Gwen Van Spijk, from seven sisters group on Like a Fish out of Water, one of this summer’s Secrets…

Gwen Van Spijk, from seven sisters group on Like a Fish out of Water, one of this summer’s Secrets…

It’s been really exciting creating Like a Fish out of Water and working with such a broad mix of dancers and actors. Devising and sharing material together has meant we’ve all pushed against our usual comfort zones.

The piece was specially developed for the lido and blends live performance with pre-recorded video - something we’ve been doing at seven sisters group for a few years. It allows you to question the boundaries of dance, theatre and performance, and of the audience / performer relationship.

The unique challenge of Like a Fish out of Water was to create a ‘journey of discovery’, sparking the viewer’s imagination as they move through the real space and glide visually between the virtual world on screen and the real-life around them.

This is far removed from the traditional view of choreography. Rather than arranging bodies in space, we are choreographing a subtle and complex interplay between camera and live action; present and past, and performers and people in the lido.  The performers must both blend in and stand out, which is a challenge in terms of the design of the space and costumes.

There are many challenges of creating site-specific work in public spaces such as the weather, negotiations with location hosts and the public, plus performing in difficult environments (for example dancing en pointe on concrete). This piece has added another dimension with the underwater filming, which requires new skills from performers, filmmaker Dan Farberoff and the production team.

By devising the work on site is we’ve got to meet and interact with users of the lidos and local residents throughout the process. It’s been really interesting to see how they build a relationship with the piece as it evolves.

Like a Fish out of Water, 5-14 July, is part of this summer’s Secrets: Hidden London series – get your free ticket now at www.molpresents.com/secrets