Published: Tuesday, 9th October 2018

Councillors and representatives from Warwick District Council have been extending their congratulations to Motionhouse this week as they celebrate their 30th anniversary.

The Leamington based dance-circus company which was founded in 1988 by Executive Director Louise Richards and Artistic Director Kevin Finnan has created more than 35 productions, which have been seen by audiences across the globe with performances in China, Japan, the US and Europe as well as throughout the UK. 

In 2017 almost 80,000 people saw a Motionhouse production which range from theatre shows incorporating digital technology, to free, outdoor performances and large-scale spectacles. With the input of Artistic Director Kevin Finnan MBE (the Choreographer behind the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games) the company has become renowned for their ambitious experimentation with performance environments for celebrations and festivals. Last weekend, two simultaneous performances in South Korea and Romania took place to bring Motionhouse’s world tour to a dramatic finale. Audiences in Seoul had the chance to see BLOCK, an outdoor show which began its 2018 world tour in April at the Commonwealth Games in Australia and has since been performed 106 times at 35 venues to more than 80,200 people this year. At the same time, audiences in Timișoara, Romania were thrilled by Lumen, a site-specific large-scale show on the banks of the River Bega, created in preparation for the European Capital of Culture celebrations taking place there in 2021.

Since their beginnings the company has also been working to inspire young people to get involved in dance and performance with over 10,000 young people taking part in their regular classes, workshops and activities.

Warwick District Council’s portfolio holder for Business, Councillor Noel Butler commented;

“We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Motionhouse, on their amazing achievements over the past thirty years, in bringing the vibrance, innovation and creativity so inherent in our local community to a world-wide audience and at the same being the inspiration for so much home-grown talent.”

This Saturday Motionhouse will be hosting a 30th Anniversary Fundraising Gala Dinner in the state of the art Vitsoe Building, which the company has been using as its rehearsal space since January 2018.  At the dinner they will launch their new Talent Development fundraising campaign.

Motionhouse, Executive Director Louise Richards commented;

We wanted to use our 30th anniversary as an opportunity to extend the reach of our work with children and young people, offering them life-changing creative experiences including for example, extended work placements, classes and training, and opportunities to work with the professional company. ”

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