Where Are All The Budding Ballerinas?

BallerinaDancer turned choreographer Carlos Acosta has warned that ballerinas are causing a crisis in the dance world because too few are making the leap to a career as top-level professional dancers. This sweeping statement seems rather unsupported, with Acosta claiming there are no female dancers of a sufficient stature for him to perform opposite, with girls becoming ‘non-existent’.

It is widely known that there are hundreds of thousands of females dancers all competing for the top spots in dance companies, with considerably less males vying for this. However, Acosta maintains that with various pressures for female dancers it is difficult to meet the challenges required. Female competition is constantly increasing, and even the Royal Ballet School has confirmed Acosta’s observation, with directors finding it increasingly difficult to find really talented girls in the past few years. While girls are the overwhelming majority of applicants to the Royal Ballet School’s junior years, there are currently more boys than girls among the intake by the age of 16.

Despite Acosta’s claims, 2013 marked his 40th birthday and Acosta has not hidden the effects of dance on his body, admitting that pain and aching joints are the by-product of a career devoted to dance, regardless of gender. Acosta consequently believes the Government should play an active role in encouraging more female dancers, with financial implications a big factor in children beginning ballet. Subsidising the arts and awarding scholarships would encourage more young dancers and their parents to continue in the ballet streak.

If the UK is unable to produce female stars, they will be encouraged from overseas. Acosta feels it would be better to do more to look elsewhere and give people a chance to flourish.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Treacle Holasz – Today’s Pioneer

Treacle HolaszTreacle Holasz is an emerging Irish, Ukrainian choreographer who combines her eclectic heritage to create comical and engaging physical theatre. Her latest piece ‘Why Fronts: A Contemporary Lap Dance’ is being showcased as part of The Place’s Resolution! 2014 festival.

When did you begin dancing, where and why?

At around the age of 4 my mother’s friend, Lucy, gave us some Tchaikovsky recordings, that I would put on and dance around the room doing faux ballet; I had so much fun that my mother started to take me to ballet classes at our local YMCA. Then, like so many of my dance friends, I regrettably stopped taking classes, and it wasn’t until the age of 12 that I rediscovered my passion for dance and creating movement. My skills were nurtured at The Place as part of the first year of their CAT scheme and their youth company – Shift.

What were your early years of dancing like?

So incredibly fun! One of the reasons I love teaching dance workshops and community projects now is because you can see in others the sheer excitement to learn! I have always been ambitious, from a young age I juggled studying for my GCSEs alongside attending dance classes every night of the week. Thankfully I have wonderfully supportive parents who worked very hard to not only pay for my lessons but drive me to classes. Despite never having experienced contemporary dance themselves, they have always encouraged me. I think it’s really empowering to be young and discover a past time that requires both discipline and creativity.

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

I was painfully shy, up until the age of 17, so I was really only comfortable when I was performing. I performed throughout my school years, Shift in particular was a great and formative experience; as well making some great lifelong friends I was also given the opportunity to work with incredible choreographers like Martin Lawrence, Tom Dale and Zoi Dimitriou. I continued to perform throughout my training and on graduating performed with The March Performance Group. We were real pioneers, a group of feminists lead by American thinker Kate March. Shortly after, I met Cypriot choreographer Marina Poyiadji and we were commissioned by the European Union in 2012 to create and present a duet in Cyprus entitled ‘DECLARE WHAT’.

This work was an intensely intimate process, working together so closely we were almost able to second guess each others next movement. This collaboration sparked my interest in vocal rhythms of language, a device which I explore more throughly in my latest piece ‘Why-Fronts – A Contemporary Lap Dance’.

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

I trained for 2 years at Lewisham College. It was fantastically brutal, we were like a dance army, we’d get in for around 8.30am to warm up then have classes from 9am-5pm, then if you were working on choreography you sometimes didn’t get away till 8pm.

I was very privileged to learn under Buddy Watkins and Ragnhild Olsen, both very different but really memorable teachers. After Lewisham I briefly went up to Northern School of Contemporary Dance but I couldn’t leave London so I decided I wanted a choreography based degree, there are some really fantastic university courses. I chose Middlesex University; a typical day was pretty varied but generally speaking you had two technique classes. The choreography classes were always my favourite as from the start there was a clear emphasis on discovering our own choreographic voice. I set up a company in my second year called DRA – we would perform choreographies at London venues to live bands and DJs, and loads of our fellow Middlesex dancers turned up in support. It was and is a really friendly, approachable atmosphere and I’m excited to be teaching a choreography workshop on 3 February at Middlesex, hopefully acting as a springboard for more collaborations in the future!

What is a typical day like now?

Very different, literally every day is different! Freelancing is tough but you feel like you make yourself achieve and every day counts. Rehearsals for my current piece
begin with tea and a quick gossip, then we all lay down, we do a series of set breathings and face warms ups then we start creating noise, warming up our lungs from there we will begin to move first improvised then into our more set material with my wonderful dancers Georges Hans and Charlie Ford. Some days I teach and rehearse with The Meyer Dancers (a 1960’s GoGo group founded by Holasz). Whenever possible I try and a fit in a hot chocolate with my friend Ruby Isla to discuss fun ways to promote my work through social media, and how to spread the word about the various choreographic workshops that I offer, with the aim of enabling others to discover their unique choreographic voice.

