Fallen Angels find healing and rebirth
- Robert Beale
- 3 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Eight people from Liverpool, Wirral and Chester, all in recovery from addiction or mental health issues, are bringing an uplifting dance show to Chester Storyhouse (September 24) and Liverpool Everyman (October 17) this autumn, following an already sold-out premiere at London's Royal Opera House.
Fallen Angels Dance Theatre’s production, Holding Light, celebrates the power of human resilience over adversity. The dancers spent six months working with acclaimed choreographers Russell Maliphant, Alice Godfrey and Paul Bayes Kitcher - co-founder of the group - weaving their stories through a trio of short dance pieces.
Each offers a different perspective on recovery journeys, from navigating everyday struggles to the healing power of community and the human instinct for rebirth - connecting audiences to courageous and honest stories rarely seen on stage.
Most of the performers, aged from their 20s-70s, have no formal background in dance, while some are reconnecting with the artform during recovery. All began with free weekly sessions run by Fallen Angels at the Everyman and Storyhouse.
Two professional dancers – Arianna Sansone and Jo Freeman – join them on stage. Music is by sound artist and composer Feri Gyemant and costumes by Alena Kudera. The performance lasts an hour and includes a behind-the-scenes film.
Holding Light follows 2023’s sold out Traces Through Time, a collaboration with New Note recovery orchestra, which also premiered at the Royal Opera House.
Fallen Angels Dance Theatre was founded in Chester in 2011 by professional dancers Claire Morris and Paul Bayes Kitcher, a former Birmingham Royal Ballet soloist who has experience of addiction and recovery.
Morris said: “At the heart of Holding Light is the voices and experiences of people in addiction and mental health recovery. Through Fallen Angels’ unique co-creation process, performers draw on their own journeys to create work that is honest, courageous and deeply human.”
More info and ticket links here
