Timeline of works
Dora’s choreographic works span 50 years; her creative process is layered, well researched and deeply intuitive. Her works are relevant, socially radical and accessible, often using live music.
Search the timeline below to explore the many works made here and in Scandinavia.
“The older you get, the more radical you become”
- Dora Frankel, Dance Art Journal, April 2020
1977
Early Works
1982
Sweden & Finland
1989
Gothenburg, Sweden
2001
Independent, UK
2007
Dora Frankel Dance CIC
2014
Fertile Ground
2018
Current Works
Booking & Information
1977 - 1982
Early Works
1977
Images for Two
Music: Gamelan
Design: Nicola Gregory
Dancers: Sally Owen and Mark Wraith
Ballet Rambert Workshop, Jeanetta Cochrane Theatre, London
A collaboration with Central School of Art and Design
1979-82
Independent works
Bench
Dancers Anonymous
Edinburgh Festival 1979
Inspired Imbalance
Dancers Anonymous
Edinburgh Festival 1981
Train Suite
Nin Dance Company
Jacksons Lane Theatre London 1982
1982-83
Dance Out!
First independent project
Music: Flautist Simon Desorgher
Performers: Dora Frankel, Debbie Thomas, Simon Desorgher
Greenwich Festival 1982
With funding support from Greenwich Council and hosted by Charlton House, Charlton, Greenwich, LondonRestaged Malmo Theatre, Malmo, Sweden 1983, part of an evening of new choreographic work
1982 - 1989
Sweden & Finland
1984
Premiere of independent dance company Dance Out! An evening of work, Garderob (Wardrobe) Teatern.
Flute-playing of reapers
At Once
Nightwalking - solo
Banana Dance
Dancers: Fatima Cerquiera, Johannes Botros, Dora Frankel
Dance Out!
Garderobs Theatre Malmo 1984
1989 Harlequin's Day
1984-89
Work created for Vaasa Theatre, Finland.
Nalle Puh (Winnie the Pooh)
Dir: J. Sjoberg
1892
(rockmusical version of Spring Awakening by Wederkind)
Dir: J. SjobergPeppar, peppar
(also co-direction)
Touring out-door Commedia dell’arteMio my Mio
A. Lindgren
Dir: Simeon Rabinovitz
(dance theatre)Ett Dromspel (A Dream Play)
A. Strindberg
Dir: L. EngstromTrettondags Afton (Twelfth Night)
W. Shakespeare.
Dir: A. HarmonLes Liaisons Dangereuses
Dir: A. HarmonCyrano de Bergerac
Harlekins Dag (Harlequin’s Day)
Premiered May 1989, Wasa Studio Theatre, Wasa, Finland.
1989 - 2001
Leap Out!
&
Angereds Gymnasium
Gothenburg, Sweden
1992 In Time and Space
1989-93
Spring Concerto
After Rain Comes Sunshine
Gothenburg Opera Ballet School
Resan (The Journey)
solo touringLandet runt Hornet (The Land around the Corner)
Dir: M. Hellerstedt-Thorin
Lund Cathedral, LundI Tid och Rum (In Time and Space)
Site specific collaboration with visual artist Annika Gustafsson
Culture House BagaregardenSagan om ett trad (Story of a Tree)
Movement Direction Atelierteatern
1994 One + One = Three
1994-2001
Angereds Gymnasium
Continental Cabaret
Pustervik’s Theatre, Jarntorget
Ett + Ett = Tre (One + One = Three)
Site specific Outdoor performance with live band
Angereds Gymnasium, Gothenburg 1994Hemliga Tradgarden (The Secret Garden)
Café de Sombra 1995
Livet och Doden (Life and Death) 1996
Angereds Gymnasium, Bla StalletDu – ett
Circle
Invitation to the Dance
Objects of Desire
Leap Out! 1999Quattro Stagioni 1997
Three x Three + Four 1998
Behind the Mirror 1998
Resan (The Journey) 1999,
Running Figures/Eclipse 2000
Angereds Gymnasium, Bla stalletIcebreak
Collaboration with among others Hulebecks Gymnasiet
Scandinavium, March 2001Centre Point
Millennium project
Site specific May 2001‘O’ Tir Na Nog
May 2001
2001 - 2007
Independent Works UK
Oct 2005
Feb 2007
Jan 2003
Spring 2004
Oct 2004
Feb 2007
Duel
JAN 2003
Premiere Robin Howard Theatre, The Place, London. Restaged Caedmon Hall, Gateshead 2004.
Dancers
Yael Loewenstein
Nick Watson
Choreography
Dora Frankel
Artist/projections
Pamela Parrish
Music
Thomas Sjostrand
A. Corelli
Music edit
Anton Sjostrand
Tyne Span
SPRING 2004
Gulbenkian Studio, Theatre Newcastle, England.