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

When I was at Uni I did take class at The Place, but as a freelancer I can’t commit from one week to the next in case I’m performing or teaching – so I really rely on drop in classes. My personal 2014 resolution is to take up a ballet class again, I think it’s a technique you just fall in love with again as you get older. It’s a bit like being an artist when you learn first draw, you use a pencil, then you get excited by inks, water colours and oil and you sort of take the pencil for granted but without the pencil the painting is arguably a mess so with the discipline of the pencil you find a freedom to be creative. So you could say that Ballet is my pencil, Ha!

What’s the best part of performing?

When you see someone in the audience smile or laugh or even just look you dead in the eye and you think “YES! They get it”. I think it’s far harder to make an audience laugh and connect with you as a human being rather than an unobtainable ‘performer’. I never want to lose sight of the fact that dance should be enjoyable escapism. I’m a born entertainer: if you are paying us money, I want you to go home thinking “We just got entertained.” A personal pet peeve of mine is when I go and see a work and company are so self indulgent that they appear to be enjoying the evening more than the audience.

What piece will you be performing at Resolution!? What is it about?

I’m really proud of this work called ‘Why Fronts: A Contemporary Lap Dance’ (or if you are on the twitter-sphere, #Yfronts). Essentially it is a piece which explores the influence that gender has on society’s attitude towards movement, questioning why certain movements performed by a woman are viewed as provocative, whereas exactly the same movements or pose performed by a man are deemed
animalistic? We are also debating whether the popular but controversial dance form of a lap dance should be considered pro or anti-feminist? My dancers Georges and Charlie had a workshop with acclaimed pole dancer VEGAS (Sasha Allen) in the art of pole and seduction; she has been really influential in the work as she gave us such a frank account of her professional working life.

Which part of contemporary dance do you enjoy most?

I love moving the most, physically dancing. It is a varied and rich style and to an extent it is a misunderstood style that is often under represented – I’d like to see it be given a lot more coverage. I strongly believe that people should be encouraged to feel OK if they “don’t get it”, the wondrous nature of contemporary dance is that is doesn’t have a linear and one dimensional narrative, it isn’t something that needs to be ‘got’ or understood fully, but more emphasis needs to be placed on works being created purely for enjoyment purposes.

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

Not to listen to advice! There really is no magic recipe or clear path into any creative industry. I think you can carve your own path and make your own opportunities; you don’t always need to rely on platforms or funding awards, put on events with people whose work you dig and venues you love and just make things happen, your way.

What’s next for you? When are you performing at Resolution?

We are performing on 11 February – we really want to have fun with the piece, it’s going to be more like a party than a performance, There’s a strong cultural influence from my Irish Ukrainian heritage so we have a live Bodhran player Tad Sargent joining us, we are also asking some of the audience to join us on stage, then there is talk of vodka shots… My dashing dancers be stripping down to their Yfronts so it really is one for the diary! We both hope to tour the work and also to teach our choreography workshops alongside it to dancers of all abilities. At Holasz Choreography we are all about remembering, creating and having a ruddy good time!

You can keep up to date with future dates, plans and gossip here:

  • https://www.facebook.com/holaszchoreography
  • or @holaszchoreog on Twitter

Why-Fronts – A Contemporary Lap Dance is part of a triple bill and is being performed alongside Jenni Wren’s Slanjayvah Danza: MinorTears and LCP Dance Theatre’s Am I. For tickets and more information please visit http://t.co/TALKUlBSZ4

Gemma Sutton: Magical Talent

Gemma SuttonGemma Sutton is a magical leading lady. With her feet firmly on the ground Gemma has played a number of coveted musical theatre roles, her most current being Roxie in Chicago at Leicester’s Curve Theatre. Gemma trained for three years on the Musical Theatre course at ArtsEd, having previously engaged with a number of Amateur Dramatic performances. She hasn’t stopped since, and here offers a snippet of her life, both onstage and off.

When, where and why did you begin dancing?

I began dancing at my local dance school in Macclesfield when I was 8, encouraged by the girls I was doing pantomime with in our local Amateur Dramatics Society. My first teacher soon retired, and the teacher who took over from her taught me until I was 18 and became a very close friend over the years as I began teaching for her in the few years before I went to Drama school.

What were your early years of training like?

I remember my Mum being a constant taxi service, taking me to dancing classes 4 times a week, along with singing lessons, piano lessons, and three different Am Dram societies. I don’t know when I had chance to eat, never mind do my homework! I took dance exams in Modern, Tap and Ballet, with IDTA. I used to love going to the IDTA conferences and learning from the great guest teachers they had there.

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

The first show I was ever in was The King and I at the local Am Dram Society after my Mum answered an advert in the local paper saying they were looking for children to audition. From that day on I was hooked. I also used to sing in local nursing homes and concerts with my Dad accompanying me as he is an excellent pianist. Over the years I was in shows such as Crazy For You, Me and My Girl, Godspell, Sweet Charity, West Side Story, Barnum, Kiss Me Kate… it gave me such good experience and stood me in good stead for when I went off to Drama School at 18.

