News Archive
The countdown has begun for Big Dance 2008, with various launch events taking place last month around London. Big Dance runs from July 5–15 and hosts a variety of events in the capital and around the UK, including another world record attempt in Trafalgar Square on July 6. Other countdown events include Dancing City in Canary Wharf on June 22; West End Live, London’s biggest free theatre festival on June 21 and 22; Carnival de Cuba in London’s Southwark Park (Canada Water tube) on June 28 and 29, and A Time for Tai Chi, where you have the chance to join open tai chi sessions at Somerset House on Tuesdays and Thursdays in June. Visit www.london.gov.uk/bigdance to find out more, and don’t miss our full-length feature in the June issue of Dance Today.
The biggest festival in the dance calendar is finished for another year, and full results listings can be found at www.danceplaza.com. Don’t miss the July issue of Dance Today, which features full competition reports and all the best photographs from the event, as well as an exclusive interview.
Head to Platt Fields Park in Rusholme, Manchester, from June 6 to 8. The free midsummer picnic by the lake will feature dance and entertainment.
A brand new dance show by leading choreographers from “Strictly Come Dancing” is to premiere at Blackpool’s Tower Ballroom, on June 20. Clash!, by salsa champions Chris Marques and Jaclyn Spencer (Dance Today cover stars, March) together with swing and lindy hop aficionados Ryan Francois and Jenny Thomas – promises dazzling dance and stunning performances. Both couples have worked on “Strictly” and both have their own dance companies – Cuban Groove and SwingXtreme – which have been brought together to assemble the company of dancers. Chris explained: “We wanted to stage our premiere at the Blackpool Tower as an homage to a unique venue which is renowned for partner dancing. Our show will do it justice – it’s a unique fusion of blistering live dance with a combination of Latin and swing.” A national tour of UK theatres will follow, dates to be confirmed. Visit clashtheshow.com for more information.
Dancer Karen Hardy along with Matthew and Nicole Cutler will appear in “Diet on the Dancefloor”, a new TV show starting in July on LIVING TV, which sees contestants battling to get fit with the help of the “Strictly” stars.
A total of 15 major London shows are already confirmed to feature at this year’s free outdoor theatre festival, West End Live. The annual event takes place on June 21 and 22 in London’s Leicester Square, and the shows involved include Grease, The Lord of The Rings, Stomp, Into The Hoods and Wicked. Visit www.westendlive.co.uk to find out more about this family-friendly extravaganza.
The Royal Albert Hall will host English National Ballet in Strictly Gershwin, “a dazzling homage to George Gershwin, the big band era and the glamour of musical motion pictures” from June 13–22. The full company of 64 dancers will be joined over the season by international guest stars – nightly casting will be available by visiting www.strictlygershwin.co.uk. Over two acts combining ballet, tap and ballroom, the show features Gershwin favourites “Summertime”, “The Man I Love”, “Lady Be Good” and “Strike Up The Band” to name a few. For further details and to book tickets call the box office on 020 7838 3100.
Don’t miss next month’s issue of Dance Today, where we talk to Ray McVay of the Glenn Miller Orchestra (pictured), as well as three young couples who are rising up the ranks in the Juvenile, Junior and Youth categories. Plus, there’s part two of Rachelle Stretch’s guide to dance partnerships, and the concluding part of Imogen Walker’s in-depth series on physical fitness.
International Dance Festival Birmingham kicked off at the end of last month and runs until May 25. With over 35 performances spread across 28 days, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. As well as visits from international companies including the Kirov Ballet (from May 20, various programmes at the Birmingham Hippodrome), there’s a mass salsa dancing event planned to round up the festival on May 25. Salsa at Sunset will see over 500 people dancing together at The Mailbox, and the organisers are looking for participants, who need to register and pay a £5 fee to learn the specially choreographed routine beforehand. Contact Dance XChange on 0121 689 1092 to get involved. Photograph by Brian Slater.
Big Dance is back in 2008 and dance enthusiasts are being invited to take part in this week-long, London-based celebration of dance from July 5-13. The event, which is backed by the Mayor of London, is intended to showcase the diverse range of dance styles enjoyed around the capital as well as the rest of the UK, and the last Big Dance in 2006 culminated in a world record-breaking dance where 752 people gathered in Trafalgar Square to perform 44 different styles simultaneously. The 2008 event will follow a similar theme, and if you want to get involved visit www.london.gov.uk/bigdance. (Photograph by James O Jenkins, courtesy of the Mayor of London.)
