Urdance - Part 5. A First Breath, Not the Last Word
There’s something about firsts that holds the weight of expectation, the thrill of the unknown, and the inevitability of imperfection. The first time I heard Urdance — that unmistakable sound of the Synclavier in a dimly lit studio — was a moment of teenage revelation. The first time I saw Francis’ beautifully handwritten score, rescued from the debris of a life well-lived, was a moment of late-middle-aged hope. And now, the first time Urdance has found its way into the public sphere in decades feels like a moment of transition.
Urdance. Aaron Chaplin, Dylan Springer of Phoenix Dance Theatre perform at the CoSTAR LiveLab launch, 6th February, 2025. Photo by Alex Holland
Last week, Urdance took its first performative step back into the world, as part of CoSTAR LiveLab’s launch — an event designed to showcase the performative potential of emergent R&D technologies rather than to present polished productions. It was not the carefully sculpted revival I have in mind, nor was it intended to be. Instead, it was a breath — half-inhaled, exploratory, unfinished.
For that, I am deeply grateful.
Grateful for the opportunity to test ideas in front of an audience, to hear Urdance reverberate in a space beyond our private discussions, to feel the energy of a work rediscovering itself. Grateful for the people and organisations who made it happen*, for the conversations it sparked, for the tantalising sense of possibility. But gratitude does not mean satisfaction. This felt like a moment to learn, not to conclude.
And learn we did. We glimpsed something thrilling — the elasticity of Urdance when woven into new formats, the way it sounded via 28-speaker ambisonics, the way it looked with live dancers moving alongside their mocap avatars, the way technology can both enhance and constrain. There were flashes of the extraordinary, moments where it felt as though we were close to cracking something open, and others where we knew more work lay ahead.
Which is precisely as it should be. Urdance is not an artifact to be encased in glass, nor an echo of past performances. It is a living composition, asking to be reimagined in ways that Francis himself might never have foreseen. This first breath, experimental and imperfect, has given us a sense of direction. Now, we’re preparing to make the next move.
To where? More refinement, more exploration, more possibilities. The question is not whether Urdance will be performed again but how. Very much in the spirit of CoSTAR LiveLAB, the first outing has nudged us closer to an answer, but it remains an open-ended process — one I hope to share as it unfolds.
For now, I’m going to take a deep breath. The next exhalation will come soon enough.
Here’s a PDF of the Programme for the CoSTAR LiveLAB performance of Urdance’s 2nd Movement.
*To CoSTAR LiveLAB, Phoenix Dance Theatre, the University of York and Production Park, but particularly to Jack Wingad, Richard Gonski, Professor Gavin Kearney, Professor Helena Daffern, Marcus Jarrell Willis, James Moreman, Oswin Wan, Jacob Havsteen-Franklin, Ben Price, Aaron Chaplin, Dylan Springer, Joe Rees-Jones, Phil Adlam, Jacob Cooper, Nicola Thomas, Niamh Bell, Katarzyna Sochaczewska & Jack Hardwick.
