Dance Direct Blog

Similar to many ballet productions that have recently been screened in cinemas, it will be possible in the future to catch up with your favourite West End shows with a bucket of popcorn. Digital Theatre, which makes filmed theatre productions available for download online, and CinemaLive have paired up to screen some of the best [...]

First Position, a ballet documentary-come-movie to be screened in cinemas in the UK, paints a thrilling and moving portrait of the most gifted ballet stars of tomorrow as they prepare for the chance to enter the world of professional ballet. Bess Kargman’s award-winning box office hit documentary follows six extraordinary dancers, complete with bruises, blood, [...]

ITV are set to celebrate Andrew Lloyd Webber’s impressive and vast 40-year career with a 90-minute television special to mark his musical achievements. Stars such as Samantha Barks, Kimberley Walsh, Tim Minchin and Nicole Scherzinger are among the performers who will take part in the show which aims to celebrate the on-stage work of Lloyd [...]

Another televised dance-esque competition show is over for the year: Dancing on Ice saw Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle crowned the winner with partner Dan Whiston. Whilst many may argue that neither gymnastics nor ice skating have much to do with dance, it is clear that the skills of dance lend themselves to other disciplines which [...]

As the cold weather is starting to hit dancers all over the country, twelve dancers have already been braving the ice as they began their performance journeys on Dancing on Ice, refilling our dancing lives with sequins, skates, gorgeous costumes and a generous helping of Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean. Donning their show tights for [...]

After months of speculation the Strictly Come Dancing line-up has finally been announced, dispelling all previous rumours surrounding the tenth series. In addition to the contestants, ex-prima ballerina and new Royal Academy of Dance President Darcey Bussell will also be joining the show as a new judge on the panel. Bussell will be trading her [...]

Curzon Cinemas are due to bring Matthew Bourne’s triumphant re-interpretation of Swan Lake (certificate PG) on May 14th, at the Soho showing theatre. The production is a pre-recorded version from a 2011 performance at Sadler’s Wells, and will continue to showcase the bare-footed swans to audiences nationwide and beyond. When Swan Lake premiered in 1995, [...]

Anyone who has seen the movie Tron Legacy will probably have been impressed by the stunning CGI world, within which most of the action took place. One of the elements that made Tron Legacy so visually iconic were the light suits worn by the characters throughout most of the film. Sony Ericsson has capitalised on [...]

A great example of ballet in a modern setting! Levi’s latest commercial for their Korean Stretch to Fit jeans advertising campaign has been generating a lot of Internet buzz lately. It features two dancers from the Korea National Ballet performing an urban pas de deux on the streets of Seoul. If you look carefully you [...]

Director Tony Palmer’s documentary about Margot Fonteyn focuses on the astonishing life of one of the world’s greatest and most admired dancers. Fonteyn transcended the ballet world to become a celebrity of her time, although will be remembered by most ballet lovers for her incredible partnership with Rudolph Nureyev. Their first performance together was Giselle [...]