For the first time ever, and in celebration of its reopening, Studio One hosted an evening of boundary-pushing expressive dance in a unique project that brings together the choreography of Royal Ballet alum Joseph Toonga, and the movie scores of Daniel Pemberton, remixed and reshaped by Abbey Road’s Artist In Residence Jordan Rakei - a ‘beautiful collision’ that sees the worlds of contemporary dance, film and cutting-edge contemporary music combine.
It’s a first for all three artists, and the first time since Kate Bush filmed a music video in 1981 that Studio One has witnessed dance.
Studio One is the largest in the world and the oldest. It’s the room where stereo was invented. It’s where Shirley Bassey recorded Goldfinger. Where The Beatles performed All You Need Is Love for the world’s first global satellite broadcast. Where artists from Little Simz and Harry Styles to U2, Celeste and Sam Smith have created world-moving music. And where the greatest film scores of the last 45 years are recorded – from the Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter movies to Barbie, The Shape of Water, Tar, Wakanda Forever and all the Marvel films and games.
This is the first in a series of unexpected moments to celebrate music and creativity in all its forms.
Speaking about Studio One’s reopening and the Synergy In Motion event, Abbey Road’s Managing Director, Sally Davies says: “The reopening of Studio One sees Abbey Road embrace a renewed energy that not only honours our legacy but also looks forward to the future. Last night’s multidisciplinary Synergy In Motion celebration was the perfect way to usher in this new era, with an evening that championed innovation and creativity at every turn.”
Abbey Road’s Director of Marketing & Creative, Mark Robertson, adds: “This concept was a celebration of creativity in all its forms, which is at the heart of Abbey Road. For the first time ever, we took boundary-pushing expressive dance into Studio One, by devising a concept that sees the worlds of contemporary dance, film scores and cutting-edge music collide. What appealed about Joseph is that he creates choreography that challenges convention by blending styles from ballet to hip hop and krump, which felt appropriate for the fusion of Daniel and Jordan’s music.”
"This collision of worlds celebrated creativity in all its forms in a space that has, fittingly, facilitated some of the most important musical moments of the last half-century. It's an important moment in Abbey Road's continuing evolution."
Anna Solomon, Wallpaper Magazine
