Seymour soars

Seagull -- elements that are all coming together in a new work called

Escape at Sea which can be seen at Glagow's Tramway later this week.

Though Second Stride started out in the early eighties as a dance

company, it has since moved in different experimental directions,

entering -- under the artistic direction of Ian Spink -- in

collaborative projects with composers, singers, writers, and actors in

an effort to create significant mixed-media performances. One figure

has, however, had a constant connection since 1983: designer Antony

McDonald whose interests and ideas form the basis of this latest piece.

He is, apparently, a devotee of the Russian playwright, Chekhov --

hence the recurring use of themes and characters from the Seagull. And

among those characters is the vivid and volatile actress, Arkadina --

hence the recruiting of Lynn Seymour, one of the most intuitively

dramatic ballerinas of our age.

''Well, yes, they were looking for someone of more mature years,'' she

tells me with that rich chuckle that is such a ready part of her

conversation. In truth they were also looking for someone who could be

flexible, who could respond positively to new challenges, since dancing

is only one skein in the performance. Text figures prominently too. And

that, Lynn says, provided some scary moments.

''Vocalising is one of the most worrying things to do on stage if

you're a dancer. I mean, I haven't trained in voice technique or saying

lines. Or remembering them! There's the dread of just drying . . . So

that takes a lot of energy, and concentration. But we've done a few

shows now, and these things do come together -- but (and here there's

another chuckle) it's still a scary moment, having to speak.''

It can, she reckons, be an odd moment for audiences too, simply

because it goes against their expectations. As she talks of what excites

here about Second Stride's work -- the cross-over between forms and the

blurring of boundaries -- she reflects that, even now, this kind of work

is probably more accepted in Europe, ''because they accept innovation

more readily there. British audiences are not easily led into the

present day state of the art, it frightens them.''

This shying away from change has other resonances, ones that she

relates to her own career. ''Audiences still think you are 25 years old;

it's as if they resent you getting older.'' The chuckle is a little

rueful. But yes, she agrees, audiences yearn to hold on to the images

they had of their favourite ballerinas as perpetual sylphs, forever

floating on points.

But bodies change. She still hasn't had time to have a problem knee

treated surgically -- ''It would mean a long recovery period and I just

haven't been able to slot it in anywhere. I'm too busy. Yes, it can be

painful, but you find ways. Mind over matter.''

The important thing was ''the glorious challenge'' of helping to

create something new. With the exception of choreographer Ashley Page,

she had never worked with any of the other company members. Page, who is

a member of the Royal Ballet, had previously worked with McDonald and

with composer Orlando Gough but this, too, was his first experience of

working within Second Stride.

In the main the choreography was split between Page and Ian Spink.

''We listened to the music, chose bits we liked and could work with

best,'' is how Page sums up the process. ''Ian has had more experience

of working in theatre, so he did those bits. And since it was Antony's

concept, and he was directing it, the movement had to fit in with his

ideas. I've always been impressed by the way Second Stride have

continually broken new ground. I think, for instance, there are groups

starting to use text who wouldn't have experimented without Second

Stride's lead.''

Where does Escape at Sea lead us? Into and out of Old Russia, to begin

with, says Page. And into the realm of women dominating men. Into a

slightly surreal space, says Lynn Seymour where characters are developed

throughout but not as part of a narrative, and where characters tend to

love the wrong person. But then, as they both point out, that's only

part of it. To find out more you'll have to turn up at the Tramway

tomorrow or Saturday where S is bound to mean some surprises.