Image By Megan Haines, Text By Izzy Brittain
Green Apples Charity Event @ Full Circle
Saturday 19th October
What was most striking about this event was how strong Green Apples was visually. It was as though the whole thing was a performance, and when you came through the door, you entered some other realm. Each element, from venue choice, to decoration, costume, and indeed the content of each of the performances, sat harmoniously side by side and made sense. Consequently, Green Apples was a tasteful and unusually elegant event. However, whilst many a charity event may make similar claims, this one was unique in that it was also laid back, arty in a non-pretentious way, and very much DIY in its ethos. There were no fancy dinners here, but there were plenty of delicious, home-baked cakes, and a lovely, personal approach to raising money for charity.
Subtle lighting by our very own Barnaby cast a relaxed glow over the bare branches of Maud Brambach’s white, fairy-light covered tree. A couple straight out of a Magritte painting stood, embracing and motionless, for what seemed like an eternity. The bowler hat, the covered face, and the huge, apple-head sculpture piqued people’s interest as they arrived. Upstairs, a natural performance space, with squatting cushions and sofas for the audience, set the stage for a performance by myself and Marianne Tuckman. It was about a woman who was once a girl… and it was an entirely new blend of dance-poem that we’re currently in the process of creating! A magic man worked the floor between performances, entertaining the audience and beguiling many with his trickery and sleight of hand. Several poets and musicians took to the stage, including Michelle ‘Scally’ Clarke and Full Circle regulars, Vanessa Rani and Co. One of the highlights of the evening was the piece choreographed especially for the event by ex-Northern student Steph Giles. A group of ladies, glitter-covered and all in black, were accompanied by green dappled light projections and the atmospheric, electronic sounds of musicians OSC from The University of York.
While most of the girls held red apples, Ruth McNulty held a single, lonely green one. In a reference to her reasons for organising the night, this green apple symbolised the reality that some people are born different, and yet also, that very little is black and white in this life – however much we might want it to be. It was also a more personal reminder to Ruth of her cousin, who would only eat green apples, and whose early death was the original inspiration for this event. All proceeds from Green Apples went to a very worthy cause; The Broomfield School, which is an all age special school serving the whole of South Leeds. I’ve got to say that my heart really was warmed by this event, which I was so proud to be a part of. Ruth created something really special that night. It was a beautiful memory and legacy for her cousin, and herself, and for all of us who have ever felt like the odd one out, the different one, amongst a sea of similar-coloured apples.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/donshades/sets/72157637046130965/
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