Funeral of a Prince
by Scilla Rajalin
Project Description - Residency:
Scilla Rajalin and company will spend two weeks at NEFCD for the research and development period of their new dance work Funeral of a Prince.
Funeral of a Prince is a queer, pseudo-realistic performance of a de-gendered, non-royal prince and his journey towards becoming (and surviving as) a director. A dramatic and colorful experience told through dance, text and sculpture. The story of the prince is about one person as well as many. It’s a mix of autobiographical experience, imagination and full-blown psychedelic fantasy. Departing from methods of documentary making, balancing between realism and fiction, the work explores notions of time and identity, and our non-linear perception of the two. Interested in the psychology of humans, I want to look at what happens dramaturgically when we merge the identities and perceptions of characters, as well as their lived experiences. What does it mean to live a whole life, with a whole truth, only to die at the end of it? Funeral of a prince is a humorous and heartbreaking story, it’s a one-man-show performed by 4 people, where we follow the character(s) through life's intrusive thoughts, obstacles and successes. The prince transcends gender and generations, pronouns and preconceptions, and most importantly: time and truth.
At a time where our culture is obsessed with the topic of identity, this work becomes an urgent investigation into what it means to be. To be queer, to be young, to be old, to be successful, to be sad, to be honest, to be alive. Scilla will be collaborating with the 4 performers and composer Zacharias Wolfe (he/him) to translate the written script into a physical live work.
Company:
Scilla Rajalin: (they/them)
Scilla Rajalin is a Swedish/Finish non-binary artist based in London, they work multidisciplinary with choreography, visual arts and creative writing - creating dynamic, often humorous work around notions of identity, un-reliable realities and systematic cycles of routines and patterns.
Born in Stockholm, Sweden, Scilla has a creative portfolio that reaches between the US, UK, Italy and Scandinavia, working with Staibdance Dance Company, Margareta Åsberg, Eva Recacha, Holly Blakey, Lewis Walker, Linda Pistol and Becky Namgauds.
They graduated from London Contemporary Dance School with a First Class BA Hons in contemporary dance before continuing to freelance as a choreographer, dancer, movement director and rehearsal director between London and Stockholm. Scilla recently launched the project-based company RAJ, collaborating with local sound artists and visual artists, delving into sexuality, opposition and non-linear perceptions of time. Their most recent projects focus on the concept of archiving and how methods of documentary can meet live performance and dance. Scilla keeps a focused eye on detail and on the playful contradictions of dramaturgical problem solving.
Petter Skurdal: (he/him)
Petter Skurdal is a dancer and choreographer with a background in martial arts and theatre. He grew up in the countryside of Norway before he moved to London to begin a bachelor at London Contemporary Dance School. Currently, he is interested in isolated experiences and works with movement, text and theatre to search for moments of sincerity with the audience.
Lila Abdel-Kader: (she/her)
Lila is a french dancer, performer and choreographer, co-founder of the Collectif AHHHH. She began her career in dance, then singing, theatre and improvisation were added to her desire to explore different facets of performance. She enjoys observing the ordinary, the unexpected and the funny, to create unique images and situations in her choreographies. Her work is always light-hearted and playful. Lila studied dance at the Conservatoire of Clermont-Ferrand (France), then at the University of Salford in Manchester and finally at the London Contemporary Dance School, The Place in London, where she graduated in 2022. Lila is currently working as a choreographer and performer on the solo ‘La couleur Pupa’, a project that has led her to explore musical composition and costume design in order to delve into a very personal style.
Riikka Lakea: (they/she)
Riikka Lakea is a Finnish dance artist and filmmaker. They specialise in creating performer- and site-specific pieces and central themes in their work include queer ecology, animal stories and dancing to music. Lakea’s work has been performed and screened at different festivals and venues in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and the UK and she has performed in works of many Nordic and international choreographers. Their latest work is the short film and performance series Aanimals (2023, Aarhus).
Fi Macbride: (she/her)
Fi macbride is a British/ Irish dancer currently living in the south of England. After graduating from The Place in 2022, Fi spent a year freelancing; teaching and performing in dance theatre, opera and video work working with artists Scilla rajalin, Tone Davis, Requart and Rosenberg, ZE , Anthony matsena and Tim Claydon. More recently Fi was involved with research and development with Becky Namgauds and has been working on a practise to physically articulate aspects of power and presence inspired by Fi’s background in martial arts.
Work in progress
