Conversations with Ballet & Dance Icons

Choreographer Ben Wright’s personal journey reads like a real-life Billy Elliot. Growing up he experienced bullying at school for not being the sporty type and he incredibly only started to learn to dance at the age of 19, after being spotted and nurtured into an accomplished dancer.

Ben has most famously danced the lead role as the Prince in Matthew Bourne’s male Swan Lake. He’s danced with UK’s leading contemporary dance companies, went on to form his own company bgroup, he’s choreographed dance, theatre and opera and was the Associate Director of Skånes Dansteater in Sweden for three years.

Listen to Ben share his journey that’s brought him back home to tour his new work Point of Echoes in rural communities throughout the UK.

Point of Echoes is on tour until 19 March – you can get your tickets here.

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Ballet British Columbia, Canada’s leading contemporary dance company, is heading to the UK for their first tour in 2018.

Founded in 1986, Ballet British Columbia has been under the artistic directorship of Emily Molnar since 2009. Emily was recently appointed to the Order of Canada for her artistic leadership of the company and its contribution to advancing contemporary dance in Canada.

In this podcast interview held at the Canadian Embassy in London, Emily shares her journey from taking over the company at a time when it was nearing bankruptcy, to transforming the company into the leading contemporary dance company in Canada.

Emily revolutionised the company from the ground up, starting with the technical capabilities of the dancers, to re-invigorating the repertoire by bringing new choreographers to create new and exciting works on the company.

Emily shares how her own successful dancer career – forged with the National Ballet of Canada, Ballet Frankfurt and as a principal with Ballet BC – influenced her approach to rescuing the company that was struggling artistically and financially. The UK tour is part of Emily’s artistic vision for the future of the company, setting it firmly on the international stage.

Ballet British Columbia and its 18-strong dancer-workforce return to the UK with the same evening of dance that wowed the festival audience in 2016.

During the 2018 spring tour, the company makes its London debut as part of the six-venue engagement that presents work by three of the world’s most celebrated female choreographers:

Emily’s 16+ a room is inspired by the work of Virginia Woolf, Jeannette Winterson and Emily Dickinson.

Sparked with explosive, fast-paced choreography that pushes the dancers to their athletic and technical limits, 16+ a room displays Molnar’s unique choreographic language through a complex study of time, transition and stillness.

16+ a room received its world premiere for Ballet British Columbia in October 2013. Music is arranged and composed by Dirk P. Haubrich. Lighting design is by Jordan Tuinman with lighting direction by James Proudfoot and costumes by Kate Burrows.

Vancouver-born Crystal Pite is a former dancer with Ballet British Columbia. Pite made her choreographic debut with the company in 1990 with Between the Bliss and Me.

The success of the work allowed Pite to create additional pieces for Ballet British Columbia and since then she has created over 40 works for some of the world’s top dance companies.

Inspired by two sonatas for cello and piano by Brahms and the poem ‘Lines for Winter’ by Mark Strand, Pite’s Solo Echo portrays a man coming to terms with himself at the end of his life as the choreographer explores recurring themes of acceptance and loss.

Solo Echo received its world premiere in February 2012 (Nederlands Dans Theater) and its Canadian premiere in November 2015 (Ballet British Columbia). Lighting design is by Tom Visser, set design by Jay Gower Taylor and costume designs by Crystal Pite and Joke Visser.

A Sadler’s Wells’ Associate Artist, Pite has won a number of prestigious awards including two Oliviers for Polaris in 2015 and Betroffenheit in 2017.

The final piece is Bill by Tel Aviv-based choreographer Sharon Eyal. Dancers showcase their extraordinary skills in synchronised ensemble sections and solos in the work created by Eyal with her long-time collaborators Gai Behar and Ori Lichtik.

Bill received its world premiere in May 2010 (Batsheva Dance Company) and its Canadian premiere in May 2016 (Ballet British Columbia). Original music and soundtrack design is by Ori Lichtik, lighting design is by Omer Sheizaf and costume design by Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar.

Eyal was born in Jerusalem and has enjoyed a long-standing affiliation with the Batsheva Dance Company. Eyal launched L-E-V with Gai Behar in 2013.

Eyal is the Guest Artistic Director for the National Youth Dance Company and her work for the company will premiere at Sadler’s Wells in April 2018.

