Category: Events

IDFB 2014

IFDB 2014One of Europe’s largest dance festivals, International Dance Festival Birmingham is back for 2014 with another huge celebration of dance. From ballet to breakdancing, contemporary to circus the programme is jam-packed and now on sale.

At the end of January festival staff, media, funders, sponsors, partners and friends of the festival joined co-Artistic Directors David Massingham and Stuart Griffiths to celebrate the launch of IDFB 2014. The full programme was announced and there were even two sneak preview performances of shows that will take place during the festival. The audience was able to look back at the highlights of the first three editions of IDFB, before the first viewing of the official IDFB 2014 trailer.

The fourth IDFB festival will present some of the finest dance from across the globe between 24 April and 25 May 2014, with world premieres, unique collaborations, community events, and world-class performances. There are more shows than ever for 2014 as a result of several new venue partners, meaning some of the biggest names in dance and many hotly tipped rising choreographic stars will be on offer.

There are lots of opportunities for audiences to get dancing too with the Paint the Town Red programme of social dance events, as well as free outdoor performances: look out for IDFB 2014 out-and-about in Birmingham city centre, popping up in unusual places and spaces with a number of free performances. Leading the proceedings will be Corey Baker Dance (led by IDFB International Artist in Residence Corey Baker), performing Headphones and A Haka Day Out, whilst Put Your Foot Down will take over Bullring’s Spiceal Street with a spectacular array of performances in a range of styles, giving audiences a real flavour of IDFB.

Excitement for MOVE IT!

MOVE IT 2014The UK’s biggest dance event is just around the corner! MOVE IT is a dance haven for any fan, young or old and no matter what style of dance you love! The event offers classes, seminars, workshops, performances, shopping – the list goes on!

Spread over three days from 7-9 March at London’s Olympia, there is huge choice of what to do at MOVE IT, even if it is just soaking up the atmosphere. For many the most exciting and important part of the MOVE IT experience is watching performing arts colleges demonstrate their talent on the main stage, with the aim of one day becoming a professional dancer, actor, singer or musical theatre performer.

Whilst there is an abundance of entertainment on the main stage, there is also the chance to learn repertoire from your favourite musicals or dance productions. In a classical ballet repertoire workshop, participants will have the chance to learn the choreography from the particular show or production, taking them even closer to the world of performing arts. This is not to mention the incredibly talented teachers and workshop leaders who conduct the sessions. Many have extensive performing and choreographic careers and have worked with some of the biggest names in the dance industry.

Aside from watching performances, taking part in exciting classes or even performing on the freestyle stage at the wonderful world of MOVE IT, the dance shopping at the event is second to none. Shop for the latest dancewear brands and return from MOVE IT with an entirely new wardrobe! Be the envy of your dancing friends with the latest dance gadgets and training equipment, full inspired by the performances on stage!

http://www.moveitdance.co.uk/

P.S. You will find us at MOVE IT again this year, at stand 104… close to the main entrance! See you there! 😉

The U.Dance Awards!

U.Dance 2014Youth Dance England, the national organisation passionate about advocating dance for young people, wants to champion the great work that goes on around the country to provide performance opportunities for children and young people. U.Dance is the primary vehicle for doing so and will take place this summer. The nationwide programme will support the people who organise youth dance performances, whilst also raising awareness of the wonderful events across the wider dance sector and beyond.

U.Dance consists of a registration scheme, which fits within a national performance framework aiming to provide dance performance opportunities for every child and young person in England. For 2014 there are three awards to be won as part of the scheme: to be in with the chance of winning the first 2 awards, YDE are inviting everyone who registers their event to upload film footage of their favourite dance pieces from their show to YouTube under one of two categories:

Outstanding Choreography, for pieces that aim high with the choreographic content of their piece, that are innovative and inspiring, and that challenge the audience through the ideas they embody; or Excellent Performance, for pieces where the performers really shine and show their passion and enthusiasm for dance through their energy and focus. A winner will be chosen for each category and the two winners will each be presented with a U.Dance Award trophy. Their film will then be profiled on the U.Dance website.

