Month: April 2016

Chiara Castania is an all-round performing artist, originally from the small northern Italian town of Iseo. She took up ballet at  five years old under her mothers’ wishes; a former ballerina.

Chiara moved to London to further progress her training as it offered her a more extensive selection of education. After winning scholarships at both A.L.R.A. in London and Bodyworks Dance Studios in Cambridge, she succeeded in acquiring a succession of leading roles with a variety of major cruise companies; P&O ‘Oriana’ and Cunard ‘QE2’ were two famous ships she worked on. Chiara is now a solo headliner on cruise ships and has been performing her acts on cruise lines such as Celebrity, Carnival, NCL and Fred Olsen.

Chiara also had the experience of being part of two well-established girl groups under professional management; one of which had songs produced by the world-renowned ‘Boney M’. She continued her music career by developing her own producing and writing skills in conjunction with various London producers, and worked on two albums.

Chiara is currently pursuing a musical theatre path. Never afraid of trying something new or taking on a challenge, her motto faithfully stands as “variety is the spice of life”.

 

Have always wanted to be on stage?

Yes, I started twirling around from the age of one! I did have ideas of maybe being an air hostess or hairdresser, but that didn’t last long! I really decided, though, when I was seven or eight, when my Nan – who was a singer – introduced me to all the old musical films. Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse, Debbie Reynolds… I was hooked!

 

Where did you train and what was it like?

I first trained at a very strict Italian ballet school in Italy with a Russian who had a big wooden stick and terrified me! I later started at a weekend dance and singing school from the age of 11 and joined the choir.

I then applied to study at performing arts schools and trained at ALRA (Academy of Live and Recorded Arts) in London, and Bodyworks Dance Studios in Cambridge which was great training! I was blessed in being awarded scholarships for all my training as I wouldn’t have been able to afford it otherwise.

I still take classes at Pineapple Studios as I love it still and like keeping up my technique, and I sometimes take private singing classes too.

 

What was your first job? What was it like?

My first ‘job’ was in a girl group called Sirens, directed and produced by Boney M, the famous 70s group! It was an interesting experience! I went on to be in another girl group and appeared on television in Celebrity Soccer, playing football with The Darkness, Take That, CBBC presenters, Cheryl Cole and Girls Aloud, Liberty X… again, another interesting experience!

My first real job was my first cruise contract with Sea Cruises… hard work, but great first job. I got into a bit of trouble though because I was so flamboyant and crazy! I got a warning for wearing too much glitter, feather boas and sitting on bar stools sipping cocktails with the officers! Hilarious. This job taught me many skills for the industry though and prepared me for years to come. I worked out very quickly that the cruising life really suited me, and that soon I would become addicted to the lifestyle.

 

What is a day in the life of Chiara like?

My days can be busy, stressful and frantic at times. I’m not a morning person and frequently need very strong espresso coffee! I like to keep busy so rehearsals are a must if I’m on a contract. I also like time to have a read, go to the gym and eat at some point – I love my food! My daily meditation is really important too as it chills me out a little…

 

What is it like working away on a cruise ship?

I love working away and traveling – I’m completely addicted to the excitement and diversity as I get restless easily… I need variety or I get bored. I miss home, friends and my man the most though… it is incredibly hard being in a long-distance relationship and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone!

 

What’s the best thing about performing on a cruise ship?

The best thing about performing is seeing people’s smiling faces, or hearing that I’ve made someone’s holiday. I love the escapism if offers, reinventing yourself a hundred times over and the joy I get from singing and dancing. If I had a choice I would have been more of a dancer though, as that’s my first love! I’ve been part of two dance companies and it’s been one of my greatest satisfactions and accomplishments in my life. I have flat feet, bent knees, an arched back (that gives me back pain every day) and not the greatest classical lines… yet I can dance! I like to challenge my limitations and am as stubborn as hell… you can achieve so much more than you think!

 

What would you put your success down to?

My success is just hard work and perseverance… believing in myself and going for my dreams. I have so many more dreams, just keep reaching and working hard, to maintain and improve on what you have. I am also spiritual, so being thankful means you will receive much more back… I pray and I stay positive.

 

Do you have a life mantra?

Not a life mantra, but I love ‘Variety is the spice of life’!

 

What is your advice to an aspiring performer?

Don’t allow anyone to squash your dreams, only you can decide if it’s possible. Stay positive, have faith in yourself and do your research!

