A unique and special event with Baroque violinist Justin Grounds and contemporary dancer Inma Pavon. The two artists undertook a five week collaborative project called, ‘Last Dance’ with residents of the Clonakilty Community Hospital, exploring the famous Chaconne in D minor for Unaccompanied Violin, by J.S.Bach.
This sharing of the work is a performative conversation, an exchange of letters between the artists the residents of the hospital and Bach.
The whole suite will be performed as a prelude to the Last Dance
Justin, who lives in Clonakilty described the project as ;a participatory performance into the landscape of grief and loss, and how we can explore it
through dance.
Written in 1720 when Bach, then aged 35, returned home after two months travelling to
find his beloved wife Maria Barbara had died and been buried, with no news sent to him –
this striking piece of music, is a technically challenging musical journey for the violinist and a
deeply rich experience for audience and performer alike. Recently discovered have been
many hidden chorale tunes in the harmony, relating to themes of loss, death and
resurrection.
The two artists, developed this explorative project over five sessions with participants from Clonakilty Hospital as part of the Arts for
Health Partnership Programme, a programme that has supported Justin as Composer in
Residence at the hospital for the past year. Arts for Health currently takes place in six
hospitals and fives day care centres in West Cork and is managed by staff at West Cork Arts
Centre.
The project concluded on 12th December with a double bill of performances in two wards.
Each of the life performances were designed so that all the residents could participate in
their own ways. After the performance a hospital residence expressed, ‘This means so much
to us, it means so much’; and the artists too agreed with the sentiment, ‘Such a
transformative experience’
Image by Clare Keogh, 2017