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Preserving The Martha Graham Dance Company

Martha Graham Dance CompanyThe Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance announced that its efforts in using technology to help preserve choreography and pass it on from one generation to the next were to be aided by a $1 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation that will allow the company to build on, digitise and organise its archive of materials on Graham dances.

The grant will allow the center to create “toolkits” to help immortalise individual Graham dances, including videos of generations of Graham dancers in rehearsal and performance; stage drawings; musical recordings and scores; Graham’s choreographic notes; drawings and photographs of sets; costume sketches, and reviews. The kits will also incorporate the center’s recently restored and digitised films and videos, and some materials that were restored after they were damaged by Hurricane Sandy last year, a devastating blow to the company.

Over the next two years the center will create 35 new toolkits which can be used by the Martha Graham Dance Company when it revives a work, as well as by other companies and schools that license them, helping to recreate the magic of the Graham technique and performance without allowing any of it to get lost. The next set of toolkits would be about 34 dances, and the Martha Graham technique. Restoring the critical material – those pieces the company has information on – are hugely important for the company.

The toolkits will also be made available to scholars, critics and artists interested in Martha Graham. Graham is widely renowned as one of four major modern dance pioneers of her time (with Doris Humphrey, Charles Weidman and José Limón). Throughout her choreographic lifetime, Graham created 181 dances.

All-night Macbeth

Rift MacbethImmersive theatre-makers Rift are set to stage a site-specific performance of Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth that will take place overnight. Rift plans to stage the all-night Macbeth in east London tower block in an innovative move to put audiences to sleep – and then wake them up.

The audience will be asked to go to bed after the first few scenes of Shakespeare’s murderous production on the top floor of an iconic east London tower block and throughout the night, they will be visited by the play’s characters as they present the events around the murder, and its consequences. The play will conclude in the morning as the audience wakes for the final act.

This new production will begin by meeting the three witches in an underground car park and it will run for two months from the summer solstice in June, beginning at 8pm and finishing 12 hours later. Rift are not the first company to turn Macbeth into such an immersive experience. Punchdrunk transformed the play in 2003, when Sleep No More received its first UK performances at the Beaufoy Building, an old Victorian school in south London. The production was revived in 2011 in New York, where it has been running ever since.

The company is led by director Felix Mortimer, who has previously staged similar productions of The Tempest, which became a six-part pop-up installation in a London shop, and Franz Kafka’s The Trial, which was spread over two locations in east London.

Originally known as Retz, the company Rift was founded in 2010. This all-night performance of Macbeth seems set to take audiences by storm as they immerse themselves into the lives and deaths of the Macbeth family in one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies.

Holasz Choreography and The Charcoal Movement

Treacle HolaszAfter a successful premiere at The Place’s Resolution! festival, Holasz Choreography is set to launch the next installment of its piece for Resolution!, Yfronts – a contemporary lap dance as a collaboration with The Charcoal Movement on Friday 7 March at The Etcetera Theatre in London.

As a choreographic movement taking its first steps, founder Treacle Holasz has already made her mark on the contemporary dance map, presenting her work to much acclaim earlier in February. For March at The Etcetera Theatre the format is due to be much the same as at The Place: a playful duet involving feminism, politics and a fair bit of larking about!

Audiences can enjoy a live set design created by The Charcoal Movement and there may even be the chance to get your hands mucky and join in as well! The set will then become the home to Holasz Choreography’s Yfronts, accompanied by live music and washed down with a beverage or two!

For those interested there is also an open dance workshop available. Places are limited but it is is fantastic opportunity to get up close to the action and learn a little more about how Holasz went about creating her Yfronts. There is a special combination booking price of just £12 for both the performance and workshop, or £6 for just the workshop.

The workshop will be led by Charlie Ford, Georges Hann and Treacle Holasz, the team behind Holasz Choreography, offering the opportunity to learn repertoire from Yfronts and explore some of the creative tasks that created it. Some dance experience is required and places are very limited so booking well in advance is recommended.

Don your Yfronts, you are in for a real treat!

The Chelmsford Ballet Company Presents The Nutcracker

Chelmsford Ballet CompanyCelebrating its 65th anniversary, The Chelmsford Ballet Company is proud to present its version of The Nutcracker from 19-22 March at the Civic Theatre in Chelmsford. Some of Tchaikovsky’s most famous melodies set the scene; the story of a little girl’s magical Christmas present. Battle the Mouse King and travel with Clara to the Magical Kingdom of Sweets. Delight in the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, be captivated by the Waltz of the Flowers, the flurry of Snowflakes and the candy striped Merlitons, a spectacle for any time of year.

