What does NOCTURN do?

We co-create interactive dance adventures with later-life dancers, using everyday tech in simple, purposeful ways. Audiences can step inside the work online, outdoors and live.

Who can take part in your dance adventures?

We create projects with later-life dancers, including older dancers returning to dance, starting late, or dancing for life. Participants are collaborators, and the audience is part of the work.

How do your projects use technology?

We keep things tech-light, using tools people already carry such as smartphones, QR codes and AR with care. Projects start with a story-led question, place, or person rather than a fixed format.

NOCTURN | Contemporary Dance in Thatcham

NOCTURN is a dance company based in Thatcham, New Zealand that focuses on creating immersive and interactive experiences through dance. With a darkly cinematic and deeply woven storytelling style, NOCTURN aims to reveal what is often hidden in plain sight.

The company shines a light on later life dancers, avoiding general terms like “elder,” “older,” “senior,” and “mature” that are typically associated with limitations. Instead, NOCTURN celebrates the strength and resilience of adult and later life dancers, who are perfectly positioned to explore new opportunities and enrich their performances with their lived experiences.

1. “The Riddle”: A digital outdoor treasure hunt that incorporates QR codes, film, gaming, and online elements.

2. “And They Have Escaped”: An installation that explores our fascination with living our lives through mobile phones, incorporating iBeacons, an app, movement sensors, projection, film, and co-creation.

3. “Smile Inside”: Oxfordshire patients become storytellers through dance, co-creating dance films and sharing them online.

4. “Greenham War and Peace”: A large-scale outdoor event celebrating 20 years of the Greenham Trust, featuring outdoor live art and co-creation.

5. “The Revelation of Miss White”: An innovative online dance mystery told solely through Miss White's Facebook profile, combining durational art, social media, film, and interactive elements.

6. “D-Day 75”: A co-creation and live performance to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day Landings.

7. “Fractured Landscapes”: An exploration of the theme of bereavement through live and online performances and film.

8. “The Fortress”: A touring medium-scale outdoor festival piece for Beautiful Creatures Theatre, incorporating live performance.

9. “DAREYOUWATCH”: An immersive site-specific performance streamed live over 18 hours, incorporating web feeds and social media chatter.

NOCTURN's work is unique and relevant, placing community participation and co-creation at the heart of their creative process. They utilise everyday technology such as social media, apps, gaming, and more to explore the impact of technology, mental health issues, and the challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community.

The company offers a unique, beautiful, and creepy experience of dance and digital, showcasing the best of adult dance storytelling using technology. Their work aims to make today's issues accessible and raise awareness about mental health while standing as an LGBTQ+ ally.

Excitingly, NOCTURN will be relocating its operational base to the Highlands of Scotland from autumn 2023, expanding its reach and continuing to tell dance stories innovatively through online, live, and installation experiences. Their work incorporates augmented reality, dance for camera, app development, QR codes, gaming, puzzle boxes, social media and website stories, motion sensors, projection, live-streaming, outdoor art, and live performances.