Facilitated by Dance City, Newcastle.
Music
Adrian Evans
Dancers
Jason Jones
Emma Dunn
Claire Prinn
The Shadow Between
OCT 2004
Durant Hall, Newcastle.
With the support of Arts Council England.
Music
Adrian Evans
Dancer
Helen Williams
Tyne and Motion Trilogy
OCT 2005
Caedmon Hall, Gateshead.
With the support of Arts Council England.
Projections
Pamela Parrish
Dora Frankel
Dancers
Paul Chantry
Rejane Gracia
Helen Williams
Music
Adrian Evans
Thomas Sjostrand
Corelli
Costume
Dora and Emma Frankel
Tail Tales
FEB 2007
Caedmon Hall, Gateshead.
Dancers
Paul Chantry
Rejane Gracia
Rosa Stourac McCreery
Tales
Music collage
Music Edit
Adam Riley
Set
Jon Codd
Postcard (from another country)
FEB 2007
Caedmon Hall, Gateshead.
With the support of Arts Council England & Gateshead Council.
Music
Arctus Canticus
Einojuhani Rautavaara
Set
Jon Codd
Dancers
Paul Chantry
Rejane Gracia
Rosa Stourac McCreery
2007 - 2014
Dora Frankel Dance CIC
May 2008
Jun 2009
Aug 2009
Apr-May 2010, Apr 2011
Sep 2010
Nov 2010
Mar 2011
Jul 2011
Apr 2012
Jul 2012
Oct 2012
Jan 2013
Jun 2013
Aug 2013
Different Spaces / Different Sounds
MAY 2008
Different Spaces/Different Sounds is a trio with two dancers and a cellist exploring space and sound/music in a playful and enigmatic way.
Created in 2008 to be performed (almost!) anywhere this unedited archive video is of the premiere in Saltwell Towers, Saltwell Park, Gateshead.
Music
Bach
Penny Callow
Arrangement
Penny Callow
Costume
Kate Collins
Dancers
Dora Frankel
Asgeir Magnussen
Choreography
Dora Frankel
Cellist
Penny Callow
The Poe Project
JUN 2009
Residency, Gateshead College.
The Tempest Outdoors
AUG 2009
Movement Direction, choreography.
Premiere Marine Park, South Shields.
KG Productions and Customs House, South Shields.
Director
Peter Lathan
Movement Direction
Dora Frankel
Choreography
Dora Frankel
Bitter, Sweet and Dark
APR-MAY 2010, APR 2011
Triple bill:
- Trio
- Sweet Swathes of Time
- Angel of the Odd
Gateshead Town Hall and regional tour.
Dancers
Paul Chantry
Oliver Wood
Holly Irving
Natasha Kowalski
Dora Frankel
Set
Fi Russell
Costume
Kate Blakely
Music
Bach’s Aria from Goldberg Variations
P. Callow
Sound edit
P. Callow
Musicians
Penny Callow
Simon Wood
Dance Bites
SEP 2010
10 schools, ten sports!
Opening Ceremony UK School Games Sage Gateshead.
Commissioned by Gateshead Arts.
The Wind in the Willows
NOV 2010
A Northern Stage Production.
Director
Erica Whyman
Lucifer
MAR 2011
A duet for confined spaces, Studio 1, Dance City, Newcastle.
Dancers
Dora Frankel
Holly Irving
Choreographer
Dora Frankel
Music
Ake Parmerud
One Small Step / One More Step
JUL 2011
Durham Brass Festival, Apollo Pavilion, Peterlee.
With the support of Arts Council England, and Community Foundation.
Dancers
Holly Irving
Natasha Kowalski
Choreography
Dora Frankel
Company
Dora Frankel Dance
Violinist
Emma Fisk
Composer
Peter Coyte
Installation
Sam Goodlet
Technical Manager
Pete Ross
Adrenalin Rush
APR 2012
Producer, Project Leader and Technical Support:
Kevin Wallace, Arts Development Officer North Tyneside.
Intensive youth project with final performance.
North Tyneside Arts.
The Jacket and Friends Forever
JUL 2012
Big Dance and Mouth of the Tyne Festival (through Big Dance) throughout. Multiple outdoor performances across the Northeast .
Dancers
Sammy Haighton
Ben King
Holly Irving
Natasha Kowalski
Letters from Yelena
OCT 2012
Book launch ‘Letters from Yelena’, author Guy Mankowski.
Dance City, Newcastle.
Dancer
Laila Sanz
Music
Jeremy Bradfield
Borderlands
JAN 2013
An investigation of borders and barriers real and imagined, between people and countries.