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

I trained at ArtsEd in Chiswick, London, on the three year Musical Theatre degree course. It was very intense and I couldn’t have wished for better training. We’d start at 8.30am and finish at 6pm Monday to Friday and each day had a variety of lessons, usually starting with a one and a half hour ballet or jazz class, sometimes one after the other (!) and then lessons such as acting, improvisation, physical theatre, ensemble singing, solo singing lessons, street jazz, pilates, history of musical theatre, alexander technique… I remember being so tired I’d be in bed by 9pm each night. I learnt such a lot there and worked with amazing industry professionals, many of whom I’ve worked with since graduating into the profession.

What is a typical day like now?

My routine changes all the time depending on if I’m in a show or not. When I’m working, like I am now in the musical Chicago at the Leicester Curve Theatre, I tend to get as much sleep as I can, then get out and about in the day (at the moment to do my Christmas shopping), I may go for a run if I’m feeling particularly virtuous. We have to be in at 6pm on a ‘one show’ day, and 12pm on a matinee day. We would then have a physical and vocal warm up, get notes from the dance captain and resident director to keep the show on top form, get wigs, microphones, costume and make up on and then do the show. It’s hard to go to sleep soon after the show as my adrenaline takes a while to settle down after the excitement of the evening’s performance! If I’m not in a show, my day may consist of preparing and going to auditions, going to singing lessons, and doing part time work to keep the pennies coming in. I’ve done loads of different things from bar work to office temping. There are so many talented people in the industry, we all have times out of work, but you just have to keep going and never give up.

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

When I’m working I find that doing the show each night and being very focused in the vocal and physical warm up helps to keep my technique sharp. I’m really enjoying our Chicago warm up; we do a lot of yoga and ballet exercises which makes a nice change from the usual star jumps and press ups that warm ups often consist of! When I’m not working I go to regular singing lessons and do a lot of running, strength training and yoga. Keeping fit is so important in this industry as you never know what you’re going to be asked to do in a dance audition and you need to be on top form all the time.

What’s the best part of performing?

Having been on the tour of Hairspray for the majority of this year, I’ve been lucky enough to experience the most wonderful reaction from the audience in the finale number You Can’t Stop the Beat, night after night. It is so lovely to see the audience up on their feet, dancing away. It’s great to know you’ve made people happy and hopefully taken them away from the stresses of normal life for a few hours!

Which part of Chicago do you enjoy most?

That’s a tricky one! It’s such a well written show and all the numbers are great and so varied. I sing a number called Roxie in the first act where my character starts to realise that she’s going to be able to be the celebrity she’s always dreamt of being after working for years as a chorus girl in a dodgy nightclub. I’m joined on stage by male ensemble and it’s very exciting to be surrounded by these amazing dancers, all doing Drew McOnie’s amazing choreography, with a massive neon Roxie sign as the backdrop.

What are rehearsals like?

Intense! We only had three weeks to rehearse Chicago so we worked long hours and were totally consumed by it all day, every day. We usually start with a vocal and physical warm up at 10am and the day would be split between scene work, choreography and working through the music. This show has been particularly interesting as we have new choreography, not the Bob Fosse staging that all big productions of Chicago over the years have used. The choreographer also wanted us to create it with him, so it has been very fulfilling putting the show together. As we came closer to opening we would do runs of the show in the rehearsal room with lots of notes after and then a week of technical rehearsals in the theatre, adding the set, costumes, lighting, sound and orchestra.

What advice would you give to someone aspiring to be part of the musical theatre world?

If you really want to succeed, never give up. It is such a tough industry and once you realise that and come to terms with the fact that you won’t be working constantly (92% of performers are out of work at any one time – it’s a very scary statistic!), all you can do is keep going and don’t give up hope. Get a part time job that you get fulfilment from or you’ll just get depressed and that can grind you down after a while. Keep going to see lots of shows and performances, watch great films and listen to great music to keep being inspired so you are reminded of why you wanted to choose this career in the first place. Choose carefully which drama school or course you are going to audition for as they are all different, do your research and keep working hard in your classes!

Dane Quixall: A Spotlight

Dane QuixallA relatively late starter, Dane Quixall began dancing aged 16. He went on to gain a Full Scholarship at the Urdang Academy aged 18, and upon graduating, joined an International Touring Company. With a stellar success story such as Dane’s, with credits such as CATS the musical, it is any wonder that he is a true professional and works incredibly hard.

When did you begin dancing, where and why?

I started dancing around my house when I was about 16 after seeing the video of CATS. I used to watch it EVERY night and dance along. I went to drama clubs prior to this and attended a local dance school on a Saturday where we used to learn routines, but I didn’t learn to do a plié until I was 18.

What were your early years of dancing and training like?

I attended the Urdang Academy in Covent Garden on a Full Scholarship and I am so thankful for that. I found training difficult as I had to work every night and weekend to pay for my rent, food and travel. A typical day was getting up at 6am to leave and get to central London to start Ballet at 8.45am, classes all day until 6p, and then start work Front of House at 6.15pm. I would work until 11pm, get home by 12pm, sleep for 6 hours and start again. I was tired and moody the whole time so not the best experience of my life, but it made me grow up and I learnt a lot in those 3 years.

