Centre Stage
Words - Tajinder Hayer
Design - Josh Bristow
Photography - David Clerihew
Photography Assistance - Cleo Lim
Styling - Susan Bender-Whitfield at Iona Agency
Styling Assistance - Keira Lynch
Creative Direction & Grooming - Michael Gray at David Artists
Behind the Scenes Videography - Fred Macgregor
Gaffer - Mark Townsend
Shot on location at KOKO
Benoit Swan Pouffer on how Rambert is bringing art to an entirely new audience
Anyone that has seen an episode, has heard a reference or is even familiar with the phrase “Peaky Blinders” will immediately know what that world looks and feels like. Originally brought to life on television screens, the gangster family epic is set in 1900s Birmingham, and featured the brilliant Mr. Cillian Murphy as the fierce boss, Thomas Shelby whose gang would sew razor blades into the peaks of their caps. The BBC production ran for six seasons, made household names of the cast and broke new ground for television, with the violent and rough visuals merged with epic, soaring and contemporary music. Now, imagine that same story being told on stage, via contemporary dance. It was a task that Benoit Swan Pouffer, the eighth Artistic Director of Rambert, relished. The result was art that was transformative, and that brought new audiences to the dance world.
A full version of this feature can be found in The Rakish Gent Issue 4.