Campaign To Boost Live Entertainment

EquityThe union Equity has launched a campaign to increase live entertainment in public houses: pubs around the UK are being urged to host live entertainment – including theatre shows – as part of the new campaign, Live Entertainment Works!

The campaign for more live entertainment is aimed at highlighting changes to licensing laws introduced in 2012, which make it easier for pubs and small venues to host live entertainment, such as music and theatre performances. A number of venues in and around London already host this type of entertainment, however the campaign looks to roll this out across the whole of the UK.

Under the Live Music Act, performances of plays and dance for audiences up to 500 are permitted without a licence. Live music events for audiences of 200 or lessdo not need a licence either, providing the event does not take place before 8am and after 11pm, and if music is unamplified, there is no audience restriction.

According to Equity, live entertainment is likely to attract more customers for a venue and increase profits, expanding the reach of quality entertainment where there may not already be the opportunity for this. For performers, performing in other, alternative venues means more opportunities to stage work and be seen by audiences. It is seemingly a win-win situation for members. Pubs will get more trade through people enjoying the entertainment, the community benefits by joining in a shared activity and Equity members can perform.

According to research conducted by the Musicians’ Union in 2012, 24% of pubs reported an increase in taking of between 25% and 50% on nights they featured live entertainment, with 71% seeing an increase of between 10% and 25%. On average, pubs without music were found to be three times more likely to close.

Queensland Ballet’s London Debut

Queensland BalletAustralia’s Queensland Ballet is set to debut the Olivier and Evening Standard award winning production of ‘La Sylphide’ at the London Coliseum from 4–8 August 2015. Over 30 years since it first captivated the capital’s audiences, the legendary production of August Bournonville’s ‘La Sylphide’ will return to London, performed by the internationally acclaimed Australia’s Queensland Ballet in their London debut.

Schaufuss’ La Sylphide premiered in London in 1979 and has been seen by millions around the world. The production was captured by an award-winning BBC production for TV, whilst a number of leading ballet companies have presented Schaufuss’ provocative interpretation of the Danish classic to widespread critical acclaim. It is one of the world’s oldest remaining ballets, one which paved the way for romantic ballets with its tragic story that has fascinated audiences since the early 19th century. La Sylphide tells the story of a young man who encounters an ethereal sylph on the eve of his wedding: in the pursuit of the seemingly attainable true love and happiness, he abandons everything, including his bride-to-be and ventures into the unknown.

The London debut of Queensland Ballet – Australia’s premier ballet company – is under the direction of international former dancer and author Li Cunxin, known for his bestselling book and movie “Mao’s Last Dancer”. Herman von Løvenskjold’s buoyant score will be performed by a live orchestra led by prominent British conductor Andrew Mogrelia during the 2015 London season. La Sylphide has always evoked strong responses and excited audiences since its very first performance back in 1836 and is set to again in the capital next year with the spectacular and evocative ballet.

The Right Start For The Academic Year

With many young dancers ready to become new students this month, it is important to keep your body healthy and in tip-top condition ready for the training ahead. If you are living away at a college or university and surrounded by other people, it is easy to let good eating habits slip and fall into something that is detrimental to your body.

There are a number of quick and easy breakfast ideas to start your day off in the best possible way so you don’t compromise your nutrition. Eating breakfast has been linked to improved academic performance, better mood, improved concentration and behaviour, as well as stronger athletic performance and higher rates of body fat oxidation. Fuel intake after fasting overnight lets your body know you need energy, and strong muscles, and it is important to get enough sleep for this too.

Eating something is better than nothing, however there are many quick and simple breakfast ideas that will give you the fuel you need for a busy dancing day ahead. Porridge with fruit and nuts/seeds can’t be beaten, however overnight porridge is also time-saving and easy. It is filling and nutritious; mix oats, Greek yoghurt and fruit in a bowl and seal overnight in the fridge. In the morning your porridge will be ready to go!

Fruit smoothies, avocado on toast (healthy fats and calcium for strong bones and muscle function), granola (homemade with seeds, dried fruit and puffed rice cereal) and apples with peanut butter are all perfect ways of getting essential nutrients needed for dance into your body. It can be difficult if you are in a rush but taking 5 minutes to plan ahead really does make all the difference!

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

The Gender Debate

The Gender DebateMany dance artists working in the industry would argue that there are still gender issues for them. Some audiences still retain the thought that dance equates to ballet for girls, full of prejudice and stereotypes. This is despite the leaps that have been made regarding gender equality in dance, leaving the uneducated public. To them, dance requires little to no training or commitment, and could not be a legitimate career.

It is clear to the participants of dance, however, that dance is a difficult vocation that is pursued with commitment, dedication and passion. We know that dance teachers are of different ages and can be women or men, and that the training provided by teachers aims to utilise a student’s potential to have a career in the world of dance.

With the increased popularity of dance over the last few years, there has definitely been an overall improvement in what the general public, students and parents know about dance and dance training. Despite this there still underlying issues with matter of gender when it comes to dance teaching.

