Elegies for the Dead in Cyrenaica

November 2023 and April 2024 Performed

Dance Performance

The first dance adaptation of Hamish Henderson's poem cycle Elegies for the Dead in Cyrenaica, produced by the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland and commissioned by the Scottish International Storytelling Festival. The work premiered at Edinburgh's Scottish Storytelling Centre on 11 November 2023, a date marking the seventy-fifth anniversary of the poems' first publication, and was revised for the Pomegranates Festival of traditional dance in April 2024. Choreography drew on ceilidh, jive, swing and lindy hop, performed barefoot to spoken word and live music. I danced in both runs, credited throughout as Edwin Wen.

Traditional DanceEnsemblePoetry AdaptationEdinburgh

Premiere Night

11.11.2023, Scottish Storytelling Centre

Highlights film by Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland. Videographer Barrie Barreto.

Rehearsals

Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh

Edwin Wen and fellow dancers rehearsing Elegies in a studio at Moray House, University of Edinburgh
Elegies rehearsals. Photo © Jayden Xie.

Rehearsals trailer by Ling Hong. Rehearsal photography by Jeyden Xie.

In Rehearsal and Performance

Moray House and Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh

A record of the work across studio rehearsal, live performance and the people who made the production possible.

A live scene from Elegies, with Zhenhao Wen dancing in the background
On stage in Elegies. Photo © Jayden Xie.
Zhenhao Wen during an Elegies rehearsal
Studio rehearsal. Photo © Jayden Xie.
Zhenhao Wen and fellow dancers rehearsing Elegies in a studio
Rehearsing with the ensemble. Photo © Jayden Xie.
Dancers' feet and reflections during a stage rehearsal for Elegies
Stage rehearsal. Photo © Jayden Xie.
The Elegies company after a performance, with the production projection behind them
The company after the performance. Photo © Jayden Xie.
Zhenhao Wen with a member of the Elegies creative team after the show
After the show. Photo © Jayden Xie.
Zhenhao Wen and members of the Elegies company after the performance
Company after the show. Photo © Jayden Xie.
Zhenhao Wen and a member of the Elegies company backstage after the performance
Backstage after the performance. Photo © Jayden Xie.

Posters

Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh

Two print-ready posters for the premiere of Elegies for the Dead in Cyrenaica.

Blue and orange Elegies poster for the Scottish International Storytelling Festival
Portrait-format Elegies poster featuring a large portrait woven into a Scottish hillside

Open print-ready poster PDF

Press

“The particularly sinuous Edwin Wen.”
★★★★☆ Allan Wilson, review of Elegies, All Edinburgh Theatre, 12 November 2023. Read the review

Production also covered in

Star ratings refer to the production. Links go to the publishers. No article text is reproduced here beyond the quotation above.

Credits

Curators and producers
Jim Mackintosh, Iliyana Nedkova, Wendy Timmons
Lead dancers and choreographers
Helen Gould, George Adams
Community cast of dancers
Nicola Thomson, Edwin Wen
Spoken word
Morag Anderson, Stephen Watt
Live music and vocals
Cera Impala
Lighting and audio visuals
Roddy Simpson
Videographer
Barrie Barreto

Production

Executive producer: Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland. Commissioned by the Scottish International Storytelling Festival through the Scottish Government's Expo Fund, with additional funding from Creative Scotland. Community cast and crew supported by DannsEd, the University of Edinburgh Dance Company and Society, in partnership with Moray House School of Education and Sport.

Programme notes (PDF)

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