We are so excited that SPIN OUT Festival is returning this summer for more performances around our wonderful town.
SPIN OUT is our annual season of open-air performances from the most exciting performers of theatre, circus, music, and dance. All of the shows are completely free to the public, offering both residents and visitors the chance to engage with and enjoy thrilling innovative outdoor performances.
Closing this year’s season is the fantastic Frock, an uplifting dance riot that celebrates individuality and difference in the most punk way.
Frock will be on at 12:30pm and 2pm on Saturday 10 September, at Pavilion Promenade.
Six striking dancers collide in an uplifting dance riot set to a brand new art rock soundtrack by Hannah Miller and Oli Austin of Moulettes. In this quirky new dance piece, watch playful observations of the yesteryears explode into a ‘punkish’ celebration of individuality and difference.
Artistic Director Lucy Bennett from dance company Stopgap Dance shared the development of this piece with us:
How are you feeling about the upcoming performance at Worthing’s Spin Out Festival?
We are counting the days, both Jannick (performer in Frock) and myself (choreographer) grew up in Worthing! We met in Belgium after someone commented on my ‘I love BRIGHTON’ bag, I stated I came from Worthing and Jannick piped up – “so do I”. Frock was an idea that grew from my memories of my grandparents who lived in Shoreham by Sea; I think the work will look really at home on the Worthing Seafront and Seaside Architecture.
Tell us a bit about the show. Where did the idea come from? What can we expect?
Frock is an outdoor dance show with six dancers, disabled and non-disabled. It is set to an original soundtrack by Moulettes. The idea grew from my recollections and childlike musings around the gender roles my grandparents presented. The production starts gently with a nostalgic feel and moves quite quickly to a high energy and physically upbeat dance riot! Expect frocks, suits, shifting dance sequences, dance partnering, unison movement, tea and a celebration of love, relationships and fluidity.
What has the development of this piece looked like?
We have been touring Frock for a couple of years now, but we had to take a break during the pandemic. We are always tightening the work and layering the characters. We began with a lot of observation of vintage footage of men and women, we also observed our families and each other. We worked on the tempo, pace and physicality of the two groups we have in the production: Suits and Skirts. We then worked on a West Side Story Style dance off, evolving material. The standing dancers spent time translating movement from Nadenh, Stopgap’s phenomenal wheelchair dancer – so that the unison between different bodies is refined and articulated. We developed duets that transitioned between different relationships, and we played with a fun, quick and exuberant musical theatre style finale with teacups!
What’s your favourite part of the performance?
I enjoy the absorbing song Elastic Band by the Moulettes, the bass throbs and the dancers pace the space as duets between different people are revealed.
Anything else you want to share or feel is significant?
It feels great to be finally performing in Worthing after so many years!
SPIN OUT is an entirely free festival, but it’s always worth booking tickets to secure your place in the audience. You don’t want to miss out! Click the name of the performance to book your tickets.
While SPIN OUT is free for you to enjoy, you can support us in other ways, from becoming a member to one-off donations. Click here to see how you can support your local arts charity, and keep the quality art and culture alive.