A PLAYFUL new dance performance which invites audience members to partake of food as part of the show is scheduled for this month at Stockton Arc.

The award-winning dance company Protein returns to the region with a witty piece of dance and music theatre entitled May Contain Food, aimed at stimulating thought about sensory, cultural and social implications of food – from the simplicity of savouring a cherry tomato to touching on the moral dilemma of vegetarianism.

Music by composer Orlando Gough is sung live by four vocalists and the choreography by Luca Silvestrini involves a quartet of dancers.

There will be a tempting waft of freshly-baked pudding as the performers weaves though designer Yann Seabra’s interactive set, inviting the audience to sit at a table before offering a tasting menu and serving up the show.

Luca Silvestrini said: "This collaboration with Orlando using the art a cappella singing has been a wonderful opportunity to understand and exploit further the expressive power of voice and text creatively.

"We had talked for years about making an immersive piece of dance theatre around social occasions and life at mealtimes when what matters is feeding the senses and having a good time. Now we have created a show that brings all these elements together.”

Silvestrini's other recent pieces include LOL (lots of love) and Border Tales, in which movement and speech complement one another at both the physical and emotional level.

Orlando Gough said: “I have for at least 20 years aspired to collaborate on a piece in which dancers and singers would perform together on equal terms.

"I am a very keen cook, to the extent of having written a cookbook, and am interested in the political, social and cultural aspects of eating.”

May Contain Food is at Stockton Arc on Thursday, November 24, at 7pm. To book tickets, priced on a Pay What You Decide basis, or for more information, call the box office on 01642 525199 or go to www.arconline.co.uk.

Suitable for ages 12+ (contains mild swearing).

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