Ignition Call-Out

Ignition Dance FestivalIgnition is a brand new dance festival in Kingston, delivered by the Royal borough of Kingston and supported by Arts Council England. Ignition is seeking six dance companies or choreographers to create a brand new work for a dance platform at The Rose Theatre in the borough, during the International Youth Arts Festival on 12 July. The opportunity to present a work in the festival would be notable for any choreographer.

Each company will have access to two research and development weekends with BalletBoyz (at the end of May) and Roehampton Dance of the University of Roehampton (at the end of June), dance studio space at Kingston University, and a professionally produced platform at The Rose Theatre to display the work.

Either a choreographer or dance company can apply, however the choreographer/company must be under the age of 26, or working with dancers under the age of 26 years, tying into the International Youth Arts Festival where the work is to be presented. Choreographers/companies must apply for the project with a brand new idea that will be developed and created for the platform, with each piece a maximum of 10 minutes long.

Deadline for applications is Thursday 24 April: if the choreographer/company is successful, they will be notified by Thursday 8 May. The platform event at The Rose Theatre will take place on 12 July. There will be a budget contribution of £500 per choreographer/company.

How to Apply

  1. Are you applying as a choreographer or company?
  2. Send an outline of your previous choreographic experience (300 words), an outline of the new idea you would like to explore (500 words), a link to previous work that can be viewed online and a draft budget of how you plan to use the £500 contribution.

Please send all information to: Rosie Whitney-Fish, Ignition Producer (rosiewhitneyfish @ googlemail.com) by Thursday 24 April.

Yorkshire Festival 2014

Yorkshire Festival 2014The first ever Yorkshire Festival recently got underway as the official countdown to the Tour de France begins. Yorkshire Festival 2014 is the first ever arts festival to precede the Tour de France, the world’s biggest annual sporting event: the festival will run from 27 March to 6 July 2014. Yorkshire Festival is the first cultural festival in the Tour de France’s 111 year history. The events will take place in the 100 days leading up the first two race days of the Tour, The Grand Départ, this year hosted by Yorkshire.

Inspired by Le Tour, the majority of Yorkshire Festival’s programme is free to access. The Yorkshire Festival will showcase the very best that the region has to offer and will highlight the strength and depth of art and culture throughout the county to a huge number of visitors over the next few months as well as celebrate the vigour and ambition of the sector.

Out of almost 400 bids, 47 projects were commissioned to be officially part of the 100-day festival – which will also include hundreds of fringe events. In particular, Bicycle with Barefoot, will be part of Yorkshire Festival later this year on 27 and 28 June. Inspired by the temple dance tradition of Kuchipudi originating in Andrha Pradesh, Southern India, Bicycle with Barefoot brings ancient rhythms to a modern context. Dancing on a real blank canvas, movement-based storytelling combines with drumming and live music to guide the dancers. Abhinandana MK, Kopal Vedam and Navya Rattehalli reveal a story that is literally narrated through the body to create a visual remnant of the event.

The Annapurna dancers are experts in their field, using physical storytelling to speak to people across language barriers and maintain well-loved stories from Indian mythology. Their performances are underpinned by rigorous training that allows them to share this age-old language through precise movements and perfectly timed gestures.

Based in Yorkshire the company has worked relentlessly in education and community with many successful inspirational projects for over 20 years and their forthcoming Bicycle with Barefoot has been commissioned by Yorkshire Festival 2014. The idea derived from a dance style called Kuchipudi from the state of Andhra Pradesh, India in which the footsteps of the dancers inscribe designs for narrating ancient stories onto a blank canvas beneath them. It is a rare and unique concept of printing whilst dancing with barefoot and combines live music and uplifting drumming.

dancedigital Festival

dancedigitaldancedigital, in partnership with the University of Bedfordshire, is to present the dancedigital Festival from 25-27 April. dancedigital is one of the UK’s leading dance organisations based in Bedfordshire and Essex, renowned for leading the dance field in the development of technical innovations in choreography and dance. In April, to celebrate the latest achievements and best work of an outstanding group of dance practitioners, the organisation will stage its first digital dance festival at the University of Bedfordshire.

