The Mountain and Other Tales of She Transformed is a continually evolving performance project, inspired by mountains, fairytales and a 1970s body workbook for women. It was originally developed as a solo in 2019 and featured a specially commissioned installation by multi disciplinary artist Nicola Singh, which was completed by members of the public prior to each performance.
In 2022 Hannah performed an hour long iteration as part of Yewande103 curated space Words Collect in My Mouth: All Is Fire and Flood, as part of Theatreformen Festival. It featured a newly commissioned film created by Tora Hed.
Responses to The Mountain and Other Tales of She Transformed (2019 version)
‘It was really powerful. Physical power with the stamping and thumping/striking. And other power’ audience member.
‘Stunning. Its stuck with me all weekend. The workshop will stay with me for a long time too’ workshop participant and audience member.
'Moving and stimulating. It will stay with me for a long time. Thanks Hannah' Kevin Lycett, of The Mekons.
‘Hannah’s recent solo, The Mountain and Other Tales of She Transformed, is necessarily threefold; the story is presented as a kind of triptych. It makes me think of fairy tales in which the number three is significant, recurrent, and commonplace. Freud writes about this in an essay called “The Theme of the Three Caskets,” where he talks about the choice of three between gold, silver and lead (or sun, moon and stars). Such repetition defers endings and symbolically wards off death. Hannah’s trilogy bewitches her audience; her triple loop permits deeper access into the tales she tells’ Dr Catriona McAra, Leeds Arts University Curator.
Original concept, choreography and performance by Hannah Buckley, premiered in 2019. Performed at Yorkshire Dance (8th March 2019), Leeds International Festival (8th May 2019) and The Lowry (19th June 2019)
Costume by Lauren Reyhani
Lightening design by George Johnson-Leigh
Set design by Nicola Singh, fabrication by Stator.
Creative support from Jane McKernan. Vocal coaching by Maggi Straford.
Funded by Arts Council England. Developed through residencies at Yorkshire Dance and Dance4.
2022 version developed and performed by Hannah Buckley for Theatreformen Festival (8th/9th July 2022)
Special thanks to David Olejnik. Video documentation available on request.
Image credits - Performance images (above) by Sara Teresa, Ben Bentley and Andreas Griener Napp Workshop images (below) Sara Teresa.
