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| © 2023 Mark Gowland: all rights reserved Reproduced with kind permission of the owner |
Northern Dance Academy is a dance school in York. It offers a wide range of classes in many styles of dance to both adults and children. Its classical ballet and lyrical teacher, Christie Barnes, is a founder member of Powerhouse Ballet. Christie introduced me to Sarah Dickinson, the Director of the Northern Dance Academy. She invited our company to dance the extract from La Sylphide that we had performed in Dance Studio Leeds's Celebration of Dance on 25 Nov 2023 in Shake Your Tutu, Northern Dance Academy's Christmas show.
The show took place in the Creative Centre of York St John University on 10 Dec 2023. It is a magnificent auditorium with 170 seats, a massive stage, excellent acoustics and the latest sound, lighting and projection equipment. I attended the technical rehearsal which was an opportunity to see the capabilities of that equipment in action.
The performance began at 19:30. It consisted of the following pieces in two acts with a 20-minute interval:
Act I:
- Rogue Raimdrops by the NDA Adult Dance Company choreographed by Christie Barnes
- Snowdrops by Christie Barnes and Soraya Noumen
- Once Upon A December by the Adult Ballet Beginners choreographed by Esther Wilson
- Running with the Wolves by Anjuli Trace
- Inner Voice by Esther Wilson and Hortensia Szalay
- Underneath the Christmas Tree by the Advanced Tap Class choreographed by Stacey Young
- L'Enfer by Vera van Cool and supporting dancers
- Round Round by the Junior/Youth Contemporary class choreographed by Julia Pittock
- Flores by the Lyrical troupe choreographed by Christie Barnes
Act II
- When the Land Meets the Sea a film by the NDA Adult Dance Company choreographed by Christie Barnes and filmed and edited by Mark Gowland
- I wish it could be Christmas Every Day by the Grade 3 Tap Class choreographed by Stacey Young
- O Holy Night by the Advanced Pointe dancers choreographed by Christie Barnes
- Make Believe by Natasha Young
- Hallelujah by the Advanced/Intermediate Ballet class choreographed by Christie Barnes
- A Contemporary Christmas by the Youth Contemporary class choreographed by Julie Pittock
- La Sylphide by Powerhouse Ballet choreographed by August Bournonville, Marius Petipa and Jane Tucker and staged by Jane Tucker
- Tough Lover by Amber Yeoman
- Runaway by Christie Barnes and Julia Pittock, and
- A Night at the Ball by the Adult Contemporary class choreographed by Julia Pittock.
I enjoyed all the pieces. It was clear that a lot of work had been done for each and every one of them. It was one of the best student shows that I have ever seen.
However, there were some personal highlights Snowdrops was enchanting. Two young friends frolicked as if in a garden. Just before the end, winter clothes appeared on stage which the dancers donned. Their winsome wave as they left the stage was quite charming. I liked Anjuli Trace's solo Running with the Wolves and the duet Inner Voice Esther Wilson and Hortensia Szalay. Anjuli and Esther are also members of Powerhouse Ballet. The children and young women in Round Round were delightful. Especially the little boy and the girl who carried him on her back for a while.
The second act began with the film. Christie has posted it to her Facebook feed. It is set on one of the big wide North Sea beaches. It happened to be Fraisthorpe but it could have been Northumberland, Berwickshire or Fife. Mark applied some very interesting camera techniques including mirroring. In Max Richter's In The Garden Christine chose the perfect score. The scene was idyllic. The East Coast is not exactly known for its balmy weather. Although probably unintended one of the artists was a black dog which made a couple of appearances. The animal appeared to be dancing. I was also delighted to recognize several members of Powerhouse Ballet in the film. I hope our company can collaborate with Mark and Christie in making dance films in the future.
Although obviously not impartial I was bowled over by Powerhouse's performance of an extract of La Sylphide. The scene was set in a forest after James has left his wedding guests to pursue a sylph who has vanished up a chimney with Effie's ring (see La Sylphide resource page). He meets the sylphs and is quite overcome by them. Frank Lee danced James and the syphs included several members of the Northern Dance Academy. I had seen the company rehearse the scene many times. Indeed, I had actually taken part in some of the rehearsals. I had also seen their performances in Leeds. This was by far their best yet. They danced with energy, flair and passion. I felt compelled to rise to my feet to bellow "bravi". I have never been more proud of them.
Although obviously not impartial I was bowled over by Powerhouse's performance of an extract of La Sylphide. The scene was set in a forest after James has left his wedding guests to pursue a sylph who has vanished up a chimney with Effie's ring (see La Sylphide resource page). He meets the sylphs and is quite overcome by them. Frank Lee danced James and the syphs included several members of the Northern Dance Academy. I had seen the company rehearse the scene many times. Indeed, I had actually taken part in some of the rehearsals. I had also seen their performances in Leeds. This was by far their best yet. They danced with energy, flair and passion. I felt compelled to rise to my feet to bellow "bravi". I have never been more proud of them.
I have to congratulate everyone involved in planning and participating in the show. Particular credit belongs to Christie who directed and produced the show and choreographed and/or danced in many of the contributions. There seems to be no end to her skills and talents. She even found time to make sleeves and wings for our sylphs costumes. Even attending class with her is a pleasure for she has the most infectious laugh and a very ready wit. It has been great to work with her on La Sylphide and I look forward to doing so again very soon.
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