If even dance audience and schools discriminate on the basis of gender then what hope is there for parents, students and the general public? This type of conduct is incredibly harmful to the industry and does not support the professionals already working or trying to break into the industry, as they have to fight against gender stereotypes and discrimination from the people expected to support them.

Although the rejection of a job application on the basis of gender is illegal, in the dance world this action is accepted due to the perceived normality of it. To take into account a dance teacher’s gender when considering their application is an out of date mindset, let alone unlawful, as is the refusal to hire them on the basis of gender.

Elixir Festival

Elixir FestivalMid-September will see Sadler’s Wells present its largest ever celebration of lifelong creativity and the contribution of older artists with the Elixir Festival, running from 12–15 September 2014.

Across the four days, Elixir Festival will feature a range of performances: contributing artists include Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Hofesh Shechter, world-renowned choreographers Mats Ek and Ana Laguna, international guests and the Company of Elders among many others, including a new piece for retired professional dancers which will see them relive their swan songs.

In addition to performances on the main stage the Elixir Festival offers the opportunity for further engagement with a series of workshops, events and a conference to close the festival. The Lilian Baylis Studio performance programme will feature older dancers from international companies and from across the UK, invited to perform after an international call out for contributors; reflecting the diversity of approach and responding to the fast-growing interest in performance work for mature artists.

In the main house at Sadler’s Wells, ‘KnowBody’ encompasses a lifetime of experiences. The programme features artists Mats Ek and Ana Laguna, Sadler’s Wells’ Company of Elders performing a restaged excerpt from Hofesh Shechter’s ‘In your rooms’ and a new commission performed by the former professional dancers, some of whom are returning to the stage after twenty years or more. This unique evening will throw different light on dance and performance to challenge preconceptions and present contemporary dance illuminated by a lifetime of experience. In a juxtaposition of electronic music and contemporary choreography performed by older dancers KnowBody will present beauty and power in single gestures.

The Art of Age Conference will take place on one day only, featuring contributions from artists, choreographers and leaders in culture, health and performance research. There will be a range of focuses, on dance, wellbeing and artistic perspectives, followed by a performance from the Company of Elders in the Lilian Baylis Studio.

Miss Saigon Marks 25 Years

Miss SaigonMiss Saigon, the iconic musical which has recently returned to the West End, has plans to mark 25 years with a gala charging its 1989 ticket prices. The gala will take place on Monday 22 September, and all tickets for the performance have had their prices slashed to £22.50, £20.00, £16.50 and £13.50. There will also be an anniversary CD released on the day of the gala. The 2014 company of Miss Saigon have performed for a live recording to celebrate the show’s anniversary, following in the footsteps of Les Miserables and The Phantom of the Opera.

The gala will take place at the Prince Edward Theatre starring members of the current company, and it will also a feature some familiar faces from the original cast during a special finale. Fans of the show will have a two-hour priority booking period online via Miss Saigon social networks and the official show website with general on-sale starting after this. Fans can also purchase by queuing in person at the Box Office. The performance will be recorded for BBC Radio 2 and will be broadcast in its entirety on Sunday 28 September.

The first live cast recording of the entire show, featuring the current cast, will be released on Monday 22 September. It will be released by Universal Music and First Night Records and will be available from iTunes, the Prince Edward Theatre and all good retailers. The West End revival has proved to be a great success since opening earlier this year.

The musical, with its music written by Boublil and Schonberg, coverts the Madam Butterfly story to war-torn Vietnam. Cultures clash when a local prostitute meets her GI Joe during the fall of Saigon in 1975. Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Miss Saigon has extended its booking period at the Prince Edward Theatre until 25 April 2015.

The Return Of Copacabana

Jon LeeThe company Dancing Fool Theatrical, in association with Harlow Playhouse, is presenting a new tour of Barry Manilow’s Copacabana, beginning in October. The iconic musical will tour to a variety of theatres across the autumn. More casting and dates for the following year will follow, however the touring venues for 2014 include Harlow Playhouse, Southsea Kings, Buxton, Jersey Opera House. Bournemouth Pavilion, Newcastle Mill Volvo, Blackpool Grand and Billingham Forum.

The new production will star Jon Lee (of S Club 7, Les Miserables and Jersey Boys fame) as Tony Starr, Richard Grieve (who has performed in Emmerdale and Priscilla Queen of the Desert) as Sam Silver and the tour will introduce Jennifer Harding as Lola. The musical tells a tale of romance and stardom, featuring aspiring songwriter Tony working as a pianist in a bar when he meets Lola, who is determined to make it in ‘showbiz’. Quickly falling for Lola, Tony does everything he can to assist her attempts to find stardom. At Manhattan’s Copacabana Lounge both start to find fame, before fate steps in and Lola is swept away to Havana to work in a splashy night club where Lola’s new mentor and boss Rico demands a price for putting her name in lights.

The musical, written by Manilow and his longtime collaborators Bruce Sussman and Jack Feldman, has not been seen in the UK for ten years and will begin its production tour at Harlow Playhouse on Thursday 2 October 2014 (press night Friday 3 October). This new production will reimagine the original stage version of Copacabana, which was first performed in the US in 1991 and has never been seen in the UK before. The iconic musical will feature all the Manilow hits including ‘Dancin’ Fool’, ‘Who Needs to Dream’, ‘Welcome to Havana’ and the Grammy Award-winning ‘Copacabana (At The Copa)’.

