Category: News

New musical Identical

A new musical, named Identical, is on the lookout for two identical twin leads to star in the show, to open in the summer of 2020. Based on the popular tale The Parent Trap by Erich Kästner, which inspired the Disney films featuring Hayley Mills in 1961 and Lindsay Lohan in 1998, the new musical will be directed by Trevor Nunn (Fiddler on the Roof) and has music and lyrics by Stiles and Drewe, and book by Stuart Paterson (The Jungle Book). Continue reading New musical Identical

What’s next for Anna Watkins?

British dancer and choreographer, Anna, trained at the Rambert School. Anna was a company dancer for Tavaziva Dance for 10 years, as well as working with Shobana Jeyasingh, Motionhouse, Neville Campbell and others.

Anna formed Watkins Dance Company in 2011, receiving Arts Council England funding, touring across the UK and Internationally. In 2017 – 2018 she was awarded Associate Artist at Swindon Dance and selected as one of the four choreographers for the Cohan Collective 2018. Continue reading What’s next for Anna Watkins?

Tring Park School for the Performing Arts’ new state-of-the-art building

Tring Park School for the Performing Arts has officially opened its new £8 million boarding block, consisting of three floors and a lower ground floor, which contains a state-of-the art boarding house for 70 pupils, six academic and vocational teaching spaces, a theatre workshop, two staff apartments and other pupil facilities. Continue reading Tring Park School for the Performing Arts’ new state-of-the-art building

Physiotherapy for dancers

For many dancers, physiotherapy is not unfamiliar. For aches, pains and for injury recovery, a physiotherapist tailors different exercises for each individual client in order to bring them back to full dancing health. Ahead of seeing a physio, take care of your body and respond to what it is trying to tell you. Whilst dancers know their bodies well, often the mantras ‘the show must go on’, and ‘no pain, no gain’ take over, and dancers push through pain which may be detrimental in the long-term. Continue reading Physiotherapy for dancers

Benefits of dance for older people

Whilst dance is widely renowned as beneficial to all ages and walks of life, a study recently found the benefits of dance for older people have not been fully appreciated. The study, by Aesop and People Dancing, found that dance can be an effective alternative to health programmes, acting not just as exercise for physical benefits, but also as a social, cognitive and emotionally positive activity. Continue reading Benefits of dance for older people

Studio rivalry

Being part of a dance school – or even just attending the same dance class regularly – means dancers mix with a number of different peers who also have the same interest in and love for dance. Whether it is tap, ballet or street dance they enjoy taking classes in, before long they become familiar with the other dancers alongside them on the barre, or also noisily practising their time steps. Continue reading Studio rivalry

Attitudes in the studio

It is easy for dance teachers to bemoan the lack of positive attitude in dance classes, and the waning discipline of students. Dance classes have seen many changes – such as seeing the decline in pianists for classes – and it seems attitudes and discipline within the studio have also faltered, especially in ballet classes. The majority of students are still quiet and conscientious, however those at the other end of the spectrum are more prevalent today it seems. Continue reading Attitudes in the studio

Grease tours again in 2020

Following a highly acclaimed UK and Ireland tour in 2019, the first new production in 25 years of Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey’s iconic musical GREASE will tour the UK again in 2020, directed by Nikolai Foster and choreographed by Arlene Phillips. Dan Partridge (Rum Tum Tugger in the International Tour of Cats, Link in the UK Tour of Hairspray and Pepper in Mamma Mia! in the West End) will reprise the role of Danny Zuko, with further casting to be announced. Continue reading Grease tours again in 2020