Dance Direct Blog. News, Reviews & Advice About Dance

Dance Consortium, the group of 17 large scale theatre venues located across the UK, recently announced its 40th UK Tour, Danza Contemporánea de Cuba’s​ ​UK Tour 2017. Last seen in the UK in 2012, Cuba’s vibrant flagship contemporary dance company will present a programme choreographed by some of today’s most sought-after choreographic names. The 2017 UK tour opens at Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham on 14 February and concludes at the Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury on 18 March.

For more than five decades, since the company was founded by Ramiro Guerra in 1959, Danza Contemporánea de Cuba’s dance blend of African-Caribbean rhythms, jazzy American modernism and influences from classical European ballet has evoked the Cuban spirit through vigorous and highly physical contemporary dance. Now under the directorship of Miguel Iglesias, the company will present three UK premieres during its UK tour- a mixed bill of recently created work by three top choreographers: Belgian-Colombian Annabelle Lopez Ochoa; the UK’s Theo Clinkard; and the Cuban George Céspedes.

The company was founded under the name of Conjunto de Danza Moderna, created from the National Theatre’s dance department. In 1962 it was renamed Conjunto Nacional de Danza Moderna, became Danza Nacional de Cuba in 1974 and Danza Contemporánea de Cuba in 1987. As Cuba’s flagship dance company, the most prominent figures of the Cuban dance scene have started their illustrious careers with it. The company’s unique style is rooted in the principles of Cuban modern dance technique, blended with a mix of black and white cultural heritage influenced by Cuba’s African and Spanish ancestors, African-Caribbean rhythms, jazzy American modernism and classical European ballet.

After Nottingham, the company will tour to Salford Quays, Newcastle, Cardiff, Plymouth, Brighton, Inverness, Edinburgh and Canterbury​. ​​

The Theatre and the Hope were the first and last playhouses built in Elizabethan London; today their archaeological remains have been given listed status, joining the Rose and the Globe as protected monuments of 16th and 17th century theatre. Of the two Elizabethan playhouses, the Theatre is said to have seen the first performance of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, becoming the site of three bear-baiting pits in that area of London.

The Theatre was built in 1576/77 by James Burbage, on the junction of Curtain Road and New Inn Yard in Hackney, and a number of companies, including the Lord Chamberlain’s Company – which included William Shakespeare – were associated with it. It is believed to have been the first playhouse in which Hamlet was performed, in 1596 with Richard Burbage as the lead. Ahead of this, it is believed that Christopher Marlow’s Faustus was staged at the theatre in 1592.

The remains of the Theatre now lie beneath a modern mixed-use building in Hackney. It seems Burbage’s sons dismantled the theatre in late December 1598 after financial dispute, and moved reusable parts south of the Thames to Bankside for use in construction of their new venture, the Globe. The Hope was the last of the playhouses of the era, opening in approximately 1614 as a new building that would be a joint theatre and bear-baiting arena.

The first play performed at the Hope was Ben Jonson’s Bartholomew Fair, but animal baiting and other entertainment gradually took over the plays and the acting company left the Hope in 1617. It was ordered to close down by Parliament in 1643 but continued to operate until it was dismantled in 1656, the remains of which are located beneath a car park on the southern side of Riverside House on Southwark Bridge Road. Despite this, the archaeological remains provide small insights into this period in the history of theatre, of the first and last Elizabethan playhouses to be built in London.

In the heart of London, a mid-scale 960-seat theatre has been built in just seven weeks in order to host the new David Bowie musical, Lazarus. The musical has already had a limited run in Manhattan, New York opening in December 2016, just a month before the singer’s death in early 2016. In its transfer to London, the production is eagerly awaited by both musical theatre and Bowie fans.

The new pop-up theatre has been staged on a patch of land near King’s Cross station, London. It seems producer Robert Fox had turned down several West End venues for the new musical before partnering with the King’s Cross Theatre in order to build the new venue, which will eventually become home to Google’s new HQ. The site houses a total of three theatres, and has already been home to The Railway Children for almost two years. It shares a venue with US musical In The Heights, while the Donmar Warehouse’s new Shakespeare season has taken on another theatre there too.

This new site seems hugely apt for the London production of Lazarus, as the venue is in no way a conventional West End theatre. Lazarus too – co-written by Bowie – is not a conventional West End musical, so fits in well in the King’s Cross area. The set for the show, which stars Dexter actor Michael C Hall as an alien trapped on Earth, was installed during October, ready for the influx of audiences.

