Is it a company? Is it a dance piece? Is it one of the lesser known goddesses of Ancient Greece? None of these - hermeus is the touring umbrella of the latest works of Liverpool's finest, Paula Hampson and Andrea Buckley, featuring W.I.S.H. and A String of Pearls, choreographed respectively by Andrea and Paula, and their joint improvisation together with ear-popping vocalist and violinist extraordinaire, Sianed Jones.

As well as featuring the lustrous choreography and technical excellence for which each is renowned, the triple-bill programme will be remarkable for two reasons. Firstly, it is to my knowledge the first touring programme of its kind to spotlight, not just two independent artists touring together for convenience and economy, but the relationship between the two artists as a feature of interest in its own right. From their Merseyside roots, through their Laban training and onward their artistic progress has been marked by an uncanny magnetic tendency. Far from being a cosy coexistence, this has been a catalyst that has led to each of them realising an even more distintive individual style than might otherwise have been the case.

The other distinction of the programme as a whole is that it promises to be an aural as well as a visual treat. The voice of Sianed Jones will take your breath away, give you goosebumps and make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up... and that's even before she lays bow upon string! Cellist Kathryn Locke, whose unique, visceral style will be familiar to anyone who has heard her contribution to Gorecki (the love-song for the nineties) by Manchester-band Lamb, joins Andea and company on stage for W.I.S.H. An evening of passionate and compelling music.

Despite the frequent convergence of their paths, Andrea Buckley and Paula Hampson appear together on stage surprisingly rarely but when they do something truly special is guaranteed. hermeus is the first time they have toured together and represents the culmination of their independent careers - and the special relationship they share - thus far.

A unique showcase of the work of andrea buckley and paula hampson, highlighting their distinctive individual styles and the fascinating chemistry that exists between them. An evening of seamless technical skill and inventive dance crackling with creative tension.




Choreography by andrea buckley, music by kathryn locke.

"Mirror image puzzles are found in still water. One's own image is as far beneath the surface as one is above it."
'Mirrors in the Mind' by Richard Gregory, Penguin Books.

The enigmatically title W.I.S.H is a quartet for three dancers and a musician.
A Dance Northwest Commission





Devised by paula hampson and sianed jones.


In her first solo performance for over two years. Paula Hampson collaborates with composer Sianed Jones to produce a mischievous synthesis of movement, music, voice, and technology. A String of Pearls is an intimate and innovative piece, based on autobiographical material, catapulating moments from the past into the future. A suffolk dance commission.





An improvisation by andrea buckley and paula hampson, with sianed jones.

A walk along the cliff-edge of contemporary dance. Performing together for the first time in recent years, these captivating performers rekindle a magical partnership, defty applying the tools of improvisation to tease the audience, to play with time, to hiccup, to giggle, to rise and shine. A chisenhale dance space commission.