Turn Boards

Turn BoardsThe benefits of turn boards can be debated. There are many aids, products and remedies for dancers on the market which help their training, however the pros and cons of turn boards can be identified easily. Seen in the dance film documentary First Position, it seems turn boards help dancers to master their pirouettes, improve confidence in turning and correct their spotting, balance and posture.

A turn board is a slim rectangular board which works on the principle of reducing friction between the foot and the floor, allowing the dancer to spin fast. While it is clear a turn board delivers a multitude of turns for the dancer, this does not necessarily translate into a number of turns when a turn board is not used. It may however improve dancers’ spotting and allow them to get used to the sensation of performing multiple turns, as well as highlighting small adjustments to be made to improve turns on the floor.

Despite this, a turn board requires the dancer to turn on a flat foot which has potential for problems with technique: in classical ballet, a turn is performed with a releve to either demi or full point. Turn boards may then encourage dancers to turn on a low demi pointe rather than pulling up and turning on a high demi pointe as required. Turning on a flat foot means the foot is not in the same position and the weight distribution is different than for pirouettes in ballet.

Therefore the physicality of a turn, with an adjusted centre of gravity when on flat to demi or full point, is very different with and without the board. For beginners who are just learning turning technique it is likely that the turn board would complicate matters. It could make learning pirouettes harder or encourage bad habits.

Principal Casting For ENB’s Autumn UK Tour

ENB LogoPrincipal casting for English National Ballet’s autumn UK tour, and performances of the classic The Nutcracker, have recently been announced, with a multitude of pairings to watch once summer is over.

Joining English National Ballet from Boston Ballet, Alejandro Virelles will make his debut as Principal, performing the role of Prince Siegfried alongside Alina Cojocaru’s Odette/Odile in Derek Deane’s Swan Lake. We will also see lead roles from Ksenia Ovsyanick, who was recently promoted to Soloist, and her debut as Odette/Odile with Zdenek Konvalina; Tamara Rojo and the winner of Emerging Dancer 2014 Junor Souza; Fernanda Oliveira and Dmitri Gruzdyev; and Shiori Kase, who was promoted to First Soloist and her debut as Odette/Odile, with Yonah Acosta, who was promoted to Principal. Deane’s traditional production tours to Manchester in October, followed by Milton Keynes, Liverpool and the London Coliseum.

After a critically acclaimed run at the London Coliseum in July this year, Coppélia begins a UK tour to Southampton in October, also heading to Oxford and Bristol. Following their debut performance in the lead roles of Franz and Swanilda, Acosta will also perform alongside Kase on tour. Coppélia is the comic tale of an eccentric toymaker and his mechanical doll. Dr Coppélius, the toymaker, creates a lifelike Coppélia doll and wishes to bring her to life.

Nutcracker returns to the London Coliseum from 11 December 2014-4 January 2015. First performed in 2010 to celebrate English National Ballet’s 60th anniversary, Wayne Eagling’s version has since been seen by over 300,000 people. Principals for Nutcracker include Laurretta Summerscales with identical twins Guilherme Menezes and Vitor Menezes, both making their debuts as the Prince and Nutcracker.

This is English National Ballet’s 11th production of Nutcracker since it performed its first full length Nutcracker in 1950, its founding year. Since then, English National Ballet has established the tradition of performing Nutcracker at Christmas every year.

Rumours For Cats The Musical

Cats The MusicalIn news that may have surprised some musical theatre fans, it has been rumoured that former Pussycat Doll, solo artist and X Factor judge may be in the running to make her West End debut in Cats. It seems Nicole is in “very early discussions” to star in Cats as Grizabella the Glamour Cat, at the London Palladium for the show’s limited run later in the year.

Nicole majored in musical theatre at university, and has had small roles in various TV shows. Last year, she dedicated a fabulous rendition of “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” from Evita on an ITV show to Andrew Lloyd Webber, so she has been on Lloyd Webber’s radar since 2011. He had planned for Nicole to join the judging panel of one of his reality TV casting shows such as Any Dream Will Do.

If Nicole is to join the uber-talented cast she will do so in the wake of musical theatre legends Elaine Paige and Ruthie Henshall who have also played the role. In addition to this, Lea Salonga (the original Miss Saigon) even portrayed the prominent cat in her native Philippines.

It has also been rumoured that Nicole has been itching to get onto the West End musical scene for some time, having already sung a rendition of the title song, “The Phantom of the Opera”, with Simon Bowman, Earl Carpenter, Ramin Karimloo and John Owen-Jones. 2012 also saw her rumoured to play the part of Mary Magdalene in the comeback Jesus Christ Superstar arena production, only to be offered a stint on X Factor, and be replaced by former Spice Girl Mel C.

Cats will run for a strictly limited twelve-week run from 6 December 2014 following its current UK tour.