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Rambert Elements is a new nationwide choreographic challenge initiative for secondary schools and colleges that will launch during the 2015/16 academic year. The initiative aims to raise the profile of choreography in schools and colleges and provide a national programme of professional support for students and teachers, to support the development of choreographic practice in future generations. Rambert is renowned for supporting choreography within its own company of dancers, which greatly complements the scheme.

The programme will give groups of students across the country the chance to create and perform short works inspired by themes and sequences of movement devised by some of Britain’s leading choreographers; Mark Baldwin (Rambert’s Artistic Director), Aletta Collins and Alexander Whitley. Each will create a ‘toolkit’ that will include a title, music, interviews with the choreographers and demonstrations by Rambert dancers of pre-devised movement phrases and tasks, which groups can use as starting points. They will also include materials relating to the choreographers’ inspirations for the pieces. This Rambert initiative is a stepping stone for students interested in developing their choreography, by taking pre-existing movement and personalising it.

Participating groups will create their own works, with the opportunity to showcase this at one of six regional venues: Edinburgh Festival Theatre; The Lowry, Salford; Norwich Playhouse; Rambert; Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham and Theatre Royal, Plymouth. One group from each regional venue will then be invited to perform their work accompanied by the Rambert Orchestra at a central London theatre in June 2016.

Rambert Elements is bringing leading choreographers into the classroom and celebrating young people’s creativity and diversity, raising the profile of dance throughout the country. The pilot will see more than 500 pupils from 36 schools and colleges across the UK taking part, with the aim of increasing both the number of participants and the reach of the programme year on year. Schools and colleges will be able to apply up until 4 September 2015 with the selected groups announced on 10 September 2015.

Todaytix, a free ticketing app, has been running for New York theatre since 2013, where it has been dubbed Broadway’s version of taxi app Uber. It is now available in London, offering tickets for more than 40 shows that can be ‘bought in 30 seconds or less’ using the app, and its founders claim it will make the West End “more accessible than ever”.

Users are able to search by date, price, genre and location of the show or theatre, with tickets available from a week in advance to just 60 minutes before a show starts, giving audiences even more flexibility when in the capital and looking for a show to see. Tickets are available for shows both on the fringe and in the West End, including the large blockbuster musicals. It is argued that the app will help discover a new generation of theatregoing audiences, through the ease and simplicity of using the app. It may even encourage users who have never been to a theatre before to buy tickets, as it is becoming more hassle-free for every user.

It is believed that the app will appeal to new and younger audiences, as well as a new generation of theatregoers. This in turn will develop and enhance the future life and health of the theatre industry, by engaging with new audiences and providing them with a slick and efficient service. The founders claimed that 30% of tickets for West End shows go unsold each year, and that the app would create a way to bridge the gap by offering users the unique ability to browse a wide range of West End shows at the last minute.

Users who buy tickets using the app will pay a £3 charge per ticket, however this does not change based on the price of the ticket. The founders have also claimed that ticket prices will never be marked up, unlike many ticket touts who do so immorally. Using the app, audiences will also be able to rate shows and receive notifications about when sold-out productions become available.

The balance between males and females in the dance industry – especially ballet – remains slightly skewed. There are predominantly more females than males, wrongly demonstrating that males receive more opportunities in dance; there are simply less of them, so it appears they are ‘better off’ than females.

To this end, it is important to keep boys interested in dance and ballet when they begin lessons as children, and capture that interest so it can be maintained throughout their lives. Younger children find ballet more appealing when they are not doing it alone. Having other boys in ballet classes helps, as males are very competitive. Having other males, or just one, to work with can be very motivating, as well as having special boys-only classes to work purely on technique for male dancers.

If male lessons aren’t possible, teachers can still set specific exercises for boys. When they get older teachers can also include male-orientated steps such as tour en l’air, turns and hops a la seconde, as well as pirouettes from second position. With girls also in the class, combinations can also be made less “pretty” and more strength-based and energetic. While girls may excel in adage or port de bras – although it is not definitive – boys may prefer jumps, separating the aesthetic functionality of the classical technique from the ethereal aesthetic. It is also beneficial for the opposite sexes to try those different exercises too.

