Candoco Dance Company new dance film ‘Cuckoo’ inspired by a bespoke prosthetic leg

Cuckoo the new dance film from Candoco Dance Company,  is inspired by a bespoke prosthetic leg created by Sophie de Oliveira Barata of The Alternative Limb Project,  for dancer Welly O’Brien.  The unique limb is carved from cherry wood and features a working cuckoo clock and pendulum. 

This short choreography for camera is a visually striking and playful reflection on our changing experience of time passing and set to a poetic musical score by Jules Maxwell.  

Cuckoo is a collaboration between Candoco Dance Company and The Alternative Limb Project, co-produced by Sadler’s Wells.  

The film is available to watch via the Sadler’s Wells YouTube and Facebook from Monday 30 November. 

Dancer Welly O’Brien. Photo by Becky Dann

Cuckoo forms part of the Sadler’s Wells x Candoco Dance Company collaboration as part of the Digital Stage in Focus offering. 

Digital Stage In Focus features Sadler’s Wells in collaboration with three world-renowned dance companies, and began in September with Sadler’s Wells x Hofesh Shechter Company, a hugely successful partnership that drew more than 1.4 million views globally. Each collaboration features a digital screening of a full-length performance made available for seven days; a Get Into Dance Workshop, which is a 30-minute introductory level session devised by each company in its own distinct dance style; and a bespoke piece of digital content created especially for this series.

Digital Stage In Focus is free for all audiences with content released via the Sadler’s Wells website, Facebook page, Instagram and YouTube channels. Following the Hofesh Schechter collaboration was Sadler’s Wells x ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company. 

Dancer Welly O’Brien. Photo by Becky Dann

Sadler’s Wells x Candoco Dance Company, runs from Monday 23 November – Friday 4 December and also includes a Get Into Dance Workshop, hosted by company members Joel Brown and Olivia Edginton, who will introduce viewers to Candoco’s style and technique, available to stream from Monday 23 November.

The series continues with a previously announced streaming of the company’s powerful dance work Let’s Talk About Dis, created by Sadler’s Wells New Wave Associate Hetain Patel, which will be available to watch for seven days on Sadler’s Wells’ Facebook Page and YouTube channel from Thursday 26 November, 7:00pm BST. 

Featured image: Dancer Welly O’Brien. Photo by Becky Dann