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Kids Week 2014

Kids Weeek 2014 Kids Week is back for 2014 with a bang, offering an incredible 36 London shows with free tickets and amazing exclusive activities for children throughout the whole of August. This year sees everything from hilarious page to stage adaptations to dramatic long-running musicals each taking their place in the line-up.

Kids Week is now in its 17th year and shows no sign of stopping. From 1-31 August, one child aged 16 or younger can go free for every adult ticket purchased to a participating show, plus a further two children’s tickets can be purchased at half price. Shows such as – for the younger theatre-goers – acclaimed picture book stage adaptations Aliens Love Underpants, The Tiger Who Came To Tea and What The Ladybird Heard are on the cards, as well as those such as Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, The Lion King, Mamma Mia!, Matilda The Musical, Les Misérables, The Phantom Of The Opera and Wicked.

For families wanting a slightly different theatrical experience, there are shows on offer that aren’t so much in the mainstream such as The 39 Steps, Stomp or book to stage adaptation War Horse. Also included in the Kids Week celebration is Beatles concert extravaganza Let It Be and Michael Jackson tribute show Thriller Live. For slightly older children, Billy Elliot The Musical, The Bodyguard, The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, The Mousetrap and The Woman In Black all return to take part in Kids Week.

Each show offers a unique theatrical experience regardless of age category; ticket holders can also explore life on stage or behind the scenes with a host of fantastic activities. From attending a tea party with The Tiger Who Came To Tea to taking a Billy Elliot ballet class, there is something for everyone.

Ghost Peloton At The Yorkshire Festival

Ghost Peloton is a ground-breaking collaboration between Glasgow-based public arts organisation NVA (they of the light suits and 2012 event Speed of Light) and Leeds based dance company Phoenix Dance Theatre.

As night falls on the Friday 16 and Saturday 17 May an audience of over 3,000 people in Leeds will watch a ghost peloton of 30 synchronised cyclists dressed in LED light suits. The company will commit to mass choreographed movement in a live performance that fuses endurance sport, dance and public art.

The work will unite the live action of the cyclists with film projection of the 10 illuminated dancers interacting with a nationally reputed ‘flatline’ BMX stunt cyclist. This film also includes the Ghost Peloton blazing a trail through iconic locations drawn from the Tour de France route through Yorkshire as spectators pedal along three national cycle network routes across Leeds.

This stunning event of movement patterns is also made up of volunteer cyclists taking part in the performance, lead by Phoenix Dance Theatre Artistic Director Sharon Watson and NVA Creative Director Angus Farquhar. Ghost Peloton is a central part of the Yorkshire Festival 2014, the first cultural festival in the Tour de France’s 111 year history. The piece draws on talented and diverse artists to provide the audience with creating something unique and engaging on many levels.

Directed by Farquhar and choreographed by Watson, Ghost Peloton is inspired by the wheel in motion. The work fuses performance cycling with choreography performed by the Phoenix Dance Theatre dancers on film with the varied landscapes of Yorkshire. Each ghost rider, bike and performer will be lit by a fantastic lighting design by Phil Supple, using bespoke LED suits which can instantaneously change colour, flash rate and luminosity. The lights are set to a stunning electronic score.

Darcey at the Royal Ballet School

Darcey Bussell

Ex-prima ballerina and Royal Academy of Dance President Darcey Bussell’s career will be displayed in the form of memorabilia at the Royal Ballet School’s museum in west London this summer. The free exhibition will feature photographs and costumes from Bussell’s personal collection, including her Princess Rose costume from Kenneth MacMillan’s 1989 production The Prince of the Pagodas: it was after this that she was made a Principal of the Royal Ballet at the young age of 20.

The exhibition, called ‘Darcey Bussell: from Student to Star of The Royal Ballet’, will run from 6 May to 30 October, and will mark the fifth anniversary of the Royal Ballet School’s White Lodge Museum and Ballet Resource Centre in Richmond. The museum has claimed to be the first dedicated ballet museum in the UK, offering much to its visitors.