A typical day…

I would start with ballet and we had great teachers who really gave a great basic training in the first year, which helped me to get to the standard of others who had been dancing since they were 3 years old. We had contempary classes, tap classes, singing lessons, gymnastics, jazz classes and acting classes. I enjoyed most of the lessons but I NEVER do, and still don’t, think of myself as a ‘dancer’. I think of myself as a Musical Theatre performer, so I much perferred the jazz classes and Musical Theatre lessons and workshops.

At the moment…

I have just finished 3 years and just under 800 shows of CATS on the European Tour, playing nearly all the boys and on occassions some of the girls! I’m resting until the end of January 2014 when I start rehearsals again for the UK Tour of CATS again as a Swing.

A typical day now…

When performing I usually get up about 11am. I have never been a morning person so working nights is great for me. If I’m on that evening I usually get a call around that time to let me know which character I am going to play. I would then spend time thinking about that ‘track’ and maybe watch the DVD if it has been a while. I prefer to do this early in the day an once I get to theatre I can go over the finer details after warm up, if there is partner work or a number, for example.

I would usually leave for the theatre about 2pm, go and get lunch about 3.30pm so it has time to digest and give me energy. I like to get to the theatre in enough time so my make up and wig is on and ready for warm up (as I don’t want to sit down for another 30 minutes after the warm up). The show starts at 7.30pm and if I’m on stage its non stop for 2 and a half hours. Unfortunately the show looks easy and effortless, and I guess it’s supposed to as you never see a Cat out of breath (!) but sometimes I wish people could understand just how difficult it is. It’s over 30 hours a week of cardio! You are always on stage or in the wings for 30 seconds to do a change, but you are always crawling, jumping, running and leaping.

The show finishes about 10.30pm so I try and take 5 minutes to stretch and then take my make up off. I would have had a few snacks throughout the show but I’m usually starving by the end, so probably have some food, a bath and then try and relax… and then bed!

How long have you been performing?

I guess I have been performing since Junior school, doing little plays and things like that. As for performing professionally, I left Urdang and within 3 weeks I had signed my first contract for a UK Tour, so I have been a professional since 2005. I have had the odd time when I’ve had to do other work, but most of the time I have already had a job to go to… I’m very lucky.

Did I start young?

No, but I really wish I had. I would have loved to have done gymnastics, although I think I would have wanted to be a rhythmic gymnast! But, the thing about starting late is that I really knew it was what I wanted and I was going to get it, no matter what. I don’t know if it was arrogant or childhood fooliness but the thought of me not acheiving was never there. I wasn’t competitve with anyone else, just myself; I want to be the best that I can be.

Do I still take classes?

Absolutely. You have to look after yourself and I enjoy it so much. It takes my mind away from everything. I go to class and I watch YouTube a lot for inspiration. When I was growing up the Internet was very new: people now can learn anything from the Internet. I had a few programmes and a few videos to inspire me.

Whats the best part of performing?

The best part is that I’m living the dream. I feel very lucky to be able to do that and that I can bring joy to other people with this show, which changed my life. As I am getting older I also understand that we are all human and I go to work each day and give the best I can. I might be sick or upset or exhausted, but I try my best. I can only give what I have on that day. Somedays are better than others – but with CATS if you’re angry you can use that in the show and usually after the Jellicle Ball you’ll feel great – you’ll want to be sick, but you’ll feel great!

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

My advice is that you have to work extremely hard and enjoy doing that, or this business might not be for you. With reality TV shows at the moment ‘Show Business’ is very popular but people believe that they don’t have to work hard and they can just go to one audition! It takes years of training and countless rejections before you will get anywhere. If you want security and a nice house and a car by 25 years old, this isn’t the business for you. You have to be honest with yourself and go for parts that you are right for. You never stop learning, and try and be nice, because NO ONE wants to work with someone who is difficult and arrogant! The last thing is ‘HARD WORK beats Talent when Talent doesn’t WORK HARD!’

Xander Parish – Russian Romeo Debut

Mariinsky LogoFormer Royal Ballet dancer Xander Parish made his debut as principal in the Mariinsky Ballet’s production of Romeo and Juliet on 18 October in St Petersburg, having been scouted by Artistic Director Yuri Fateyev three years ago. As a British dancer, Parish trained at the Royal Ballet School and consequently joined the Royal Ballet. After five years, in 2010, Parish was invited to join the Mariinsky, with Fateyev sufficiently impressed by Parish’s artistic potential.

Parish made his Mariinsky debut as Béranger in the ballet Raymonda, going on to dance classic roles such as Giselle (Count Albrecht), Swan Lake, La Sylphide,The Nutcracker (Elegant Cavaliers), Études, Apollo (Apollo), Serenade, Symphony in C and Jewels (Emeralds, Diamonds). Non-classical roles for Parish also include those by Alexei Ratmansky, Benjamin Millepied and Angelin Preljocaj.

As a result, Parish’s role as Romeo will mark the first time this highly acclaimed young dancer – the first British dancer ever to join the Mariinsky – will perform a leading role in a three act ballet, a true presentation of classical choreography marrying Mariinsky technique with British drama. The classic role is a test not only of technique and artistry, but also of endurance. Parish has demonstrated his readiness to take on more leading roles to Fateyev, with this classic tale a rather personal debut.

