Philip Taylor’s restless Haunted Passages is a classic from Phoenix’s repertoire. First performed by Phoenix in 1989, this poignant, evocative work rapidly became a must see, returning again to the company’s repertoire throughout the mid-nineties. Danced to Benjamin Britten’s atmospheric Lachrymae, Haunted Passages draws its inspiration from the obsessive, random thoughts which haunt us all at times when seeking sleep. Often sombre and deeply emotional, the piece sees three sleepless moonlit dancers face up to both real and imaginary hopes and fears, as the angular and swooping choreography takes them to a place somewhere between waking and slumber.
Haunted Passages was originally created for NDT II.
"a tremulous, gothic and rather sexy study of nocturnal fantasies and fears"
The Guardian, December 2010
"a spiky, fluttery pas de trois of the greatest delicacy and precision."
The Independent on the Phoenix revival, 1995
"If ever there was a piece to send shivers down your spine, it is Philip Taylor’s Haunted Passages."
Yorkshire Evening Post, September 1995
"an extraordinarily mature work for two men and a woman."
Evening Standard, 1995
PHILIP TAYLOR | CHOREOGRAPHER
Philip was born in Leeds and trained at the London School of Contemporary Dance from 1977-1980. He danced with London Contemporary Dance Theatre under the Artistic Direction of Robert Cohan from 1980-1982 before joining Nederlands Danstheater’s junior company NDT II under the Artistic Direction of Arlette Van Boven from 1982- 1984. Philip joined the main company NDT I under the Artistic Direction of Jiri Kylian from 1984- 1991 and worked with choreographers such as Hans Van Manen, Glen Tetley, Christopher Bruce, Mats Ek,Ohad Naharin and Nacho Duato. During this period, Philip choreographed several works for NDT II and created the work Invention together with the visual artist Norman Perryman and the Circle Percussion Ensemble for NDT I for the Holland Dance Festival 1989.
From 1991 to 1994, Philip was a freelance artist based in Den Haag working as a choreographer and teacher at the Royal Dutch Conservatorium in Den Haag, School of Moderne Dans in Amsterdam and the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds, England. He was Artistic Director of Das Ballett Ausburg in Bavaria from 1994 to 1996. From 1996 to 2007, Philip was Artistic Director of Ballett Theater München at the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz,in Munich. During this period Philip created over 35 works for the company, including 10 full evening works.
Since 2007 Philip has worked as a freelance artist based in Münich, Germany, and has guest taught and choreograped at the Artez Dans Academy in Arnhem under the Artistic Directorship of Gaby Allard. Philip has choreographed works for amongst others, Cullberg Ballet, Phoenix Dance Theatre, Giessen Dance Company, Karlsruhe Staatsballett, Academy Des Tanz Mannheim, Gauthier Dance Stuttgart, SommerBlut Festival Köln and Korzo Theatre Den Haag. Presently Philip also works as rehearsal director for Kylian Productions BV re-staging Kylian’s Svadebka for international companies.
BENJAMIN BRITTEN | COMPOSER
Born in Lowestoft, Suffolk, Benjamin Britten was a composer, conductor, and pianist best known as the author of the opera Peter Grimes. His War Requiem won 3 Grammy Awards in 1963 and in total he published almost 200 works during his lifetime. Alongside his partner Peter Pears he founded the English Opera Group in 1946 and the Aldeburgh Festival two years later. He was given the life peerage of Baron Britten in 1976 but died a few month later.
Based on the earlier lullaby If My Complaints Could Passions Move by John Dowland, Lachrymae for viola and piano was composed in 1950.
MICHAEL MANNION | LIGHTING DESIGNER
Michael is a partner in the lighting consultancy Eye for Detail. He specialises in designing for dance. He has had numerous commissions throughout Britain, Europe and South Africa, and his work has spanned designs for touring companies, site-specifics and installations. He has created designs for Rambert Dance Company, The Birmingham Royal Ballet, The Royal Ballet, Javier De Frutos, Ashley Page, Athina Vahla, Protein Dance Company, Shobana Jeyasingh, Hofesh Shechter, Rafael Bonachela, Charles Linehan, CandoCo, the re –opening event at the Royal Festival Hall and many others.
Michael also conducts courses in lighting design at Tertiary, BA and MA level, in London, Denmark and South Africa. He has taught lighting master classes for the British Council in Kazakhstan.
HEIDI DE RAAD | COSTUME DESIGNER
Heidi studied at art school in The Hague and upon leaving made and designed clothes for several boutiques. Aside from a short break she was Head of the costume department at Nederlands Danstheater from 1975 to 1989 where she worked with choreographers and designers including Hans v. Manen, Jiri Kylian, Glen Tetley, Christopher Bruce, Mats Ek, Willa Kim, Nadine Bayliss, Keso Dekker, John Mcfarlane and more.
Between 1989 and 1999 she worked with Babette van den Berg before going freelance. As a designer Heidi has worked for Jiri Kylian, Ed Wubbe, Philip Taylor, Graham Watson, Cullberg ballet, Washington ballet, Gulbenkian, Comp.Nac. de Danza Madrid, Piet Rogie, Phoenix Dance Company, Introdans, Djazzex, Richard Wherlock, Joerg Mannes, Davide Bombana, Jamie Thomson, Gisela Roja, Patrick Delcroix, Cathy Marston, Lonneke van Leth, Pieter de Ruyter, Eskalibur and theaterschool Rabarber.
Rehearsals: revealed - Haunted Passages
Philip Taylor has returned to Phoenix Dance Theatre to restage his classic piese Haunted Passages. Here he talks about what the piece means to him and what it's been like returning to the company after all these years.