Next month in Dance Today
Don’t miss next month’s issue of Dance Today, which includes full coverage of the European premiere of ballroom and Latin extravaganza Burn The Floor in Amsterdam, as well as an exclusive interview with Summer Strallen, star of The Sound of Music (pictured) now playing in London’s West End. Out May 9.
Breakin’ Convention: It’s back
Hip hop festival Breakin’ Convention is back at Sadler’s Wells theatre this May bank holiday for the event’s fifth anniversary. Bringing together the world’s best poppers, lockers, b-boys and b-girls for three days of performances, workshops, film screenings and demonstrations, the event from May 3–5 features headline artists from Brazil, Austria and Korea in a truly international line-up. For full details visit www.breakinconvention.com, where details of additional events on May 1 and 2 as well as the complete line-up of performers and teachers are listed.
Richmond Orchestra Tea Dance
Richmond Orchestra presents a charity Tea Dance on April 20, at Clarendon Hall, York House, Richmond Road, Twickenham. Raising funds for Macmillan Cancer Support, tickets cost £6 and include light refreshments, and the event kicks off at 3.30pm. For tickets, call 020 8876 5758.
Ballet Boyz Greatest Hits!
Michael Nunn and William Trevitt – also known as The Ballet Boyz, will bring their Greatest Hits! to Sadler’s Wells from May 7–10, 2008. The repertoire includes Yumba vs. Nonino, a playful tango choreographed for the pair by “Strictly Come Dancing” judge Craig Revel-Horwood, inspired by tango music legends Pugilese and Piazzolla. Visit www.sadlerswells.com for details.
London Belly Dance Festival
A two-day belly dance extravaganza is set to entertain dance fans in London on April 13–14 at the Cockpit Theatre (NW8). The London Belly Dance Festival will include workshops, an open stage, evening performances and a bazaar selling belly dance costumes, accessories and music. Tickets begin at £10 and a day pass costs £45. Visit www.michaellabellydance.co.uk to find out more
Male dance instructor required
A male ballroom and Latin instructor is required for a dance studio in the United Arab Emirates, to start as soon as possible. The suitable instructor must be able to teach beginners to advanced level, and knowledge of salsa and Argentine tango is an advantage. Please email jsmith@emirates.net.ae for details.
Birmingham gets dancing!
DanceXchange and Birmingham Hippodrome have joined forces to launch a month-long festival of dance for 2008. International Dance Festival Birmingham is set to feature some of the world’s best choreographers and performers including Havana Rakatan from Cuba, and Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan. The programme will also feature a family weekend and Salsa at Sunset – a finale event that will bring people from across the city together. Visit www.dancexchange.org.uk or www.biminghamhippodrome.com for more information.
MOVE IT ticket winners
Congratulations to the 50 readers who won tickets to MOVE IT 2008, as featured in the February issue. This month’s magazine will be available for free to all attendees at the third annual exhibition, which takes place at London’s Olympia. To book tickets, or for details of the event, which hosts workshops, seminars, performances and a trade fair, see www.dance-london.co.uk. Full coverage will follow in April’s magazine.
Sadler’s Wells Dance Club
Burn The Floor is back!
Burn The Floor, the ballroom and Latin stage show, brings its latest production, Floorplay, to Amsterdam for a European premiere from March 20–24. Enjoyed by over three million visitors in 30 countries, the show travels from Australia to the Theatre Royal Carré for a limited run of performances before touring other venues in Europe. Burn The Floor began as a performance to celebrate Sir Elton John’s 50th birthday and has since become an international dance sensation, featuring live music and the talents of a cast of performers who between them hold over 100 championship titles. Visit www.theatercarre.nl or www.burnthefloor.eu to find out more about the Amsterdam premiere and the company itself.