Fox has expressed his delight at being part of a theatre complex that includes a new building for the Donmar season of Shakespeare, adding Lazarus to this exciting prospect. It seems King’s Cross is the perfect solution for the show, away from the West End and bright lights.

Superstition is something everyone is familiar with, regardless of whether they give it value or not. For dancers, holding superstitions is more commonplace, whether it is completing the same pre-show routine or touching a certain spot in the theatre before they go on stage, as for them this guarantees their performance in some way personal to them. This unspoken agreement or deal the dancer does with the theatre is something born from the same deal between the audience and performer, in suspending disbelief in the name of theatre and entertainment.

General superstitions can include things like a black cat crossing your path (meaning something bad will happen), a broken mirror resulting in seven years of bad luck and the same for walking under a ladder. It is said that superstitious beliefs attached to the theatre originated in the cities of Europe, particularly where ballet predominated. Even today these theatres have associated superstitions and ghost stories, which some dancers – but not all – particularly invest in.

Some say there should always be a light left on in an empty theatre, which can be to either ward off ghosts or just provide the ghosts with enough light to see. Failure to provide this may anger the ghosts, leading to pranks and other mishaps, and some in the theatre community think it is better to be on the safe side and leave a light on just in case. A less extreme case is the belief that a good dress rehearsal will bring bad luck for the performance itself. For plays, it is also deemed unlucky to speak the last line of a show before the production opens.

Perhaps the best known superstition surrounds wishing a performer good luck. Doing so before a performance is considered very unlucky, so one should say “break a leg” to an actor, which is symbolic of “taking a bow” at the end of a worthy performance, and wish a dancer “merde”, which – through historic tradition – equates to “watch your step”.

Dance conventions and exhibitions take place all over the world, both large and small. Usually taking place over a full weekend, they can sometimes be loud and intimidating for a first experience. However, as overwhelming as they may be, they are a lot of fun too. They are a great opportunity to learn new dance styles, take classes from teachers and professionals at the top of their game and network with peers and potential individuals who may one day teach you or hire you for a job.

Many dancers at these events like to stand out in each class they take, despite the quick changeover between different dance genres and classes. Layer up your outfit as it may be cold early on, but will quickly warm up with those other hundreds of dancers. Make sure you have all the dance shoes with you that you may possibly need, as well as some socks if you are doing commercial contemporary, the genre that requires them!

Ensure you are properly warmed up before the day begins – you want to look good, but make sure you’re able to perform at your best, and safely too. Be aware of the dancers and the space around you so you don’t injure yourself or anyone else by being too enthusiastic in too small a space. You may need to move to another spot in the studio where you have more freedom, or even learn at the back, then dance full-out when you’ve broken into groups. It is simply good etiquette to remain in your assigned group, moving to the side so the dancers performing have enough room while you are waiting.

Attending a convention is not always about being noticed, but about learning something new from someone new. Be present in the room and willing to try new things, work hard and become a better dancer.

Nottingham Playhouse recently pledged to provide more career opportunities for local people from disadvantaged backgrounds in order to explore how access to careers in the theatre industry can be widened to include more young people from the local area. The 12-month agreement will see a partnership between the Nottingham Playhouse and Nottingham Trent University, in which the theatre venue will create more than 25 work experience placements linked to courses at the university, such as marketing, events management and journalism.

The initiative aims to provide a platform for disadvantaged young people from the local area who are looking to pursue careers in the theatre industry, using the work experience placements to increase their employability by providing a better start in their careers. The agreement will also equally enhance Nottingham Trent University’s curriculum by providing students from various disciplines with excellent work experience opportunities. As a result the scheme will enable them to apply their skills in a live, working environment, also adding value to the current culture of Nottingham.

Nottingham Playhouse has been quick to remind the industry that as a venue it has employed the university’s graduates from Nottingham Trent for many years. The recent change in outlook will mean Nottingham Playhouse and Nottingham Trent University will now be focusing more closely on people from backgrounds that may not have previously considered a career in the arts. This encouragement aims to see other talented individuals take this path and benefit from it. More people will get access to first-rate training and work experience, and students at the university will also monitor the energy efficiency of the venue and propose energy-reducing measures. In 2014, the venue was awarded £230,000 towards improving energy efficiency so this partnership is thought to see further reductions.

