Month: July 2014

Step LIVE!

Step Into Dance LogoEighteen youth dance groups from mainstream and SEN secondary schools across London have been selected to perform at Sadler’s Wells in London’s biggest celebration of youth dance, taking place on 5 July.

Step LIVE! is the end of year showcase from Step into Dance, the UK’s largest inclusive secondary school dance programme. The event will feature over 350 young performers, who all receive specialist dance education thanks to the Step into Dance programme – a partnership between the Royal Academy of Dance and The Jack Petchey Foundation. The event is the culmination of a year of hard work and a fantastic opportunity for young dancers on such a large stage.

From a pilot of 28 schools, the Step programme is now a fully inclusive programme delivered in 200 schools and available in 32 London boroughs and Essex, including Special Educational Needs schools and Pupil Referral Units. Step into Dance is unique in offering sustained training (of up to 2 hours per week) and performance opportunities throughout the academic year.

Following a series of nine London-wide Borough Events, groups who showed the most promise and talent were invited to auditions across the capital. Lambeth Academy were one of the groups to impress with an energetic street piece choreographed by their Step into Dance teacher, Kevin Young. The group from Lambeth, who performed outside a local supermarket to raise money for costumes, will join seventeen other school groups from the Step into Dance programme performing at Step LIVE! 2014. Also performing will be the three Step into Dance Youth Companies, showcasing the very best of the programme’s promising young talent.

Tickets to Step LIVE! 2014 are now on sale at www.sadlerswells.com or via the Box Office on 0844 412 4300.

Reaching The Top In Musical Theatre

Musical TheatreMusical theatre is captivating for many people, where the magic of illusion makes anything possible. For professional musical theatre performers, being on stage is the culmination of years of training and hard work; often encompassing more skills than were originally required by becoming a triple threat of singing, acting and dance. Now productions require an ever-increasing range of skills, such as puppetry and stilt-walking (Lion King), acrobatics (Pippin), playing a musical instrument (Fiddler on the Roof) and roller-skating (Starlight Express).

Traditional triple-treat performers should be strong across all three traditional areas of dance and have a few extra skills as well for the best chance of continuous work. Most musical theatre performers start in the industry as members of the ensemble or as understudies meaning they need to be as good as every swing or ensemble member in the show in all three traditional areas of performing. This can be relative between shows, as some require stronger dancers (Chorus Line or West Side Story) as well as being a singer and an actor, and some require stronger singers (Les Miserables)

In terms of the style of dance students should be learning, a strong ballet technique is an important foundation in addition to jazz and tap as the basics. Classes in pas de deux, ballroom and Pilates are also particularly useful to students in training. It is imperative that musical theatre performers show a technique regardless of dance ability with strong body posture and carriage, long lines, legs and feet turned out and upper body and arm lines.

It is therefore important to make the most of your training, regarding discipline as an integral part of training and bringing your own personal style and commitment to classes and rehearsals. Make sure you are unique and make choices to commit to working hard and going for every opportunity given.

Mirrors: An Honest Reflection?

Dance Studio MirrorIt is often a revelation to dance in a studio without mirrors. Some dancers may feel uncomfortable and uncertain at first not to have mirrors, as they are not to be able to see what they are doing and check they are performing the exercises correctly. Despite this many would argue that the movement will feel right for the body, and mirrors are not required to feel this as they encourage dancers to ‘make shapes’ rather than initiate the movement from an internal source.

Dancers often find that dancing in a room with no mirrors frees up their dancing, with no judgements about themselves and liberating the movement, feeling it rather than observing it. It is important to dance with the whole body, increasing confidence and changing the way dancers experience dance and their own movement.

It’s not to say that mirrors are not a useful tool as an addition to the dance studio to help correct placement and alignment, however when dancers are constantly in front of a mirror it is easy to judge yourself harshly and compare yourself to others in the class. The reflection becomes the most important part of the dance and what dancers think they should be seeing, rather than working to improve the physical body that is there in the studio. Some dancers can even become obsessed with their reflection, spending more time looking at it than listening to the teacher.

As you progress and develop as a dancer it becomes easier to recognise the feelings of movements and technique when they are ‘correct’, gleaning the best results when you’re not caught up in your own image or perception of what you see in the mirror. Essentially your teacher is your mirror, providing feedback needed to move more efficiently without the effects of reflective self-criticism. Once you feel the movement and understand how to move her boys when you feel it, your brain can start to reproduce it over and over again and you need never see it.

Talent Throughout The Birthday Honours

Queen Elizabeth IIThe Queen’s birthday honours recently recognised a multitude of talent in the awardees: actors Daniel Day-Lewis and Maggie Smith were recognised in the honours list, which also sees Young Vic artistic director David Lan and English National Opera’s John Berry honoured. The arts faired well as Day-Lewis was made a knight, and Smith was made a Companion of Honour.

Among those awarded CBEs were the Young Vic’s Lan and Berry, artistic director of the ENO. Choreographer Michael Clark, soprano Susan Bullock and Pauline Tambling, joint chief executive of training body Creative and Cultural Skills, also received a CBE.

Others receiving recognition for their services to the arts include pianist Andras Schiff, who was made a knight, and Angelina Jolie, who was awarded an honorary damehood. Hilary Mantel, author of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, the stage versions of which have just extended their run in the Aldwych Theatre, was made a dame.

OBEs were presented to actors Damian Lewis and Phyllida Law, lighting designer Patrick Woodroffe and composer Talvin Singh. Other recipients included Mark Featherstone-Witty, the founding principal and chief executive of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, ex-director of the UK Foundation for Dance, Namron Yarrum, talent agent Jonathan Shalit, and Nisha Tandon, executive director of Northern Ireland’s only full-time ethnic arts and culture company.