Multiple award-winning ballerina Natalia Osipova will soon take on a programme of new contemporary work commissioned by herself and produced by Sadler’s Wells. The programme will feature work by renowned contemporary choreographers Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Russell Maliphant and Arthur Pita, and run from 29 June to 3 July.

The trio of choreographers will create pieces inspired by Osipova for the production, which will go on to visit the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh as part of the 2016 Edinburgh International Festival in August. Currently a Principal with the Royal Ballet, Osipova will be joined on stage by Sergei Polunin, which marks the first time that they will have danced together in the UK, amongst much romantic speculation.

Russian dancer Osipova joined the company in 2013 after her guest appearance in Swan Lake, and has performed lead roles in Giselle, Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, La Fille mal gardée and DGV: Danse à grande vitesse. She began her formal ballet training at the age of eight, before joining the Bolshoi Ballet at 18. She has also danced with American Ballet Theatre and Mikhailovsky Ballet, and has appeared as a guest artist with companies around the world, such as American Ballet Theatre.

In terms of the new programme of works, Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist and Artistic Director of Royal Ballet of Flanders Cherkaoui will create Qutb, a new trio for Osipova and two male dancers. It will combine Cherkaoui’s trademark mix of movement vocabularies, musical genres and cultures. Cherkaoui is acknowledged as one of Europe’s most exciting choreographers.

Maliphant will create a new duet for Osipova and Polunin, as one of the longest-standing Associate Artists of Sadler’s Wells. He trained at the Royal Ballet School and graduated into Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet Company before pursuing a career in independent dance. He also studied anatomy, physiology and bio-mechanics, certifying as a practitioner of Structural Integration.

Pita will also create a new duet for Osipova and Polunin entitled Run Mary Run, in a dark, comedic story highlighting Osipova’s acting. Pita has also choreographed movement for plays, operas and musicals, including Women Beware Women at the National Theatre, Becky Shaw at the Almeida and La Bohème and Show Boat at the Royal Albert Hall.

One Dance UK, Greenwich Dance and Trinity Laban have showed support for a recent announcement for an increase of funding for sport in schools, seeing it as an ideal opportunity to encourage more primary schools to use this for dance. The Government announced it is doubling the primary school PE and sport premium, meaning more school children could be learning to dance as a result.

The increase in funding will come into play from September 2017 when the Government will give further support for the scheme, from £160m to £320m per year. It has been noted that many schools are already using the premium in order to enhance the dance offerings, by investing in teacher training, bringing in dance specialists and building partnerships with external dance organisations.

Since its launch in 2013, the scheme has prompted 23% of schools to introduce dance to PE lessons, according to research by the Department for Education. Dance has also been the most popular activity for schools to introduce in extra-curricular time, with 29% doing so. Eligible primary schools currently receive £8,000 plus £5 per pupil per year to spend on improving the quality of their PE and sports activities, and in turn dance. The increase is expected to boost the number of schools offering dance, both in school and as an extra-curricular activity.

Schools will consequently be encouraged to teach dance as part of the PE National Curriculum. It is anticipated that the increased investment from the Department for Education will encourage schools to develop their dance curriculum and the dance skills of their teachers, in order to inspire students. As a result, and parallel with the news, new schemes and projects are being devised in order to bring more dance into schools, and inspire young people to engage further with the art form.

After a successful pilot festival in 2014, Wilton’s Strike! Dance Festival returns in 2016, to premiere six new works by emerging contemporary dance artists. Audiences attending – or instead, watching the live stream online – will be able to get a glimpse of promising performers and choreographers at the start of their artistic careers.

Taking place from 3-5 May at Wilton’s Music Hall, the theme resides around memory: the six selected choreographers have been commissioned to develop their work to performance level, with mentoring from professionals. Submissions were judged by a panel including Viviana Durante, former Principal Dancer with the Royal Ballet and Guest and Principal the world over; Critics Choice award winner, Jonathan Goddard, who has performed with Rambert, Scottish Dance Theatre and English National Ballet and founded the Dancespinner education project; and Lee Smikle, teacher, choreographer, producer and artistic director as well as Resident Artist with Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures and Re:Bourne.

The six works will be showcased in front of a live audience as well as being live-streamed worldwide, and an open Q&A session will follow the performances on each of the three nights. For 2016 the festival has also been extended, now including Youth Strike!, which will see a group of East London secondary school pupils choreograph and perform their own work, also on the theme of memory. The students – led by Jo Meredith and Sean Bruno, who created one of the pieces for 2014, will perform their pieces as a curtain raiser on the first night of this year’s festival.