Dancers
Audrey Rogero
Stephen Moynihan
Pierre Enaux
Artistic Director
Dora Frankel
Company
Dora Frankel Dance
Choreography
Jarek Cemerek
Lighting Design
Lee Curran
Music Production
Ondrej Dedecek
Executive Producer
Dance City, Newcastle
The Unfolding Sky: Turner in the North
JUN 2013
Touring to the North East's best loved castles and priories, this is a collaboration between Dora Frankel and innovative composer Peter Coyte and performed in the open air by three dancers, capturing all that is best and most exciting in our landscape.
Filmed on location at Lindisfarne Priory, Holy Island, Northumberland.
The project was supported with public funding through Arts Council England.
Dancers
Audrey Rogero
Luca Rapis
Sonia Zini
Artistic Director
Dora Frankel
Company
Dora Frankel Dance
Choreography
Dora Frankel
Music Production
Peter Coyte
By the Pricking of My Thumbs
AUG 2013
A collage of Shakespeare titbits from Macbeth.
KG Productions and Customs House, South Shields.
Director
Peter Lathan
2014 - 2018
Fertile Ground
2015
2015
2016
2016
On the Darkened Wing
2015
Created as part of Spring Tour: NOW and On the Darkened Wing.
With the support of Arts Council England & Bowes Museum.
Dancers
Alice Meehan
Kayleigh Fisk
Alys North
Holly Bellamy
Music
Peter Coyte
Kroke
Bach
Costume
CCAD final year students
NOW
2015
Created as part of Spring Tour: NOW and On the Darkened Wing.
With the support of Arts Council England.
Dancers
Alice Meehan
Kayleigh Fisk
Alys North
Holly Bellamy
Music
Peter Coyte
Costume
Kate Blakely
Elephant Dances
2016
Created as part of Dancing the Road touring triple bill.
Commissioned by Bowes Museum as part of the exhibition Ganesha.
Dancers
Emma Palmer
Abby Ross
Emma Robinson
Niall Tyzack-Carlin
Music
Ludvig van Beethoven
Ake Parmerud
Stravinsky
Klezmer
Costume
Kate Blakely
Door Dance Wave
SEP 2016
Community Project Helix Arts, main performance Walker Park, with a community cast of local women and children.
Part of a longer community dance project.
Dancers
Alys North
Emma Palmer
2018 - Present
Current Works
Figures in a Floating Landscape: Turner in the South
Collaboration with composer Peter Coyte.
Dancers: Dora Frankel, Katherine Whale, Josh Hutchby
Horsebridge Arts Centre, Whitstable, Kent.
With the support of Arts Council England.
Date
FEB 2018
INTERNATIONAL
WOMEN’S
DAY
Figures in a Floating Landscape: Trio
Created for International Women’s Day, 8th March 2018, as part of Fertile Ground’s Fully Grounded Season.
Performed at The Holy Biscuit Gallery (now SAW), Newcastle upon Tyne.
The project was supported with public funding through Arts Council England.
Date
8 MAR 2018
Metafora
Project Leader: Dr Christina Kolaiti York University
Music: David Lancaster
Singer: Emily Rowan
Dance, choreography and Benesh Movement Notation:
Dora Frankel
St Peter’s School, York.
Date
FEB 2019
Made in March 2019, during an intense week in Dance City’s theatre, it premiered in London at Jackson’s Lane.
Inspired by two of Edgar Alan Poe’s short stories (The Cask of Amontillado & The Oval Portrait) and filmed by Andy Wood (Leeds International Film Festival), with music by Rom Yagnik (Marie of Easttown HBOmax), the performers are Dora Frankel, Giacomo Pini and Livia Massarelli. Costumes Kate Collins, with thanks to Northern Stage and lighting by Kirk Sim.
Date
7 MAR 2019
Figures in a Floating Landscape
Music: P. Coyte
Musicians: P. Coyte, Martin Elliott, Helen Rathbone
Actor: Isabelle DeFaut
Costume: Kate Blakely
Lighting: Kirk Sim
Dancers: Luca Braccia, Becky Horne, Livia Massarelli, Zara Sands
Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury, Kent.
With the support of Arts Council England.
Date
1 NOV 2019
‘A mark or series of signs or objects left behind by the passage of someone or something’
An evening of extracts from the trilogy inspired by the work of radical landscape painter JMW Turner (1775 -1851) and created by Dora Frankel and composer Peter Coyte, with costumes by Kate Collins. Dancers Luca Braccia, Livia Massarelli and (for Angel Field Festival Liverpool in March) Zara Sands.
Trails included the premiere of Tread Lightly on the Planet, the final work in the trilogy, which is a cry of despair and hope for and about climate collapse and our colonial history.
Created and premiered at Dance City in January 2022.
Date
JAN 2022