The festival will showcase the best and most exciting digital performances and installations by a range of dancedigital’s Associate Artists and Catalyst Artists, who will be showing their work in public for the first time. Performers and filmmakers will follow the festival’s theme of how digital technologies can transform the experience of choreography onstage, online, inside, outside. Performers include the award winning filmmaker Rachel Davies, choreographer and dancer Annie Lok, dance practitioners Luke Pell and Jo Verrent, dancer Tim Casson and video technologist Tom Butterworth, and visual artist Rachel Cherry.

This fantastic cohort of artists will bring together the arts, science and technology to create meaningful, touching and rich experiences for audiences, utilising the meeting of arts and science in performance to create new views in a technological culture. The festival will not only bring cutting edge performance to the area but will also provide exciting opportunities for the students and nearby arts communities to explore innovative approaches to performance.

Performances, workshops, learning and participation events are just some of what is on offer over the weekend. In particular, panels and workshops will be led by distinguished practitioners and teachers including Professor Helen Bailey, pioneering DJ and filmmaker Alex Reuben, Anthony Lilley, Chief Creative Officer and CEO of Magic Lantern, the award-winning interactive media and multiplatform creative house and consultancy, Kerry Franksen dance and intermedia artist and Nina Martin, international teacher, dancer and choreographer as well as performances and installations.

Breakin’ Convention Launches BCTV

Breakin' ConventionSadler’s Wells’ hip hop dance project Breakin’ Convention has launched an online video channel, BCTV, to capture the full range of Breakin’ Convention’s work and the artists it works with, on Friday 2 May 2014.

Breakin’ Convention is one of the world’s leading hip hop dance organisations, delivering a dynamic programme of events, performances and projects, working with some of the world’s finest hip hop artists. It will present Breakin’ Convention, its critically acclaimed annual festival of hip hop dance theatre, at Sadler’s Wells from 3-5 May 2014, ahead of a UK tour to venues such as Doncaster, Kings Lynn, Inverness, Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Blackpool and Bournemouth.

The hip hop community boasts many talented emerging film-makers, but opportunities to train, develop and receive mentorship are limited. Unpaid work and internships are financially unsustainable for most, which makes entry and progression within the industry difficult. Breakin’ Convention therefore aims to plug this gap by offering training and mentorship coupled with paid, creative film-making briefs. Through providing access to quality equipment and mentors, tailored training programmes and bridging relationships with other film production companies, BCTV is not only a fantastic opportunity for film-makers to make dynamic content but a gateway to the larger industry.

The project is part of Sadler’s Wells’ work to ensure a strong legacy beyond the tour. In addition to BCTV, this will include engaging local urban cultural ambassadors who will provide the link between the venue and the local hip hop dance, graffiti, rap and DJ communities in order to highlight lesser-known projects to a wider audience.

BCTV features everything from live performances to interviews, short documentaries, video diaries and conceptual videos, and provides an insight into the world of hip hop dance.

The Place Presents EDge: New Generation Of Dance Artists

The PlaceEDge, The Place’s postgraduate company, has taken to the road with an energetic and dramatic programme of dance from 24 March – 13 July. The 12 talented dancers will perform a selection of work by commissioned choreographers Ben Wright, Joe Moran, Idan Cohen, Maya Levy, and work by Trisha Brown (Canto Pianto (1998)) – the first time this piece has been performed in the UK by a company other than Trisha Brown – and Yael Flexer (The Living Room [an extract] (2010-11)).

The international tour opens in Plymouth and will visit venues such as Hexham, Leeds, Dundee, Exeter, Naples, Salzburg, Swansea, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Arcos de Valdevez and London.

The varied repertoire will showcase the artistic and technical excellence of the dancers. With moments of dramatic suspense, tenderness and frantic energy, EDge’s dancers perform a collection of work that’s both light hearted and intense. Accompanied by electronic and operatic sound score the range of narrative and abstract dance is moulded by the selection of internationally acclaimed choreographers.

Led by Artistic Director Jeanne Yasko, EDge, the postgraduate performance company of London Contemporary Dance School is now in its 14th year. Each year new dancers are selected through a rigorous audition process and the most exciting and talented students are chosen to join the company. EDge has built a reputation for embracing a range of different styles of contemporary dance, performed by outstanding artists at a key stage of their professional development.

The period spent with EDge gives each individual an invaluable insight into creating, rehearsing and touring work as a professional company. The programme for EDge students is closely integrated with other postgraduate studies at London Contemporary Dance School, and the range of artist development opportunities for artists at all career stages offered by The Place.

Are You Dance Direct’s Student Ballet Dancer Of The Year?

