TAKE REFUGE Under My Shade

Take Refuge Under My Shade is a duet made by Claire and her collaborator, Bettina Carpi, a Chester-based dance artist/ choreographer, for Chester Refugee Week 2018. It follows the interweaving stories of three pregnant women: a Syrian woman journeying to the UK, a British woman describing her struggle with poverty, and the story of Mary visiting Elizabeth to share her good news. The piece explores themes of loss, endurance and new beginnings through a female lense, not in a linear or literal way but through evoking the inner, emotional journey of the women - piecing together the fragments of lives radically changed. The dance interacts with an original soundtrack by composer Gary Lloyd, recorded at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall by the Scottish Session Orchestra conducted by Adam Robinson.

Take Refuge Under My Shade was funded by a Grants for the Arts award [need to insert Arts Council logo]. It premiered at Storyhouse in Chester, June 2018, then went to the Just Festival at the Edinburgh Fringe.

We Are Chester review of Take Refuge Under My Shade.