Being part of the Mariinsky Ballet means Parish has extensive opportunity to tour and perform as a guest with other ballet companies too. The level of opportunity at the company’s home is additionally opportunistic; last season he danced 11 principal, 35 soloist and 21 corps de ballet performances which included 9 debuts. Parish has toured to Germany, the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Italy and the United Arab Emirates with the Mariinsky Ballet, and Fateyev is eager to give Parish more exciting opportunities.

Camilla Sacre-Dallerup: A Strictly Sensation

Camilla Sacre-DallerupDanish born Camilla Sacre-Dallerup moved to England 18 years ago; she had a long, successful career as a top professional ballroom dancer before she became a regular on British TV screens.

Camilla rose to fame as Strictly Come Dancing’s most successful female professional dancer. In 2008, after six series she won the trophy and decided to move onto other challenges. Camilla’s most recent venture has been touring the UK in the hugely successful Calendar Girls.

Camilla has always been passionate about mind and body harmony which has led to two fitness DVDs and a regular column in Bodyfit magazine. Camilla has run her own business for 12 years which includes professional dance shows, team building and a recently launched business www.camillasacredallerup.com, dedicated to corporate motivational speaking and coaching. Camilla is confident that a positive mindset has made a huge difference in her successful career and she is currently working on her first motivational book.

Camilla plans to share some simple tools to help others find inner peace and calm and to be content with who they are, as well as set goals and make a plan of action to make their dreams come true at this year’s Mind, Body, Soul Experience Exhibition at London’s Olympia on 25, 26 and 27 October.

The exhibition runs parallel to the Yoga Show. This year visitors to the Mind Body Soul Experience will also have the opportunity to enter the OM Yoga Show for free as the two shows are being held at the same time in adjoining Olympia Halls, and the exhibition can be entered with one Yoga Show ticket.

Camilla is hoping that by sharing her journey she will inspire others to follow their dreams too, so come and meet her at this year’s Mind Body Soul Experience.

 

 

When did you begin dancing, and why?

My mum brought me along to a dance school called Lilli Nicolaisen dance and performing arts school when I was two and a half years old in Aalborg Denmark, and I have pretty much danced ever since. She thought it would be a good way to learn to interact with other children and to gain confidence.

What were your early years of dancing and training like?

I loved performing, I did all types of dancing from tap to ballet and ballroom. I had a little boy I danced with from the beginning, continuing for seven years. I loved it, I wish it would have been all day long and not just after school. We danced, sang and did drama too.

How long have you been choreographing?

I have always found coming up with steps for myself interesting and then it naturally progressed to choreographing whole routines and especially on Strictly Come Dancing. It was exciting to come up with new ideas each week, and even for the professionals and the big numbers for the Strictly tour.

What is a typical day like now?

Well, now I do so many different things like for example I have just toured with the play Calendar Girls for two years, acting rather than dancing, I run my own motivational coaching and speaking business – www.camillasacredallerup.com – and right this moment dancing is at the forefront of my life again as I’m working on this year’s Strictly as an Assistant Choreographer. I’m so grateful to have grown up in the world of dance, it has prepared me well for life. You learn to have confidence, tenacity, and to be disciplined in what you do: these skills are valuable skills in whatever you do in life.

Do you still take classes?

I have always kept a foot in the door. I still perform sometimes with my professional partner Ian Waite and I still teach. I watch videos and talk to colleges about new trends. At this stage in my life though I’m fascinated by helping preparing students mentally for auditions, shows and competitions.

How do you keep on top of your technique?

I still do basic technique work exercising often on my own or with students, and yoga helps my core stay strong.

What do you like best about choreographing and performing?

I just love connecting with an audience whether it’s dancing, speaking or acting. To make other people connect with emotions through your performance or choreography is the most wonderful feeling.

What inspired your interest in the Yoga Show?

I believe in mind and body harmony, when I have that I perform at my best. I do my speaking now to inspire others to follow their dreams by sharing how I have achieved my goals, and how to focus on finding confidence and happiness within.

What advice would you give to someone aspiring to be part of the performing arts/dance world?

Whatever you do in life, choose the thing you have a burning desire and most passion for, that way you will never feel like its work even when you are working hard. Always commit 100%. Take rejection as just a hurdle you have to jump to get to where you want to go. I know it can be hard at times, but the best advice ever given to me is from my Mum, you probably know it. She said, “Camilla, when you get knocked down, just get back up, dust yourself off and carry on. Never let anyone tell you it’s not possible, how would they know, they are not you!”

What would you say is the best part about dance and movement for you?

It engages the mind as well as the body and you feel completely immersed in the present, it’s almost like meditating. When the body and the music are in harmony it’s amazing.

Tell us something about yourself we may not expect…

I threw my dance shoes in the bin at 19 and said I never wanted to dance again and took two years off from it.

What’s next for you?

When I finish Strictly I’m off to do Panto at Bridlington playing the Fairy Godmother which I’m really excited about. I also hope to finish writing my own motivational book, Dream, Act, Believe = Succeed.

