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A Northumbria performing arts lecturer is leading a unique day of music, dance, installation and discussion focused around an everyday object – the chair.

Take Your Seats, a day-long event at Gateshead’s Shipley Art Gallery this Saturday, has been organised by dance artist, improviser, performer, choreographer, teacher, and practice-led researcher Liz Pavey.

The free event will feature activities, performances and talks on the theme of chairs and sitting featuring Northumbria staff and students, alongside dancers and performers, including Grand Gestures Dance Collective and Storiella vocal trio.

Liz, who teaches movement and contemporary dance, facilitation and performance research at Northumbria, said: “My research is about the relationship between movement, environment and wellbeing. 

“Being seated shapes our use of our bodies and our sensory knowledge of the world creating memories and habitual patterns. Take Your Seats will be an opportunity to reflect on the everyday act of sitting and the immediate environment of the chairs in which we slump, settle, perch and fidget. 

“It promises to be a lively and stimulating day of music, dance, installation and discussion within the beautiful setting of the Shipley Art Gallery.”

Liz, who joined Northumbria in 2004, has been presenting work professionally since 1996. Her performance work focuses on the relationship of the moving body to its environment interconnected with her interest in somatic awareness and wellbeing.  She has devised work for such sites as the Birmingham Council House balcony and assisted on works for vast spaces including the British Library as well as creating performance within much more intimate settings such as the disused prison cells, Gateshead Old Town Hall. 

Her work in fine art settings includes improvised performances at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and the Hatton Gallery.  Liz’s choreography for the theatre often explores material and sound textures utilising objects as partners within physical performance.  Liz’s video work has investigated use of hand-held cameras for documenting live performance, creating short films and installation, and working with live-feed video in improvised performance. 

Northumbria offers a range of courses in Performing Arts. For more information about studying at Northumbria go to: www.northumbria.ac.uk/performingarts