Brighton Rock Photography

Gobbess at Brighton Fringe Spiegeltent Bosco Thursday May 11th

30/5/2023

Brighton Fringe has Gobbess listed as “A kaleidoscopic one-creature show merging the circus with storytelling. Poetry, aerial and dance combine to tell a story, 1 person's tale of rage and becoming.” And I’d say that’s a fairly accurate description of what I saw on this beautifully sunny early evening in May.

The “Gobbess” is writer, poet, performer, aerial and circus artist Naomi Wood. Naomi’s presence on arrival to the stage immediately captured the audience and their minds. Naomi set about storytelling to calming and soothing music that wouldn't be amiss whilst having a massage. And that kind of sets the tone for Naomi’s poetry as it has a certain refinement, a certain elegance as if floats across from the stage to the audience, but in equal measures it has the teeth and bite to cut through and shatter the peace and tranquillity as she tells stories of social norms, patriarchy and inequality. To audience applause Naomi delivers the killer line about the mother stage of this Gobbess, “I don’t know what it is I’m nurturing but I think it might be rage”.

Visually the show is quite something, mixing from on stage performance with great presence, to reciting poetic storytelling whilst performing smooth aerial dance with the aid of a suspended hoop. Effortlessly hanging from the hoop with relaxing sounds playing in the background, Naomi perfectly juxtaposes “people will not understand why you slept outside, had opinions and smashed the good china on the way out”.

There were times when the visuals were further enhanced from an open door. Naomi shares the notable line, “In every bar between here and utopia there’s a man telling a woman something she already knows but he’s making it real... clear... for her”, as she leans forward and a ray of perfectly timed sunlight shines across Naomi’s face as if to emphasize and place more importance on the words she says. I like to think the door staff left it slightly ajar on purpose, but who knows!

I came out of Gobbess on a sense of a high, a show for the Instagram age, modern references of current society “norms” and ills, Gobbess carries the punch! Between Naomi’s poetry, stories, visual and aerial performance, I can say that this was a captivating show. It moves with just enough pace, the poetry and storytelling is beautiful but has plenty of bite, it’s funny, it’s uplifting when it needs to be, it makes you think, and the aerial performance compliments and equally contrasts everything really well.

A superb and unique show which comes highly recommended!

www.instagram.com/iamnaomiwood/
www.brightonfringe.org/

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Madame Belle d'Amour cabaret

29/8/2018

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In typical British fashion the weather was beginning to turn to the usual rain, wind and cold ready for the August bank holiday weekend. Down in a grungy and dark cellar (I do actually mean this in a very nice way) in Hove, something not so typically British was about to happen. Madame Belle d'Amour was preparing for one of her evenings of hilarious cabaret with a mix of modern and traditional burlesque.

This was the fourth show put on by Belle, and I have been fortunate enough to witness how her confidence has grown over this time, along with her ability to command the audience and produce the laughs which has shone so brightly through. This goes for the performers as well, some have been with Belle from show one, whilst some have been "acquired" in to the family along the journey. The shows have all been themed, and this one was no exception, with the end of summer theme being "the last day at the b**ch". Luckily helping hand Lisa (and probably the reason these shows manage to be organised in the first place) was around with the English translation so that we all know that Belle is referring to the beach!

Performing at this show along with Belle were Tori Tequila and her candles, dance inspired August Petite, Venus Gallactica giving us two very animated visual stories, Allegra Rose performing twice including her fabulous ribbon dance, Elsie May making her excellent debut to Belle's show offering a more classical burlesque routine and rivaling Belle for the prize of who wore the dress better, and finally Michael Jackson mad Rose Demure with her fantastic fan dancing. But all in all, who stole the show? My money is on the audience member trying to duet with Belle to Victoria Wood's "The Ballad of Barry and Freda" aka "I Can't Do It".

No date set yet, but the next show should be around Halloween. If you want a night full of laughs, drag (shhh, Belle is not actually a lady), and burlesque, that's just about got the right balance of polish and spontaneity, grunge and glamour, then see you there at the Brunswick Cellar bar!

You can view the full gallery here

Madame Belle d'Amour

Tori Tequila

Venus Gallactica

Allegra Rose

Rose Demure

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Pole Passion - A Night at the Movies

12/8/2018

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A hot sunny Saturday on the south coast of England in July was rounded off with this very special event hosted by Pole Passion of Worthing and Shoreham. Held in Shoreham, and raising money for local mental health charity The Corner House, a spectacular show was put on with the theme of a night at the movies. Pole fitness students and instructors chose some of their favourite music from the movies to create some amazing choreographed pole dance routines.

There were eighteen performances in total - please don't ask me to remember every song and every film that inspired it - ranging from the very adventurous and spectacular group routines, of which I think I've counted eight on stage for the Men In Black routine,

and the Thriller routine,

trio performances like the Charlie's Angels routine,

through duo performances such as the Singing In The Rain routine,

and solo performances which saw instructor Sarah make a return to performing.

It is safe to say that the audience went home amazed by the performances and not disappointed at all.

All in all a very enjoyable fun filled evening which also managed to raise £1,360 for the Corner House charity.

Well done to all involved.

You can view the full gallery here

Pole Passion - Worthing

Pole Passion - Shoreham

The Corner House

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Gobbess at Brighton Fringe Spiegeltent Bosco Thursday May 11th

Madame Belle d'Amour cabaret

Pole Passion - A Night at the Movies

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