Local dancers aged 2 to 80 take us on a journey from open heath to wide river shore, woodland to arable land, flowered meadow to ancient oak – all under the sweeping skies of Suffolk.

Inspired by local wildlife the 114 performers, dance within spectacular landscapes around Ipswich and East Suffolk. They portray the aerobatic, strutting of rooks; undulating, twisting of otters; spiky thorns of overarching brambles; circular patterns of dandelion; fluttering, soaring of larks; gossiping, tipping of magpies; silky, snaking of adders, amongst others.

The young children lead the audience in their wonder at and exploration of the big outdoors. Expect to be caught up with their delight and to enjoy the wry humour of the elders. Breathe deep with the unfurling and spreading of ferns.

Dance Under Suffolk Skies was created as the culmination of Moving Appearances, a participatory arts project developed and led by Dance Artist, Sam Moss. Her choreography embraces the creative ideas and movement input of the performers. With an original soundscore by local composer, Amy Mallett, a range of music genres are interwoven with birdsong, prose and poetry written by performers.

The cast are from 6 groups including primary schools, Dance Unlimited – adult performance company and EncoreEast – performance company for over 50s. Young children and their families were gathered through an outreach programme in partnership with Chantry Library. Sam also partnered with Suffolk Wildlife Trust to enable them to discover more about the creatures and habitats in nearby parks.

Moving Appearances is a new project supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England by Ipswich Borough Council Area Committee, DanceEast and Suffolk Libraries.

Director: Sam Moss

Certificate: U

Running Time: 30 minutes