Award winning hip hop dance artist Kashmir Leese thinks streetdance classes are teaching the wrong thing, doesn’t like Diversity, and wishes more people knew their krumping from their wacking.

The 20-year-old professional dancer knows he still has a lot to learn about hip hop culture (he keeps a growing list of influential people in hip hop at home), but he is adament if streetdance is going to become more accessible and be taught in schools - it’s got to be done by the right people in the right way.

“When you say streetdance people think it’s routines. But streetdance is a collective term from streetdance styles. A lot of people don’t know what voguing and wacking is because they’ve never seen it and in the UK we don’t know where it originated from. One studio I went to had a hip hop class and a streetdance class - but they were teaching some sort of streetjazz, and people will think that is streetdance. I don’t mind, because people are dancing. But it is frustrating when people get it wrong because it went through a lot to get to where it is now.”

Born and bred in Birmingham, Leese remembers seeing his friend’s Bollywood films and being sucked in by the impressive movements in the martial arts scenes. He enjoyed drama at school and went to performing arts at college, picking up dance in 2005. A year later he self-taught himself hip hop usingYouTube videos, practising the styles at Broken Silence in Newtown. He joined 2FaCeD Dance Company in 2007, touring with them around the UK and collaborating with contemporary choreographer Hofesh Schechter for International Dance Festival Birmingham ‘08. Read more…

No Comments / Oct 16.09 / Hip hop and street dance / by admin

A follow up to the critically acclaimed (but publically misunderstood) PUSH, debuted in 2008 starring Sylvie Guillem, Maliphant’s two : four : ten is like an extremely expensive quadrant box of chocolates.

First up, a delicate, beautifully crafted taster of Maliphant’s choreographical greatness. KNOT, danced by Royal Ballet pin-up Ivan Putrov and the exquisite Daniel Proietto is the perfect duet to introduce the mind to Maliphant’s gorgeous creations. The slow back rolls, syncopated plies and rolling arms are repeated throughout all four pieces, all with Maliphant’s signature blurred arm movements created by the shafts of faint yellow spotlights singling out parts of the dancer’s body. The use of  light is the most noticable visual effect spread throughout all pieces - designed by Maliphant’s lifetime collaborator Michael Hulls.

Thomas Edur and Agnes Oaks star in the second delight, Sheer. The dance progresses from the eye-candy black silhouettes on yellow-lit background, through tango-influenced power struggles through to a beautifully accompanied drawn out love dance. The couple seem to encompass the journey of love from start to finish, repeating motifs without becoming repetitive, leaning heavier and heavier on each other in the lifts and suspended rolls. Edur and Oaks need no explanation. They bring a quality of perfection to the choreography making you only wish more was done to show off their obvious ability. The movements aren’t daring enough but do give a glimpse into what they can achieve with rare in-sync steps. Overall the piece is divine, and more lengthly than the former, leaving a sumptuous linger in the mouth. 

Two x two created especially for Dana Fouras, is an expansion on the original Two exhibited last year. The new duet retains the former energy and clean lines, set to a submarine-like bass beat which contrasts the previous adage. 

The final piece, Critical Mass, promises to be the closing extravaganza featuring dancer and choreographer (you, like me, may remember him as the lead from Bourne’s all-male Swan Lake) Adam Cooper, and Maliphant himself. But the piece, disappointingly, does not live up to the sensual explosion it is supposed to be.

Although the choreography exhibits both timing and excellence clearly capable from someone of his experience and maturity, Maliphant still seems unable to learn the holy grail of choreographer’s lessons - know when to step away from your creation. Jean Abreu, new young choreographer explained at the latest production of Boulevard of Broken Dreams the difficulties of knowing when to be part of his own creations and when to take a step back. While Abreu’s work isn’t a patch on Maliphant, as a much younger, fresh, dancer his talents in this field are competative.