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https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/djwpodcasts/1wwwod/Emily+Molnar+Podcast.mp3

21 year old ballet dancer Tala Lee-Turton is only the third ever British female to break through the Bolshoi Ballet Academy.

In this podcast interview, Tala tells us about her life as a ballet student growing up in North England and discovering and falling in love with the Russian ballet technique.

After successfully auditioning, Tala moved from the UK to Russia to train with the infamous Bolshoi Ballet Academy.

Tala shares her experience of moving countries, what is was like in the first few months at the Bolshoi, how she made friends, learned to fluently speak Russian and what her days were like training at the notorious Russian school.

After graduating, Tala this season joined the Russian ballet company, Astrakhan State Opera and Ballet Theatre, and set to return to the UK on tour this month.

Tala gives us an insight into the transition from ballet school to professional company and what she’s looking forward to about coming back to England.

As a young dancer, Tala is already looking to the future and has embarked on building her choreographic experience. Check out her films:

https://vimeo.com/232735189

https://vimeo.com/233879927

As well as a dancer, Tala is a model and a coach, and even at such a young age ensures she gives back to her local community in Barnsley (UK) by teaching local young students when she’s at home.

Listen to Tala discussing her love of Russian ballet and her adopted city, her hopes and dreams for her career and her advice for other young dancers wanting to following in her pointe shoe steps.

Follow Tala: Instagram / Facebook

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https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/djwpodcasts/1wwwod/Tala+Lee-Turton.mp3

Brogan McKelvey is young, fresh, fearless and switched on!

Brogan recently joined Birmingham Royal Ballet and talks to fellow dancer and ballet friend Lydia Holt – our new podcast host for The Wonderful World of Dance – about his experiences at Elmhurst Ballet School, company life and his choreographic dreams.

From starting in street dance, Brogan hasn’t had the smoothest journey from studio to stage, so we talk injuries, rejections and the pressures of todays classical training but also the importance of friendships and believing in your fate.

Brogan has always been ‘the creative’ and his choreographic talents have consistently shone through, from winning competitions at Elmhurst Ballet School to having his ballet, ‘Classical Suite’, debuted in Tokyo. Brogan has already accomplished a lot for a 20 year old dancer.

But that’s not enough for our Brogan, we discuss his inspirational colleagues at Birmingham Royal Ballet, his erratic but exciting choreographic process and what inspires him to keep creating.

Brogan is definitely one to watch, his driven work ethic, immense artistic talents combined with oodles of charisma promise him a bright future; an inspiration for all young dancers that your tough times will pay off.

Facebook: Brogan McKelvey

You can also listen to Lydia talk about her own experiences of training with this prestigious school in our 3 part series on Elmhurst Ballet School.

https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/djwpodcasts/1wwwod/Brogan+McKelvey+-+The+Wonderful+World+of+Dance+Podcasts.mp3

Here are some lovely photos of Brogan and Lydia at Elmhurst Ballet School!

Dance Umbrella is London’s largest dance festival and the 2017 programme showcases some of the world’s best choreography and dancers over 3 weeks.

Dance Umbrella 2017 runs from 11 to 28 October with works being presented in unique locations across London.

Artistic Director and CEO Emma Gladstone sees over 200 shows a year in order to curate the festival.

In this interview Emma Galdstone talks about:

– her role as Artistic Director

Emma also talks about taking dance out of the theatre and into the community, showcasing work outdoors, in shipping containers, at Battersea Power Station, on the street and more.

There is also free events, family friendly performances to give kids a fun and entertaining dance experience and a whole range of unique shows.

We also discuss what ‘dance’ means, how we talk about and present ‘contemporary’ dance, what Dance Umbrella does to tackle diversity in dance and what her vision is for the future of the festival.

Emma has over 30 years in dance and programming and this insightful interview reveals what it takes to put the programme together.

Emma is an inspiring woman and a power house of dance knowledge and it’s so interesting to be able to hear from the woman behind this incredibly diverse Dance Umbrella festival.

Book your Dance Umbrella tickets now!

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https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/djwpodcasts/1wwwod/Emma+Gladstone.mp3

Lauren Lovette is lovely. Not only is she an inspirational dancer with an enviable ballet career, a massive social media following and is an upcoming choreographer, but she’s genuinely a lovely lovely person.

In this podcast episode, Lauren talks about being homeschooled before her natural talent being discovered in a local ballet store and receiving a life changing scholarship that led her to The School of American Ballet in NYC. She reveals the jobs she had throughout her time at SAB to help pay for her pointe shoes and NYC living.

