A short walk from Alnwick’s handsome memorial, sadly marooned on a traffic island, another reminder of the horrors of war is taking shape which should prove less perilous to access.
In a rehearsal room at the Playhouse, Eliot Smith Dance (ESD) are fine-tuning Poppy ahead of a premiere on Remembrance Sunday, November 9.
Billed as “a powerful reflection on war, conflict and sacrifice”, it is also described as a “bold reimagining” of the piece the company first performed at The Glasshouse (Sage Gateshead back then) in 2018, marking a century after the signing of the Armistice that ended the First World War.
The world has changed a lot since 2018 but war is still with us, notching up atrocities and monopolising the news to an even greater extent.
Eliot, founder of the Newcastle-based dance company, says he was moved by another anniversary (it’s 80 years since VE Day, celebrating victory in Europe) to revisit his earlier work.
“This new piece is looking at the Second World War but it’s not a statement of any kind.
“It’s a reminder that actually we don’t seem to have learnt anything because war is still happening.”
It’s not a political piece, not “a statement”, stresses Eliot, sensitive to how things can be misconstrued in febrile times.
Those keenly attuned to music and text might recognise allusions to current conflicts but this, says Eliot repeatedly, is a reflection on war in general, though with a particular focus on the one which ended in 1945.
“In the audience there will possibly be ex-service people so I’m aware of the need to be respectful of their experiences.
“There might also be young people who don’t know much about the war. I’m really conscious of who will be watching. How do you portray it on stage?”
We’ll come to that but first a word about the original Poppy.
“There were five dancers and I was one of them,” recalls Eliot.
“It was very abstract. We wore black costumes and there were poppies on the floor. The music was by Jason Holcomb.
“Much as I loved it (and audiences did too), I have really enjoyed going back to my earlier works.”
This he did recently with Pitman, a dance homage to the miners which was first performed in 2016 and revived last year to mark the 90th anniversary of the Ashington Group of pitman painters.
He liked the process of characterisation and narrative, striving to make the work more story-driven.
So this time Poppy has identifiable characters and is divided into six sections, or tableaux, each set to music by North East composer Adam Johnson.
As we speak, two of the five dancers, Yamit Salazar and Amy Becke, rehearse section one, in which a young couple hear war declared and realise he may soon be called up to fight.
“In section two,” says Eliot, “we go into training, with the three male dancers wearing blue shorts and white tops, while section three reflects the horror of war.”
A research trip Eliot took to Auschwitz concentration camp with Yamit, who is also ESD rehearsal director, fed into this section.
“It was very disturbing and at first unreal,” says Eliot, reflecting on the visit.
“It felt like walking onto a set because you’ve seen it on TV, but then with all the suitcases and the thousands of pairs of glasses it became horribly real.”
Adam Johnson’s tentative suggestion for this section, after much thought, was a heavy metal-inspired soundtrack, although he’d warned: “You’re probably not going to like it.”
Eliot was won over. As he explains: “The music was always going to be pivotal here”. It was the moment to give audiences a jolt.
“Then it goes into section four when we see the poppies, legacy of John McCrae and his famous poem In Flanders Fields (“In Flanders Fields, the poppies grow/ Between the crosses, row on row…” wrote McCrae, killed at Ypres in 1915).
“I don’t want to give away too much but we’re able to do something really cool here at the Playhouse,” teases Eliot.
“Section five is more joyful, the celebration of VE Day with people on the streets with bunting and a cake.
“At the Playhouse we’ve got the young dancers of Alnwick Academy of Dance joining in so there will be a mix of ages.
“Then section six links back to section one with the soldier returning and that moment of, ‘You’re back, you’re safe’.
“But there’s a final reminder that conflict continues to shape people’s lives so it doesn’t end on a wholly joyful note.”
The dancers, with Amy and Yamit joined by Stefanos Dimoulas and Karishma Young (the fifth dancer, Daniel James, isn’t at this rehearsal) tell me they’re enjoying the challenges posed so far by Poppy.
Stefanos, based in London but originally from Greece, and Karishma, also London-based, are enjoying their stay in the North East.
“Very pretty with lots of beautiful parks,” says Karishma who hadn’t been this far north before making her ESD debut in Pitman last year.
“You walk outside and everything is so beautiful,” agrees Stefanos. “It feels inspiring to go to work.”
Amy, who is from South Shields but has danced all over the place, echoes Karishma in finding the Martha Graham technique of contemporary dance – championed by Eliot who studied at the Martha Graham School in New York – hard but rewarding.
“There aren’t many companies or choreographers who work with that technique so I’m really enjoying it,” says Karishma.
“It is demanding but I’ve done quite a bit of it since joining the company,” says Amy.
All are looking forward to the Poppy premiere, despite lightning costume changes and other technical demands.
“The beautiful thing about dance, and art in general, is that it can inspire so many emotions,” says Stefanos.
“With this there will be a wave of emotions and I feel excited about that.”
Karishma says nerves ahead of a premiere are inevitable although none of them seems daunted. There’s an air of confidence and togetherness.
“Because of the theme there’s pressure on us to do our best,” says Yamit. “But that’s always what you want as a dancer, to tell the story as best you can.”
Poppy’s opening performance is at 5.30pm on Sunday (November 9) at Alnwick Playhouse which has supported ESD with a residency and the services of lighting designer Andy Hunt.
Tickets from the Alnwick Playhouse website or call 01665 660550.
A tour will follow early next year with performances at Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, Hexham (February 12); Warkworth Memorial Hall (Feb 14); Newbiggin Maritime Centre (Feb 18); Gosforth Civic Theatre (Feb 19); Spennymoor Settlement Theatre (Feb 28); and the Trinity Theatre, Tunbridge Wells (March 7).