Sharon Watson, Artistic Director of Phoenix Dance Theatre speaks ahead of MAC's Beyond Windrush season.

Sharon – you’ve created and choreographed ‘Windrush: Movement of the People’ which performs at MAC’s Beyond Windrush season; tell us a bit about the work.
‘Windrush: Movement of the People’ is a 55-minute narrative dance piece which starts in the Caribbean and takes the audience on the boat journey from Kingston, Jamaica to Tilbury Docks and then into British culture.  Within the piece we explore, through dance, the challenges that people faced when they arrived in England and through dance, we look at the integration of cultures and the resulting nuances of black British culture.  It’s the first dance performance of its kind.  The message is about migration and change and truly goes ‘Beyond Windrush’.

What and who inspired you to make the piece?
Interestingly Phoenix started to address the Windrush story 20 years ago when it was the 50th anniversary; we contributed a dance performance as part of a music concert in Edinburgh and did a lot of research and talked a lot about doing something more.   Now is very timely for us to re-engage with Phoenix Dance’s black British heritage that started in Leeds 37 years ago, and for me it’s quite a personal story: my mother and father’s story is played out within the piece.  Within my version of the story: my mother and father’s story is played out within the piece.  My father travelled to the UK first, leaving my mother in the Caribbean.  He came here to England to find a better life, to help the country to get back on its feet after World War II, to support his family and eventually to find a way of bringing his family to England, which he eventually did.  I have 5 brothers and sisters who were born in the Caribbean and three of us were born here in the UK.  In ‘Windrush: Movement of the People’ we look at the amalgamation of styles, fashion, music and culture as well as individuals’ life stories.

Tell us a bit about your cast and collaborators.
It was very important that the show would be representative; we have a completely integrated cast with international performers which means we have Caribbean dancers portraying Caribbean characters, British dancers portraying British characters and so on.  It was also important for the company to understand why I was doing what I was doing – it was for them and it was about them.

Eleanor Bull is a Linbury Prize winner – she designed the set and the costumes and I think she’s done a phenomenal job – her designs really capture the essence, colour and design of what I wanted.

Credit to amazing composer Stella Litras.  She came into the room, felt the energy, the vibe and gave me what I needed.  She also brought in vocalist Rob Green and through this process we were given a reciprocal duty of engagement.  We’ve produced something we’re both incredibly proud of.

What do audiences think of the show?
Audiences have been magnanimous wherever we’ve performed.  They’ve really appreciated seeing this production and many people feel a connection to the work; some cry, some laugh, and when I sit in the audience (hiding!) it’s great to pick up vibes and snippets of conversation and reactions.  Some people don’t know the story needs to be told, or why it’s important, and ultimately thank us for doing it in dance language.

We do have text within the music: it’s a poem titled ‘You Called And We Came’ written by Professor Laura Serrant, Professor of Nursing at Sheffield Hallam University and a very high profile Equality Ambassador.  She sent us her poem, I read it, loved it and gave it to Stella to put music to it.  It’s very touching and fits perfectly with the work.

What’s next for Phoenix?
In 2019 we’re working with Opera North for the first time to present a re-working of the iconic ballet, ‘The Rite of Spring’.  It’s a really exciting collaboration and I’m thrilled to be able to showcase our diversity and athletic power in such an emotional and energetic piece.

Phoenix Dance Theatre Presents Windrush: Movement of the People shows at MAC Birmingham from 4-5 May.