In partnership with Eastside Educational Trust, a second school group will film rehearsals and their development to create introductory videos for each piece of work as well as working with ArtStreaming TV at the dress rehearsal to learn about live broadcasting.

April 2016 saw the legendary choreographer Sir Matthew Bourne announce a new adaptation of the iconic Powell and Pressburger film, The Red Shoes. His company will present the production at Sadler’s Wells this Christmas, as a world premiere. The show will reunite the award-winning creative team behind the New Adventures’ world-wide hit, Sleeping Beauty, made up of Lez Brotherston (set and costume), Paule Constable (lighting) and Paul Groothuis (sound).

Bourne’s choreography will be set to a new score arranged by Terry Davies using the mesmerising music of golden-age Hollywood composer, Bernard Herrmann. Herrmann is most famous for his collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles and Martin Scorsese, this time played live by the New Adventures Orchestra for the talented cast. Through the soundtrack and talent of Bourne’s dancers, The Red Shoes will present its drama where life imitates art with fateful consequences.

The fairytale story – where fairytales are common amongst Bourne’s work – will be set in the theatrical world of a touring dance (ballet) company, about dance and dancers. For Bourne, the film’s genius is to make that theatrical world surreal, larger than life and highly cinematic, and he aims to capture that surreal quality within a more natural theatre setting. The show is based on the Academy Award-winning movie which seduced audiences and inspired generations of dancers with its tale of obsession, possession and one girl’s dream to be the greatest dancer in the world.

New Adventures recently auditioned 300 talented dancers, whittled down from the 1,100 applications the company received, vying for a place with Bourne’s company. In light of this, the lucky dancers who are successful will find themselves swept along with this dancing fairytale too.

The 40th anniversary Olivier Awards, which took place on 3 April at the Royal Opera House, London, were again a momentous occasion. Broadway musicals Kinky Boots and In the Heights took three wins each, and the classic musical Gypsy won four awards, the most of any single production. Kinky Boots won the accolade of Best New Musical, and its star Matt Henry was named Best Actor in a Musical. In the Heights saw a much deserved award to choreographer Drew McOnie for his work on the production.

The ceremony, one of the stagiest events of the year in the UK, featured extracts from all the shows nominated for Best Musical and Best Musical Revival, in addition to a finale of “What I Did for Love?” from A Chorus Line, the show that won Best Musical in 1976, and performed by past winners that included Maria Friedman, Joanna Riding, Leanne Jones, Jill Halfpenny and Lesley Mackie.

Next year’s ceremony will take place on 9 April at the new venue of the Royal Albert Hall. Additional nominations and winners on the night included:

Best Entertainment and Family

Alice’s Adventures Underground at The Vaults
Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax at The Old Vic
I Want My Hat Back at National Theatre, Temporary Theatre
Peter Pan at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
WINNER – Showstopper! The Improvised Musical at Apollo Theatre

Best New Dance Production

He Who Falls (Celui Qui Tombe) by Compagnie Yoann Bourgeois at the Barbican
Romeo Et Juliette by Les Ballets de Monte Carlo at London Coliseum
WINNER – Woolf Works by Wayne McGregor at Royal Opera House

Outstanding Achievement in Dance

WINNER – Alessandra Ferri for her performances in Chéri and Woolf Works at Royal Opera House
Javier De Frutos for his choreography of Anatomy Of A Passing Cloud at the Linbury Studio Theatre, Royal Opera House
Sasha Waltz for her choreography of Sacre at Sadler’s Wells

Best Theatre Choreographer

Carlos Acosta and Andrew Wright for Guys And Dolls at Savoy Theatre
WINNER – Drew McOnie for In The Heights at King’s Cross Theatre
Stephen Mear for Gypsy at Savoy Theatre
Jerry Mitchell for Kinky Boots at Adelphi Theatre

Best Musical Revival

Bugsy Malone at Lyric Hammersmith
Guys And Dolls at Savoy Theatre
WINNER – Gypsy at Savoy Theatre
Seven Brides For Seven Brothers at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

Best Actor in a Musical

Ian Bartholomew for Mrs Henderson Presents at Noël Coward Theatre
Killian Donnelly for Kinky Boots at Adelphi Theatre
David Haig for Guys And Dolls at Savoy Theatre
WINNER – Matt Henry for Kinky Boots at Adelphi Theatre
Jamie Parker for Guys And Dolls at Savoy Theatre

