Rosy

Hi, yes adults are included. If you email the gala secretary at toyouidance@gmail.com, she should be able to answer your questions.

Hi, there will be a Gala performance at the Bradford Alhambra in November, to celebrate the 90th birthday and career or Miss Dorothy Stevens MBE.  Audition workshops are taking place next Sunday in Leeds and are open to all (you will need to register).  See the facebook event notice:-

https://www.facebook.com/events/1612803492295458/

Something of a sweeping statement from these 3 choreographers to say they can't find dancers in this country - Hofesh Shechter's website lists 16 dancers in his company, 5 of whom are UK trained.  It's a bit harder to find figures from the websites of Akram Khan and Lloyd Newsom, but AK has at least 3 UK trained dancers in his company at the moment.  Also worth bearing in mind that it is just the opinion of 3 choreographers.  There are other opportunities for contemporary dancers (UK trained or not) out there, if they have the talent and are prepared to work hard!

Many London based (and elsewhere) dancers are paid less than this!

Indeed I did, I also saw Marianella dancing The Dying Swan.  I was actually referring to the Gala itself, not Sergei in particular.  This event used to be a real treat when it was held in York.

What a shame for Yorkshire folk that this is not being held in York this year!

Indeed, hfbrew.  We are fortunate to be able to join the grade classes if we want to take exams or to have a more structured approach.  Although the Adult Class is more relaxed, we do see progression over time.  The fact that is is less structured means it has a lovely natural flow and we come out really feeling we have 'danced'.

Well, if my ballet teacher (adult class) turned up to teach with a video camera, training plan, project management or whatever I would probably run a mile!  I treasure her ability to teach 'on the fly', using her many years of top level experience to adapt her teaching to whoever is in the class, from complete beginners to adults taking exams to professionals returning to her classes during a break - sometimes all in the same class.  We never know what she is going to teach us but it is always a joy.

As an after thought, wouldn't it be fabulous to have a competition purely for professional dancers of all styles, for me that would keep me on the edge of my seat.

To be honest I find these type of 'competitions' frustrating! How can 3 random judges (no doubt skilled in their own fields) make a valid comparison between, for example, someone like Daniel and a pair of (very cute) sisters age 5 and 3!

Personally I would like to see fewer 'competitions' and more (live or recorded) actual performances, be it ballet, other dance forms, plays or whatever. There are many talented, working professional performers in this country who deserve a wider platform, and TV viewers should be able to see and enjoy top class performances (ok, cloud cukoo land!)

The whole point of a dancers training (IMO) is to enable them to perform for an audience, not to compete to outdo each other!

Tulip, you say “as long as they get enough money to live on”. This is indeed a problem, especially for freelancers who barely manage to earn the minimum wage. My son, a contemporary dancer (former RBS SA, graduate of one of the main vocational schools), has commented that he could earn more money working in a bar than he does dancing! He has been fortunate in that he has worked more or less consistently, on short contracts with well known companies/choreographers, since graduating 3 years ago. He loves what he does, but has to find ways of supplementing his dance income.

You say your daughter would feel privileged “just to get into a company”. I can totally sympathize with her view. However, companies can take advantage of this attitude and a dancer who questions the rate of pay may be told that there are plenty of dancers ‘out there’ who will gladly accept a low rate just to have a job. The consequence of this is that it drives salaries down for all dancers.

(rant over!)