1981 – Premiere of Richard Alston’s Soda Lake at Riverside Studios

Soda Lake was originally created for a BBC TV programme. However, when this failed to materialise, choreographer Richard Alston decided to stage the piece for performance at Riverside Studios, London, and created it on the dancer Michael Clark. The set design sculpture was by Nigel Hall, which he created in 1968. The sculpture Soda Lake was the artist’s response to the physical geometry of the dry Soda Lake in the Mojave Desert, California. The lighting was by Sid Ellen, and the costume the dancer wore was a black sleeveless leotard and tights. Soda Lake was performed in silence. It later entered the repertoire of Ballet Rambert and was also performed by Mark Baldwin.