Best Actress in a Musical

Tracie Bennett for Mrs Henderson Presents at Noël Coward Theatre
Natalie Dew for Bend It Like Beckham at Phoenix Theatre
Laura Pitt-Pulford for Seven Brides For Seven Brothers at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
WINNER – Imelda Staunton for Gypsy at Savoy Theatre
Sophie Thompson for Guys And Dolls at Savoy Theatre

MasterCard Best New Musical

Bend It Like Beckham at Phoenix Theatre
WINNER – In the Heights at King’s Cross Theatre
Kinky Boots at Adelphi Theatre
Mrs. Henderson Presents at Noël Coward Theatre

Steering away from the UK’s capital, the arts are hugely well represented in the diverse dance and physical theatre programme at the Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2016. It is the flagship arts festival for the East of England, running from 13–29 May and providing audiences with an eclectic mix of performance art. Often arts away from capital cities are under-represented, particularly in the UK, however this year’s Norfolk & Norwich Festival looks set to delight.

Despite its location and proximity to London, the Norfolk & Norwich Festival is one of the biggest arts festivals in the UK. Highlights for this year’s programme include Sans Objet from celebrated director Aurélien Bory, the site-responsive BeLONGING(s) created by Maresa von Stockert of Tilted Productions, and H2DANCE’s intergenerational Staging Ages, in addition to work from the acclaimed Candoco Dance Company.

BeLONGING(s) has been created in collaboration with a local and international cast of  performers, as a site-responsive piece that makes use of local spaces and involves the community as it takes place along the local promenade. The performance explores migration, belonging and the fleeting nature of our surroundings through a combination of contemporary dance, physical theatre, sound and an unusual use of objects and locality.

H2DANCE’s latest piece for the festival mixes movement and text, and is an intergenerational project created in collaboration with five dancers aged 9–65. With H2DANCE’s distinctive charm and humour, Staging Ages explores the generation gap and how we feel about our public and private selves at different stages.

Legendary choreographer Arlene Phillips has collaborated with disabled and non-disabled dancers from Candoco Dance Company in order to to disrupt the structure of the traditional love duet. Named New Duet, it explores how we fall in and out of love over and over again.

Sans Objet presents enormous robotic arms, alongside acrobats Olivier Alenda and Olivier Boyer in a spectacular dance between man and machine. In this futuristic show, an industrial robot transported from factory line to live stage comes to life, and definitions of humanity are tested through a game.

Early April saw the Royal Ballet announce its plans for the 2016/17 season, garnering support from the UK ballet and dance press as the programming moves further in the direction of choreographic equality. The new season will include four world premieres, and the return of dance legends Leanne Benjamin and Viviana Durante to coach Mayerling and Anastasia respectively.

The announcement marks 70 years since the company reopened the Royal Opera House, however it seems the organisation is moving further into the twenty-first century with the new programming. Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite will receive a commission to create a new work for the company, the first female choreographer to do so since Siobhan Davies back in the twentieth century, and Dame Ninette de Valois and Bronislava Nijinska before that.

Darcey Bussell will return to coach dancers on the Aud Jebsen Young Dancer Programme, and Liam Scarlett will also produce a new one act ballet in 2017, bringing old faces back into the fray. The season will also see the return of Woolf Works to the stage, following its recent Olivier Award success. Past Principal Mara Galeazzi returns also, sharing the lead role with ballerina Alessandra Ferri. Carbon Life will also return as part of the 10th Anniversary celebrations of Resident Choreographer Wayne McGregor.

Additional revivals throughout the season will include Kenneth MacMillan’s The Sleeping Beauty, as well as Christopher Wheeldon’s After the Rain and Strapless. Founder choreographer Frederick Ashton’s La Fille mal gardee will also return, with Principal Roberta Marquez returning as Guest Artist. Ashton’s The Dream, Symphonic Variations and Marguerite and Armand will appear too, and George Balanchine’s Jewels will also make an appearance at the Royal Opera House. This marks 50 years since its New York appearance, and his pas de deux Tarantella will become company repertoire for the first time.

London’s Peacock Theatre has played host to a great number of captivating shows, and the award-winning Motionhouse is no different. Bringing a multimedia dance show to the venue, new show ‘Broken’, meant the company did not disappoint – its usual athletic performance was ever-present, lapped up by the audience.