Theatre figures recognised with MBEs included John Barrowman for services to light entertainment and charity, choreographer Rosemary Butcher, playwright and founder of the Identity Theatre School Femi Oguns, producer Judith Dimant for her work with Complicite, and theatrical wig designer Angela Cobbin.

Also receiving MBEs were the former joint chief executives of the Askonas Holt agency, Martin Campbell-White and Robert Rattray, conductor and artistic director of the Leeds Symphony Orchestra, Martin Binks, and Maria Friend, director of the Trinity Laban Conservatoire’s junior department.

ROH Production Of The Wind In The Willows To Return!

The Wind In The WillowsDirected and choreographed by Will Tuckett, the Vaudeville Theatre will see the Royal Opera House production of The Wind in the Willows return to London’s West End this Christmas, running from 26 November 2014.

The Olivier Award-winning production will play an eight week season at the Vaudeville Theatre with full casting to be announced soon. The production’s transfer to the Duchess Theatre in December 2013 marked the Royal Opera House’s first commercial transfer and the production was named Best Entertainment and Family at the 2014 Oliviers.

Based on Kenneth Grahame’s timeless classic, the adventures of four woodland friends are retold through dance, song, music and puppetry along a peaceful riverbank, with a speeding car, a racing train and criminal deeds from the Wild Wood. The escapades of Toad, Ratty, Mole and Badger are brought to life in a production that has charmed audiences of all ages, suitable for all from the age of 5. Drawing inspiration from the music of Edwardian composer George Butterworth, the action is set to a score by Martin Ward. Tuckett’s choreography is accompanied by narration written by former Poet Laureate Sir Andrew Motion.

Tuckett is an award-winning choreographer, dancer and director. He was a member of The Royal Ballet 1990–2005, with whom he is now a Guest Principal Character Artist. His work as a choreographer and director includes The Wind in the Willows, The Soldier’s Tale, Timecode, Pinocchio, The Thief of Baghdad, Faeries, Into the Woods and Pleasure’s Progress (ROH2), The Seven Deadly Sins, ‘Diana and Actaeon’ in Metamorphosis: Titian 2012, (Royal Ballet), West Side Story (Sage, Gateshead), The Canterville Ghost (ENB), Hansel and Gretel (Ilford Arts Festival) movement and puppet direction on The Orphan of Zhao (RSC), as well as projects in Europe, the USA, Japan and China. He has choreographed widely for film and television, was Creative Associate for ROH2 and was the Clore Dance Fellow 2008-10. Tuckett’s production of The Wind in the Willows is in its eleventh year.

Billy Elliot Screenings!

Billy ElliotIt has been rumoured that the hit musical Billy Elliot is to be screened in over 300 cinemas in September. A special matinee performance on 28 September will be broadcast live, with a repeat showing to be broadcast in the evening and Ruthie Henshall, who recently joined the cast as Mrs Wilkinson, will star in performance alongside some special guests making the screenings a milestone in the musical’s history.

In addition, the musical has recently announced that it will be continuing its hugely successful run at the Victoria Palace Theatre long into 2015, continuing to delight audiences. The record-breaking show centres around the 1980s miners’ strikes in North East England and Billy’s struggle to break free from his family’s expectations and fulfil his dream of becoming a ballet dancer. The Thatcher-era presented many obstacles but audiences will observe Billy defy the odds and go on to achieve great things.

In May 2015, the show will celebrate its 10th birthday, making it one of the longest running shows in London, as well as being a blockbuster film. The feel-good show has recently welcomed its 37th Billy to the cast, and other new cast members, led by Olivier Award nominee and musical theatre icon Ruthie Henshall in the role of Billy’s dance teacher Mrs Wilkinson. Henshall has had a fantastic career in the West End to date, starring in musicals including Les Misérables, Chicago and Crazy for You having trained at the prestigious musical theatre institution, Laine Theatre Arts.

As a result, the booking period for the show has been extended until May 2015, with more tickets on sale next month. This will extend the booking period until October 2015, great news for fans all over.

BalletBoyz To Be Part Of Roundhouse Summer Sessions

BalletBoyzReturning to the venue that hosted their first public performance – as George Piper Dances in 2001 – the award-winning BalletBoyz® will perform at Roundhouse Summer Sessions on 31 July and 1 August 2014. This will mark the final UK performances of Russell Maliphant’s piece Fallen and Liam Scarlett’s Serpent. The sessions will also offer an exclusive first look at new work Young Men.

Following three successful nationwide UK tours and sell-out performances in Australia and Europe, BalletBoyz the Talent will celebrate their success of the above critically acclaimed and popular double bill by having the BBC Concert Orchestra join the cast of dancers to perform the scores.

The Roundhouse Summer Sessions audiences will also see an exclusive excerpt of BalletBoyz’ highly anticipated new show, Young Men, that has been in development for the past year. The piece explores the theme of war and the bond that forms between the men who train and fight together and is part of 14-18 NOW WW1 Centenary Art Commissions drawing inspiration from images of war through the ages, in particular the First World War. The full work will be premiered in January 2015 at Sadler’s Wells.

Choreographed by NDT dancer/choreographer, Iván Pérez, Young Men features an original score by British singer songwriter Keaton Henson who will perform an extract of it at the Roundhouse. A gifted composer and illustrator, Keaton has released two critically acclaimed albums, ‘Dear’ and ‘Birthdays’ and won the Best Music Video Award (Rushes Soho Shorts 2012) for the video of the single ‘Small Hands’.

Last year BalletBoyz won the 2013 National Dance Award for Best Independent Company, having revolutionised dance presentation formats and are at the forefront of digital dance creation. Choreographer Russell Maliphant won the 2013 National Dance Award for Best Modern Choreography for Fallen.