The third award will be for Biggest U.Dance Performance which will be given directly to the U.Dance Champion who registers the event involving the largest number of people! (To be in with a chance of winning this trophy you must make sure that you submit the number of performers and audience members to YDE when prompted after your event.

Get dancing!

Open House For Northern Ballet And Phoenix Dance Theatre

Northern Ballet & Phoenix Dance TheatreAudiences can have the unique chance to go behind the scenes at two large UK dance companies on 15 February in an event called Open House. Northern Ballet and Phoenix Dance Theatre are opening their doors to the public for people to take a look at what life is like behind-the-scenes in their multi-award winning building. Open House 2014 is a day of free events, which will run at the companies’ home in Leeds.

There will be plenty of activities for all the family to find out more about the professional dance companies. Visitors can sample an array of Northern Ballet and Phoenix Dance Theatre’s dancing treats such as open rehearsals and company class, an insight into the creativity of the wardrobe department as well as craft activities, storytelling and face painting for younger dance fans. There is fun for everyone at Open House, from enthusiasts to novices. There are even taster classes on offer for the very young to the over 55’s, and workshops for those with physical disabilities and additional needs.

Open House is a fantastic opportunity to find out more about dance: the event has something for everyone whether you want to take part, are looking to gain an insight into the work of a professional dance company, or hoping to forge a career in dance and looking for some advice. Open House 2014 will be the third year that Northern Ballet and Phoenix Dance Theatre have opened their home to the public. All events are free although some will require pre-booking through the website.

The event is a rare chance to glimpse at a working dance company in their own home with a wide variety of activities to take part in, so take the whole family!

The 14th National Dance Awards

2014 National Dance Awards Critics' CircleThe Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards for 2013 took place at The Place’s Robin Howard Dance Theatre on 27 January 2014. A prestigious event for acknowledging dance talent, the awards recognise an array of talents throughout the previous year.

The awards are decided by the 60 members of the Dance Section of the Critics’ Circle after an extensive round of nominations and voting. To be eligible, performances had to be given in the UK between 1 September 2012 and 31 August 2013. The awards were hosted by former NDA winner, Tommy Franzèn, and Bennet Gartside of The Royal Ballet.

CRITICS’ CIRCLE NATIONAL DANCE AWARDS WINNERS 2013

BEST CLASSICAL CHOREOGRAPHY
Christopher Wheeldon for Aeternum by The Royal Ballet

BEST MODERN CHOREOGRAPHY
Russell Maliphant for Fallen by BalletBoyz® The TALENT

OUTSTANDING MALE PERFORMANCE (CLASSICAL)
Nicolas Le Riche for Le Jeune Homme et la Mort / English National Ballet

DANCERS PRO AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING MODERN PERFORMANCE (FEMALE)
Julie Cunningham for New Works 2012 / Michael Clark Company

OUTSTANDING FEMALE PERFORMANCE (CLASSICAL)
Yuan Yuan Tan for RAkU / San Francisco Ballet

DANCERS PRO AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING MODERN PERFORMANCE (MALE)
Paul White for The Oracle / Meryl Tankard

JANE ATTENBOROUGH DANCE UK INDUSTRY AWARD
Amanda Chinn, General Manager of Scottish Dance Theatre

GRISHKO AWARD FOR BEST INDEPENDENT COMPANY
BalletBoyz® The TALENT

STEF STEFANOU AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING COMPANY
Mikhailovsky Ballet

THE DANCING TIMES AWARD FOR BEST MALE DANCER
Dane Hurst / Rambert Dance Company

GRISHKO AWARD FOR BEST FEMALE DANCER
Natalia Osipova / Mikhailovsky Ballet

DE VALOIS AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT
Leanne Benjamin
Matthew Bourne

The awards are a celebration of brilliance amongst the diversity of dance forms. More than 200 nominations of companies, choreographers and performers were received from dance critics and the eventual 40 short-listed for the awards came from a wide spectrum.

The 15th National Dance Awards will be held on Monday 26 January 2015.

