SEED was the first site-responsive work conceptualised by Deadman for The Dance Movement in 2007 and set a precedent for how she would go on to work with community groups & professional performers.
SEED was a site-responsive performance inspired
by Frensham Ponds. The multi-disciplinary show brought together 100 young
performers at Farnham Maltings where the performers represented
their responses to the site through movement, film, dance, visual arts
and song.
Choreographic Concept: Rachel Deadman
Visual Art Direction: Mary Branson
Following SEED in 2007 Deadman worked with Mary Branson, again on an site-responsive collaboration, called Traces. The project aimed to respond to
the woodland site, Alice Holt Forest by creating a performance inspired
by the TRACES humans and the natural environment leave in the woodland.
Traces featured a community cast of over a 100 young people and local dance artists from Surrey.
Choreographic Concept: Rachel Deadman
Visual Art Direction: Mary Branson
Deadman was commissioned by South East Dance through the 2012
site-specific Big Dance commission to create Polestar. The work was designed to use bodies
as guiding light to enable audiences to look a little more closely at
areas that they might ordinarily take for granted.
Polestar was originally created as a solo as part of Super Nature a cultural olympiad project for the Guildford Torch Relay event. It was subsequently performed at Woking Dance Festival's Party in the Park and then recreated with the addition of young performers as part of Birtley House's 'Wood Fair' event.