trinity Laban/Protein Dance En Route Together, The Tree of Life at The Thamesmead Festival (2023). A freelance performer since 2010, I’ve worked internationally with Site Gallery/Helen Benigson, Budapest Dance Theatre, West Green House Opera, Elrow London.

Phoenix Tanner (Dancer)

Phoenix is a Dance Artist and Craniosacral Therapist, with an interest in movement direction and screendance. A graduate of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, Phoenix has collaborated with notable UK choreographers including Theo TJ Lowe.

Accessibility:

Please note, we are on the second floor of a warehouse building, accessed by a staircase only. We regret that we cannot currently adequately support wheelchair users and those for whom stairs are a barrier.

We are committed to removing other barriers to access. If you would like to talk to us about your access needs, please contact: frances@chisenhaledancespace.co.uk. Read more about our commitments to anti-ableism as part of our Artist Community Culture Document

About DIY Nights:

DIY Nights are CDS’s performance programme created in the spirit of grassroots, low stakes performance making and sharing.

Anyone can apply to run a DIY Night, and CDS programmes them on a rolling basis for artists looking for a way to try out new ideas with low financial risk.

If you are interested in running your own night, you can learn more and apply here.