NEWS
Swindon-based Neon Dance awarded funding for major new work Sonic Body
One Dance UK member Neon Dance has secured £85,850 from Arts Council England to develop a major new interactive performance work, Sonic Body.
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Swindon-based dance company Neon Dance has secured £85,850 from Arts Council England to develop a major new interactive performance work, Sonic Body – with further fundraising now underway to realise the full ambition of the project.
Created by Neon Dance Artistic Director Adrienne Hart, in collaboration with award-winning artist and research scientist Dr Ana Rajcevic (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Sonic Body features an interactive sound world composed by Swindon based composer Sebastian Reynolds and acclaimed Japanese vocal performer Hatis Notis. Sonic Body invites audiences to move through a responsive web of sculptural threads that generate sound. Blending movement, music and visual art, Sonic Body transforms space into a playable environment where each visit creates a unique live soundscape.
The project will be developed in Swindon and across the UK with audiences and partners over the coming months, with a premiere planned for September 2027. Designed to be flexible and scalable, suitable for presentation in galleries, museums, arts centres and other public spaces.
Adrienne Hart said: “Sonic Body is an ambitious project, and we’re excited to be developing it in Swindon and across the South West before sharing it with international audiences. I have been collaborating with Ana Rajcevic for over 10 years and this work signals an exciting new direction for Neon Dance.”
The funding adds to a growing sense of cultural momentum in Swindon. The town has been longlisted for UK City of Culture 2029, has secured £20 million in government investment towards a new town centre theatre, and is part of Swindon Culture Collective’s successful Arts Council England Place Partnership programme – a two-year initiative to strengthen the town’s creative and cultural offer.
Neon Dance continues to develop work with both local roots and international reach, creating opportunities for people in Swindon to engage with innovative creative experiences while contributing to the town’s evolving cultural identity.