Ballet StudentsAs dance forms go, ballet is among the hardest to perfect. It requires coordination, care and balance. Dancers work for years to perfect these qualities, and of course become students to enhance their form and knowledge.

Those who wish to make a career from ballet might study at university or a specialist dance school or college. At Dance Direct we understand how challenging it can be for people embarking on their dream to become a professional ballet dancer and so we are looking to help someone on their way. We’ve started a nationwide competition to find Dance Direct’s Student Ballet Dancer of the Year!

Think you have what it takes?

The competition allows student dancers from universities and colleges throughout the UK to show off their ballet skills in a video submitted to us. The competition will be judged by Dance Direct’s blog writer – Jessica Wilson.

The lucky winner will receive a prize of £250 worth of Dance Direct vouchers, to enable him or her to stock up on essential (or non-essential) dancewear items and a featured article about them on the Dance Direct blog! With a published on-site biography, you will inspire your fellow student dancers, and be an inspiration for younger dancers looking to start their career.

As the prize-winner, this competition will give you the equipment, exposure and the exclusive title of Dance Direct’s Student Ballet Dancer of the Year, to give you a boost to take your career in dance to the next level – as well as giving your college/university the recognition of housing the best ballet dancer in the country!

To enter the competition, you must:

  • Send a video of yourself dancing to [email protected]
  • Include your name, age, the name of the college/university where you’re studying, and the name of your dance course.
  • Video submissions can be made by either WeTransfer for a normal file or, if applicable, a link to your video on YouTube.
  • Your video can be either: an entry made purely for this competition, or a previous audition tape or dance show performance that you’re particularly proud of!

Terms &Conditions

The competition deadline will be at midday on the 30th June. The competition is only open to UK residents only. Entrants must be registered on a certified dance course at a college or university at the time of entering. No monetary value can be given in exchange for prizes. The winner will need to be available for a telephone interview after the competition has closed. The judge’s decision is final. Any queries about this competition should be directed to the [email protected] email address.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Matt Flint: Reach For The Stars

Matt Flint‘So You Think You Can Dance’ winner Matt Flint is a ball of energy. Having won this prestigious competition and having danced alongside many well-known music artists, it is any wonder Matt has time for anything else. Despite this, he is running a dance competition named “Can You Dance?” with dancer Tom Shilcock, which will be held in Norwich, Nottingham and Leeds.

Here Matt talks about his training, winning SYTYCD and his latest dance project…

When did you begin dancing, where and why?

I started dancing in 1994 at the age of 12 (now you know how old I am!). I went along to the local dance school in Scarborough and did their new boys street dance class. I was quite sporty and always up for something new – I loved it instantly.

What were your early years of dancing like?

I was taught early on from my dance teacher just how hard you had to work and believe me, she took no prisoners. I struggled at first having to perform in front of friends but I loved dancing most nights of the week and was excited to get to London.

How long have you been performing/choreographing? Did you start young?

I have been dancing for 20 years now. Wow, it has flown by! I started fairly late by comparison. I have always been into choreography – I started just by choreographing myself but now I thrive on the challenge of choreographing whatever is put in front of me!

Where did you train and what was a typical day like?

I trained at Laine Theatre Arts. It has always been one of the top colleges, my time there was fantastic. The training was intense, you could be dancing for 7 hours a day.

What is a typical day like now?

Never the same, which I love! Aside from the choreography work, Can You Dance? fills my day. We are just about to enter the 2014 season so things are really starting to build up nicely!

Tell us a bit more about Can You Dance?

CYD? is what the regions have been craving for a few years… In a nutshell, we are bringing top Choreographers, Dancers, Colleges & Dance Organisations to counties that haven’t been able to experience anything like it before! The day consists of Masterclasses, a Showcase, an Industry Exhibition and is the perfect opportunity for young dancers to discover what the next step is for them.

Where can we find the conventions this year?

We will be in Norwich, Nottingham and Leeds – so come and say hello.

Do you still take classes? How do you keep on top of your technique?

I do a lot of Bikram Yoga, a couple of gym sessions a week, plus all of the dancing I still do.

What would you say was your greatest achievement to date?

Probably So You Think You Can Dance. Not because of winning, but because it has opened lots of doors which I’d been struggling to open for many years.

Which part of dance do you enjoy most?

The fact it’s my passion and I feel like I’ve never worked a day in my life. The social aspect. The fitness.