Maliphant is, of course, a beautiful dancer. But you cannot help but think the piece might have been more eye-catching if danced by a pair of younger, more able, dancers, like the first pair who caused a ripple of stunned awe in the first piece, KNOT. 

Running for 35 minutes, the final piece is the longest of the four. It does not become tiresome, but the two on stage begin to tire themselves, and movements get increasingly and unintentionally heavy and messy. While the double-male dynamic is at first pleasing, and has become a staple in contemporary ballet - the ability for both partners to lift is still impressive. But, some choreographers seem to be forgetting the linear beauty of the soft female form, with its hourglass shapes and round lines against the sharp triangle shapes created by the male. The middle insert, set to a mildly comic scratchy tango piece, would have more impact in the traditional male/female set-up.

Overall Maliphant’s latest production does provide a rich choc-box glory of short, but perfectly executed dances suitable not only for distinguished palettes accustomed to rich flavours, but for those who have never experienced such delights before.

No Comments / Apr 08.09 / Ballet and Contemporary / by admin

Ever wondered what a dream would look like danced out on stage?

Twelfth Floor will transport you to the inner workings of the mind - a physical portrayal of the subconscious, society and madness.

Australian collaborative Dance Touring Partnership have attracted swathes of praise for their production of creator Tanja Leidtke’s only full-length piece since her accidental death in 2007. 

Staged in a non-descript green-walled building, three mentally ill patients at first seem odd and random, but as the dance progresses their characters and quirks are nourished and developed. 

Two muslce-flexing men in jogging bottoms and wife-beater vests jostle and compete in bizarre and trivial contests. One shuffling figure sticks to the shadows and draws stick people and messages of escape and hope in chalk on the walls. 

Enter a new patient. A little nymph in the form of Kristina Chan. The Elmhurst/Rambert trained dancer immediately captivates the stage with intricate finger movements, and is clearly the star of the show. 

The four inmates are controlled by the embodiment of the regime, danced stunningly Amelia McQueen and reminiscent of Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. After setting the scene of schoolroom antics and institutionalism, layers of depth are added to each character - as they struggle against their meaningless state of captivity. 

The nurse is caught off guard when she catches the inmates mocking her staccato curus and wrist flicks. This marks a tangible moment when the order begins to crumble. The once comic interplay between the men becomes threatening and sinister and their obsession with sex and holes, played out in a laugh-out-loud scene where the two masturbate against a wall, is transposed onto the nurse in a dark expression of psychotic lust. Here McQueen demonstrates an astounding ability to command her own body, and her rigidity and costume make her seem like a manquin or blow-up doll, adding a smokescreen of illusion to the attack. 

But Chan emerges as the child-like heroine of the piece. She brings flashes of pure joy to the dancing, isolating parts of her body in mesmerising solos and creating beautiful contorted lines with her tiny body. 

The effect is a montage of society’s outcasts and portrayal of modes of confinement and isolation. When Chan manages to scale the walls and dip over to the other side, leaving her hands visible for an excruciating moment of suspense, the audience also feels her release and freedom in escape. The twelfth floor, left empty, darkens as the audience slowly awakes from the crude vivid landscape of the mind.

No Comments / Apr 02.09 / Uncategorized / by admin

No Comments / Mar 19.09 / Ballet and Contemporary / by admin

Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Sound Affairs

Sherman Cymru, 25 Feb 2009, 8pm

**

Putting musicians on stage with dancers works. In his latest work, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, new young Brazilian choreographer Jean Abreu explores the idea of a unique meeting place, accompanying four male dancers on stage with the Mavron string Quartet. The result is a visionary collision of styles and disciplines. 

    Abreu’s idea was to create place where two people could engage in a chance meeting where a fleeting moment could result in a new  friendship. The dance captures this sense of opportunity throughout. His inspiration was the public space - based on scenes from London’s Trafalgar Square. The four dancers represent a cut-slice of society - the old man, the yob, the tramp and the foreigner - who jostle and stumble into each other with a hostility familiar to a busy city scene. 

