Founded in 2007, Barrowland Ballet is now one of Scotland’s most exciting and successful contemporary dance companies built around the artistic work of choreographer Natasha Gilmore. The company produces high quality, accessible dance theatre performances which tour nationally and internationally to small and mid-scale venues. The work’s themes are delivered with wit and humour, and the insightful observations of human behaviour are rooted in her personal stories.
Barrowland Ballet’s work has gained critical international acclaim performing in festivals and venues across the world. In 2017, Natasha Gilmore was the UK nomination for the ASSITEJ Award for Excellence for her work for young audiences including Little Red （7+）, Whiteout （12+） Tiger Tale （7+） and Poggle （6 months – 4 years）. The company also have a repertoire of intergenerational, short dance films including Loose Leaf Tea, Whiteout, Wolf and most recently Strings.
Alongside the company’s professional work they produce high quality participatory performance projects; the two are inter-dependent with one inspiring the other. Participatory projects include intergenerational performances Wolves, The River （Commonwealth Festival 2014） and Bunty & Doris. The company also runs Wolf Pack a free, intergenerational company in Glasgow with participants aged 7-80 years old.
Wolf
Wolf is set in the stunning natural environment of autumnal Scotland. As its heart is the interplay between being guided to the right path in life by older generations and the need to forge your own path and choose your own way. Using imagery from well-known fairy tales and morality folklore, Wolf explores the interaction and connection between intergenerational communities and families. In 2016 Natasha Gilmore setup an intergenerational dance performance company called Wolf Pack, in Glasgow. They meet weekly to devise dances together and this film was one of their first projects.
Whiteout
Whiteout gives resonance to the complexities of bi-racial relationships. Informed by her personal experiences as a white European who married a black African and as the mother of bi-racial children, Natasha Gilmore explores this issue with honesty and humour. Powerful, and touching, this film stimulates conversation about race and racism, even within a family unit, while celebrating human connections beyond racial difference. Featuring an interracial cast from Barrowland Ballet the film was made alongside a live touring theatre version performed by the six strong cast and featuring filmed projections of Gilmore’s own children.
Strings
Strings explores the rich possibilities for connection, communication and creative expression through dance. Bringing together Barrowland Ballet’s dance artists and young people with complex needs, Strings celebrates children’s ability to take the lead and express themselves physically. Natasha Gilmore was inspired to make this film with children with complex needs after a period or research and development for a live theatre show called Playful Tiger, made for an audience of eight children with profound autism and their carers. The children that this production was aimed at do not often have access to theatre, because even a relaxed performance is unlikely to cater to the complexity of their needs.
“During the making of Playful Tiger I felt so honoured to witness the stunning duets and trios occurring in front of me and I decided to make Strings, a short dance film made with the children performing alongside our dance artists”, Natasha Gilmore. She has also made an accompanying film “The making of Strings” to communicate the background to this process.
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