What advice would you give to someone aspiring to be part of the dance industry?

Get your head down and work hard. Sweat in every class. Look for inspiration outside of your bubble. Luck favours the prepared!

What’s next for you?

Last week I was choreographing Kylie on Sport Relief. This week I am in pre-production for a new musical. Over the next month I’m working on an advert!

Stiff Competition Or Chance To Connect?

Dance Performance Theme IdeasIt is often the case that dance competitions are not just about the dance students competing, but their parents too. Who is the pushiest? Who did the best for their dancer? For many parents, dance is just a fun pastime for their children which reaps much enjoyment and rewards, whereas for others it is cut throat territory, out to achieve the best for their young starlets.

It is easy to become overwhelmed with insecurities about yourself and your dancer when drawing comparisons between others and their abilities. Before you know it, you are wondering why you came to the competition or audition, or even class or workshop, and you may even be worried that you have set your dancer up for failure.

Despite this, there are many dance parents who are ready to connect with others. Most are experiencing the same fears and emotions and they are seeking camaraderie, advice, and friendship. It is often beneficial and rewarding to interact and become friendly with other dance parents.

The dance world is small and it is likely that if you are actively attending events with your dancer, the chances are you will see the same people again and again. If you attend dance events alone it is often necessary to make friends with other parents to make the events more fun and enjoyable. It also makes you realise that you are not alone in concerns, worries, and joys.

Making friends, networking and gaining advice are also large parts: it enhances dance lives and is essential to connecting with others with whom you have a shared interest. Some dance parents guard information closely in order to give their child every possible advantage and although hoarding information might provide short-term benefits, it backfires in the long-term. By hoarding information, you will eventually shut off possible opportunities for information to come to you. But by sharing information and being helpful, you create a culture that will cycle back to you.

Matt Rudkin: dance maverick

Matt RudkinNaïve Dance Masterclass is Matt Rudkin’s latest project, shown at Canada Water Culture Space.

After previously appearing at the Edinburgh and Brighton fringe, where it was nominated for ‘Best Male Performer’, Inconvenient Spoof have presented Naïve Dance Masterclass down in London too. Naïve, a stand-up and dance-about comedy combining dead-pan wordplay and expert physical tomfoolery, shows off ex-contemporary dance star, Matt Rudkin.

Here he shares his tale of artistic salvation through the exertions of riot duty training and the love of an immigrant hula-hoopist.

When did you begin dancing, where and why?

My first recollections of dancing are from the age of around 4 when I would apparently begin moving to any kind of music. My parents would take me to festivals and I have a clear recollection of the feeling of complete freedom, dancing outside to live music in the rain. There is a some super-8 film of me dancing at a friend’s party on my own in the corner – and my father picks me up to take me home and I keep on dancing, oblivious as he carries me to the car. Maintaining the ability to create this space of total absorption has required much determined effort as I have grown older, and I now have a very specific routine I go through.

What were your early years of dancing like?

In the early years I was not very disciplined technically, but was very connected emotionally. It felt as if the music ‘played me’, so to speak, and I would reverberate with the particular feelings evoked by the melody. I remember one time at my youth dance club I arrived in a very cheery mood and was giggling with friends – but when the teacher put on Henryk Gorecki’s symphony number 3, within seconds I was weeping uncontrollably as I swirled and spiraled around the room. I was also very involved in theatre and have always danced with a very active face.

How long have you been performing? Did you start young?

I began performing publicly at the age of 6 in a youth company called ‘kaleidoscope’. The first production I appeared in was ‘Creation’ and depicted the first 7 days of the Earth. I played the part of an amoeba that turned into a lizard. I remember being terrified the night before, and my mother comforting me as I lay in bed and reminding me that there were 26 other amoebas so I shouldn’t be too worried about making a wrong move – and because mutations were a natural occurrence. I wasn’t sure what a mutation was, but my mother’s tone of voice was very comforting. In my teenage years I became more self-conscious about performing, especially since I went to a big, tough comprehensive school where dancing and acting wasn’t considered particularly cool. I was quite secretive about my dancing in particular, and would often find a room to practice alone with the lights turned off, dancing to the music in my head.

Where did you train and what was a typical day like?