Created by the team behind The Lion King’s award-winning education programme, the launch of West End musical Aladdin’s education programme is made up of curriculum-linked education resources for Key Stage 2 and 3 pupils, workshops for pupils aged 7+, and a series of videos which include interviews with the award-winning creative team. Disney’s latest hit musical then saw its seven-time Tony Award®-winning scenic designer Bob Crowley become a prescribed practitioner on the AQA Theatre Studies A-Level specification from September 2016.

Disney’s Aladdin tells the well-known story of a street urchin who finds himself caught up in the plans of an evil magician, falls in love with a princess and befriends a lamp-dwelling magical genie. The education programme includes:

Pre-show workshops, in which Aladdin offers a choice of two 90 minute pre-show workshops which focuses on Scene Study and Music and Movement. Participants will work with extracts from the script and explore characterisation and objectives through physicality, voice, status and comedy, and will have the opportunity to learn choreography and vocals from Arabian Nights, the show’s opening number.

For Key Stage 2, Out Of The Lamp offers a mix of ideas and suggestions which connect to teaching and learning themes in Key Stage 2 English, Art and Design, Music and PSHE. The activities support learning objectives for Key Stage 2 pupils such as developing language skills and vocabulary, creative writing, and composition of stories, performing, dance and creating costumes.

For Key Stage 3, The Cave Of Wonders resource uses Aladdin’s dancing, music, storytelling and costume design to achieve learning objectives for English, PSHE and Dance. Pupils will develop creative writing, build literacy and grammar skills, explore storytelling, and use themes from the production to reflect on issues in their own lives. The resource also offers exclusive behind-the-scenes videos featuring Aladdin’s Associate Choreographer and Production Manager, discussing the processes involved in bringing the show to the stage.

It has recently been reported that the proportion of young people taking their Arts Award qualifications inside an arts or cultural organisation has increased by 12% over the past four years, with more arts organisations participating in the award scheme. Research has shown the scheme is nurturing specific skills and encouraging an entrepreneurial spirit in the young people who take it, showing great benefit to its instatement.

Almost a third of all awards have been taken in arts and cultural settings since 2012, which is an overall increase of 18%, as the Award is now clearly recognised as a valuable qualification which offers young people tangible benefits. Feedback from both teachers and arts professionals has demonstrated how important the Arts Award is to young people’s lives. The Arts Award has provided motivation, opportunities to reflect on learning, and definite examples of artistic excellence which often go unrecognised for young people by formal assessment structures.

Arts Awards were set up in 2005 to support young people to grow as artists and arts leaders, and connect with the wider arts world by undertaking challenges in an art form. The growth of workplace-based delivery of the awards has been put down to the popularity of two newly introduced strands of the scheme, created to link different art forms to every life and allow young people to experience arts organisations through exploration and discovery.

Researchers recently found that the strongest impact of taking the award was on developing young people’s skills in areas such as communication, organisation and leadership, and also reported that taking the Gold Award within an arts organisation helped to secure creative opportunities and paid work. Despite this, the efficacy of the Arts Award relies upon contextual factors, such as how the student is doing in other studies, where in the country they are studying the award, and whether they have a high or low level of exposure to culture outside of the Arts Award system.

New English Ballet Theatre is a company on a mission, always striving to promote aspiring choreographers who might not have any other opportunity to get themselves, or their work, noticed – especially the work of female choreographers, which is particularly timely. The company has both a multi-disciplinary focus and bold ambitions, with a mission to present exciting new work to the widest possible audience.

The company aims to collaborate, developing relationships with music festivals in addition to theatres and venues, in order to create a long term influence on its audience’s perceptions of modern ballet. It has focused on presenting work by female choreographers in particular, in addition to new commissions and a modern approach to the classics. It aims to view choreography simply as choreography, rather than differentiating between male and female. Recently Dance Umbrella presented work under a similar guise, without adding the details of the choreographers to the running order so audiences viewed the work without preconceptions.

NEBT consequently created new work for its recent stint at the Peacock Theatre in London. Amongst those voices is Kristen McNally with her usual choreographic wit, and Daniela Cardim, with a piece heavily influenced by music from her native Brazil. In this approach to new talent, the company is able to promote these new artists to demonstrate their talent and range of choreographic expression.

As a result, NEBT is committed to the continual reinvention of classical ballet, giving artists the space to explore creative boundaries. 2016 is the company’s fifth anniversary season so it is fitting that there were five new ballets created for the full programme of work, with five unique voices from a modern ballet perspective. The company finds it is still re-educating audiences in ballet, simultaneously introducing new and young audiences to the athleticism and excitement of the art form and its endless possibilities.