Sport Relief does “Strictly”
A special edition of “Strictly Come Dancing” is planned on March 14 as part of Sport Relief 2008. Five previous contestants – Mark Ramprakash, Matt Dawson, Denise Lewis, Roger Black and Darren Gough – will be joined by five “new recruits”, namely “Eastenders” star Kara Tointon, “Hollyoaks” actress Gemma Bissix, musical theatre star Elaine Paige, Olympic long-jumper Jade Johnson and ex-footballer David Ginola. The aim of Sport Relief is to raise money for charity by challenging yourself to do something “sporty”, and the ultimate public challenge will be the Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile. To find out more and to get involved visit
www.bbc.co.uk/sportrelief.
Flamenco Festival London 08
Sadler’s Wells’ annual Flamenco Festival is back this year from March 3–16, and with the impressive line-up of acts on offer it promises to be a crowd-pleaser. Visit www.sadlerswells.com for tickets and see February’s magazine for Carole Edrich’s preview, or read it here. Photograph of Belen Maya by Luis Castilla.
In the next issue of Dance Today
The January 2008 issue of Dance Today is as jam-packed as ever, featuring full reports from the British National Dance Championships and World Professional Ballroom Championships; New Year’s resolutions from all your favourite dance stars; exclusive interviews with Jonathan Wilkins and Hazel Newberry, and Paul Richardson and Olga Rodionova; as well as Part Two of The Strictly Effect and much, much more! Out on January 2: don’t miss it!
Buenos Aires Tango
Celebrating 20 years under the direction of Miguel Angel Zotto, Tango Por Dos returns to the Peacock Theatre in London this month with its latest production, Buenos Aires Tango. The company of 13 dancers, five musicians and one singer wowed UK audiences in 2006 and are back from January 29-February 23. Visit www.sadlerswells.com or call 0844 412 4322.
Dance and Wellbeing Weekend for women
The UK’s first ever Dance and Wellbeing Weekend for Women Only is to take place at the Norbreck Castle Hotel, Blackpool, from Friday 1-Monday 17 February 2008. The event offers the chance to learn new dance styles at workshops covering salsa, salsaton, reggaeton, bollywood, bhangra, street jazz and belly dancing, as well as yoga and Pilates. Guests will also be able to indulge in some pampering with massage, health and beauty treatments and a spa and gymnasium on offer; and the dance and fitness instructors are made up of a mixture of top international experts. For more information and to book, contact Cressida Childs at Club Cubana by visiting www.clubcubana.com, emailing cressida@clubcubana.com or calling 07808 581739. The price is £149pp which includes accommodation, all meals and classes.
Ballroom at Southbank Centre
London’s Southbank Centre is running a free Strictly Christmas Dance in the ballroom of the venue on Monday, December 17. The event runs from 5.30-8.30pm and will feature live music from the Ross Mitchell Band and singers, as well as a dance performance. Contact Southbank Centre on 0871 663 2500 to find out more, or email Nicky Miles on dance@stardanceclub.demon.co.uk
“Strictly Come Dancing” goes live
January 2008 will see the first ever touring version of “Strictly Come Dancing” hit the road. Judges Arlene Phillips, Craig Revel Horwood and Len Goodman will feature in Strictly Live along with celebrity dancers from previous shows Zoë Ball, Letitia Dean, Matt Di Angelo, Darren Gough, Denise Lewis, Louisa Lytton and Christopher Parker. The celebrities will be paired up with regular “Strictly” professionals Darren Bennett and Lilia Kopylova, Flavia Cacace and Vincent Simone, Matthew and Nicole Cutler, and Ian Waite and Camilla Dallerup. The tour begins at Glasgow SECC (Jan 18-19) before moving to Newcastle Metro Radio Arena (Jan 21-23); London Wembley Arena (Jan 25-27); Nottingham Arena (Jan 29-Feb 1); Manchester Evening News Arena (Feb 2-3); Sheffield Arena (Feb 8-10) and finally Birmingham NEC Arena (Feb 16-17). To find out more details visit the official site www.strictlycomedancinglive.com or call 08700 112626 to book tickets. (Below, Matt Di Angelo and Flavia Cacace – two of the dancers who will be appearing. Photograph by Mark Chilvers © BBC.)
Christmas dance on the BBC
The Christmas season brings with it some dance-inspired programming on the BBC that’s well worth a watch, most notably “Dance Britannia”, a three-part
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