The Company was founded in 1947 by Joan Weston as the Broomfield YMCA Ballet Company in order to give the more senior students at her existing dance school the opportunity to learn and perform to the public. It was after its 1949 performance of Coppelia that the then-mayor of Chelmsford suggested the name ‘The Chelmsford Ballet Company’. Today the Company is led by Artistic Director Annette Potter, a former dancing member. Annette danced many leading roles with the company before moving on to teaching and choreography. She continues to present the high standards of dance and performance for which the Company is recognised.

Since that first performance in 1949, the Company has staged a full-scale production every year as an event in its own right. In 1984 The Chelmsford Ballet Company presented its version of the Royal Ballet film The Tales of Beatrix Potter. This was the first time the ballet had been performed on stage; it was not until 1992 that the Royal Ballet staged its own production at Covent Garden.

The Company has announced that Richard Bermange will return to dance this year as the dashing Cavalier. His Sugar Plum Fairy will be Emma Lister and to complete the exciting Guest line-up, Michael Budd will dance the Mouse King.

Richard trained at Central School of Ballet, London. As a student he danced with Northern Ballet and Ballet Central, and since graduation he has worked with English National Ballet, K-Ballet, Tokyo, Tivoli Ballet, Peter Schaufuss Ballet and The National Ballet of Ireland. Most recently he has worked with Ballet Ireland as an Associate Choreographer.

Emma Lister trained at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. Upon graduation she danced with The Royal Winnipeg Ballet and since moving to London, Emma has worked with English National Ballet and with the English Youth Ballet, having danced the lead roles in Coppélia, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Les Sylphides, Giselle and Swan Lake.

Michael trained at The Royal Ballet School for 7 years. After graduating from the Upper School he toured with London Studio Centre in Images of Dance. He has since danced with many companies including European Ballet, Matthew Bourne’s Adventures in Motion Pictures, English National Ballet, Vienna Festival Ballet, Balletomania, Anya Ison Wallace Dance company, The Johann Strauss Gala and Debbie McGee and Paul Daniels’ ballet company, Ballet Imaginaire.

Tickets are on sale from the Civic Theatre Box Office 01245 606505 or online from Chelmsford City Theatres

Blazing Ivan Blackstock

Ivan BlackstockIvan Blackstock is a well-respected hip hop artist within the dance theatre world, the commercial world, as well as on the hip hop battle circuit. He undertook training at two prestigious dance conservatoires, namely the Urdang Academy and London Contemporary Dance School, during which he took a gap year to join The Pet Shop Boys on their world tour.

Ivan has worked with many well-known names of the dance world, such as Arlene Phillips, Jasmin Vardimon, ZooNation Dance Company, Kylie Monogue and Breakin’ Convention, in addition to working as part of the BirdGang Dance Company creative team. Here he shares stories of growing up with dance and his life as part of Blaze…

When did you begin dancing, where and why?

I have always been dancing since I can remember. I have always been a fan of Michael Jackson, MC Hammer & Bobby Brown but I took my first dance class at the age of eight in a dingy hall in south London, after seeing my cousin performing and opening for a well known US boy band at the time.

What were your early years of dancing like?

Very crazy; I remember travelling from my old home in Old Kent Road
to Battersea at 10 or 11 years old twice a week to make rehearsals and training by myself. My Mom would drop me off when she could but she was juggling two jobs and my younger sister.

How long have you been performing? Did you start young?

My first performance was quite soon after I joined my cousin’s dance crew but professionally it started at 17 years old, and I was on a world tour with the Pet Shop Boys at 19.

How did you train and what was a typical day like?

I trained with many established street dance companies and teachers in London, from Sisco Gomez to Boy Blue Entertainment. I also studied dance at a few schools… Lewisham College, Urdang Academy and London Contemporary Dance School.

My typical day was getting to ballet for 8:30am, taking various dance technique classes and also contextual studies until about 6pm, then taking a street dance class or rehearsing with my dance company BirdGang from 7-11pm. I would get home and be in bed for about 12:30am and would then repeat.

What is a typical day like now?

My typical day now is prepping for the next choreographic project. Having meetings, writing emails, seeing shows. Very fun I must say.

Do you still take classes? How do you keep on top of your technique?

Yes, I always take class when I can. When you get older you have a lot more responsibilites so it’s not so easy to commit to dance classes as you would when you are younger. Wednesday is the day I religiously take time to take class and I also try to train by myself at home: I find it therapeutic.

Do you prefer choreographing to performing?