Barak Marshall: A Philosophical View Of Dance

Photo Courtesy of Barak MarshallBarak Marshall is a choreographer incredibly sure of his message. From studying at Harvard, to his first choreographed work, to his upcoming commission for Rambert dance company, Barak has an innate sense of communication, both through dance and in conversation. Self-taught, Barak is a choreographic phenomenon, fuelled by humans and the expanse of description in dance.

When did you begin dancing and why?

Umbilical whiplash!

My mother, Margalit Oved, is a very famous choreographer and a dancer. She was born in the British Protectorate of Aden and after immigrating to Israel she became the prima ballerina of the Inbal Dance Theatre where she danced for 15 years touring the world including performances at Drury Lane and on Broadway. In 1964 she met my father in Los Angeles while filming a movie there. They married and she moved to LA where she taught dance at UCLA and founded her own very successful dance company.

I spent my childhood touring the US with her dance company on a broken down red school bus with 10 hippie dancers and a lot of homemade cheese. In the summers we would return to Israel where my mother would perform guest roles with Inbal. My sister and I slept more on studio and theatre floors than in our own beds. When my mother was not performing my parents went to every dance, theatre and music performance they could.

So, dance was the last thing that I wanted to do. I went to college and in 1993 I graduated from Harvard where I studied Social Theory and Philosophy and planned on going back to law school.

But, in 1994, my mother was appointed Artistic Director of Inbal and my father asked me to help her settle in. Shortly after we arrived, my Aunt Leah – who was a second mother to me – unexpectedly died. I was overwhelmed with grief and every day after sitting Shiva with my family (the Jewish tradition of observing seven days of mourning) I would return to the studio and lock the door. I was afraid that my memories of my aunt would fade so I tried to consciously remember every detail I could so that I would never forget her: her stories, words of wisdom, the way she laughed, cried, cursed, cleaned the floor, cooked, blessed me and sang.

I didn’t know this at the time but one of my mother’s dancers was secretly watching me from a balcony above the studio. At the end of Shiva, she surprised me in the studio and said that she wanted to show me some movement. She showed it me, I told her that it was beautiful and she said, “This is your movement. You should build a piece in memory of your aunt.” So I created and danced in my first work, Aunt Leah, which was a ritual remembrance of her life, her wisdom and her kindness filled with Adenite blessings, sayings, gestures and music.

That’s how I began to dance.

What were your early years of dancing and training like? What was a typical day like?

To this day I still have never taken a dance class. Because I first started in dance as a choreographer I focused on developing my own movement language. I follow a few rules: I create all of the movement on my own body, I try to create more movement than I actually need for the work, I try never to repeat myself and not to allow other choreographers’ movement sneak in.

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

I created my first work in 1995 when I was 27. After running my own company for four years, Ohad Naharin appointed me house choreographer for the Batsheva Dance Company. However, in 2000 I severely broke my leg. The injury was so bad that I couldn’t walk without pain for 2 years. I had to stop dancing completely and moved back home to Los Angeles to recuperate. I thought I would never go back to dance but in 2008, the Suzanne Dellal Centre in Tel Aviv invited me back to Israel and commissioned me to create Monger, my first work in eight years. And I have continued to choreograph since then.

What is a typical day like now?

Even when I do not have a commission to work on I try to spend at least 2-3 hours every day researching ideas and images for future works. I read as much fiction and plays as possible. I struggle through books on theatrical theory and practice, and I scour the internet for plays and dance performances. Of course, I try and drag myself into the studio every day to dance. I’m not always successful.

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

I think that at this point dance class might get in the way. I create dance theatre – not dance. I am not as interested in the aesthetics of movement. I am interested in the content of movement – not it’s form. Most techniques emphasise form so when I am in the studio I focus on developing and expanding my movement vocabulary. I guess the best way to describe it is trying to create a sign language for the whole body.

How do you begin your choreographic processes?

Before I was a dancer I was a singer and a musician. I’ve studied and performed music all of my life. I think that is the reason that I cannot see a work before I hear it. I really believe the dance begins with music.

So while I do begin a work with a vague idea or fragment of a story that I want to tell, I can only move forward when I hear it. My first task is to find the music that inspires the dance that tells the story. In creating the soundtrack of each piece I usually listen to around 10,000 tracks of music to find the 15-20 pieces of music that eventually make up the final score. That’s not as crazy as it sounds – most of the time I only listen to the first few seconds of a song. If it resonates physically, evokes an emotion or image or relates to a scene or idea that I want to investigate, I will save it to listen to at a later time.

My process involves collecting as many images, stories, ideas, songs, gestures and movements and little by little an image might resonate with a story, piece of music or a movement and create the beginning of a section. Slowly a storyboard emerges and I play with the various parts until a narrative arc emerges.

What inspires you?

People and their struggles inspire me. I’m an optimistic cynic and I see life as a constant struggle against forces – both external and internal – that seek to deprive you of your own free will and strength. All of my works deal with that. Aunt Leah was a piece about an overly kind woman who gave so much to others that she had nothing left for herself. The Land of Sad Oranges was about the danger of sanctifying a land or anything as holy. Emma Goldman’s Wedding dealt with a visionary woman’s fight against a stratified and misogynistic society. Monger is an upstairs/downstairs story about 10 servants controlled by a cruel mistress. Rooster is about a man so afraid of life that he can only realize his dreams by falling asleep. Harry deals with a man who defies the gods, Wonderland is a story about the dead. The work that I have created for Rambert, The Castaways, is a story of 12 deeply flawed individuals manipulated by an unseen master puppeteer.

