Author: Jessica Wilson

October half term will see Estela Merlos and Mbulelo Ndabeni deliver two unique masterclasses, one for young people aged 14-18 and one for adults aged 19-24. The sessions are suitable for all levels of experience and will focus on technique and choreography,as well as a Q&A session with the artists. DanceWest is a brand new dance development organisation for West London, based at the Lyric Hammersmith.

The exclusive opportunity to train with these dancers – both including Rambert dance company on their CVs – will take place on Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 October respectively. The experienced choreographers will solely lead the fun and practical sessions in order for participants to develop their technique and create choreography.

Melos will lead the younger age group: she is an independent dance artist based in London. Born in Barcelona she trained at Escola de Dansa Madó and at Central School of Ballet, obtaining the Solo Seal Award and touring with Ballet Central. Estela toured both nationally and internationally with Rambert from 2008 to 2014 and has worked with companies including New Movement Collective, AVA Dance Company and Goddard Nixon. Her own work has been presented in Spain and the UK.

Ndabeni is originally from South Africa and is now a London-based choreographer and teacher. After training in dance at All School in Cape Town, Khayelitsha, Mbulelo worked for Cape Town City Ballet. Ndabeni performed in Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake for two years. In 2007 he joined Rambert, where he performed in works by many national and international choreographers like Merce Cunningham, Christopher Bruce, Javier du Frutos, Henri Oguike, Siobhan Davies, Henrietta Horn, Tim Rushton and Ashley Page. Mbulelo has been awarded a place in Phoenix Dance Theatre’s Choreographers and Composer’s Lab July 2015.

For further information and to book please email: [email protected]

An evening with Leanne Benjamin – in conversation with Ross Alley – took place on 2 July at English National Ballet. The former Royal Ballet Principal only recently retired after a 21 year career, and had much to tell about her career, life and experiences. Leanne discussed her illustrious career in conversation with Ross Alley incorporating selected film footage of highlights of her dancing and the important roles which she interpreted.

http://youtu.be/uea3gS2gyHw

In addition, a Leanne Benjamin scholarship scheme for young Australian dancers was also launched, in collaboration with the Tait Memorial Trust. The awards were created to recognise Leanne Benjamin as arguably the most successful ballerina ever to have come from Australia. Leanne danced with four of the world’s leading companies (Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet, London Festival Ballet, Deutsche Oper Ballet and The Royal Ballet) and worked directly with many of the legends of 20th and 21st century ballet, in a career that spanned 30 years.

The Tait Memorial Trust new ballet awards will use Leanne’s name for The Leanne Benjamin Awards. The Awards have proved to be a turning point for the Tait Memorial Trust and are a testament to its intention to increase funding for young Australian dancers who wish to study in the UK, an art form where so many have gone on to an international career. The first recipient, Josephine Frick, a graduate of the Royal Ballet School, is now under contract with English National Ballet.

As a testament to the talent and career of Leanne, the evening was a unique opportunity, not only to hear a first-hand account of a first class ballet career, but also to help promising Australian ballet students who come to London to study at the world’s best ballet schools.

Downton Abbey is seemingly set to become a musical after series 6 (the last) ends, full of tap dancing in the pantry and jazz hands in the drawing room! As a stiff British television drama, a Downton Abbey stage show would be met with delight by its fans. The blueprint for a global theatrical tour starring the cast – and which is predicted to rake in millions at the box office – has since been unveiled by the series’ composer John Lunn.

Lunn and creator Julian Fellowes have been working on a ‘live event’ which is hoped to feature the Oscar-winning writer as host and include compositions from the period drama. The iconic soundtrack and set are instantly recognisable; including the cast in the future blueprint is ambitious yet a hopeful move. The project would take place after the much-loved ITV drama finishes following its sixth series this autumn, and the final episode will be 2015 Christmas Special.

Talks currently involve plans of a live tour, with lots of music from the show. It is likely the actions will retire against a screen and the soundtrack may even be live in places. The show has already spawned a series of successful business opportunities including a crockery line, clothes, linens and books. There is also talk that a spin-off movie may be in the works with Lord Grantham actor Huge Bonneville already having said he would want to be involved if the opportunity arose.

The programme is shown in more than 100 countries worldwide, and is an especially big hit in America. It is the highest-rating British period drama of the past decade, with an average of 11 million viewers over the course of its five series and Christmas specials.

Actor and filmmaker Ralph Fiennes will step behind the camera once again to direct a film about Russian ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev, according to Screen Daily. Whilst it is yet unknown who will play Nureyev in Fiennes’ film, this looks set to tell an engaging story of the iconic dancer for fans and dance audiences alike.

