Dollie Henry has led a respected career of 30 years as a performer, choreographer, director and educator and is recognised as one of the most formidable exponents of Artistic Jazz Dance and creative theatre dance and movement direction in the UK.
Her innovative and distinctive style captures the energy and flair so needed for the dance industry of today. Her creative works have been commissioned and performed at theatres and venues both nationwide and worldwide. She continues to teach internationally as a guest choreographer, delivering jazz dance and musical theatre residencies, masterclasses and workshops.
Dollie epitomises all it is to be a consummate, all-encompassing creative jazz artist. A fusion of expertise and genuine expression of creative spirit allows Dollie to sustain her position as the catalyst for artistic Jazz dance and theatre creativity the UK has yet to recognise.
Photography by Simon Richardson
Have you always wanted to be involved in dance?
For as long as I can remember… I started dancing at the age of four and from that time back in the early 1960s until now dance has been my life, career, passion, creative and personal expression. Even more incredible is now at a wiser and more mature age in life it’s also clear dance has been my healer.
Where did you train and what was it like?
My formal dance training started at Mollie Mayhew School of Dance in Northampton. As said aged four, I threw myself into dance. It was incredibly natural for me to dance. I trained first in ballet (RAD). I recognise without that incredible start and discipline of a solid training in ballet maybe my choices and decisions for a career in dance theatre may have come out very differently.
Once a week training became four days a week training in ballet, modern, tap, national dance, competitions, and excelling in the examinations that went with it. I loved everything. I also added to this drama, theatre studies and show performances. All adding to my desire and dream to be a performer.
In 1979 aged 16, I arrived at Laine Theatre Arts as a full time student for three years. Within this time of creative exploration and learning I found myself, my vocation and a springboard for my creative passion… I knew from an early age I wanted to be more than a performer, I made a decision very early on in my career that I wanted to choreograph and be a creative artist.
Although at times it was a lonely journey as I was the only black student for three years at Laine, being immersed in dance on a daily basis was nothing but incredible. By the time I left Laine in 1981, I had achieved my AISTD teaching qualifications, choreographed numerous dance pieces, was honoured with “Outstanding Student” and was head girl for three terms in my third year. I can safely say I started my leadership skills and creative dance footprint by the time I left Laine in 1981.
What was a typical day like?
My day when at college started with a 6.30am cross-country run. I lived near Epsom Downs and had a professional running partner… it was so good for my muscles and allowed me to build my stamina and physical power. It also informed my mental structure and discipline. I would then head into college for 8.30am ready to start my daily timetable of dance, drama and vocal classes. Most times I was in early and out late at college. I would either be choreographing a dance with or for my fellow students for in-house performances and college shows, or just in a free studio creating for my own pleasure and finding my own creative jazz dance expression.
What is a typical day like now?
Now with a career that has spanned over 30 years, the day is somewhat fuller, more hectic, however just as rewarding. I am at the steering wheel of my own Jazz Theatre company which I founded in 1996: BODY OF PEOPLE, aka BOP. That in itself is a full time job. Add to that my work as a freelance choreographer, director, my continued roles of practitioner and mentor, fulfilled with traveling the world on a regular basis, being a mum throughout and a wife. I would say today life is very full. As a creative
artist you are in charge of your own creative journey and schedule so it’s a full time 24/7 job most of the time.
You have to truly love your chosen artistic endeavours and trust your journey to keep going and succeed. Even when the going gets tough, you have to get tougher… as the saying goes “You get nothing back if you put nothing in”, and truly it’s back-breaking at times, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. I am happy with my choice to be a passionate, creative artist.
Tell me more about your dance ethos and BOP?
As a dance and musical theatre performer I have had the pleasure and opportunity to perform with and for some very special and unique creatives, who have inspired, encouraged and supported my own career. However coming through I always wished to belong to an artistic company that took the genre of jazz as its creative and artistic expression, and in particular the black creative expression. Unfortunately, I have to say this has never happened for me in the UK and so for this reason I founded a jazz company that would provide a platform for the artistic development and ongoing journey of the jazz art form, and a home where I could realise my own creative expression.
Often we connect jazz dance with musical theatre, I know as I spent years in the West End performing in shows that proclaimed the choreography of jazz dance, but actually the expression and soul of the art form simply got lost in the commercial aspects of putting on a show. In other parts of the world jazz dance was and still is recognised as “High Art”, a dance art form on the same level as ballet and contemporary dance. However the UK still struggles with that kind of definition for jazz, not quite being able to dislodge the clutches of colonialism. In fact the reality is that the very nature of jazz is its inclusivity, and it informs so many aspects of the arts and entertainment industry making it the most important art form of the 20th century. The philosophy of BOP is to give dancers, musicians, performers and creative artists a jazz home to develop as a community and as individual artists. Through BOP we look to continue the legacy of the artistic and creative narrative and exploration of jazz dance, jazz music and jazz theatre making.
What is your favourite thing about dance?
It’s all or nothing! When you love what you do it’s not questioned or put into a box. It is what it is and for me it’s about the truth and passion that connects us through movement. Living life through dance and movement, the ability to connect and be symbiotic with music, the expression and performing through the medium of dance is part of my daily regime and creative journey. All the above and more sum up my favourite things about dance and being a dance artist.
