CENTREFOLD / Twirls on film: Animated dancer's first visit to Britain

Kathy Rose couldn't decide if she wanted to make animated films or dance, so she wound up doing both: she projects her own animated films on to herself and dances with the images. For her first visit to Britain she performs a taster of extracts from her repertoire (at the ICA tonight and tomorrow). 'I felt a need to expand the film element,' she explains. 'I'd previously trained as a dancer so I decided to combine the two disciplines in a piece called Primitive Movers (right). The movement was inspired by the early work of Martha Graham, and the film by the work of the painter Sonia Delauney. For this piece I was also influenced by the Russian ballet of Diaghilev, with very colourful, artistic sets which I was able to make move.'

Each piece is drawn from an eclectic range of influences, from Egyptian art to Flamenco to Art Deco, and the integration of animation or live footage with live performance can give rise to humour. In Oriental Interplay, animated dresses are projected on and over her body, while Insects uses an exotic blend of chilling and comic images culminating in the 'chorus of the larvae' with 10 dancers. 'Humour is not something I consciously aim for,' she reflects. 'Though I am sometimes surprised by the reactions of audiences.'

(Photograph omitted)