The Boy Who Couldn’t Sit Still by Cecilia Thoden van Velzen and Cameron Prince was commissioned by Pilton Youth and Children's Project as part of our Creative Encounters project, which places children's rights at the heart of the creation process.
The Boy Who Couldn’t Sit Still is a dance between a boy and the chair he’s been told to stay in. What happens when this boring kitchen chair starts moving its legs? And what happens when you simply can’t sit still?
Cecilia and Cam said: “There is nothing more powerful than imagining something that makes the world around you more interesting. And there is nothing more frustrating than being told that you can’t or shouldn’t. We want to celebrate those great unseen ideas and amplify the voices of the children who came up with them.”
The idea was selected by children attending Pilton Youth Project who have worked with the artists to develop the boy’s incredible imagination, and supported puppet designer Fergus Dunnet with the design of the magical chair. Cecilia, Cam and puppet designer Fergus Dunnet delivered workshops at PYCP exploring movement and character development which contributed to the final performance. For example, the artists said:
- “We used A’s costume drawing - it was great to show her the final costume and get her approval”
- “The moment of connection in the piece really came from S’s vulnerability, love and her wanting to take care of things.”
- “The boy’s cheekiness, the tornado of his thoughts and emotions and the way they resulted in movement was something I observed in many of them, but especially J, and his hopping on one leg when he wanted to say something was an element we worked on for quite a while.”
The project is supported by Young Start, Arts & Business Culture & Business Fund Scotland, and the PLaCE fund.