Big Dance Pledge 2014

Big Dance 2014The Big Dance Pledge is back for 2014, a chance to learn, make and perform dance with the rest of the world as one. As a mark of the 5th anniversary of the Big Dance Pledge, this special 5th edition is created by Scottish Ballet with fun and celebration at its heart, as part of the Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme of the Commonwealth Games. Lots of help is at hand; watch the ‘Pledge Family’ demonstrate, look through the Big Dance tutorial and inspiration films to begin planning your own Pledge!

You can even make your own version for the Big Dance Pledge 2014, with a group of friends, classmates or work colleagues to put your dancing on the map! Once you are rehearsed and happy with your dancing, be ready to perform as part of the two simultaneous performances on 16 May 2014 from wherever you are to be part of a unique and simultaneous wave of dancing across the world. If you would like to learn the official Big Dance, watch the complete choreography online. You can learn the dance with 5 tutorial videos, showing one section at a time – don’t forget to use the special warm up video!

The Big Dance Pledge will travel around the world with the support of the British Council. School children all over the world will be able to learn the Scottish Ballet choreographed dance and participate in the Big Dance Schools Pledge through the British Council’s Schools Online website. The British Council also plan to provide step by step guides for Commonwealth schools on how to take part, alongside additional teaching resources that will provide an introduction to dance.

Devised for people of all ages and abilities and with a variety of dance styles included, Scottish Ballet’s Creation of the Pledge has been in development for almost one year by the company’s education team.

The On Pointe Enrichment Series

American Repertory BalletAmerican Repertory Ballet will present its first ‘On Pointe Enrichment Series’ event on 7 February, specifically aimed at children from 2 years, and their families, entitled “Telling Stories Through Dance”. The American Repertory Ballet Trainees and members of American Repertory Ballet Workshop (ARBW), a performing group comprised of Princeton Ballet School’s advanced students, will perform Matthew Keefe’s Grumpy Bird and selected variations from Princeton Ballet School’s spring 2014 production of The Sleeping Beauty. All American Repertory Ballet’s On Pointe events are free and open to the public.

Grumpy Bird is a lively and humorous one act dance programme based on the children’s book. The Sleeping Beauty is a full-length classical ballet: it’s renowned tale tells the story of Princess Aurora, who sleeps for 100 years as a result of the sleeping spell cast by bad fairy Carabosse, and the Prince who breaks the spell with a kiss. Grumpy Bird has been performed as part of an assembly programme at numerous preschools and schools as a result of ARB’s Access & Enrichment initiatives, including planning ARB’s school time matinees and assembly programmes.

Discussion of the art of storytelling in dance will be led by ARB Resident Choreographer Mary Barton and ARB Director of Educational Programming Lisa Beth Vettoso. Barton is a long-time faculty member at Princeton Ballet School and also serves as a ballet master for the ARBW programme. She also directs the students’ rehearsals, namely oldest and most advanced groups. Barton also trains and coaches the Trainee division, which performs and rehearses with American Repertory Ballet in addition to ARBW. As Director of Educational Programming, Vettoso works extensively with ARB’s DANCE POWER programmes, including rehearsing the DANCE POWER Scholars and Dance Mix students.

MOVE IT 2014: The UK’s Biggest Dance Event

MOVE IT 2014MOVE IT, the UK’s biggest dance event is back for 2014. From 7-9 March, Olympia London will be the home to over 100 live performances, inspirational dance classes spanning all genres and live interviews with renowned dancers and celebrities from the dance world. Tickets for this fantastic dance event are now on sale, in addition to MOVE IT 2014 merchandise, is available to pre-order online at http://www.moveitdance.co.uk/Content/MOVE-IT-2014-merchandise/5_50/

Join over 20,000 dancers at the UK’s biggest festival dedicated to dance of all styles and levels and enjoy an array of spectator and participatory activities. MOVE IT 2014 includes…

The interview sofa: discover useful expert knowledge from dance stars with interviews on the latest dance topics with guests including Darcey Bussell CBE, Strictly Come Dancing judge and Prima Ballerina. Darcey will answer questions, pass on invaluable tips and talk about her work as President of the Royal Academy of Dance.