    Composed by Charlie Barber, the score was inspired by research into public spaces across the globe such as Venice Beach in LA. The strings give a light ‘busking’ element to the piece, and their interaction with the dancers on stage brings out the importance of a harmonious connection between music and dance. 

    As choreographer and director Abreu shows promising future talent. His first production since training at London’s Laban Contemporary Dance, Abreu brings a mixture of dancing styles to the floor, including Brazilian martial art Capoeira (CORR) to his own character - the homeless man - making the opening scene with his monkey-like stretches wild and captivating. The movements throughout are lucid and earthy - reflecting the urban backdrop and merging of cultures found in a public space. Christopher Rook is truly outstanding as the hooded youth, flipping effortlessly into one-handed air-suspensions and break-dancing into rhythmic pop-locking. 

    But Abreu’s piece dwindles in its inability to propel the story forward - once we get to know each character they are barely developed beyond the stereotype and could have been given much more depth.

    As the dance progresses the characters begin to help and support each other in their individual journeys - offering opportunity for some touching duets. The message behind this transformation from hostility to understanding and unity seems somewhat predictable. The moral seems to be - if we could help each other in these public spaces society would be a better place. 

    There are still some gems of original choreography - the bench scene with three dancers trying to avoid each others’ personal space is a situation everyone can relate to. Abreu, not being in this piece, does better in his role of choreographer outside of the dance - and he admits it was difficult to juggle occupying both the role of the dancer while stepping back to choreograph and direct. 

Boulevard of Broken Dreams travels to London’s The Place . His next endeavour is hotly awaited.

No Comments / Feb 26.09 / Uncategorized / by admin

If you’re struggling to come up with something a bit different to give your boyfriend this Valentine’s day, why not try pole dancing? 

Trashy, slutty and just one step up from stripping for cash? Not anymore. Pole dancing has been trying to shake off its unsavoury image for the last few years and is reinventing itself as an alternative way to get fit.

Intrigued as to whether this type of exercise was really swinging round a stick masquerading as a good workout, I slapped on my skimpiest hot pants and went along to try it out.

Sarah Hollingsworth has been teaching pole dancing fitness classes for four years and due to popular demand she has started a new beginners class at Vitality Fitness Centre in Cardiff.

Known for its connections to seedy strip-clubs and drooling old men, why has pole dancing suddenly become a popular gym session? 

“I think it is to do with people all over world, via the internet, promoting and selling pole dancing for fitness,” says Sarah. “Some people wanted to understand how hard the moves are, and it took off from there. Because it is in a gym, fitness is the focus. It’s not about stocking and suspenders. It’s about having fun and toning up.”

The beginners class had attracted six new wanna be pole dancers, nervously huddled at the back of the room away from the looming poles and mirrors at the front. The class progressed slowly, with only two poles there was a lot of waiting around to try out each new move. After a full hour learning how to grip the pole, walk around it and perform some fairly uninspiring swings, I had barely broken a sweat and was sceptical of the fitness value. But the lack of references to sex and seduction kept me positive and most of the beginners seemed to be having a good time and not taking it too seriously.

Here is an example of the leg hook we did in the beginners class:

As we moved into the intermediate class it was clear why beginners had to spend time developing technical understanding and building strength. The giggles were replaced with breathless grunts of physical strain -  as the intermediates clearly focused more on perfecting the look and precision on the pole. 

The first few moves of the second class had my biceps burnings and thighs already beginning to bruise. By far the most difficult is the climb - learning how to shimmy up the pole using pure arm power while remaining graceful requires years of practise. Teacher Sarah is relentless on making sure you get it right. While I try to flick my leg over my head to turn upside down and hang for four seconds, she is standing cooly next to me saying if I don’t learn it right I’ll get even more bumps and bruises from banging the pole.

