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Youth Dance Platform performance
By Sophie, 6.1 (Year 12)
The annual Youth Dance Platform took place on Sunday 27 April at Bedales’ Olivier Theatre. The night showcased local young dancers, ranging from independent dance schools, youth companies and local schools. The day leading up to the performance was filled with anticipation and energy, with all the performers working around the school, taking part in intensive rehearsals and tech runs for their pieces.
Tilly (6.1) and I performed in three pieces. The first, ‘Dance in a Day’, showcased the importance of dance in unifying us, celebrating the work and friendships we created during the process. We also performed our A Level quartet, ‘Caught in a Vortex’, with Rosy (6.2/Year 13) and Charlotte (6.1), allowing us a final opportunity to perform the high-energy, intense piece all together. Our final piece was ‘Existing Forces’, a duet choreographed for Tilly and I by Madison Burgess, exploring our connection and push and pull relationships.
We had the chance to watch the second half from the audience, where we were captivated by the range of pieces, with styles from tap, hip hop, lyrical and contemporary. Our personal highlights of the evening included pieces from Hampshire Youth Dance Company, whose innovative choreography moved us, with commissioned pieces from Rambert. Another was Bedales Prep with their musical theatre, energetic rendition of Wicked.
Being both performers and audience members allowed us to experience the two different perspectives, making the show a memorable and inspiring experience and giving us the chance to be part of the larger dance community, outside of Bedales.
Youth Dance Platform in a Day
By Sophie, 6.1 (Year 12)
On 26 April Tilly and I had the opportunity to take part in ‘Dance in a Day’, with guest choreographer Gavin Tsang, whose impressive musical theatre background includes starring in The Lion King, and dancing in the recent Wonka film. The workshop brought together a few dancers from each school who were performing in Youth Dance Platform on the Sunday, with the goal to create a piece inspired by Moana.
Having the opportunity to work with dancers with a variety of ages and backgrounds was refreshing, as it introduced a range of perspectives and brough fresh, different ideas.
To begin, we learnt a contemporary unison phrase, which was upbeat and joyful, challenging our facial expressions and precision. Gavin then introduced us to a range of different cultural styles of dance, including the Haka and the Hula. Personally, this was my highlight of the day, as it allowed me to explore new movement qualities and rhythms; for instance the fluidity and gracefulness of the Hula gave me inspiration on how I could use various styles within my own work.
In the afternoon we focused on transitions and contact work, piecing the dance together. Tilly and I also got to work with Gavin to create a short duet that opened the piece. Through this we focused on how to use breathwork to unite us, as well as dynamic lifts. The day was collaborative and inspiring and getting to know the other dancers resulted in a piece which we were proud to open the show with on Sunday night.
Motionhouse workshop
By Tilly, 6.1 (Year 12)
On Friday 9 May, both Block 4 (Year 10) BAC and A Level Dance students were fortunate to take part in an inspiring workshop delivered by two members of the dance company Motionhouse - Theo and Blair.
They were both encouraging and pushed us outside of our comfort zones, trying new moves and contact work that we hadn’t done before. Their fusion of contemporary dance with circus and tricks helped give us fresh and new ideas.
We began with a high-energy dynamic warm up that involved running through the space, moving in and out of the floor. Next, we lined up in two rows to one side of the room, and learnt traveling floor work moves, which pushed us, while they offered constant encouragement and support.
We then moved into the centre and began learning repertoire from their company, I particularly liked this part as we got work with the Block 4s in pairs to enhance and explore the choreography. It was a great chance to connect with the Block 4s as we haven’t danced with them before. Within this, we got to explore challenging contact work, which required us to trust one another and work closely with our partners. After learning their repertoire, we got to creatively respond to the choreography they had taught us, adding movement we had learnt from the warmup, and further showing them what else we were capable of.
The workshop ended with a short Q&A session, where we learnt more about Motionhouse as a company, as well as Theo and Blair’s personal training and professional experiences. This insight into the world of professional dance left us feeling motivated and inspired on the possible dance opportunities post Bedales.
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