I would rather not be specific about the main institution in which I received my training, as I am now very critical of their core values and pedagogical techniques – but suffice it to say it was a fairly traditional contemporary school. Being from a fairly poor background, I often had to work at weekends and in evenings to make ends meet, so I had some very long days. At one point I worked in a nightclub behind the bar, but also did some shifts as a podium dancer. There were some fantastic dancers in the crowd that went there and I certainly picked up a great deal from watching them.

What is a typical day like now?

Nowadays I am very focused on maintaining my physical and psychological well-being. I begin each day at 6am with a run, followed by a fruit and veg. juice for breakfast and a 20-minute meditation. I normally will then read for a couple of hours; at the moment I very much interested in ‘evolutionary psychology’. In the afternoon I am normally teaching – currently I am delivering a new class called ‘Dancing for Clowns and Clowning for Dancers’. In the evening I will take a class of some kind, do another meditation and then work on writing, props or costumes my studio.

Do you still take classes? How do you keep on top of your technique?

Since I became wholly committed and immersed in Naïve Dance, the only classes I now take are in 5 rhythms and Body Balance. I also regularly go dancing at night clubs (always sober) to pick up new moves – and I also visit Monkey World (near Poole) fairly regularly to observe the natural movements of the primates.

What’s the best part of performing?

The best part of performing is realising I had forgotten the audience – as if waking and realising it was all a dream. I wouldn’t say I ‘enjoy’ performing because during the best moments ‘I’ disappear and my self becomes completely merged with the action. Naïve Dance can often appear to people as being quite funny, but there is often a moment when my self disappears that I think people realise that something very different is occurring.

What would you say was your greatest achievement to date?

My greatest achievement is having discovered a way of being such that I can dance with a complete lack of self-consciousness at weddings receptions, or other public dancing occasions. I have found a way of disappearing into my dance practice such that I have no concern for the impression I make. The proof of this is really when I am aware that people are not impressed with my dancing, and I really don’t care. This is another reason why dance busking is so liberating – people stop and watch or go away and it really doesn’t matter to me.

Which part of dance do you enjoy most?

I love the sense of being in the middle. Like when I go swimming and I’m counting lengths; at the beginning it feels like the ‘oh that’s only 6 lengths, this is so boring’, but at some point I just resign myself to fact that swimming is what I’m doing now; get used to the monotony, and before I know it that I am completely satisfied – in the middle.

What advice would you give to someone aspiring to be part of the dance industry?

Don’t do what I do! There are very few opportunities to make being a dance maverick work for you – the industry really wants trained and versatile performers. But I would say, look after yourself – eat well, don’t intoxicate yourself, meditate and keep fit – and then you will be happier whatever happens.

What’s next for you?

I am hoping to set up the world naïve dance championships next year in Brighton, and completely give up coffee!

Release Technique For All

Dance AuditionRelease Technique is focused on the principles of “ease of movement” and “fluidity”, continuing to adapt and transform as a result of many styles coming together to coexist and in some ways has become a dance language of its own. Dancers learn to minimise tension in the body to create freedom of movement, moving in the easiest way. The release of body weight into the floor and the use of breath to instigate movement focuses on the use of energy, gravity and momentum to create movement.

Now more than ever it seems that Release is a predisposition for dancers, especially those training in contemporary techniques. Concepts such as moving in and out of the floor, articulation of the body, alignment and balance all rely on the foundations of gravity and momentum. Despite this, many classically trained dancers find Release Technique challenging to master as it requires them to let go of the control and exact body placement entrenched by their technique, even though Release is particularly useful in countering this in aiming towards becoming a fully-rounded dancer.

It must also be noted that often Release Technique is sometimes misunderstood in the bid to dance in a way that ‘feels good’ as opposed to using correct release principles, such as letting go of the pelvic alignment, relaxing the spine and moving from impulse, when Release Technique is more demanding. These can be difficult concepts for dancers who have been trained to contain their movements and work to a precise syllabus.

A mind-body connection must be established, key to body awareness and becoming mentally aware of tightness in the muscles and joints. Body awareness or “somatics” is the foundation on which contemporary dance is built. Understanding the impetus and motivation for movement engages the brain and draws a link between intention and movement in the ability to relax specific muscle groups while working others to maintain correct form. Advanced dancers harness aspects of technique such as suspension, release, timing and dynamics to create unique

For Release, following an impulse from the body is always better than seeking to create shapes and lines: begin to trust your own movement intuition. Improvisation exercises are often useful, in order to connect the mind and body.