The film will be Fiennes’ third feature as a director, after directing 2011’s Coriolanus and 2013’s The Invisible Woman, in which he played Charles Dickens. Despite this, the biographical drama which will unfold for Nureyev will not see Fiennes play the lead. Gabrielle Tana will produce the film (who also produced the hit film Philomena staring Dame Judi Dench), which is set to shoot in late 2016, with script by Sir David Hare.

The film will be based on Julie Kavanagh’s celebrated biography of the Soviet-born dancer, who defected to the west in 1961 – a bold move at the time. He went on to dance with the Royal Ballet, and famously partnered the iconic Dame Margot Fonteyn; their partnership was undoubtably celebrated as one of the greatest dance partnerships in history. Nureyev also acted in films – among them a biopic of silent star Rudolph Valentino – before dying in 1993 at the age of 54.

Fiennes recently appeared in Man and Superman at the National Theatre and will be seen later this year as M in the next James Bond film Spectre. He is perhaps best known for his Oscar-nominated roles in Schindler’s List and The English Patient, and for playing Voldemort in the Harry Potter series of films. Fiennes has also written a new version of Ibsen’s play The Master Builder, in which Fiennes will star at the Old Vic in London next year.

It has recently been revealed that musical theatre stars Zizi Strallen and Matt Lee are set to lead the way in the Mary Poppins UK tour. Playing Mary Poppins and Bert respectively, the announcement was made by The Daily Mail’s Baz Bamigboye, often relied on for theatrical scoops.

The new Mary Poppins UK tour will open at the Leicester Curve on 13 October 2015, directed by Anthony Lyn and with choreography by Geoffrey Garratt. The show has a score by Richard M Sherman and Robert B Sherman, with additional music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe; musical supervision is by Stephen Brooker.

The classic musical Mary Poppins originally opened in the West End in 2004 where it ran for three years at the Prince Edward theatre, whilst the Broadway production ran for over six years. The show has subsequently toured the world, visiting Australia, New Zealand, the US, the UK and has been seen by over 11 million people. The iconic tale is a favourite for many, so a UK tour will be extremely welcome for both old and new audiences.

Zizi Strallen follows in the footsteps of her elder sister Scarlett who famously starred as Mary in the West End, on Broadway and in Australia, keeping the role firmly in the family. Zizi is currently starring as Lana in Matthew Bourne’s production of The Car Man: coincidentally choreographer Matthew Bourne has also danced in the musical of Mary Poppins.

Zizi’s extensive theatre credits include: Demeter in Cats (Palladium/UK tour), Penny Pingleton in Hairspray (Leicester Curve), Kathy Cratchitt in Scrooge (Palladium), Zaneeta in The Music Man (Chichester), understudy Lisa in Dirty Dancing (Aldwych), understudy Regina in Rock of Ages (Shaftesbury/Garrick), Meg in Merrily We Roll Along (Menier/Harold Pinter) and Mona Lipschitz in Chicago (Leicester Curve).

2015’s Kids Week has seen a record-breaking start to its annual summer scheme, with an incredible 116,000 theatre tickets snapped up in the first 24 hours of this year’s launch. More than 40 West End shows are taking part in this year’s festival of family theatre fun, which runs throughout the whole month of August. Kids Week offers children and their families the chance to engage with theatre that they may not usually be able to, due to monetary or timely circumstances. With numerous ticket deals and further activities to take part in, Kids Week is not a scheme to be missed!

Now in its 18th year, Kids Week has a huge following and every year introduces thousands of young people to the magic of theatre. Workshops, question and answer sessions and backstage tours are just some of the other theatrical activities on offer in addition to the ticket offers available to children and their families. There are still more than 140,000 tickets available for anyone wanting to take advantage of the kids go free ticket campaign, offering a child aged 16 or younger the chance to see a top London show for free with every adult ticket purchased, plus up to a further two children’s tickets available at half price.

The Society of London Theatre, the organisation behind Official London Theatre and Kids Week, has been overwhelmed by the first days sales, however this success of Kids Week is testament to the organisation’s work, and dedication to the theatre and young people. It is clear the London theatre industry embraces Kids Week in its offer of unrivalled opportunities for children to engage in theatre, often giving them their first experience of the magic of live theatre.

Purchase Kids Week tickets at www.kidsweek.co.uk or by calling 0844 248 5151.

