This weekend, the Oliver Award winning Little Bulb are bringing Listen Dance to Shoreditch Town Hall for two nights only! We spoke to Dominic, Listen Dance’s Director, about this genre-hopping evening of live music and dance, the history of social dance, and the brilliant Little Bulb.
Hi Dominic! Little Bulb has created an incredible array of pieces – from a show for a village hall tour to children’s productions. What are some of the values and ideas that drive the company, and what makes a piece very ‘you’?
We like to make work that is welcoming and accessible, but also quirky and experimental. We love music and we enjoy finding new ways to fuse music and theatre together, whether that’s putting music front and centre in our theatre shows or creating very theatrical gigs.
We also love to have a very direct relationship with our audience. Listen Dance definitely finds itself somewhere between a gig and theatre, and it’s definitely our most interactive show. All the interaction is opt-in, so you’re welcome to sit back and watch, but the whole idea behind the show is to give the audience a chance to get on their feet and experience a whole load of different dances with plenty of theatrical surprises along the way.
What did Listen Dance’s process of creation look like, and why has it come to life now?
Listen Dance had a devised process. This looks like everyone in the cast sharing ideas, creating material, and working together to make a show as a team. We spent lots of time talking and dreaming together, exploring different dances, jamming and composing. It was extremely fun and nourishing, and performing the show and adapting it as it connects with different audiences is the best part of all. We started working on the show in 2020 when we were desperately missing the joy of live events. It’s come to life now because we wanted to have an open-ended process that didn’t rush to the finish line so that we could take our time to make something ambitious that felt fresh and exciting to us.
Can you tell us a little bit about social dance and why it’s the focus of Listen Dance.
As musicians, we are fascinated by Social Dance because so much of the music we love to play was created so that people could dance to it. Dance and music have always evolved together creating countless genres and subgenres across history. Some gigs have become all about the bands, and the audience experience on offer can often involve standing in a crowd of people just watching the band, trying not to get in the way of people filming it on their phones. We are excited about creating a space for the audience experience to be dynamic and interactive. By exploring what can happen when a band’s only purpose is to facilitate the audience to be able to dance, by themselves and with each other, and then to push what is possible in that space.
You’ve just taken Listen Dance to the Edinburgh Fringe. What were some stand-out moments from that experience?
The Edinburgh audiences were wild. Everyone really went for it. There were huge smiles on the dance floor and great moves. Probably a highlight for me was the two audience members who came up after the show and said they’d never been told that ‘anyone can dance’! I think they thought of themselves as non-dancers and discovered a whole new world of possibilities.
What does Listen Dance offer to audiences, and how can audiences get the most out of the experience?
Listen Dance offers the audience a chance to experience an eclectic mix of different dances, in a safe environment with a live band who are with them every step of the way. They can get the most out of the show by joining in with all the dances bringing everything they’ve got to the dance floor. It is also totally fine to sit back and watch the show as a spectacle. It works both ways.
What advice do you have for anyone who might be nervous to come to Listen Dance, or doesn’t have much dance experience?
Listen Dance is, in some ways, a show about dancing for people who are nervous about dancing! Sure, it’s great for confident dancers, but the unique format works especially well for people who don’t always feel comfortable in dancing situations. All the cast are very friendly and welcoming, and all the dances are very clearly explained. We are well aware that some people don’t feel comfortable in nightclubs or big gigs, so we wanted to create a new kind of night out that offers something different.
What are some of the reasons you’re excited to perform at Shoreditch Town Hall?
It’s a dream venue! The size, beauty and history of the space, combined with its continued use as a dance hall, including the monthly Tea Dances, makes it the perfect setting for Listen Dance.
Thanks so much Dominic and Little Bulb! To book tickets to Listen Dance, click here.
