Development of new Disco Freestyle Dance-Theatre show
FIERCE LITTLE LASSES
Through the Julia Rausing Bursary I intend to undertake a further R&D phase for Fierce Little Lasses.
This supporting document will share some of the current R&D material from just 10 days of exploration in the studio with Freestyle dancers. This early stage pre-R&D was designed to introduce these young dancers into a creative process (they have no experience of contemporary dance/professional processes - they have only ever danced Freestyle competitively).
The Julia Rausing bursary will allow me to take the next stage R&D - and move into pushing the choreographic ideas forwards now the ensemble is in place.
Please note when viewing these videos they were not recorded for the purpose of performance or sharing, simply to capture material at an early stage of the process. Some were filmed straight after the material was taught and so dancers are still embodying/in the process of learning the choreography.
CHOREOGRAPHIC IDEA using TikTok within the choreographic process
Please watch this video with volume up.
CHOREOGRAPHIC IDEAS - from current R&D process
Videos can be made bigger by clicking the icon in the bottom right hand corner of the screen
These were filmed after 4 days in the studio with 2 different groups in Bradford and Mansfield.
I would like to push the choreographic exploration and language further and would aim to do this through the Julia Rausing bursary.
Example of “Fast Freestyle Competition Routine” - shows a typical Disco Freestyle competition as they would be performed at competitions. They are choreographed in the round, with judges standing on the edges of the space so that dancers pass them in an attempt to get their number marked down to get through to the next round.
Example of “Fast Freestyle Bodywork repetition” - is an exploration of classic Disco Freestyle bodywork (without big tricks and jumps). This video simply shows the dancers repeating the material for as long as they can.
To develop this I intend to:
include a slow original version of the song heard in the video for a segment in the middle
after repeated for some time, give dancers the option to drop out of material and re-join
allow dancers to randomly add in an explosive movement at a time (back handspring, box jump)
finish with iconic freestyle image of posing
Example of “R&D Contemporary Material”. This is the first time the dancers have ever experienced contemporary dance. The lyrics of this track are “I feel embarrassed”, “I feel ashamed” and although Lily Allen uses them in a different context, I began this choreography thinking about the rejection these young dancers face. This is an empowered rebellion and ownership as they dance a new form of dance as young women. Outside of the judgement of freestyle, their teachers and their peers.
MATERIALS GATHERED FROM R&D PROCESS - CONVERSATIONS & REFLECTIONS WITH DANCERS BASED ON THEIR LIVED EXPERIENCES
THE WORLD OF DISCO FREESTYLE
The videos below show ideas that will be executed through set design, lighting and costume to bring the aesthetic of the Freestyle world onto professional stages.
PREVIOUS WORK WITH THE FREESTYLE COMMUNITY (sense of aesthetic of my work)
WHAT AUDIENCES HAVE SAID ABOUT DISCO QUEEN & the impact it has on the Freestyle community
REVIEWS
“In Disco Queen, Tighe treads the boards of the home of British contemporary dance, with all its legitimacy and seriousness, and demands that her sisters are seen.” Dance Art Journal, September 2025
“Freestyle isn’t without its controversy. Often derided as lacking refinement, overly gaudy, and too working class, it has long been the butt of the joke in the dance community. Where others see wildness, Tighe sees a determined taking of space in a world where young girls aren’t taken seriously. This re-framing of Freestyle as a legitimate dance form is enlightening, particularly in its reflections of class” Dance Art Journal, September 2025
Read the full review here
Click here to read Disco Queen’s Children, Young People & Vulnerable Adult’s Safeguarding policy