In our ongoing Edinburgh Fringe interview series, we are speaking to artists and creatives who are bringing their shows to the Scottish capital this summer.
In this interview, Mark Bleakley discusses their show Stepping In… Spilling Out.
What can you tell me in your words about your show?
Stepping In...Spilling Out is a performance and collaboration between myself and percussionist and friend Rémy Gouffault. The work is an attempt from me to explore why I love stepping, the act of putting one foot in front of another, whether that is 2 stepping in a club, marching in a street, or melancholic swaying alone in grief. It unlocks a feeling and an activation of ideas, cultures, memories, and communal practices which comes to my body. In this work I have tried to create a pathway that I step through and hopefully guide the audience with me.
I wanted to make a show about the real simple foundational aspects of my dance practice. I wanted to talk about the action of putting one foot in front of another, because I find it kind of amazing; like what this action makes me feel, physically, but also emotionally and politically. There is a resonance in making a step (like I am talking super simple here, just stepping like walking, or maybe waltzing or line dancing): what ripples out from your body when you do this and what does it touch? Is it other people, places, or communities, or does it just make your body feel present? It sounds like a mindfulness exercise haha. Another inspiration is drums and rhythm; the pulse of percussion is the driving force of me stepping around the dance floor, it's a heartbeat for movement and I wanted to work with this as a live component. I saw Rémy performing a live percussion set of Chicago footwork/Juke music, and I knew I wanted to find a way to create a space for us to collaborate and be in dialogue together.
This work is a redevelopment of a performance lecture I made as part of my MFA in choreography (this is where the oversized mic cable design comes from). We were asked to discuss an aspect of your practice, so I thought about what is at the core of my dance… stepping! I would say the creation process was in three strands:
Stepping In...Spilling Out is a performance and collaboration between myself and percussionist and friend Rémy Gouffault. The work is an attempt from me to explore why I love stepping, the act of putting one foot in front of another, whether that is 2 stepping in a club, marching in a street, or melancholic swaying alone in grief. It unlocks a feeling and an activation of ideas, cultures, memories, and communal practices which comes to my body. In this work I have tried to create a pathway that I step through and hopefully guide the audience with me.
Working in a continuous dialogue with Rémy, the performance weaves improvisation, text, rhythm, participation, and recorded conversations together for the audience and myself to consider the ways we step on, with, and for: people and places, present or absent. As part of the spatial design I have created a loose pattern using audio cables to create a carpet-like space where the work starts from; my first ground, my parents’ carpet.
For me this work is a direct conversation with the audience, as a dancer with a social dance background I relate more to a line dance in a social club than the boundary of dance floor and audience. I've developed this performance with different moments of light touch participation in order to create a space that is shared and created with the audience.
Where did the inspiration for this piece come from?
I wanted to make a show about the real simple foundational aspects of my dance practice. I wanted to talk about the action of putting one foot in front of another, because I find it kind of amazing; like what this action makes me feel, physically, but also emotionally and politically. There is a resonance in making a step (like I am talking super simple here, just stepping like walking, or maybe waltzing or line dancing): what ripples out from your body when you do this and what does it touch? Is it other people, places, or communities, or does it just make your body feel present? It sounds like a mindfulness exercise haha. Another inspiration is drums and rhythm; the pulse of percussion is the driving force of me stepping around the dance floor, it's a heartbeat for movement and I wanted to work with this as a live component. I saw Rémy performing a live percussion set of Chicago footwork/Juke music, and I knew I wanted to find a way to create a space for us to collaborate and be in dialogue together.
How have you approached developing the show?
This work is a redevelopment of a performance lecture I made as part of my MFA in choreography (this is where the oversized mic cable design comes from). We were asked to discuss an aspect of your practice, so I thought about what is at the core of my dance… stepping! I would say the creation process was in three strands:
- interviews with guest dancers - professional or not I look to have conversations with 'enthusiastic' dancers
- weaving of references
- developing a dialogue with Rémy
The key aspect I was trying to find was; how do I create a pathway through a web of references that makes sense to audiences. I balanced this script writing with invitations from other dancers; firstly so I was not making this work in isolation, so my ideas had people to bounce off of, and secondly I truly believe dance is social and wanted to ensure that this was present in the creation process.
How would you describe the style of the show?
Conversational and playful. This performance is a dialogue I am having with myself, Rémy the percussionist and performer, and the audience. I want the tone of the performance to be that of a conversation going off in tangents. Between me and Rémy, we are keeping the piece fresh by not fixing all the music and movement together, meaning we find out things in the moment. That's what I love about live performance.
Can you describe the show in 3 words?
Energising, rhythmic, thoughtful.
How do you mentally and physically prepare for a run like the Fringe?
Keeping in my mind that it is just a very public conversation. There is always the option of playing, and if I'm lost find the fun.
Away from your show, what are you most looking forward to about being in Edinburgh?
It will be nice to be staying back home, I feel very lucky to have that privilege and opportunity to do so. But also get to see some of the exhibitions at the same time. I do love how Edinburgh temporarily becomes a European city with everything being open til late and everyone hanging around in parks and on the streets.
(For returnees only!) What is one hidden gem in Edinburgh that everyone should visit?
Not a returnee, but an Edinburgh born artist. Visit the city outside of the Old Town, like Leith or Portobello - there's so much more to this city than a 2-mile radius! If you don’t have time for that, there's a mad old pub called Leslies Bar where they still have the hidden screens so 'outstanding members of society' (police and priests) could drink without worrying about their reputation. Hilarious, you feel so strange ordering a pint staring at a stained glass panel, a classic old boozer with snugs and ornate decorations. It’s only a 10 minute walk from Summerhall.
Are there any other shows at the Fringe you’d like to recommend?
Everything from the Made in Scotland programme, which Stepping is also part of! Specifically I'm excited to see Through warm temperatures and Waxen Figures.
What was the first piece of theatre you saw which had a big impact on you?
I used to watch so much stand up when I did box office and FOH as my summer jobs during the Fringe. I always think about the genius of Dr Brown/Phil Burgers "Befrdfgth" - it demonstrated this incredible craft of using minute gestures, but this hasn't really impacted my practice directly. One that has impacted me would be Anna Teresa de Keersmaeker’s Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich. Stumbling in and seeing this accidentally was one of the best things that happened for developing my practice.
What do you hope an audience member takes away from seeing the show?
As simply as I can put it, I want audiences to leave feeling the ground, sensing what their feet touch and carry with them. Maybe it's like we hold so much baggage in our feet we don't realise it - think of all those nerve endings in our soles! As living vibrant beings we contaminate and are contaminated by the people, places and materials we touch. I hope that someone leaves the show, walks on cobblestones, and feels a memory of their feet in another time or place.
Where and when can people see your show?
12th - 17th August. Assembly @ Dance Base 7.50pm
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