Formed in 2010 Newton’s Ladder have performed in theatres, corporate events, cabaret and festivals all over Europe. Their focus lies in the exploration of new apparatus with different approaches to aerial in relation to dance and theatre as opposed to its circus origins.

Mona is a dancer and aerialist who originally trained at Dance City through Newcastle College before taking her degree at the University of Central Lancashire. She has been performing and teaching dance since 2001, including a directorship of FATHoM, a previous resident company at Dance City. She has also performed for Tees Dance Intiative, Adam Benjamin and Molly Sturges. As an aerialist she has worked as an adviser for Caroline Bowditch and Zendeh.

Colm is a rigger and aerialist who came to performance through the technical field. Originally a musician, his move to physical performance has seen him performing aerial shows at both corporate and theatre events across the region. It is his work as a rigger that offers his greatest skills contribution, designing and engineering new equipment or simplifying and streamlining existing apparatus to offer new creative possibilities.

Our new piece focuses on the creative exploration of a minimum piece of equipment in a confined space; a short rope hung as a pendulum. Our aim is to liberate the aerialist on the ground and the dancer in the air. Looking to exploit the freedom and smoothness of a pendulum to the gain of the performer, using the curves and arcs to map and draw out movement while simultaneously exploring new freedoms available. Exploring the moment of lift, the moment of landing, moments of inertia, spin, oscillation and pendulum, uncovering the journeys that lie between those points.