In reading back over this list I realize that it all sounds quite dark. But I don’t believe in darkness. I believe my works are hopeful and humorous which I believe are the antidote to these forces.

What’s the best part of choreographing?

I love dance theatre because it tells a story, just like a play, film or novel does. I try to tell simple stories, not literal ones, and I am always conscious of it. I am quite jealous of theatre directors because they begin with a text that they can abstract upon.

I try and create the entire text or movement of the work before I get into the studio with the dancers. For me each movement is a word and these form a sentence or text that the dancer is speaking.

This is what I love most about choreographing: searching for the gesture or phrase that expresses the emotion, word or subtext that I want the dancer to speak physically.

What advice would you give to someone aspiring to a career in contemporary dance or choreography?

Be sober.

With rare exceptions I don’t believe that there is such a thing as a career in dance or choreography. Dancers’ careers are extremely short – most spend more of their lives training than they do dancing. Most choreographers are constantly battling to get enough jobs to survive. I know that I am doing better than most choreographers but there isn’t day that goes by when I am worried about paying the bills and consider changing careers.

Don’t get me wrong – I love dance and I love what I do. However, I believe that the dance world suffers from a collective self-delusion. Much of our system of dance education perpetuates a myth: that there is a huge career awaiting you. I have taught dancers throughout the world and time and time again I see a criminal failure to prepare dancers for the harsh economic reality that awaits them, and that’s if they are lucky enough to find a job. And I have seen too many wonderful dancers fall off the deep end when their careers come to an end.

Dancers and choreographers are also complicit in this—we cannot allow our love of dance to blind us to reality.

Again, I love dance, but I think it is time we started to have a serious discussion.

For dancers, my best advice is to understand that unfortunately much of the system and culture of dance focuses on telling you what you are doing wrong. Don’t buy this. You are humans not robots and that humanity is what can make dance so beautiful. And don’t ever allow a choreographer to force you to work through pain.

For choreographers my advice is not to get caught up in the drama (this isn’t easy because the dance world seems to be the last place of work where acting out is still seen as acceptable). We’re creating dance – not finding a cure for cancer – and the worst thing for a creative process is an environment where you cannot play, make mistakes or be vulnerable. You also should work harder than you think possible, create as much as possible and don’t over-idolise your idols. We all have choreographers whom we consider genius, are amazed by their creativity and aspire to be like them. But Emerson said it best: “Imitation is suicide.”

When I first started out my mother gave me some great advice. She said:

 

  1. Don’t care what other’s think—this kills creativity.
  2. Silence the critics inside your head.
  3. If you work, you will find, if you don’t work, you won’t find.
  4. Great artists don’t measure themselves by others, they are inspired by them.
  5. Fail.

For me growing as choreographer is all about trial and error, and more error.

Overall, what is the best part about dance for you?

I cannot think of an art form that more perfectly reflects the beauty and pain of the human condition.

What are you most looking forward to in choreographing for Rambert?

The dancers. They have a level of intelligence, talent and hunger that is rare. Beyond that I have not seen a company that is as ethnically diverse. They bring humanity to the stage and make my work better than it is.

Pushy Parents?

Dance MomsIt has been the subject of much speculation over many years, however with the turn of the twenty-first century it seems that dancers will stop at nothing to achieve. Behind these dancers are their parents and dance teachers, encouraging and even directing these young students into a dance world they may not wish to be a part of. In addition to this, they not by physically ready for this kind of work either.

The work of subject is high pressure and high performance dance contests in which applying the same amount of make up and fake tan to a small child as a dancer on Strictly Come Dancing has been rather controversial. Whilst the child may enjoy the dancing, the music, and the social life that comes with dance classes and competitions, it must be noted that they do not have the knowledge of any alternative, and therefore the motivation to pursue another activity.

Whilst younger children are more flexible then their older counterparts, it is apparent that many dance teachers and parents abuse this, pushing the dancers to force their bodies to contort and lengthen before they are perhaps quite ready, substituting health and wellbeing for a leg up by the side of the head and a box jump greater than that in the hit movie Fame. Starting this work (too) early may be detrimental to the dancer’s future and is not a pre-requisite for a successful dancing life.

It is an assumption to label these parents and teachers as “pushy”, as seen on television programmes featuring dance phenomenons such as Baby Ballroom and Baby Disco: it is clear that overall each parent has the child’s interests at heart, however sometimes this gets lost on the way to our television and computer screens.

Conversation With Marguerite Porter: A Royal Ballet Diamond

Marguerite PorterMarguerite Porter, director of the Yorkshire Ballet Summer School, is a British ballet diamond. From joining The Royal Ballet aged just 17, to partnering ballet legend Rudolf Nureyev, Porter’s ballet career has been full of iconic and incredibly memorable moments. Today sees Porter at the helm of the Yorkshire Ballet Summer School, leading it towards its fundraising Gala at Sadler’s Wells at the end of the month.

Where did you train?

