Soul's Paths

Manchester 1650

Source: Wikipedia

In the historic heart of Manchester not far from the Shambles and the cathedral off Shudehill there is a "creative wellness centre" known as "The Wonder Inn" whose focus is "to raise the vibrations of [the] community and the planet through the celebration of art." Classes and performances take place at The Wonder Inn from time to time,

One of those performances will be Soul's Paths in which my ballet teacher, Carlotta Tocci will dance. Carlotta is a very good teacher as I noted on Facebook when she first taught me:

"An excellent class at KNT in Manchester yesterday. A new teacher stood in for Ailsa. I didn't catch her name but she was very good and I do hope to attend another of her classes one day. She had a slight continental accent (though not sufficiently distinct to identify a country of origin) which suggests that she may have trained abroad. She was very friendly and had an encouraging smile."

She is also a very good dancer. I saw her in Northern Ballet School's summer show A Showcase of Dance  on 9 July 2015 in The Night Shift and singled her out for special mention (see my review of the performance (see Serendipity 15 July 2015).

Soul's Paths is described on the Wonder Inn's website as

"a result of a collaboration between Matrafisc Dance Company and Vonnegut Collective we present "Soul's paths", a site specific performance, grown around the idea of an inner journey that gradually goes deeper while experiencing the key themes of friendship, love, fraternal bond and sexuality. The journey itself starts the exact moment you step in."

There is not much on Matrafisc Dance Company's website right now but Vonnegut Collective's tells us that it is

"a Manchester-based chamber ensemble making new music relevant and accessible through improvisation and innovative collaborations."

Some of the ensemble's recordings can be played on the site. The music is certainly innovative; at least some of it appears to be improvised;  and it may well be relevant; but I am not sure about its accessibility as it may not appeal to everyone.

According to the Wonder Inn the show was:

"Born from a deep interest in life stories and what makes us humans, Soul’s Paths is a metaphor of our society. Sometimes we are just too busy to enjoy the little experiences of the life... With this performance they reflect on life’s complexity.
Follow Pied Piper (the violinist), through the building, from room to room, from scene to scene and explore in depth the challenges we all share."

The show has been choreographed by Ina Colizza and Antonello Apicella who will also dance with  Paula de la Puente, Giorgio De Carolis, Mariateresa Molino and, of course, Carlotta.

There will  be performances at 19:00 and 21:00 on 28 Oct 2016 and tickets cost £8.