Tewkesbury’s Roses Theatre in the south west of England is set to stage a programme of outdoor work while the venue closes its doors over the summer in order to undertake an £800,000 renovation. Likening it to the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in the heart of the capital, weather permitting the work could see new audiences and new views on the Gloucestershire theatre.

The venue will continue to run two-thirds of its programme, including live music and film screenings, at the council-run Watson Hall while the theatre is shut for refurbishment from 2 July to 23 September, retaining its audiences for its shows and providing a solution to its renovation work which will take over the whole theatre. Although the venue did not programme any theatre over the summer in anticipation of the closure, it will stage three outdoor shows for the first time, in the nearby Victoria Pleasure Gardens.

Sustaining existing audiences and gaining new audiences is important to the theatre, part of the reason behind its revamp. As part of the renovation, the building will be extended to include a new double-storey foyer, in addition to roof repairs, improved disabled access and a refurbished coffee bar that will be able to serve food. The building’s exterior will also be given a facelift, to make the theatre a more welcoming space.

Once the funds for the project have been raised and the work has been completed, the theatre is sure to have a renewed sense of life and future inquisitive audiences, trying theatre for the first time at the venue. Ahead of this time, the theatre looks set to have a fulfilling summer ahead in staging some of its work outside – here’s hoping for an Indian summer in the UK!

The hit musical comedy is gearing up for a strictly limited run in the West End, following the departure of Gypsy from the Savoy a theatre later this year. Chichester Festival Theatre’s critically acclaimed production of Guys and Dolls is set to transfer to the West End for the limited season of a 13 week run, from 10 December, opening after Gypsy – starring Imelda Staunton – closes on 28 November.

Protagonist Nathan Detroit is desperate: he needs money for an illegal dice game, and fast, as well as trying to maintain his 14 year engagement to nightclub singer Miss Adelaide, whose patience is running out. Enter notorious gambler Sky Masterson, a guy who can never turn down a bet, and straight-laced missionary Sarah Brown, a doll with a heart of ice. Sky must romance Sarah by taking her to Havana for dinner and in return he’ll provide a dozen ‘sinners’ for Sarah’s mission. It seems this is one bet Nathan absolutely can’t lose? The New York tale of gamblers, gangsters and nightclub singers is a glorious evening featuring some of Broadway’s greatest show-stopping tunes, including Luck be a Lady.

The Chichester production which ran in August last year starred Sophie Thompson as Miss Adelaide and Jamie Parker as Sky Masterson (who will both transfer to the London production), Peter Polycarpou and Clare Foster. Along with dazzling choreography from world-renowned Cuban ballet star Carlos Acosta, and the much-loved Andrew Wright (Singin’ in the Rain, Barnum), it is a production not to be missed. The show also has direction from the celebrated New Yorker Gordon Greenberg, musical direction from Gareth Valentine, design by Peter McKintosh and lighting and sound by Tim Mitchell and Paul Groothuis.

Guys and Dolls is just the ultimate feel-good show!

Many dancers are freelance: the system doesn’t suit everyone but for many it is the chance to hone in on skills and passions. The freelancing game is ultimately busy, not allowing dancers to ‘switch off’ or take a day off, as they are always working and on the go. During downtime, such as travel for example, this is used to go through choreography for the next rehearsal, scheduling the logistics of the next dance gig, or networking and promoting your personal brand on social media.

Freelance dancers may rehearse with a few companies or choreographers at a time, and may also have jobs on the side of dancing to supplement their income, in order to pay for rent, food, transport, everyday living and maybe even for some savings. Despite being your own boss as a freelance dancer, there is no denying it is a draining lifestyle. However the freedom of dancing with anyone you choose counters this, allowing you to become even more artistically challenged as a constantly developing dancer.

Many dancers are a member of a full-time company before becoming a freelance dancer, choosing to take their own paths. It might be appropriate to dip your toes in freelancing first, for example as a choreographer or teacher, before taking the plunge as a fully-fledged freelancer. This means dancers can more easily jump between different companies and genres of dance, giving the opportunity to network and build up country or even worldwide contacts.

It is important to therefore look after your body as it is both your instrument and your insurance: make sure it can sustain the hours of rehearsals that are required. As a freelancer you are responsible for keeping track of your schedule, going to class or warming up before rehearsal, budgeting and negotiating fees, and keeping each choreographer or director happy. Make sure your schedule is informed with lots of communication about rehearsals and performances, remaining organised. Keep focused on what you love and make the most of experiencing different work and dance genres to aid your artistic growth.