Dance in the UK

Dance In The UK: Latitude Festival

July 2, 2012 by 4dancers

by Jessica Wilson

The line-up of Latitude Festival 2012 has been launched, due to take place on 12-15 July at Henham Park in Suffolk, UK. With tickets already on sale, the dance and theatre bill highlights look set to take the Festival by storm with a huge variety of acts taking place.

For example, the National Theatre will showcase Alice By Heart, a National Theatre Connections production from the writers behind the hit musical adaptation of Spring Awakening, with documentary-theatre company Look Left Look Right premiering their Latitude commission of four new musicals. Political activist Mark Thomas will preview his new play about his father, Bravo Figura, before taking it on to Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre, emphasising the breadth of works being presented at Latitude, and the talent within these. Theatre Delicatessen are also set to premiere their new production, Henry V, in The Outdoor Theatre where Globe Education at Shakespeare’s Glove – London – will also perform.

Additional highlights include Australian superhuman circus company C!rca, the Lyric Hammersmith with its brand new series of highly experiential site specific theatre pieces, Battersea Arts Centre, Harold in Havana, HighTide (Suffolk’s leading festival theatre company), Pentabus Theatre presenting specially created work The Diggers Band and internationally renowned contemporary dance favourites Sadler’s Wells from London who will return to The Waterfront Stage. The Sadler’s Wells programme includes Candoco Dance Company, a company of disabled and non disabled dancers and Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist and leading figure in British hip hop scene, Jonzi-D.

With Latitude featuring such prestigious performance companies as the National Theatre and Sadler’s Wells, the Latitude tradition for presenting the best in new dance and theatre will continue. Melvin Benn, the Managing Director of Festival Republic and the founder and creator of Latitude Festival commented that the bill for 2012 will see Latitude present many sensational artists yet again, each of which the Festival is thrilled to announce, making the Festival confident that 2012 will be the best Latitude to date and maintain its title as the king of the multi-arts festival.

Eleven dedicated arts stages will offer performances to festival-goers from a spectacular mix of artists across comedy, film, dance, theatre, literature, poetry, cabaret and classical music, as well as the Latitude Contemporary Art Awards and Exhibition. Now in their third year, the Awards offer a platform to five of the contemporary art world’s most exciting artists, giving them a chance to create a piece for an exhibition set in a wooded area of Henham Park. The 2012 shortlist comprises of modern day Hannah Höch equivalent Linder Sterling; The Guardian Artist of the Week Tom Dale; Jerwood Drawing Prize 2010 shortlister George Young, 2008 MaxMara prize shortlister Lisa Peachey and Kingston University Stanley Picker Fellowship member Andy Holden. 2011 Latitude Contemporary Art Prize winner Andy Harper will also be returning with a new piece.

As the seventh edition of Latitude, the festival is also set to host music legend Bon Iver as the closing performance in the Obelisk Arena in his first major headline slot and only UK festival appearance in 2012. In addition, the BBC London Olympics theme composers, Elbow, will top the bill on Saturday, while Paul Weller will bring Latitude 2012 to a crescendo on Sunday.

Jessica Wilson

Assistant Editor Jessica Wilson is a final year student at Middlesex university in London, studying Dance Performance. She is also a Marketing and Communications Assistant at the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD).

Jessica reviews London shows for the Society of London Theatre’s initiative for 16-25 year olds, TheatreFix, writes features for A Younger Theatre and blogs for Cloud Dance Festival, with additional press responsibilities. She has completed many marketing internships, the most recent at English National Ballet.

Jessica has also previously interned for SOLT, East London Dance and the ISTD dance examination board. Jessica is a National Youth Dance Ambassador for Youth Dance England, focusing on young people’s access to dance. She is extremely passionate about opportunities for young people enabling them to succeed and hopes to continue advocating this in the future through a variety of means.

The opinions expressed here are Jessica’s alone and do not reflect the opinions of RAD.

the Glass Child – On Dancing A Story

May 24, 2012 by 4dancers

And now for something completely different…

Today we have with us Charlotte Eriksson, aka “the Glass Child”. Charlotte is a singer/songwriter originally from Sweden that recently collaborated with two dancers for a video that showcases her new song. It’s also meant to raise awareness of an important issue that is near and dear to her heart…

1. What is your background in the arts?

I’ve been writing since a very early age but I started writing music when I was around 15. When I got into music I just knew that this is how I wanna spend my life. I’ve been dancing since childhood too, not on a professional level, but dancing and the way dancers can speak so loud without words, will always stay with me.

2. Can you tell readers a bit about your single, “I’ll Never Tell” and why you decided to use professional dancers in the video?

I released this song to raise awareness of domestic violence and personal struggle. The idea for this started by all these people I connect with online through my music. I get so many heartbreaking stories on Twitter, Tumblr and email every single day from young people who are going through these things, but no one seems to dare to talk about it out in real life. I wanted to speak up and let all these people know that they’re not alone, there are so many struggling with these things, but the people are still so uncomfortable around these subjects.

3. How did you choose these dancers?

I find a lot of inspiration through finding dance-clips and choreography on youtube, and I’ve been a fan of Francesco and Enza Cara for a long time through their youtube-channel. So I basically reached out to them, told them about the song and the message and asked if they wanted to collaborate with me by telling this story through their language, through dance.