Teachers can also encourage their students to find a dancing role model, and this can work particularly well for young male dancers. Here they can identify areas they are good at, and can see what they are striving for. Role models could be famous dancers, a favourite dancer from a local company, a male teacher, or even an older student. YouTube can work well in feeding their inspiration and passion for ballet, and arranging masterclasses with a male teacher can also work well to inspire boys, encouraging them to take ballet long term.

In the week of Sylvie Guillem’s final performances on the Sadler’s Wells stage, the theatre gave her the title of Associate Artist Emeritus, coming into effect in January 2016. Guillem, an iconic dancer of the twenty-first century, has been an Associate Artist at Sadler’s Wells since 2006. She announced her retirement from the stage in November 2014, and her final dance production – Life in Progress – has toured nationally and internationally so far throughout 2015.

Guillem has had an extraordinary career encompassing both classical ballet and contemporary dance, beginning with the Paris Opera Ballet School, and in 1981 she joined the company’s corps de ballet. She was promoted to the rank of “Etoile” by Rudolf Nureyev at the age of 19. 2015 now marks a poignant moment in Sadler’s Wells’ recent history in housing Guillem’s work. Guillem’s first commissioned work for the theatre, PUSH, was its first in-house production. The title of Associate Artist Emeritus is therefore a celebration of the wonderful contribution she has made to the world of dance through her incredible artistry.

Life in Progress, Guillem’s final tour, features both existing and new works by choreographers who have influenced Guillem’s contemporary career. The new works include a solo by choreographer and Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Akram Khan, titled technê. The piece encompasses the dancer’s body, and how it carries the memory of all the lives it has described. Khan described the body as giving itself away in the moment of performance, so that as soon as each image is created, it is shed, and exists only in memory, so art is the memory of movement.

Life in Progress opened in Modena, Italy, on 31 March. It tours worldwide until its final performances in Tokyo in December 2015. The tour includes UK performances at Sadler’s Wells, London Coliseum, Edinburgh International Festival and Birmingham Hippodrome.

London Wonderground on the city’s South Bank is a cavern of spicy entertainment and smells of the long awaited summer. With a huge programme of comedy, cabaret, dance, theatre and circus, the Udderbelly Festival is hugely popular and always adorned with Londoners enjoying the gradually turning summer evenings.

Part of the eclectic line up is the performance of Scotch and Soda, with an extensive run in the London Wonderground Speigeltent. Made up of talented Australian performers from across the pond, the show is full of daring acrobatics, a sumptuous cocktail of jazz music and characters who strut across the stage be it in clogs, waistcoats or entirely naked. In the heady atmosphere of the Spiegeltent, the performances of the talents of Scotch and Soda are highlighted by the olde worlde circus acts, and the mirrored ringside.

The Scotch and Soda cast is small and personable – as an audience member you feel welcomed and included, rather than peering over the sidelines as with other similar performances. Scotch and Soda could perhaps be referred to as an edgy Cirque du Soleil; it is full of daring and cheeky charm but takes on a more gritty persona. Every element – from the props to the costumes to the tarnished champagne bottles used for a balancing act – was considered and played its part too.

Acrobatics, strength and circus skills naturally took up a large part of the 80 minute performance. With each cast member taking on a character from the history of Australian circus it added much to their skills as the audience could plot their journeys amongst each other. Double trapeze work was of particular note, as was the balancing act upon a tower of boxes. Charming lovebirds provided simple but effective comic relief from the daring of the bicycle riding, and the varying jazz music was the perfect musical backdrop for this fun but gripping spectacle.

As a dancer, there will be undoubtably several pains you will encounter during your dancing lifetime. Be it pain going onto pointe, pain after a hard day dancing in a different way to usual or even the wonderful aching pain after a long rehearsal, pain is often present for a dancer. However, not all pains are good ones, as some act as warnings from the body because it is injured, rather than it just experiencing general dancing pains.