I love both to be honest, but at this stage in my career I prefer choreographing. I like working with different types of people as I find it really stimulating – each project is very different from the last. Also seeing the birth of my ideas from my head actually come to life with people paying to come and see it and walk out satisfied. That really does it for me.

What’s the best part about performing in Blaze?

Working with such a diverse pool of talent. Everyone brings something unique and special to the table. Also, my colleague from BirdGang Kendra Horsburgh is resident choreographer and dance captain and she is doing a great job putting the show together.

What would you say was your greatest achievement to date?

Winning the Guardian & Hospital Club 100 award. Being a winner alongside Steve McQueen, The Rolling Stones, Helen Mirren, I feel very honoured especially as it was a public vote. So I must be doing something right!

Which part of dance do you enjoy most?

This might sound selfish but the feeling when I hear music that touches my soul. It’s very self indulgent. I can’t really explain it but that’s the best part of dancing, I feel.

What advice would you give to someone aspiring to be part of the dance industry?

The road is long, the road is tough, but if you have patience, perseverance, humility, and foundation you will reach your destination.

What’s next for you?

Working with my dance company BirdGang on future projects such as Breakin’ Convention and a few shows in Europe. Secondly I will be working with Dance Umbrella and the Young Vic in October.

Kloé Dean: No Rest For Dancers!

Kloé Dean (c) Hugo GlendinningKloé Dean, is a passionate and unique hip hop dancer, choreographer and freestyler; as part of one of the UK’S leading street dance companies, Boy Blue Entertainment, Kloe also leads her own all-female Dance Collective ‘Myself UK Dance’. She is currently a cast member of the street dance sensation BLAZE.

Kloé has performed in numerous productions, showcases and competitions in the UK and around the world and has performed as well as showcased her own choreography at the International Dance Festival Breakin’ Convention at Sadler’s Wells.

Here Kloé talks about her unconventional but admirable training and her life jam-packed full of dance…

When did you begin dancing, where and why?

I began dancing from a young age, around 3, just copying what I saw on TV and music videos. When I was around 11 I started a class at a small performing arts school, and participated in various creative after school clubs where I grew up in South East London. At the age of 15 I took my interest in dance, Hip Hop/Street dance especially, a little more seriously. I dedicated the majority of my time to dancing in my crews at the time “Millitree”and “Vortex”. I then went on to audition for Boy Blue Ent and have been dancing with the company ever since. That also inspired me to create my own company, Myself UK Dance. I was inspired to dance as I felt I could freely express my emotions and put my all into it. I loved the feeling of working hard and seeing the outcome of rehearsing for weeks.

What were your early years of dancing like?

My early years of dancing were fun, they consisted of hundreds of rehearsals in car parks, back gardens, outside shopping centres, anywhere we could dance. We were always inspired by other crews and dancers but all had healthy competition and wanted to be the best!

How long have you been performing? Did you start young?

I started performing at primary school in weekly assemblies, at the age of around 7 or 8 years old.

How did you train and what was a typical day like?

I mainly trained in hip hop crews put together by fellow dancers and trained myself. I attend many (and still do) open classes in various hip hop disciplines and freestyles at clubs, battles and jams. I started training at WAC performing arts College but was unable to finish my studies unfortunately.

What is a typical day like now?

A typical day can differ everyday! Some days will be made up of training, teaching, and rehearsals. Or teaching, training, auditioning, rehearsals. Or training, rehearsals and performing. Or travelling, training, teaching, performing. It!s crazy sometimes!

How do you keep on top of your technique?

By training and sharing with others. Competing, showcasing, performing and practicing.

Do you prefer choreographing to performing?

I love both.

What’s the best part about performing in Blaze?

Dancing with the amazing cast, learning from them, being able to tour different countries and share your craft!

What would you say was your greatest achievement to date?

I think it would be performing at the Sydney Opera House with Blaze, doing the Olympic opening ceremonies in London, and seeing my own choreography on the Queen’s stage at Buckingham Palace for Coronation celebrations.

Which part of dance do you enjoy most?

The feeling of doing a good job on stage and banging out some good choreography.

What advice would you give to someone aspiring to be part of the dance industry?

Work hard. Don’t let anyone stop you from fulfilling your goals and keep going! Never Give Up!

What’s next for you?

Blaze Taiwan! Also, my own company, Myself UK Dance, will be holding our show ICON, celebrating International Women’s Week on Friday 21 March 2014 at Stratford Circus. Then I’m off to Brussels to perform with my company for a project called 7 Steps.