Here one of the moves we tried in intermediate:

Although not a brisk cardio workout, pole dancing has an immense impact on muscle tone. A pole costs about £125 to be made to measure in your home. With regular training it could easily lead to a wash-board stomach and honed arm and leg muscles. But a lot of women take up the hobby as a way to improve self-confidence and try something a bit new and daring. 

Sarah Roberts, 30, is a doctor and has been pole dancing since May in her spare time. “I just thought it seemed like a good way to get fit rather than going to the gym and it has certainly toned me up.”

But what about the stigma of pole dancing - hasn’t it caused a few raised eyebrows?

“Some friends do make comments about working in clubs. But then a lot of them are quite surprised and impressed by it.”

Emily Kade, 19, and Natalie Eakins, 20, are students from UWIC and were trying out the beginners class for the first time. “It’s an alternative way to shape up and the gym just gets boring,” said Emily. “The better I get at it, i think the more i’ll feel it.”

“There’s been a lot of talk about how pole dancing is now about getting fit but really it is about sex, but I don’t believe that myself,” said Natalie. “My mum was a bit worried but she came round to the idea that it wasn’t actually pole dancing she didn’t like, but taking off of your clothes for men.”

Natalie did know a friend who became very good and ended up performing for money, but she is pretty sure she would never take it outside the gym. “If people come because they think it’s all about being sexy the first session would put you off because wrapping yourself round into a heap on the floor isn’t very sexy. It’s only the professionals that make it look that good,” Emily said.

“The stigma is still there,” said teacher Sarah. “But we are trying to lose it. Pole dancing does stem from stripping but it has become an art form.”

Whether an attempt to present itself as art, or a way to lose your inhibitions, pole dancing is good fun and as a fitness class should be put on the same healthjy level as learning the trapese. But explaining to colleagues I am walked around with brusied inner thighs because of poloe dancing was always going to be tricky.  

Classes cost £10 or £8 for students. Sarah runs a beginners class from 12-1 on Sunday and Intermediate 1-2. You must pre-book by calling 07870174101 or emailing sminxie@hotmail.co.uk

According o Srah there are three main ways to pole dance - the dance side of it,

No Comments / Feb 11.09 / Uncategorized / by admin

Scottish Ballet, Wales Millennium Centre, Friday 23 January ***

No Comments / Jan 28.09 / Uncategorized / by admin

No Comments / Jan 27.09 / Ballet and Contemporary / by admin

Danny Boyle is memorable for his stark realism mixed with fantasy and his latest Golden Globe award winning Slumdog Millionaire, again brings together these two opposing styles. The Beach and 28 Days Later both gave a convincing portrayal of how leading characters might react to unrealistic situations.

            Based on the novel by Vikas Swarup, an unimaginable sequence of events leads to slum-dweller Jamil Malik (Dev Patel) winning the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. The first overwhelming question on everyone’s lips is how does a call centre chai-wallah (tea-boy) know all the answers? The police, equally baffled, question the young Maharastran to find out if he is a cheat, a genius or just plain lucky.

            Malik’s traumatic life from Mumbai’s biggest slum, the underworld of trafficked child beggars, to a fake tour guide in Agra unravels in flashbacks, revealing how certain memorable times have imprinted the answers to the questions on his mind. As he nears the 500 million rupee jackpot, we have become entangled in Mailk’s tumultuous life and relationship with his gangster brother Salim (Madhur Mittal) and love of his life Latika (Freida Pinto), meaning we are on just as tender hooks as the slum dwellers watching the programme across India, pinning their hopes on this symbol of a better future.

            Boyle captures the noise, smell and squalor of Mumbai’s slums, with corridor camera shots along to the busy bombing beats of M.I.A. And yet the shintz and vibrant hues of Bollywood are compounded with the harsh truth of India’s poverty, ultimately sending you out of the cinema with the warm tingling feeling that you have witnessed a truly extraordinary event. 

No Comments / Jan 14.09 / Uncategorized / by admin