The company’s staging is rooted in dance, theatre, circus, acrobatics and film, under the direction of artistic director and choreographer Kevin Finnan MBE. In true Motionhouse style, Broken erupts onto the stage in an adrenaline-filled spectacle, displaying the company of six dancers who bring Broken to life with awe-inspiring partner work and highly-skilled dance, based on strength and control as opposed to the tricks of today. Broken is part of the Earth Trilogy, which explores humans’ relationship with the planet, making it a thought-provoking and moving experience as the human race comes up as minuscule against the power of earthly surroundings.

A revolutionary set design by Simon Dormon, and ground-breaking digital imagery projection by Logela Multimedia, make way for fantastic digital projection, motion graphics and graphic design alone. With a narrative set against the combination of dance, circus and theatre, the dancers add further strands to the vibrant and eclectic performing arts scene as they delight audiences with the new production. The performers hang in suspense against the moving backdrop, and negotiate the constant changes in the world of illusion they inhabit, with the movement vocabulary gripping and fast-paced. Broken is set to an original score by Sophy Smith & Tim Dickinson, emphasising the ambiguity of the Broken world, earth but not as it is known.

With the dancers performing solos, duos or as the group of six, the precision and control they displayed was second to none throughout. The rumbling soundtrack paired with the intensity of the projections was seconded only by the interspersed work by the dancers, relying on both their physical strength and the strength of the group as a whole. Lacking was the usual display of contemporary dance ‘tricks’ seen in so many other performance companies, hugely welcome in presenting the Motionhouse company as innovative and bold in its work, inspiring others to do the same. The high energy and intensity showed off the Motionhouse dancers, complementing the physicality of the movement and the combination of this with the theatrics, projection and technical display.

Motionhouse is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. Broken premiered in 2013 and was originally commissioned by Warwick Arts Centre, Watford Palace Theatre, The Grand Theatre Blackpool, mac birmingham and Swindon Dance. Pushing movement to its limits since 1988, Motionhouse creates awe-inspiring ‘4D’ spectacles where music, visuals, dance and physical theatre integrate to form a seamless immersive experience. The company’s distinctive style takes movement to its limits, integrating elements of circus and acrobatics with contact choreography and breath-taking dance. Motionhouse prides itself on producing shows of outstanding quality that are exciting, accessible and enjoyable for all.

The company additionally tours to theatres and festivals at home in the UK and across the globe. The company’s ambitious experimentation with setting, action and context have become an integral part of its trademark style, led by Finnan. Finnan was Choreographer and Movement Director for the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, and his interest in exploring and questioning the traditional use of space in performance has led to the creation of extraordinary dance spectacles on unique sites.

A wide ranging education and participatory programme runs parallel to Motionhouse’s touring performance work.

British and Italian dancers have triumphed in the Royal Academy of Dance’s annual Phyllis Bedells Bursary. Taking place on 20 March, the Bursary was awarded to 15 year old Ryan Felix from the UK, established to encourage talented young dancers to further their career in classical ballet. Past winners of the prestigious competition have gone on to dance with renowned ballet companies including the Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Bèjart Ballet, London City Ballet and the Dutch National Ballet.

Following last year’s introduction of a new Choreographic Award, Italian dancer Greta Zappettini also triumphed, aged 14. A total of 14 candidates from the UK, Canada, Indonesia, Thailand and Italy took part in the Bursary. In addition to the Classical Repertoire Variations, candidates each performed a variation choreographed by themselves, their teacher or a peer to a piece of music of their choice. The Bursary is named after Miss Phyllis Bedells, founding member and Vice President of the Royal Academy of Dance.

Ryan Felix began his RAD training at Harlequin Stage School with Edward Bury. After gaining a scholarship for Elmhurst School for Dance, he studied with Phillip Pegler, Denise Whiteman and Sarah Dickinson. He is currently studying classical ballet with David Yow and has passed his Intermediate and Advanced 1 with distinctions; he is working towards his RAD Advanced 2 qualification. For his Classical Repertoire Variations, Ryan’s performance came from Giselle, Act 1, Peasant Pas de Deux, Variation II.

Awarded annually, the Phyllis Bedells Bursary has a value of up to £1,000, to be used to further the winner’s training: it can be offset against existing tuition fees or material and equipment. The Bursary is open to members of the RAD who have passed the RAD Intermediate and the Advanced 1 examination (Advanced 1 with Distinction). Valerie Aitken chaired the panel of judges and was joined by Jonathan Cope CBE, Répétiteur with the Royal Ballet.