Project Archive
2019
Atlantic 10 50
#ScotlandGoesBasque
Premiered August 2019
Artists
Concept - Morag Deyes
Choreography - Jen Wren & Alain Maya
Composition - Amy Geddes, Sergio Lamuedra Calo, Txomin Dhers
Costumes - Emma Smith
Lighting - Mark Baker
Photography - Dancebase
Atlantic / Atlantik 1050 was an ambitious cross-cultural collaboration, instigated by Dance Base Artistic Director Morag Deyes in a grand union of the raw energy of Scottish traditional dance and the deep-rooted rhythms of the Basque Country.
The work was choreographed by Jen Wren in close collaboration with Basque dancer and cultural specialist Alain Maya to demonstrate tradition and forge a new movement language that honoured history while fearlessly reshaping it. Together, Wren & Maya explore what happens when two coastal cultures—separated by 1050 nautical miles of Atlantic Ocean—meet through shared pulse, tradition, and contemporary curiosity.
The young Scottish dancers selected for the project immersed themselves in Basque dance and music practice, while Basque dancers engaged with the precision, patterns, and athleticism of Scottish forms.
Producer: Dance Base in collaboration with Atlantikaldia
Performances and Accolades
Atlantic 10 50 formed part of the landmark Scotland Goes Basque programme at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2019. It unfolded as a site-responsive street performance, with a premiere at DanceBase, then popping up across Edinburgh during the Fringe. Later taking to the bustling plazas of Errenteria, and included participatory activity with Ereintza Dance Group, Masquerade of Zuberoa and Basque company Kukai Dantza Taldea.
The project was part of Etxepare’s international cultural-diplomacy strategy and is cited in Spanish cultural-policy documents as an example of outward-looking cultural collaboration. It stands as a testament to the power of artistic exchange: a celebration of diversity, a dialogue across the sea, and a joyful reminder that dance can bridge distances—geographical, cultural, and emotional.