I am my happiest when I am in my studio, free to express and share myself without any boundaries or inhibition. To pass on to others the spirited and soulful message of dance has always given me a sense of peace and connection with something that is greater than just myself but yet brings us together as a community. It’s is also a great way to heal oneself.
And the worst thing about dance?
When the art of dance is taken for granted and not respected. I look for diversity in what is available, but also in what is supported. To be honest there is not a lot of support for jazz dance as a highly artistic interpretive creative dance expression, unless it seen as a musical, TV, video dance. Jazz in particular has become so commercialised that it is slowly losing its creative and inspirational roots. What is sad is there seem to be fewer dancers aiming to be creative artists or build a track record of experience and knowledge and yet we have more dancers calling themselves teachers, choreographers and directors before they have the experience or craft skills. More and more “children” are teaching children in colleges and dance schools, so we are developing a new generation of dancers who have not been taught a craft, but just the basics of faking it.
When work is limited and at times poorly paid, inexperience often wins over experience. It’s clear if the pay is low you will of course get someone with less experience who just wants to work, but has little in experience to teach, mentor or create at a distinct and qualified level. It all has a knock on effect on our industry. As an experienced performer, choreographer and educationalist I see this problem first hand, the evidence of this is very real.
However, everything has a cycle and the wheel continues to turn. There are also many wonderful dancers who I have had the joy to work with and employ who are striving to make the ART of dance a real existence in their lives. Treating dance as a job is not the same as treating dance as a career. It’s a vocation so with that comes more than just waiting for a pay cheque. Developing yourself is the key. The more you know the more you grow!.
What inspires you most on a daily basis, and in terms of dance too?
Many things inspire me on a daily basis, some that have nothing to do with anyone else but my own understanding that… if I don’t get up and keep going my dreams and aspirations for the provision of the jazz art form and my own creative journey will not be realised. I have always been inspired by those creatives, writers, musicians that have gone before and shown their artistic and creative impression within the artistic and historic landscape. Alvin Ailey, Katherine Dunham, Shirley MacLaine, Cyd Charise, Miles Davis, Maya Angelou are just a few of my creative inspirations. Their journey in life and their creative genius is a great leveller, and although of another era, they have had an important impact on my drive to become an accomplished creative artist.
I am also inspired by LIFE. It’s never dull that’s for sure, so that keeps the feet moving and the soul questioning, eventually the answers come, that is inspiration.
What advice would you offer to an aspiring dance artist, choreographer or teacher?
My advice is… just be HONEST… be true to yourself and that will be reflected in your artistic endeavours. To take on a creative life there is not really anywhere to hide. I believe continued training and a drive to keep yourself at the top of your game is vital, there is no end game.
I often say to students, make a choice which way you want to go. You can be a jobbing dancer or a forward thinking performing dance artist; the two are quite different and so the work ethic and discipline to obtaining your goals has to be different. Not all dancers make that movement into being choreographers and teachers. It takes incredible skill, knowledge and vision that I believe is in the creative DNA. I knew from a very early age that I had a creative streak and wanted to be a choreographer and teach, my journey was to know my craft. Not just the dance, but the mechanics of production, leadership and making myself available to be open to receive, the more I did the more I learnt from those directors and choreographers who gave me opportunities to learn and define my own path.
So yes, my advice is… get a thick skin, take criticisms and learn from them and WORK WORK WORK, not just on your art, but on your personal self too. You have to know yourself to be able to give yourself at your best for the business of entertainment. The clue is in the title SHOW BUSINESS… Knowing your BUSINESS is as important as been able to SHOW it.
What’s next for you?
I shall continue to run my company BOP with my co-creative director and partner in life Paul Jenkins. We are now in our creative process of developing and devising the BOP Company’s 20th Anniversary production for 2016. I am also now looking for new dance artists to join the company fold. The beginning of July took me to Austria as guest jazz choreographer and on my return, I started our fourth international BOP Jazz Summer Residency, which brought together dancers from all over the world to experience a week of intensive training with BOP.
Throughout August my creative projects will be in New York. We will present our production BACK 2 BLACK in NYC starring West End musical star Ray Shell at Cornelia Street Café Theatre in Greenwich Village. I will also be presenting my BOP jazz master classes at Broadway Dance Center throughout August and returning to the Faison Firehouse Theatre as a guest to present jazz masterclasses and work with my mentor and dear friend, producer/director/choreographer, George Faison, on his concert production THE WIZ.
That’s the good stuff, the more tiring part of my ongoing schedule is seeking funding and support for the company and keeping the jazz art form present and ongoing, whilst working on myself, staying fit and connected. At some point I may think about taking a proper holiday and recharging my batteries. Christmas Caribbean sun in my ancestral home of Grenada could be an option, but if I’m working, it might be a quick weekend trip to the Sussex coast to breathe some fresh air and clear the mind… Let’s see how
the rest of the year pans out!
Dollie Henry–‐ Artistic Director |Choreographer |Creative Jazz Artist |Educator
+44 (0)7508 589812 |[email protected] |www.bop.org.uk
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