In terms of memorabilia, the tunic Bussell wore for her final performance with the company in the 2007 production of MacMillan’s Song of the Earth will be on show as the last costume she wore, as will her tutu from the revival of Frederick Ashton’s Sylvia in 2004. These pieces are thought to attract lots attention, considering Bussell’s stature as such an iconic figure in dance. Also on display will be film footage and artefacts such as a plaster-cast of Bussell’s foot ‘en pointe’ used for a waxwork, and a sketch by artist Allen Jones as preparation for his 1994 portrait of the ballerina for the National Portrait Gallery.

These objects are also particularly meaningful for Bussell too, because each evokes memories of particular moments in her life as a dancer; from her first Royal Ballet School reports, to the costumes she wore in performances on stage at the Royal Opera House.

OM Yoga Show 2014

As two separate techniques, it is clear that ballet and yoga compliment each other perfectly. As a result, Ballet Yoga is a unique combination of contemporary ballet and Vinyasa yoga positions, working together to create strength, flexibility, fat burning, coordination and an improved posture, in addition to lightness, balance, agility and expression for an inspiring workout experience.

This year’s OM Yoga Show will see a free 30 minute Ballet Yoga session take place, following the workshop session for all levels of Ballet Yoga earlier in the day. The sessions will be led by Nicky McGinty, who has worked as a professional dancer and choreographer for over 17 years. Nicky discovered yoga through injury rehabilitation and prevention and went on to become a certified international yoga instructor.

Throughout her career Nicky has studied Kundalini, Ashtanga, Vinyasa Flow and Jivamukti yoga all over the world. She went on to combine her love of yoga with her passion for dance on her return to the UK, formulating the Ballet Yoga technique she teaches today. This unique fusion is a highlight of the OM Yoga Show in Manchester this year: Ballet Yoga is just one of the sessions taking place from 10-11 May; whether you are a yoga lover, ballet lover or wellness and fitness fanatic, the Yoga Show is sure to have something for you.

In attending the OM Yoga Show, ticket holders will have entry to the Mind Body Soul Experience which will be taking place in the adjoining hall to the OM Yoga Show, meaning there are two shows for the price of one on offer.

And if Ballet Yoga doesn’t sound quite up your street, why not try Disco Yoga!? This special creation intertwines Vinyasa yoga, a live DJ and a specially created soundtrack to enhance natural fluidity and creative expression. Full of rhythmic variations and appealing melodies, Disco Yoga is a truly gratifying experience that will change your opinion of yoga forever!

Ignition Call-Out

Ignition Dance Festival Ignition is a brand new dance festival in Kingston, delivered by the Royal borough of Kingston and supported by Arts Council England. Ignition is seeking six dance companies or choreographers to create a brand new work for a dance platform at The Rose Theatre in the borough, during the International Youth Arts Festival on 12 July. The opportunity to present a work in the festival would be notable for any choreographer.

Each company will have access to two research and development weekends with BalletBoyz (at the end of May) and Roehampton Dance of the University of Roehampton (at the end of June), dance studio space at Kingston University, and a professionally produced platform at The Rose Theatre to display the work.

Either a choreographer or dance company can apply, however the choreographer/company must be under the age of 26, or working with dancers under the age of 26 years, tying into the International Youth Arts Festival where the work is to be presented. Choreographers/companies must apply for the project with a brand new idea that will be developed and created for the platform, with each piece a maximum of 10 minutes long.

Deadline for applications is Thursday 24 April: if the choreographer/company is successful, they will be notified by Thursday 8 May. The platform event at The Rose Theatre will take place on 12 July. There will be a budget contribution of £500 per choreographer/company.

How to Apply

Are you applying as a choreographer or company?
Send an outline of your previous choreographic experience (300 words), an outline of the new idea you would like to explore (500 words), a link to previous work that can be viewed online and a draft budget of how you plan to use the £500 contribution.

Please send all information to: Rosie Whitney-Fish, Ignition Producer (rosiewhitneyfish @ googlemail.com) by Thursday 24 April.

