Border Tales is a punchy yet poignant commentary on multicultural Britain using dance, live music and dialogue compiled from the performers’ personal experiences.
Border Tales looks at our country, seen through the eyes of an international cast and gazes satirically on stereotypical thinking and migrant outsiders. Originally created in 2013 and presented in the round, Border Tales was brought back ‘front-end’ in 2016 for the BBC World Service and in 2017 it was presented at Edinburgh Fringe, in what we now know as a ‘post-Brexit’ Britain.
Border Tales focuses on the space between “us” and “them”, with a story told by six party-goers and their host. With an engaging blend of dance, dialogue and live music, the result is a funny, honest and sometimes discomforting commentary on stereotypical thinking and casual racism, portraying Britain as a place where the novelty of cultural diversity has worn off, fusion is starting to taste bland and harmonious living has become rather tricky.
“The desire to bring back this piece of work created in 2013 comes primarily from the moment we are living in…I feel it is important to bring back these simple yet relevant tales of migration and identity, to both remember the past and to reflect about today.” Luca Silvestrini
Running time: 75 minutes
#BorderTales #ProteinDance
Reviews
‘A bold, visceral dynamic attempt to show the lives of multicultural Britain today' North West End
"Funny, thought-provoking and consistently entertaining, Border Tales celebrates our differences, acknowledges our sameness and does more to repair the rifts than politics ever could." The Scotsman
‘Surrounded by timpani of all shapes and sizes (Anthar Kharana) creates sounds of heartbreaking beauty and savage excitement.’ Sunday Express
Bonnie Bird Choreography Award winner (2005), Temitope Ajose Cutting has created and staged works for venues such as Royal Opera House and ROH2. She has been commissioned by The Place Prize Bloomberg, and exciting dance producer Eckhard Thiemann at the Lowry. Her works have been performed at DanceXchange, RichMix, Dance base in Edinburgh, Swindon Dance and the Soho Joyce (New York).
As a dancer, Temitope has worked with Punchdrunk, director Carrie Cracknell at The Gate Theatre and very recently at The National Theatre, director Amy Hodge, Boxd productions, Theo Clinkard and Lea Anderson, Joe Moran and Sue Maclaine. in addition to this she has been part of the performance team re-staging Joan Jonas retrospective at the Tate Modern, working with choreographer and curator Nefeli Skarmea for artist Megan Rooney at the Serpentine Pavilion and now working closely with Megan Rooney for her solo show at Kunsthalle and most recently the Lyon Bianale.
Temitope continues to make her work producing a show at The Southbank this autumn with director Jo Tyabji working on the politics of public speaking with an extraordinary cast.
Temitope performs in Protein’s Border Tales and co-delivers Protein 21 Reimagine, creating works across the UK in response to Protein’s repertoire.
Born in Essex, UK, Eryck trained at The Royal Ballet School. Eryck’s dance career has seen him work for companies including Rambert Dance Company, Michael Clark Dance Company, Humanoove, Luca Silvestrini’s Protein, Company Chameleon, Alexander Whitley Dance, New Movement Collective, Musemotion, and Hong Kong Ballet. He has performed works by Christopher Bruce, Itzik Galili, Richard Alston, Merce Cunningham, Siobhan Davies, Luca Silvestrini, Garry Stewart, Mark Baldwin, Andre Gingras, Darshan Singh Buller, Paul Taylor, and many others.
For Protein, Eryck performed in Border Tales and was rehearsal director during May Contain Food. Eryck has also worked on movement development for numerous West End musicals including Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Groundhog Day and Frozen. In addition to dancing Eryck teaches yoga and Vedantic thought and trained under renowned teacher Claire Missingham. He teaches at studios across London.
Stephen Moynihan is originally from Cork, Ireland. Having graduated from London Contemporary Dance School, he has worked for various choreographers and companies in the UK and internationally including T.R.A.S.H., Hagit Yakira, Luke Murphy, BBC, Maxine Doyle, HBO, NBC, Alexandra Reynolds, Stephanie Schober, Yael Flexer, Retina Dance Company, Simon Vincenzi with London College of Fashion, Jean Abreu Dance, Joe Moran Dance, Robert Clark and Tom Dale Company. Stephen also danced with Akram Khan Company in the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony. Stephen received a DanceWeb Scholarship as part of Impulstanz in Vienna and has been a member of the Dance Panel for the Olivier Awards.
Yuyu Rau trained in ballet, contemporary dance, Chinese martial arts and classical dance in Taiwan before moving to the UK in 2006.
Furthering her career as a performance artist, Yuyu has worked with a plethora of leading UK choreographers and companies including Wayne McGregor, Javier De Frutos, Lucy Guerin, Jean Abreu, ACE Dance and Music Company and Clod Ensemble.
As an actor, Yuyu was invited to perform Who am I at The Independent’s TED Talk 2013 and has since worked for National Theatre and Royal Court. Yuyu has also performed on the BBC drama One Child and sitcom Chinese Burn.
Kenny Wing Tao Ho is a performer and artist based in London. He began training and competing in breakdance and then went on to study at London Contemporary Dance School.
Kenny began his career, on the stage of the 2012 London Olympics, with Akram Khan, and has since gone on to work with Protein Dance Company, Hofesh Shechter Company and Gecko Theatre. He continues to work with these companies, as a performer, teacher and creator. More recently with Jose Agudo and Dickson Mbi.
Kenny performs with Luca Silvestrini’s Protein in Border Tales and is part of Protein 21 Reimagine, creating works across the UK in response to Protein’s repertoire.