En Avant Foundation

En Avant FoundationThe En Avant Foundation is a new non-profit foundation for specialised ballet coaching, mentoring and the awarding of scholarships in the sphere of classical ballet. As a new initiative formed with a specific purpose to promote classical ballet by offering specialised ballet coaching via Master Classes and Workshops, En Avant Foundation is able to offer dancers the means by which to propel their careers.

The En Avant Foundation utilises eminent artists from the ballet world who are known for their brilliant careers and qualifications; their wealth of knowledge is immeasurable and they are willing to pass it on in order to aid the next generation of artists. It is the Foundation’s goal to contribute to the existing potential of young dancers by providing them with unique opportunities through mentoring and scholarships.

En Avant Foundation, whose artistic director is the renowned Cynthia Harvey, has the support of a number of prestigious artists who have agreed to become the Advisory Committee: Darcey Bussell CBE, Ángel Corella, Isabelle Guérin, Dr Linda Hamilton, Steven Heathcote, Desmond Kelly OBE, Violette Verdy, and Edward Villella.

The Foundation will consequently present masterclasses and workshops for pre-professional and professional dancers. The artists of the Advisory Committee will present some of the masterclasses and workshops, with some taken by those who have expertise in related fields. These will take place in a number of cities worldwide in future years.

The Foundation’s first event will be held in New York City on 7 and 8 June, with Edward Villella, Isabelle Guérin and Cynthia Harvey as teachers and coaches, including Dr Linda Hamilton, Advice Columnist for Dance Magazine, presenting a lecture on “Overcoming the Stresses of Performance”.

Resolution! At The Place for 2014

Resolution! @ The PlaceThe Place once again opened it’s annual Resolution! festival up to reviewers who wish to be partnered by a professional critic and pass judgment on some of the UK’s most promising new dance companies. The Place has engaged with audiences and participants, championed the best ideas, and created inspiring conditions for artists and enthusiasts to realise their potential for over forty years, including that of Resolution!. Combining London Contemporary Dance School, Richard Alston Dance Company and the Robin Howard Dance Theatre, together with pioneering learning, teaching, outreach, recreation and professional development projects The Place champions contemporary dance in particular, and all its strands.

The Place’s approaches to participation, education, creation and performance inform each other, respond to today’s world, and embrace risks to build on the achievements of dance history and to transform and enrich lives. By shaping where dance is going next The Place offers a multitude of opportunities to see new dance, take part in something new or join discussions about key concepts and critical issues for the world of dance today. In particular, Resolution! has become one of the biggest dance festivals in the UK, showcasing new works by emerging choreographers each year at The Place running from Tuesday 14 January to Saturday 15 February 2014.

In a cross-section of the programmes included in the wide spectrum of the Resolution! programme, 29 January presented varying standards and degrees of entertainment. The first programme saw Rachel Burn’s ‘Threshold’ shine with a haunting intensity, the piece inspired by the poetry of Walt Whitman. Despite Burn replacing a dancer due to injury, she was assured and strong in her performance alongside the other two original dancers. A strong bond was evident between these three dancers, their black costuming providing a stark contrast to the extra long white dress Burn sported as she offered herself to the audience in a silent pride.

BBC’s ballet season

BBC2 LogoAs part of a major season of programmes on the BBC, which will also include rare footage of Margot Fonteyn in Sleeping Beauty from the 1950s, ex-Prima ballerina Darcey Bussell will reveal the ballerinas who have inspired her throughout her career and out the other side. BBC2 will present Darcey’s Ballerina Heroines, on 1 March in which she will discuss the dancers who were pivotal in her training and career. The programme will also explore the “history of the ballerina through the female ballet stars who came before her”.

The ballet season will be shown across BBC2 and BBC4 and will feature Fonteyn ’59 – Sleeping Beauty, an edited hour of highlights from Fonteyn’s appearance in Sleeping Beauty in 1959 which has rarely been seen since being filmed. It will be the first time viewers have seen extracts of the version of the ballet since its original screening, and will be broadcast on BBC4 on 7 March.

Meanwhile, Dancing in the Blitz – How WW2 Made British Ballet will be shown on BBC4 on 5 March and will see Birmingham Royal Ballet director David Bintley explore how the Second World War “was the making of British ballet”. It shows how the Sadler’s Wells Ballet, later the Royal Ballet, was formed during the war.

The season will conclude on 9 March with BBC4’s Good Swan, Bad Swan – Dancing Swan Lake, in which English National Ballet artistic director Tamara Rojo will take viewers behind the scenes as she prepares to perform one of the most challenging roles in classical ballet within Swan Lake. Rojo will reveal her insights on the role’s physical and psychological challenges while the season as a whole will give viewers a real glimpse behind the scenes of the ballet world.

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.