Dignity; the right to move is a view of the world and humanity from the perspective of every Total Ensemble cast member, split into 4 parts.
Dignity – Part I focuses on the more negative aspect of mankind’s abuse of the natural environment and fear of the unknown; suspicion of strangers.
Dignity – Part II is a musical celebration of the human-to-nature connection and a dream of a positive future inspired by James Lovelock’s quote: “Evolution is a tightly coupled dance, with life and the material environment as partners.”
Dignity – Part III is an exploration inspired by words & phrases associated with family and relationships, interwoven with themes from a Doll’s House by H. Ibsen which remains as relevant as ever today, and relates to our theme of having to face up to and deal with issues related to our immediate environment, in a domestic setting; the challenges individuals face in fitting in, yet flying free of imposed roles seemingly put in place by society.
Dignity Part IV looks at connections, communication and community. An uplifting final part to end the quartet unifying the 3 previous pieces; Alienation v belonging – Feeling free to be and move in this world both as an individual, but also as part of a greater whole.
Permission was granted by Tania Bruguera of the Migrants Rights Network to use the words of the Migrant Manifesto as spoken by poet and journalist Musa Okwonga. It was filmed by Maryam Pasha and Juan Camilo of the Migrants Rights network and can be seen on YouTube. Chris Ellis wrote music inspired by the words.
“No exclusions; no exceptions
We assert the value of the human experience
The earth is a space everyone has the right to access and enjoy
To be a migrant is to be an explorer; it means movement
This is our shared condition Solidarity is our wealth
No exclusions; no exceptions”