4. What was it like to work with them?

It’s been such an honor to see how they embraced my story and put their heart into it. They worked so hard with both the choreography and the video-editing and I couldn’t be more happy with the result.

5. What did using dancers bring to the mood of this video?

Everything, really. Art in every form is so powerful and it can reach you in ways you never thought, and I think to have dancers speak my words through their movements makes every single word mean so much more.

6. How do you think dance helps illuminate the subject matter? [Read more…]

Dance In The UK: Adult Ballet

March 15, 2012 by 4dancers

by Jessica Wilson

Jessica Wilson

Having seen a huge influx of dance and the performing arts in the media over the past few years – think Andrew Lloyd Webber’s search for his next big hits, Dancing with the Stars, and Black Swan – the number of adults indulging in ballet classes has increased profoundly. A survey conducted by YouGov in 2011 in the prelude to the Dance Proms at the Royal Albert Hall found that just over 1 in 5 British adults have become interested in dancing as a result of shows such as Strictly Come Dancing and So You Think You Can Dance, not considering those throughout the rest of the world. It seems the ballet bug is here to stay, having turned a fad into a trend!

The appeal of ballet runs far and wide, and today seems to have taken on a more of a popular culture persona as more people are becoming aware of ballet and its benefits. Pirouetting against the stereotype, ballet does not have to be girly and strictly disciplined; there are a huge variety of ballet and dance class choices in the exercise world today, meaning that there is an option for everyone. No sooner had gym culture taken over our lives, dance cults began to make an appearance, such as Zumba, reinforcing the notion that engaging in physical activity does not have to involve a treadmill.

Not only does ballet engage and stimulate the mind, it also provides participants with an environment which is of alternative appeal. Tapping into your artistic side really does have its benefits, for adults as well as children!

The Royal Academy of Dance teachers of London have affectionately referred to this recent ballet trend as “Black Swan Syndrome” – despite such dark inferences throughout the film – considering the number of adults they have seen sign up for ballet classes in the wake of the blockbuster movie. Some may argue that the increasing commercialisation of dance may cause it to lose its intrinsic artistic value, yet if the combination of the media with promotion of dance is able to entice more adults to dance in such a profound way, something must be right! Indeed there has been a significant increase of dance-related films that have emerged over the past few years, in addition to screenings of dance performances in numerous cinemas, putting dance well and truly on the map. [Read more…]

Dance UK: The Healthier Dancer Programme

February 8, 2012 by 4dancers

by Jessica Wilson

‘Injury’ is word that is never far from any dancer’s mind as one of their constant and greatest worries: every year, 80 percent of dancers suffer at least one injury that affects their ability to dance.

Whether it is working to prevent injury, dealing with a current injury or recovering from a past injury, dancers are always considering the implications. The industry as a whole has considerably raised the profile of dance injury in recent years, indicating not only that the arts sector is tackling additional strands to ‘injury’, but also that there has been a significantly low focus on injuries and wellbeing in past years. For example, UK magazine Dancing Times collated a health directory for dancers throughout 2011, providing readers throughout the dance industry with further and definitive information, and offering a wealth of resources in terms of alternative practices. A range of complementary therapies were focused on, including Sophrology (dynamic relaxation) and Osteopathy, as well as more well-known procedures such as Massage and Physiotherapy.

In addition, Dance UK, the UK’s national voice for the dance sector, organised The Dance UK Medical Practitioners Directory as part of their Healthier Dancer Programme, offering access to their free online database of practitioners and complementary therapists for the dance sector. Helen Laws, Healthier Dancer Programme Manager, spoke extensively about the ethos of Dance UK, and the thinking behind the Healthier Dancer Programme. [Read more…]

Dance In The UK: Auditions For EDge

December 16, 2011 by 4dancers

by Jessica Wilson

The London School of Contemporary Dance’s postgraduate performance company, EDge, is preparing to invest in auditions in cities across North America for 2012-2013, continuing to widen international dance connections and develop the art form we all know and love.

Additionally, auditions will be taking place for other postgraduate and undergraduate programmes at The Place, extending this investment across the breadth of London Contemporary Dance School and connecting dance further. It is the third year of their holding of auditions in the States, with a number of American students currently company members of EDge, extending dance horizons positively in the direction of further development.

Auditions for EDge have been held yearly in the UK and Europe for both postgraduate and undergraduate programmes, with the transition to incorporate US auditions extending dance even further. As the cultural context of dance continues to widen, the future of dance looks extremely bright indeed.

Throughout dance history – and ballet and modern dance particularly – practitioners have travelled extensively, spreading their dance influence and initiating their own dance strands within distinctly differing countries. From Isadora Duncan to George Balanchine and beyond, dance contexts have gradually developed and flourished beyond conception through choreographic and training work in many different cultural contexts. The investment of London Contemporary Dance School in auditions within North America is a clear symptom of an increasingly global approach to contemporary dance training. EDge, amongst many other dance companies, is continuing this through their international auditions and further through the appointment of American artistic director Jeanne Yasko in September 2010. [Read more…]

Disclosure – Affiliate & Ad Info

Copyright Notice