Resolution! – the biggest annual showcase for dance in the UK – returns to The Place from 8 January to 21 February 2015. Each night is a triple-bill, profiling 84 companies across 28 nights in a huge celebration and support of new choreographic talent.
This platform offers a springboard for the latest dance trends. These performances draw on diverse choreographic sources ranging from Indian classical dance to hip-hop, ballet, capoeira and physical theatre, and deal with themes of gender, sexuality, emotional turmoil, immigration, cultural rituals and traditions, as well as literary and scientific influences. By providing a safe creative environment, Resolution! has supported some of the greatest UK-based contemporary choreographers, including Wayne McGregor, Hofesh Shechter, Kate Prince, and more recently, James Cousins.
Highlights of the 2015 programme include The Ashes: Dance Collective created by former Phoenix dancers, Estela Merlos who has performed with Northern Ballet Theatre and DV8, Joan Clevillé who has choreographed for Scottish Dance Theatre and worked with Lost Dog, Yukiko Masui who has worked with Rosie Kay Dance Theatre and Avant Garde, Joshua Beamish’s duet for Royal Ballet artists Nicol Edmonds and Matthew Ball and the National Centre for Circus Arts. Finally, Breakin’ Convention will co-present two companies exploring themes of race and masculinity as a fraction of the talent to be discovered throughout Resolution!
The festival was created in 1990 and leads in facilitating the difficult transition from vocational dance training to the professional performance world. By the end of this 26th edition Resolution! will have presented almost 2,000 dance companies. Supported by The Place’s professional team, Resolution! companies not only receive technical advice but also take part in a series of workshops to provide a comprehensive insight into all aspects of the profession, from lighting and design, press, marketing and social media, to project management and applying for funding.
Thousands of dancers – from professionals to absolute beginners – are set to join Swing Patrol’s Swing Dance balls across the UK from late October to the end of November. The balls celebrate the first tour of the UK from lindy hop legend, Frankie Manning, in the UK’s biggest series of swing dance events. “Swing”, “jitterbug” and “lindy hop” are all synonyms for the street dance style popularised by Manning and other dancers in New York City from the late 1920s to late 1940s as they fused style, energy and fun.
Mid-September will see Sadler’s Wells present its largest ever celebration of lifelong creativity and the contribution of older artists with the Elixir Festival, running from 12–15 September 2014.
On 1 October, the first World Ballet Day will see a fantastic collaboration between five of the world’s leading ballet companies: the Australian Ballet, the Bolshoi Ballet, The Royal Ballet, National Ballet of Canada and San Francisco Ballet. On the first day of October, each company will stream behind-the-scenes action live from their rehearsal studios. Starting at the beginning of the dancers’ day, each company will take the lead with a four-hour period, streaming from their headquarters.
Eighteen youth dance groups from mainstream and SEN secondary schools across London have been selected to perform at Sadler’s Wells in London’s biggest celebration of youth dance, taking place on 5 July.
12 July will see South East London’s Greenwich Park taken over by a skipping extravaganza. Hundreds of people are expected to join in the hugely entertaining and energetic Through & Out: Skipping Extravaganza, a brand new commission by Greenwich Dance for Big Dance 2014, which forms part of the Royal Greenwich Festivals 2014.
The line up has been revealed for West End LIVE 2014, and it looks set to delight each and every visitor. Last year more than half a million people descended on Trafalgar Square for West End LIVE, and this year’s event promises to be even bigger and better. Now in it’s tenth year, the celebration of the West End’s top shows is a staple in the capital’s performing arts calendar. It will take on the square on 21 and 22 June.
The Academy of Northern Ballet will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Centre for Advanced Training (CAT) programme it runs with a fundraising Gala to support the dancing stars of the future. The summer garden themed Gala will take place on 29 June, organised by Northern Ballet’s Leading Soloist Hannah Bateman. It will include exclusive performances by the Academy’s CAT students, past and present, as well as afternoon tea and a drinks reception.
The iconic East London performance venue Wilton’s Music Hall is set to host a three-day dance festival this autumn in order to showcase new work by emerging artists, and forge relationships for future collaborations. In addition, the organisation is also looking for potential companies to partner with on future commissions across different dance forms, widening their reach to new and potential dance audiences who may have not engaged with the music hall venue before.
Young people in the capital are asked to watch, learn, create and perform this summer as part of The Place’s summer activities throughout July. It is a month packed with exciting dance for children, young people and families. The hugely popular Something Happening For Kids family festival then returns on 19 July to take the under 10s and their families on a whirlwind tour of dance. For older children there is Summer Fusion, a five-day summer school for young people aged 6-16, which starts on 28 July.