Jake, one of two dancers in FIVE, tells us a little bit more about himself and his favourite part of the show...
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I’m Jake and I’m from a little town in Derbyshire. I grew up in the countryside, and I’ve engaged in a lot of movement from a young age. I started with jujitsu (a martial art), then gymnastics, before discovering dance when I was 13 – it was a compulsory lesson in school. I suddenly realised ‘Oh my god! I can dance.’ After that, I did one of the Dance4’s Centre for Advanced Training schemes, which was basically professional training for young people. What else? I juggle, and I spent a lot of time when I was a kid going around festivals doing acrobatics, poi, and diablo.
Why are dance and movement important to you?
Dancing and moving, for me, are more than just work – partly because it’s therapeutic, and partly because I like it. I like also that it pushes the stereotypes of only females dancing. I think everybody should move in one form or another – everybody should have physical intelligence and experience. I like the fact that it keeps me fit, and I don’t really know how! You do a dance class once a week and suddenly you can run!
What is your favourite part of FIVE and being in FIVE?
We do some fun stuff with stretchy material and sliding around with that, but I also really like the ‘hearing’ section… There’s a lot of fun stuff in there!
It’s been a great process [making FIVE], working with humour and fun. I think it will really show in the finished production.
What can children and their grown-ups expect to experience with FIVE and what message will they take away from it?
I hope they’ll laugh! They’ll either gain a deeper understanding of senses, or they’ll understand the senses in a slightly different way than just their own experience of it. I hope FIVE makes children around here see theatre as a pathway you can take in life, and that it doesn’t always have to be super serious.
What do you hope children remember about FIVE in ten years’ time?
That they remember me! No, I hope they remember the feelings they had when they were watching the show: the enjoyment and the glee.
What was your first theatre experience as a child?
Being in rehearsals with my parents – with my Mum particularly, as she directed a lot of theatre and acted. My youngest memories are watching people practicing lines. The first piece of theatre I ever saw was a duet, which had a set of a load of strings running horizontally. As a kid I thought that was cool! We also got to play in the space as well, and bounce off the elastic, and twang it. Outside they had this giant inflatable multi-coloured dome with lots of pods off it.
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