Yorkshire Festival 2014

The first ever Yorkshire Festival recently got underway as the official countdown to the Tour de France begins. Yorkshire Festival 2014 is the first ever arts festival to precede the Tour de France, the world’s biggest annual sporting event: the festival will run from 27 March to 6 July 2014. Yorkshire Festival is the first cultural festival in the Tour de France’s 111 year history. The events will take place in the 100 days leading up the first two race days of the Tour, The Grand Départ, this year hosted by Yorkshire.

Inspired by Le Tour, the majority of Yorkshire Festival’s programme is free to access. The Yorkshire Festival will showcase the very best that the region has to offer and will highlight the strength and depth of art and culture throughout the county to a huge number of visitors over the next few months as well as celebrate the vigour and ambition of the sector.

Out of almost 400 bids, 47 projects were commissioned to be officially part of the 100-day festival – which will also include hundreds of fringe events. In particular, Bicycle with Barefoot, will be part of Yorkshire Festival later this year on 27 and 28 June. Inspired by the temple dance tradition of Kuchipudi originating in Andrha Pradesh, Southern India, Bicycle with Barefoot brings ancient rhythms to a modern context. Dancing on a real blank canvas, movement-based storytelling combines with drumming and live music to guide the dancers. Abhinandana MK, Kopal Vedam and Navya Rattehalli reveal a story that is literally narrated through the body to create a visual remnant of the event.

The Annapurna dancers are experts in their field, using physical storytelling to speak to people across language barriers and maintain well-loved stories from Indian mythology. Their performances are underpinned by rigorous training that allows them to share this age-old language through precise movements and perfectly timed gestures.

Based in Yorkshire the company has worked relentlessly in education and community with many successful inspirational projects for over 20 years and their forthcoming Bicycle with Barefoot has been commissioned by Yorkshire Festival 2014. The idea derived from a dance style called Kuchipudi from the state of Andhra Pradesh, India in which the footsteps of the dancers inscribe designs for narrating ancient stories onto a blank canvas beneath them. It is a rare and unique concept of printing whilst dancing with barefoot and combines live music and uplifting drumming.

dancedigital Festival

dancedigital, in partnership with the University of Bedfordshire, is to present the dancedigital Festival from 25-27 April. dancedigital is one of the UK’s leading dance organisations based in Bedfordshire and Essex, renowned for leading the dance field in the development of technical innovations in choreography and dance. In April, to celebrate the latest achievements and best work of an outstanding group of dance practitioners, the organisation will stage its first digital dance festival at the University of Bedfordshire.

The festival will showcase the best and most exciting digital performances and installations by a range of dancedigital’s Associate Artists and Catalyst Artists, who will be showing their work in public for the first time. Performers and filmmakers will follow the festival’s theme of how digital technologies can transform the experience of choreography onstage, online, inside, outside. Performers include the award winning filmmaker Rachel Davies, choreographer and dancer Annie Lok, dance practitioners Luke Pell and Jo Verrent, dancer Tim Casson and video technologist Tom Butterworth, and visual artist Rachel Cherry.

This fantastic cohort of artists will bring together the arts, science and technology to create meaningful, touching and rich experiences for audiences, utilising the meeting of arts and science in performance to create new views in a technological culture. The festival will not only bring cutting edge performance to the area but will also provide exciting opportunities for the students and nearby arts communities to explore innovative approaches to performance.

Performances, workshops, learning and participation events are just some of what is on offer over the weekend. In particular, panels and workshops will be led by distinguished practitioners and teachers including Professor Helen Bailey, pioneering DJ and filmmaker Alex Reuben, Anthony Lilley, Chief Creative Officer and CEO of Magic Lantern, the award-winning interactive media and multiplatform creative house and consultancy, Kerry Franksen dance and intermedia artist and Nina Martin, international teacher, dancer and choreographer as well as performances and installations.

MOVE IT 2014

MOVE IT 2014 For another year running the UK’s largest dance event, MOVE IT, played to full capacity at London’s Olympia. A wonderful haven for dance enthusiasts everywhere, MOVE IT is the central event for dance shopping, performances, classes, seminars, networking, and all under one roof!