It is important to know the different between this ‘improvement’ pain and injury pain, when it is safe to continue dancing, and when it is imperative you stop dancing in order to repair the body. Some pains are the body telling you it is strengthening and improving itself whereas other pains call for rehabilitation so as not to hinder the body. As an injury for dance can be any matter of ailments, dancers must heed the ones that prevent them from dancing at their best.

Dancers need to correctly perceive the pain they are experiencing. Pain can occur daily, so it is important to identify the difference in this. Some dancers are highly aware of their bodies – as well as having a high tolerance of pain – and can instantly recognise the improvement pain, whereas for others it might the a little time before this recognition is in place. Some dancers think their general aches and pains are injuries, and treat them according to their perceptions. They may even push through the injury pain without seeking assistance or taking the rest that they should.

Despite this, being a dancer ultimately does build up tolerance to pain; there are always barriers to overcome in dance, and especially after dealing with a dance injury. You must be honest with your body when it is in pain to make sure you can aid it in the best possible way. There is no point trying to get back to the studio or the stage if you’re not fully healed, as you may end up with an injury that could stop you dancing.

Dance expert Bob Rizzo believes virtual dance corrections can improve your technique, by him coaching and advising aspiring professional dancers. Previously Rizzo has directed and choreographed for television and live theatre, and his company, Riz-Biz Productions, has produced over seventy five dance teaching videos covering Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Lyrical, Hip Hop, and Swing; his website, thedancecoach.com, serves as a virtual dance instructor.

With the internet, pre-professional dancers can access a wide variety of information about the dance industry and their careers, such as where to study dance in their area, as well as searching for auditions. The Dance Coach website, however, was designed to give professional feedback and advice for dancers considering a professional career. It also provides a service for any dancer looking for personalised, detailed feedback on a dance or maybe even audition routine, such as how to improve their technique and/or performance, as well as their choreography. Dancers – and teachers too – can therefore refine their work from a passive, objective source.

The website also offers a phone and Skype service to discuss dance career goals, college choices, or making a move to a larger city, again offering objective advice for those that need it, especially if they would like a second opinion or have no other source of information. Many online forums can also be somewhat useful in this area, however that can become opinionated and subjective, which is less helpful when the experience or problem is relative. Website users can also schedule a session for a private, one-to-one coaching in a studio.

As a virtual service, thedancecoach.com is a very cost-effective way for dancers and teachers to get feedback, especially if feedback is only usually gained from competitions. Additionally, gaining access to this information is highly valuable, being able to discuss career goals, professional career guidance based on interests and aspirations, as well as suggestions for additional education, including workshops, internships and job-shadow opportunities.

July 2015 will see Danceworks, one of the capital’s dance training facilities offering classes in a multitude of genres, launch its Elite Summer Ballet School. Open to 8-16 year old boys and girls, parents of talented young dancers are invited to bring their children along to meet the team behind London’s newest international ballet school in June, with the free Open House including a demonstration class.

Danceworks will be hosting a 2 week intensive ballet training course preceding the launch of the Danceworks International Ballet Academy which will open in September, to become London’s newest centre of excellence for training young ballet dancers. The course runs between 20 and 31 July and is open to both boys and girls. There are a limited number of scholarships on offer and the academy will consequently offer elite training to young dancers wishing to develop their love of dance.

Two renowned American ex-professional dancers are behind the new Academy initiative to promote the very best ballet training. Kim White, the Course Director and Antonia Franceschi, the Artistic Director, were both members of the New York City Ballet Company. Kim later set up and ran the Vevey Children’s Ballet School in Switzerland for many years. She devised, choreographed and directed a number of full ballets in Vevey’s local theatre. Antonia, who was a Principal ballerina at the New York City Ballet, also performed in the films ‘Grease’ and ‘Fame’. She teaches at the Royal Ballet School.

Both women believe passionately in the quest to perfect the art of ballet training. Their original course syllabus, the International Ballet Curriculum©, will focus, among other things, on the unique physicality of the American ‘school’. In addition, one of the major aims of the Academy is to invite adult dancers from major ballet companies to rehearse, work with and perform alongside students in an annual theatrical production.