The main stage: this central performance area is THE destination for live dance, with performances from the UK’s biggest dance stars and fresh new talents from all over the UK including Lukas McFarlane (presented by Beautiful Movements), Boy Blue, the English National Ballet Youth Company, the cast of West End show STOMP, BalletBoyz, and the Royal Academy of Dance.

Tasters and masterclasses: over 220 dance classes in a huge range of styles are available to try, open to budding dancers, enthusiasts and professionals. Masterclasses are taught by some of the UK’s leading choreographers and dance experts from the worlds of hip hop, ballet and contemporary, and will host a series of intensive dance lessons for those wishing to progress and take their skills to the next level.

MOVE IT still has much more to offer! Catch the latest spins, freezes, flips, shimmies and dance moves live on the Freestyle Stage in a showcase of raw talent. Bag the latest trends in dancewear at the range of retail stands and top up on your careers advice at MOVE IT to find out everything about the dance industry and community from experts, workshops and every major performing arts university/colleges under one roof.

Northern Ballet’s Sponsor A Dancer campaign

Northern BalletYoung students from Headingley Ballet School recently presented a donation to Northern Ballet, specifically the Company’s Sponsor a Dancer campaign. The students have previously used the premises as a venue for their dance shows, home to the inspirational ballet company. The funds were raised following the students’ Pass It On second hand dancewear scheme which allows pupils to buy second hand dancewear and shoes for a small donation. The dancers are set to carry on with the fundraising!

Sponsor a Dancer was launched in 2011 in response to severe budget cuts to Northern Ballet, and has since raised more than £500,000 to support the Company’s work, enabling it to retain a full Company of 40 dancers. Sponsor a Dancer has also been selected to be included in the Big Give Christmas Challenge 2013, an annual match funding event which means any money donated to Sponsor a Dancer from 10am on 5, 6 and 7 December could be doubled. These donations will see Northern Ballet continue to provide employment and development opportunities for the classical ballet dancers, nurture young and upcoming talent through training programmes and be able to continue to create and perform full-length ballets.

Online donations are matched on a first come, first served basis and donations will be matched as long as there are matched funds still available. If not, donors will still be able to make donations but it would not be matched so donors are encouraged to return to the site the following day and donate as close to 10am as possible. The Christmas Challenge will conclude once all of the matched funds have been exhausted until 18 December at 5pm.

Northern Ballet is one of the UK’s five large ballet companies mixing classical dance and theatre to give a unique interpretation of popular classical ballets. It is a busy touring company and typically tours for around 24 weeks of the year. The Company presents a combination of new works and repertoire to cities throughout the UK and are the only large scale ballet company to do so.

Huge Audiences For TheatreCraft 2013

TheatreCraft LogoFuture theatre-makers came together at the Royal Opera House earlier in November as part of the huge theatrical careers fair TheatreCraft. Over 1,000 passionate 16 to 25 year olds attended the free event to learn more about theatrical careers beyond the stage in a rich experience from those who have already worked in these areas. Some even boarded buses in Leeds at 3am in order to attend the event!

Jamie Lloyd opened the event, a young director whose work as part of the Trafalgar Transformed season has been acclaimed in the West End recently, and can be seen at the St James theatre next year. Lloyd spoke about it being OK to not to have an idea of what exactly you want to do in theatre or why, because it is your passion and drive to be part of the industry which is the most important thing. TheatreCraft, therefore, gives young people the chance to explore theatrical passions as part of an important and successful event. Breaking into work in the theatre can be challenging an isolating, ad not just for the performers on stage. TheatreCraft enables driven young people to stand face to face with potential employers and provide the chance for a much better angle to portray passions for the arts.

The annual event of TheatreCraft, which is now in its eighth year, offered more than 70 workshops, more than 50 exhibitors and an ask the experts zone for one-to-one advice sessions. Staged by the Theatre Royal Haymarket Masterclass Trust, Royal Opera House, Mousetrap Theatre Projects, Society of London Theatre and Creative & Cultural Skills, it covered areas from producing to designing, theatre journalism to wig-making, and boasted contributors including producer Kim Poster, journalism Lyn Gardner and playwright Vickie Donoghue.

Here’s to 2014!