I trained with Louise Browne in York and then at The Royal Ballet School for two years before joining the company.

What was your typical day like?

Class was at 10:30am followed by all day rehearsals which would end around 6pm, however if there was a performance in the evening and one was dancing the principal role, one would finish around lunchtime in order to prepare for the evening performance.

What is a typical day like now?

There is no typical day, as the Summer School approaches it becomes extremely busy. My PA arrives around 10am and typically we will work until around 3pm. At present in preparation for the Gala I am working all hours of the day and night with various deadlines to meet.

Who inspired you to dance?

I began to dance by accident; I was extremely tall for my age and developed a stoop in order to fit in with my peers!  In order to try and correct my poor posture, my grandmother asked a friend of hers if her twin daughters (who attended the Rambert School in London) would give me ballet lessons in their bedroom during the holidays.  As soon as I started to put music to the exercises I had been taught I knew I wanted to dance. Later when ballet came fully into my life I would say Lynn Seymour and Margot Fonteyn were my inspiration.

Did you train in any other techniques other than ballet?

At the Royal Ballet School we learned character dances and Spanish dancing.

What was life like as a Royal Ballet Dancer?

In my early years with the Royal Ballet as a corps de ballet member I was blissfully happy. Sir Frederick Ashton, Michael Somes and Jack Hart were the joint directors.  It was a wonderful atmosphere in which to begin my career. I joined the Royal Ballet aged 17; I had never been out of the country before and in those days we did extensive tours abroad. Four months in America and Canada with a six week run at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York was a thrill for someone who had never been on a plane before or indeed until the age of 15 out of Yorkshire. These were the golden years with Margot Fonteyn and Rudolph Nureyev leading the company, it was such a thrill for us young dancers to be a part of it. As I progressed through the ranks to become a principal the pressure and responsibility increased and somewhat diminished the freedom and pure joy of those early years.

Do you think life there is different now?

Very difficult to answer this question, I can only imagine the pressure is even greater as they do many more performances than in my day.

What are the most memorable parts of your extensive career?

Working with the likes of Sir Frederick Ashton, Sir Kenneth McMillan, Jerome Robbins and many other wonderful choreographers, also performing  with some of the greatest dancers of the 20th century including Anthony Dowell, Rudolf Nureyev and others too numerous to mention.

Do the same things motivate you each day for ballet and dance?

The motivation each day for dance is the love of it, the discipline which is innate in a dancer’s body and constant striving for perfection.

Do you still take classes?

No.

What’s the best part of dance and performance?

I used to find the rehearsal period and preparation the most exciting, creating and developing a role and making it one’s own. If it all comes together in the performance which is what one strives and hopes for, then it is exciting and fulfilling.

Of all the iconic dancers and choreographers you’ve worked with, what is the one moment that will always be with you?

Performing as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake with Rudolf Nureyev as Prince Siegfried at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

What advice would you give to someone aspiring to a ballet or dance career?

It is a very hard life and I would advise anyone wanting to be part of it, to consider whether or not they have the physical stamina and emotional strength to withstand it. If, after serious soul searching, (and they have all the physical attributes necessary to become a dancer) I would suggest they work hard, wear blinkers and soldier on.

What are you looking forward to most for YBSS?

To continue in the same way with all the positive things that David Gayle the founder of the YBSS instilled at the beginning.

What’s next?

To continue as we have in the past 40 years, hopefully inspiring, guiding and helping young talent.

Alvin Ailey: A Keynote Figure In American Modern Dance

Portrait of Alvin Ailey (1955)Alvin Ailey is widely regarded as one of the keynote figures in American modern dance, having established the stature of his Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater throughout the world. Ailey was born on 5 January 1931 in Texas, with his experiences of life in the rural South later inspiring some of the most memorable parts of his most popular and critically acclaimed work Revelations, through what he called ‘blood memories’: the blues, spirituals and gospel.

Ailey’s formal dance training began with an introduction to Lester Horton’s classes. Horton was the founder of one of the first racially-integrated dance companies in the United States and became Ailey’s mentor. After Horton’s death in 1953, Ailey directed Lester Horton Dance Theater and then began to choreograph his own works. In the 1950s and 60s, Ailey performed in four Broadway shows and went on to study dance with Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, Charles Weidman and Hanya Holm, some of the huge powerhouses of American modern dance.

1958 saw Ailey found Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater to carry out his vision of a company dedicated to enriching the American modern dance heritage and preserving the uniqueness of the African-American cultural experience. He established the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center (now The Ailey School) in 1969 and formed the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble (now Ailey II) in 1974. Ailey was a pioneer of programmes promoting arts in education to multi-racial American culture until he died on 1 December 1989.

The Ailey company has performed for an estimated 23 million people at theatres in 48 states and 71 countries on six continents, celebrating the uniqueness of the African-American cultural experience and preserving American modern dance. The company continues Ailey’s mission by presenting particular works of the 79 from Ailey’s past and commissioning new ones: in all, more than 200 works by over 80 choreographers are part of the Ailey company’s repertory. Before his death, Ailey designated Judith Jamison as his successor, and over the next 21 years, she brought the Company to unprecedented success. In July 2011, Jamison passed this great responsibility to Robert Battle as Artistic Director.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.