Tulips
Tulips was created in 2020, premiering the work at The Place Theatre as part of Resolution Festival. Later that year as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic the work launched Swindon Dance’s online platform in place of a live performance. In 2022 it was recommissioned by Richard Chappell Dance for the Exeter Northcott Theatre as a part of their Supporting Acts Programme, and again in 2024 for a performance at Sadler’s Wells Lillian Baylis Theatre as part of Reune With Us.
Flowers for men? Through movement, two men impart their reflection on society's traditional gender norm; that flowers seem not to be a common show of appreciation between men.
Using closeness and intertwining physicality they highlight that men can have loving and sensitive relationships without romantic connotations. Just as men can give flowers to each other without preconception over their friendship.
Tulips is a piece created to open conversations around male sensitivity, without commenting on their ‘masculinity’, which in fact comes in many different dimensions.
“Tulips, performed by Edd Arnold and Will Thompson, was my personal favourite of all the live dances, as it expressed the dynamic intricacies of (not necessarily romantic) male relationships. The intimacy between the two dancers was portrayed through mesmerising movements that mimicked the blooming and closing of tulips, made all the more personal to audience members through prolonged periods of silence throughout the dance.”
- India Berry, Dance Art Journal
Rehearsal Footage
Production Credits
Choreography & Performance: Edd Arnold
Artistic Collaborator & Performer: Connor Scott
Music: Original composition by Illuminine with songs Dystopia, Ardency - Stijn Hüwels Rework, Llyr - Quartet Live Icarus.fm
Thanks to: Balletboyz, Rambert School and Russell Maliphant for their support with rehearsal space, Paul Phung for photography, James Olivo for cinematography, Katherine Sutherland for costume support.