Making Choreographers - Year Two

Already as part of Year Two, the group have taken part in a BBC Blast workshop with acclaimed choreographer and dance artist Rosie Kay and a Breakin’ Convention workshop with Bboy Sketch. They have also attended discussions and performances as part of DanceXchange’s Family Weekend and a master class in choreographing for a community company from award-winning choreographer Bettina Strickler. Highlights of the summer term for the group were a day long residency with 2Faced at their home in Hereford’s The Courtyard, after which the group performed their own choreography to the public in the Courtyard and performances of full length pieces of their own choreography at The Patrick Centre, Birmingham as part of Summer Sensation on 12 July.

The Autumn brought new challenges in the shape of assisting choreographer Bettina Strickler and performing in the community performance project, Ghosts, Ghouls and Gargoyles and beginning to choreograph on professional companies.  The group worked with Matthew Bourne’s company New Adventures, choreographing on the dancers, seeing the performance of Dorian Gray in the Hippodrome and taking part in a private Question and Answer session with Matthew Bourne himself.  They also spent two weekends choreographing on 2Faced Dance Company and creating a piece which was performed in the Patrick Centre as a curtain raiser to 2Faced’s show Still Breathing.  In addition they also took part in workshops with Tom Dale and Balbir Singh.

The group also had the opportunity to see lots of other performances in the Autumn term including Vincent Dance Theatre, Rambert Dance Company, Tom Dale, Balbir Singh and The Nutcracker.

First up for Spring the group are taking part in U.Dance Raw Energy, the regional Youth Dance England platform which the group are delighted to have been chosen to take part in.  There are lots of exciting plans for the Spring term ahead including further work with New Adventures, creating a curtain raiser for Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake to be performed at Birmingham Hippodrome; creating a piece for children on the dancers from DanSense for Telford Dance Festival and watching Vienna Festival Ballet’s Swan Lake and Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty.