LATER LIFE DANCERS.
DIGITAL ADVENTURES.
NOCTURN shines a light on later life dancers with an invitation to co-create interactive digital dance adventures.
WE CREATE THOUGH-PROVOKING, DARKLY CINEMATIC, ALTERNATE WORLDS FROM FIRMLY FIXED FOUNDATIONS IN THE HERE AND NOW.
ADULT / LATER LIFE DANCERS.
Formed in 2007 by John Darvell, the company has consistently spearheaded an alternative approach to accessible dance through the combined use of film, social media, multimedia storytelling and live installation performances.
Making experiences with, and for, adults of all ages has been central to our work.
WE SHINE A LIGHT ON THEIR EXPERIENCE.
Involving and affecting local communities and/or other professionals in John Darvell’s work, people’s lived experiences are right at the heart of the NOCTURN creative process.
We advocate for adult dance as an underrepresented sector. As our company starts a new journey in Scotland our projects will focus more on how we can celebrate the unique talents that later life dancers can bring to our storytelling.
MENTAL HEALTH.
Our artistic provocations explore and foster a healthy attitude to our mental well being.
LGBT+ EXPERIENCE.
As part of the LGBT+ community, we promote our heritage and ongoing campaigns for full social and health equality.
IMMERSIVE DANCE.
CONTEMPORARY DANCE.
INTERACTIVE DANCE.
We’re not fans of technological gimmickry.
For us, the technology we all use every day is manipulated for our innovative approach to storytelling. Our goal is to get you involved in an experience without particularly noticing it's actually all about dance or movement.
Our themes often investigate the effect modern technology can have on our lives, explorIng our dependencies and the impact on wider society.
We create work that asks individuals and groups to use the very subject of our intrigue, such as their mobile devices, favourite social media or other omnipresent technology.
It’s all about being:
UPBEAT WITH SERIOUS QUESTIONS
ONLINE AND PART OF YOUR DAILY LIFE
ACCESSIBLE TO ALL, OFTEN FREE, ALWAYS FUN
COLLABORATION BREATHES LIFE.
Our work is realised thanks to the flair and skill of the creative multidisciplinary artists and companies we collaborate with.
From app developers and technical wizards to musical maestros and writers, we’ve (nearly) worked with them all.
And, where there are gaps, those people are definitely on our future ‘must work with’ list. We urge artists to embrace high-risk creative opportunities that facilitate our avant-garde and unexplored approach to storytelling.
Everyone, no matter how big or small, has a vital role in our creative process.
IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO DANCE: JOHN’S STORY.
John Darvell, Artistic Director of NOCTURN, is a gay man from a working class background in the North East. Throughout childhood he endured the harshness of school bullying and, despite his potential, only scraped through education.
John’s professional journey into dance began in his late 30’s when he took the courageous step to leave his office job security behind and risk a full career change by retraining in contemporary dance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Incorporating strong aesthetics from his years as a visual designer, John has developed a distinctive approach to choreography and creating interactive immersive experiences.
John has often been celebrated for inspiring and empowering adult and young people alike during 15 years of community and school outreach work. He’s taught across the UK including at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and The Place, London.
John has written articles for People Dancing, the National Dance Teachers Association, and his educational work has featured in publications such as Kidscape - ‘How to create kind schools’ alongside contributions from Dance United and 2Faced Dance and Headteacher Update for all UK Primary Schools.
For John it has been a creative and personal roller coaster since founding NOCTURN in 2007. Throughout high and lows one thing stayed constant...
… UNTAPPING PEOPLE’S CREATIVITY.
TAKE A PEEK INSIDE THE MIND OF AN ARTIST.
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'NOCTURN’s work is all at once a gripping cinematic drama, an intense creative immersion and a seamless experience of movement and twisting narrative.'Tom Hobden — Artistic Director, UNIT