Anthar Kharana is a well-known Colombian musician, composer and multi-instrumentalist from the small town Ocaña. He comes from a line of musicians and is self-taught from the early age of eight. Anthar delivers a wide range of music styles and has a deep understanding of melody and complex rhythms, thanks to his passion for music from the world wide over.
He has been sharing traditions from his homeland in Europe for over fourteen years, as well as directing music projects and bands. Anthar runs musical workshops and performances, and collaborates with dancers and choreographers including Luca Silvestrini’s Protein, Vocab Dance and SinMan Dance. He is also a regular music accompanist at London Contemporary Dance School in London.
Uniquely, Anthar has mastered a wide range of vocal abilities from mellow feminine tones to deep growled Mongolian throat singing. Further to this, he is also a Sound Therapy Practitioner (British Academy of Sound Therapy) using his understanding of music and sound as a healing tool. He runs workshops, sacred music concerts, traditional ceremonies, private sessions and musical retreats worldwide.
Anthar is the Director of Tribal Sound Healing UK and Colombia, and is Co-Director of the first school of Sound Healing in Scotland: ANSU School of Sound and Tribal Healing Arts.
Currently Anthar can be seen performing with Luca Silvestrini’s Protein in Border Tales.
Having trained and received BA (hons) in both Theatre and Dance, and a PGDip from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, with distinction, Andrew performs as a dance artist and actor.
Currently Andrew can be seen dancing with Luca Silvestrini’s Protein in Border Tales and The Little Prince.
He has also worked with renowned choreographers and UK based Dance and Theatre companies such as Ben Wrights bgroup, Curious Seed, ZoieLogic, Riccardo Buscarini, Jamie Fletcher Company, James Wilton, Casson and Friends, Smallpetitklein, Shaper Caper, Encounter, LaBanda, Steven Hogget for How to train your Dragon 2 and Simon McBurneys The Rakes Progress (Igor Stravinsky) in collaboration with Festival Aix and The DNO.
Andrew has taught for Youth companies, adult classes, Professional class and undergraduate dance courses within Scottish Dance Theatre, National Dance Company Wales Young Associates, Smallpetitklein, KNT danceworks, The Space Dundee, Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Ignite Scotland, GDA, ZoieLogic and Plymouth Conservatoire amongst others. Beyond performing, he is a keen dramaturg, and really enjoys working alongside other dance and theatre makers to realise their visions. He supported Zoielogic, Rendez-Vous Dance and Levantes Dance Theatre on their recent works.
From Egypt, dancer and choreographer Salah El Brogy is a graduate of Cairo Opera House Contemporary Dance School Theatre, where he trained in dance, acting, singing, theatre and music. He has a variety of dance backgrounds, from ballet to hip hop, street dance, folklore, Latin, jazz, contemporary and capoeira.
Starting his life with martial arts at the age of eight, Salah eventually joined his home city’s Ismailia Folkloric Dance Troupe in his teens. He subsequently joined the Reda Troupe, the first and biggest folklore dance company in the Middle East. After earning a place in the prestigious Cairo Opera House Contemporary Dance Theatre School, Salah was then offered to join the main Company upon graduating as one of its soloists.
In 2008, he received the Best Dancer Award from Egypt’s French Cultural Centre (now French Institute), and the following year he choreographed, performed and toured his solo Adrenalin. From 2010 until 2012, Salah was lead dancer for Akram Khan Company’s Vertical Road, joining Luca Silvestrini’s Protein in 2013 in Border Tales.
In 2015, Salah was nominated for Dance London’s Emerging Choreographer Award, as part of Salah El Brogy Dance Company. Salah regularly teaches a bespoke Extemporaneous dance class at The Place and Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance.
Salah previously danced with Luca Silvestrini’s Protein in Border Tales which included a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2017.
description
Production Credits
Conceived and Directed by
Performed and devised by
Devised by the original cast with
Music composed by
Additional music by
Lighting design
Costume stylist
Assistants to the Director
Consultant
Production Manager
Sound Engineer
Promo trailer by
Photos by
Commissioned by
Tour History
Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival, Palestine
7 April 2019
The Lowry, Salford
29 March 2019 as a 'Brexit Special'
Sogang University, Seoul, South Korea
12 June 2018
Octavian Goga National College, Sibiu, Romania
12 June 2018
Zeughaus Kulture, Brig, Switzerland
24-26 May 2018
Associazione culturale Filieradarte, Turin, Italy
8 May 2018
Norwich Playhouse, Norwich
5 May 2018
Stantonbury Theatre, Stantonbury
1 May 2018
Leicester Grammar School, Leicester
30 April 2018
South Hill Park, Bracknell
25 April 2018
Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry
23 & 24 April 2018
The Albany, Deptford, London
19 April 2018
Teatro delle Muse, Ancona, Italy
24 November 2017
ARC Stockton Arts Centre, Stockton-upon-Tees
21 November 2017
The Place, London
14-18 November 2017
Curve, Leicester
11 November 2017
Lakeside Theatre, Nottingham
10 November 2017
Forest Arts Centre, Hampshire
9 November 2017
Mumford Theatre, Anglia Ruskin Univeristy, Cambridge
8 November 2017
The House, Plymouth
4 November 2017
Pavilion Dance South West, Bournemouth
3 November 2017
The Point, Eastleigh
2 November 2017
Summerhall, Edinburgh
4-26 August 2017 part of Edinburgh Fringe Festival
BBC Radio Theatre, London
18 April 2016 part of BBC World Service's Identity
For Promoters
Are you a venue or promoter wanting to book Border Tales?
Check out our Border Tales Promoters Pack.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Protein connects people and everyday life through dance.
Get Protein events, news and opportunities straight to your inbox by signing up to our e-bulletin. Your details will not be passed on to third parties.