Spread over three days, MOVE IT played host to a number of dance organisation and institution stands, as well as more commercial dancewear shopping brands such as Dance Direct and Capezio. It seemed there were innumerate classes on offer over the weekend, a variety for all ages and abilities such as an Introduction to Swan Lake workshop or Advanced Street Dance, taught by some of the most leading practitioners in their fields. There is definitely something for everyone at MOVE IT.

Classes such as Advanced Commercial Jazz were well attended by MOVE IT participants, eager to get a slice of the current dance action and to learn from professionals who have made their living from dance. For Advanced Commercial Jazz in particular, the fast paced routine was a taster of future auditions for the dancers, lead by a member of performing arts institute Urdang faculty. Gaining experience and the tips and tricks from someone who has been there and done it is invaluable experience for any young dance hopeful.

Despite this, it was the main stage that held the real gems of MOVE IT. Throughout the weekend different sets of colleges present their students in a huge MOVE IT showcase, advertising their students’ abilities to prospective students who may be toying with the idea of auditioning for that particular college. There were a variety of performances, however each college and institution displayed vibrancy and talent, a clear indication of the future of the performing arts.

Holasz Choreography and The Charcoal Movement

Treacle Holasz After a successful premiere at The Place’s Resolution! festival, Holasz Choreography is set to launch the next installment of its piece for Resolution!, Yfronts – a contemporary lap dance as a collaboration with The Charcoal Movement on Friday 7 March at The Etcetera Theatre in London.

As a choreographic movement taking its first steps, founder Treacle Holasz has already made her mark on the contemporary dance map, presenting her work to much acclaim earlier in February. For March at The Etcetera Theatre the format is due to be much the same as at The Place: a playful duet involving feminism, politics and a fair bit of larking about!

Audiences can enjoy a live set design created by The Charcoal Movement and there may even be the chance to get your hands mucky and join in as well! The set will then become the home to Holasz Choreography’s Yfronts, accompanied by live music and washed down with a beverage or two!

For those interested there is also an open dance workshop available. Places are limited but it is is fantastic opportunity to get up close to the action and learn a little more about how Holasz went about creating her Yfronts. There is a special combination booking price of just £12 for both the performance and workshop, or £6 for just the workshop.

The workshop will be led by Charlie Ford, Georges Hann and Treacle Holasz, the team behind Holasz Choreography, offering the opportunity to learn repertoire from Yfronts and explore some of the creative tasks that created it. Some dance experience is required and places are very limited so booking well in advance is recommended.

Don your Yfronts, you are in for a real treat!

Resolution! At The Place for 2014

Resolution! @ The Place The Place once again opened it’s annual Resolution! festival up to reviewers who wish to be partnered by a professional critic and pass judgment on some of the UK’s most promising new dance companies. The Place has engaged with audiences and participants, championed the best ideas, and created inspiring conditions for artists and enthusiasts to realise their potential for over forty years, including that of Resolution!. Combining London Contemporary Dance School, Richard Alston Dance Company and the Robin Howard Dance Theatre, together with pioneering learning, teaching, outreach, recreation and professional development projects The Place champions contemporary dance in particular, and all its strands.

The Place’s approaches to participation, education, creation and performance inform each other, respond to today’s world, and embrace risks to build on the achievements of dance history and to transform and enrich lives. By shaping where dance is going next The Place offers a multitude of opportunities to see new dance, take part in something new or join discussions about key concepts and critical issues for the world of dance today. In particular, Resolution! has become one of the biggest dance festivals in the UK, showcasing new works by emerging choreographers each year at The Place running from Tuesday 14 January to Saturday 15 February 2014.

In a cross-section of the programmes included in the wide spectrum of the Resolution! programme, 29 January presented varying standards and degrees of entertainment. The first programme saw Rachel Burn’s ‘Threshold’ shine with a haunting intensity, the piece inspired by the poetry of Walt Whitman. Despite Burn replacing a dancer due to injury, she was assured and strong in her performance alongside the other two original dancers. A strong bond was evident between these three dancers, their black costuming providing a stark contrast to the extra long white dress Burn sported as she offered herself to the audience in a silent pride.