Hetain Patel takes TEN to Australia following UK 2010 tour
Published 24 August 2010
Already well known as a visual artist in 2008, Hetain Patel was unsure whether to apply for the decibel Performing Arts Showcase 2009, so he attended an artists' information session. Since presenting TEN as a work in progress at decibel, Hetain has found production partners to complete the show, which is now booked for a national tour and dates in Australia.
“I am a visual artist who has been exhibiting photography and video in galleries for the past 6 years. In the visual arts I am already starting to establish myself with frequent exhibitions nationally and internationally, but decibel was my first outing into the performing arts, where I am largely unknown.
“I wanted to present and introduce my first piece of work for theatre at Showcase, but I was not sure about my eligibility to apply. I attended one of the artists' information sessions in Leicester and fortunately I was put to ease and encouraged to apply. This opportunity allowed me to showcase my work to important people in this new context for me.
“The performance piece that I took to showcase was a work-in-progress called TEN. We had about 30 minutes, of which we showed the first 20. I was incredibly nervous as this was my first toe in the water of performing arts and I was very aware that the delegates see a lot of work. As an unknown in this context I had to make my mark.
“In the end I was overwhelmed by the fantastic response we got from the audience and the feedback we got from delegates, venues and promoters after the show. It was a massive confidence boost for something very new to me and an essential profile builder for me and the piece.
“After showcase a number of venues got in touch that were interested in booking or promoting a final version of the show. Later in the year I began a relationship with Dance4 in Nottingham as producers, who used the momentum to help me apply for an Arts Council grant to finish the work and tour it nationally. The decibel presentation certainly helped my ACE application with Dance4, as I was able to demonstrate the demand for my work from a number of programmers and promoters who had seen the work there. We got this bid and completed the piece into a full evenings work.
“So far, we have performed two previews of TEN this summer in Milton Keynes and Nottingham, with the describing it as, “a completely absorbing and original hour”. Then we embark on an 11 date national tour this autumn. Also, as momentum has grown with the project, TEN has been selected as part of Royal Opera House Firsts this coming November and as a result of performing at nottdance09, Nottingham’s international festival of experimental dance, we have been invited to perform the work in Australia.”
TEN Tour Dates – Autumn 2010:
2010
01 July - Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham
18 July - Milton Keynes International Festival, Milton Keynes
25 September - Rich Mix, London
26 September - Greenwich Theatre, London
30 September - Colchester Arts Centre, Colchester
13 October - Salisbury Arts Centre, Salisbury
14 October - Arnolfini, Bristol
15 October - Brewhouse, Taunton
19 October - Drill Hall, Lincoln
20 October - Embrace Arts at The Richard Attenborough Centre, Leicester
21 October - MAC, Birmingham
22 October - Greenroom, Manchester
04 November - Nuffield, Lancaster
2011
January – Details forthcoming
Visit Hetain’s website: http://www.hetainpatel.com
See Hetain perform TEN as a work in progress at decibel 2009: http://vimeo.com/8861758
