THERE will be a real international flavour to this year’s St Ives September Festival with Tate St Ives bringing the Brazilian vibes of the Rio Carnival and Australian artist Rochelle Haley’s Sun Dance to the town’s 15-day celebration of music and arts.
The Tate, which is showcasing the work of leading Brazilian abstract artist Beatriz Milhazes, will feature the samba rhythms of Love DeluxX on the Festival’s penultimate night, Friday September 27.
The Late At Tate evening will include DJs, saxophonists, percussionists and samba dancers, creating a dynamic, unforgettable atmosphere alongside the intensely colourful, large-scale canvases of Beatriz Milhazes.
The night will culminate with a spectacular Fiesta party on the Sea View Restaurant Terrace, offering breath-taking views of Porthmeor Beach.
On Saturday, September 21 will include the UK premiere of Rochelle Haley’s A Sun Dance, first performed at the National Gallery of Australia. An ensemble of international and south-west based dancers and a musician will follow the path of the sun as it passes across and through the Tate St Ives building on the equinox weekend.
At its core, the work is a relation between dancer, sunlight, sound, and architecture, creating a kaleidoscopic shapes and contemplative movement and sound for audiences to encounter throughout the day. The following day - Sunday, September 22 - will include film screenings and talks following on from the previous day’s Sun Dance performance.
Working with local dancers to bring the work alive in a new context, this conversation will reflect on the process of transmission, between artwork, people and locations. This programming is looking ahead to the potential for new programmes in the Palais de Danse, Barbara Hepworth’s former St Ives studio, which will be opening to the public in 2026.
Speakers include Rochelle Haley and Melanie Stidolph, providing an opportunity to reflect on practice in the south west and understand more of the context of dance in the region.
To add to the international feel of the Festival, world progressive folk trio Trouble Notes are appearing at St Ia Church on Sunday, September 15.
The band’s core hails from three different continents with American violinist Bennet Cerven, German guitarist Florian Eisenschmidt and Australian drummer Julian Lardis.
New Zealand musical duo Paul Gurney and Richards Adams, who stopped off last year for a September Festival debut on their way from Auckland to Nashville, are returning with their mix of jazz, folk, country and blues for two more nights at the Bier Huis Grand Café as part of their European tour.
For more information and to book tickets, visit: www.stivesseptemberfestival.co.uk