5 SOLDIERS Dance / Documentary Project

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K2CO is looking for £15,000 for our upcoming dance / documentary based on 5 SOLDIERS and with interviews with veterans exploring the realities of training and frontline life in conflicts.

A unique fusion of the personal testimonies of serving and veteran soldiers and beautifully shot dance exploring the realities of military life. Set in an aircraft hangar, the dramatized dance sequences will be cut with talking head interviews revealing personal insights on the experiences of soldiering and war.

‘5 SOLDIERS: The Body is the Frontline’ delivers a powerful dance experience addressing preparation for war, differing personalities of soldiers, off-duty camaraderie, boredom, time down and R&R, the impact of combat on mind and body as well as the deeply important and at times contradictory role of women in the Armed Forces. The 5-star stage show 5 SOLDIERS received praise from serving soldiers, veterans, peace activists, critics and civilians alike.  

Close-up interviews of soldiers and veterans, who deliver their raw thoughts and memories will introduce and intercut with the dancers’ intense expression of physical military language and take us on a powerful journey from drill, boredom, relationships, training to warfare and profound injury.  The aim of the project is to shine a new light on the experiences of recent conflict and show how the arts can impact the public.

We have faced unexpected and increased costs. Our location is coming at cut price, but VAT is added which increases our costs by 20%. 

Studio space has been very hard to find in Birmingham and so we’ve had to pay extra. We desperately want more time to rehearse the work but that increases our already escalating travel and accommodation costs. We want to invite the veterans up to Birmingham to meet the cast in rehearsals, but that is proving to be just too expensive.

£15K will mean that we can afford our location and studio costs. It means we could potentially do some extra rehearsals for the dancers and invite the veterans to watch. £15K will be the difference between a job just about completed on an utter shoestring, and a well-produced documentary that has just enough time and budget to do it justice.