Lauren also talks candidly and emotionally about her experience of graduating from SAB and seeing classmates becoming apprentices with New York City Ballet, but finding she wasn’t giving a position.

This crucial moment almost led Lauren to quit ballet altogether, but instead steered her to a new opportunity that has helped shape her career and inspired her budding choreographic career.

Listen to Lauren talk about her love for dancing in the corps and the many masks she wore on stage, life as a soloist and her favourite roles, but also the disappointment of achieving principal while being laid up on a sofa with an injury.

Lauren also reveals the inspiration for her new work, For Clara, a true love story with a dark twist. As an upcoming choreographer, Lauren humbly talks about her inspirations, the challenges as a dancer, the difficulties she’s overcome and her words of advice for other dancers dreaming of following in her pointe steps!

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https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/djwpodcasts/1wwwod/Lauren+Lovette+-+The+Wonderful+World+of+Dance+Podcasts.mp3

Often dancers grow up wanting a career with a top ballet or dance company, but for many as they grow older this either becomes unattainable or undesirable.

However, this doesn’t have to be the end of the road for a dancer. There are so many different options in the dance world that gives dancers a career in dance that they love and fulfill them both creatively and financially.

In this podcast episode, we explore the life and opportunities for freelance dancers with Abbi Burns, founder of a website dedicated to providing information and support for freelance dancers, called The Female Dancer.

Abbi is also the founder and artistic director of dance company Darley Dance, which employs freelance dancers to perform at a wide range of events.

Abbi gives us an insight into the life of a freelance dancer, the types of dancers she looks for to join her company and the information available through The Female Dancer.

Follow Abbi on Instagram: @abbiburns

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https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/djwpodcasts/1wwwod/Abbi+Burns+-+The+Wonderful+World+of+Dance+Podcast.mp3

Zarely is the gorgeous dance wear company founded by former ballet dancer Mateo Klemmeyer.

After a stellar career on stage, Mateo is now a hugely successful serial entrepreneur, who owns 4 companies across manufacturing and the arts industries, turning over more than $15million and employing 130 people.

Mateo shares how he went from dancing on stage to creating multi-million dollar companies and building the most beautiful dance wear brand worn by famous ballerinas around the world.

Zarely dance wear includes tights, tops, leggings and active wear for both men and women, made by high end fabrics and uber cool designs.

Check out Zarely.co to see the fabulous range inspired by Iana Salenko, Sonia Rodriguez, Maia Makhateli and more.

You can also watch the video interview with Mateo.

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https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/djwpodcasts/1wwwod/Mateo+Interview+-+The+Wonderful+World+of+Dance.mp3

Edinburgh Festival Fringe is celebrating their 70th Anniversary of showcasing norm defying performance.

With over 140 dance shows, we’ve asked The Place’s Senior Producer, Christina Elliot to give us the low down on the hottest dance at the Festival.

The Place is London’s leading contemporary dance training, creation and performance house, home to the London Contemporary Dance School and the Richard Alston Dance Company.

Listen to Christina talk about the importance of dance at EdFringe, what to see (check out: Dance Guide to Edinburgh Festival Fringe), and the 4 amazing pieces The Place is taking to the famous festival.

We also talk about her role, what a producer does and her typical day – there isn’t one!

The Place also sponsors the Total Theatre Awards for Dance, which celebrates innovation in dance, Christina gives us an insight into how the winners are selected for the prestigious prize.

Click here for Edinburgh Festival Fringe Dance Hot List!

https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/djwpodcasts/1wwwod/The+Place+-+Interview+-+Aug+2017.mp3

Ballet United Founder and Dancer Tom Attard-Manché talks to The Wonderful World of Dance about the inspiration behind Ballet United and the Gala, being held in London on 19 July at Cadogan Hall.

Tom also shares his own dance journey, developing glandular fever and having to take time off dancing, and his vision for Ballet United.

Ballet United brings together some of the world’s brightest and boldest talent to captivate new audiences and inspire fresh minds, for one night only in London.

This unique Gala will see pioneering ballet dancers from premier international companies  take to the stage in an electrifying night showcasing the very best of ballet and accompanied by world class musicians, book your tickets to see:

Book tickets to the Ballet United Gala on 19 July, Cadogan Hall, London.

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https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/djwpodcasts/1wwwod/tom+podcast.mp3