Claudia Dean Coaching

Standard YouTube Licence

I am not at all good at pirouettes so when I find something that helps me I am very happy to pass it on (see A Really Useful Video on Pirouettes 22 Nov 2014 and A Pint for Josh 24 Aug 2015). I think I have found another useful video from Australia.

Claudia Dean, who trained at the Royal Ballet School and danced with the Royal Ballet for several years, operates a coaching service in Brisbane known as Claudia Dean Coaching. Dean had uploaded many of her lessons to YouTube and there are lots of other tips on her YouTube channel.

Brisbane may only be the third most populous city in a middle ranking country but it contributes much to ballet. It hosts the Queensland Ballet and Queensland Ballet Academy. Fiona Noonan, the teacher who recently led me back to ballet, trained there. Although she spent only a few years with the Royal Ballet, Claudia Dean made her mark with the company dancing the role of The Chosen One in The Rite of Spring. A link to a YouTube video of her rehearsing the role with Dame Moniuca remains on the Royal Opera House website.

I should lke to wish all my readers a happy Easter.

Sarah Mortimer

Yesterday I mentioned Ballet West and its touring company (see Congratulations to Ballet West - here's to the next 25 Years 23 Nov 2016). One of my favourite dancers, Sarah Mortimer, is a graduate of Ballet West. I first noticed her as the mermaid in Christopher Moore's version of The Little Mermaid for Ballet Theatre UK (see Pure Delight - BTUK's Little Mermaid in Southport 27 April 2014). I looked out for her in that company's other shows.  She was one of the reasons why I followed BTUK.

Sarah has now left BTUK and has become a freelance teacher and performer.  She has put together an impressive associates programme with some excellent guest teachers, some of whom such as David Brewer and Inês Ferriera, danced with her in BTUK. She also gives private coaching at various levels and workshops on popular ballets such as The Nutcracker.

Having seen a large part of the world including a lot of Scotland with Ballet West and every nook and cranny of the UK with BTUK whom I once described as the Bedouin of Ballet, Sarah has based herself in Maidstone where she was born and brought up.  Apart from the associates, coaching and workshops which she offers through her website, Sarah teaches at Masters Performing Arts College in Rayleigh, 360 Dance in Tunbridge Wells and Tenterden Ballet Studios and as a guest teacher on various associate programmes and courses including Ballet West Edinburgh Associates and South East Ballet Scholars.

As ballet is intended for the stage, the best type of teacher is one who has enthralled an audience.  Sarah has done that in countless repertory theatres, arts centres and other auditoriums the length and breadth of the United Kingdom. Without doubt, she will already have inspired hundreds of little boys and girls (not to mention many adults including, perhaps, a few pensioners) across the land to study ballet. Now she has an opportunity to guide many of those students to the next level.  Very few of them (if any) of those studemts will emulate Carlos Acosta or Lauren Cuthbertson, but they should all develop a love for the art as theatregoers as well as dancers that will never leave them. I am sure that all my readers will join me in wishing Sarah well in this latest phase of her career.

London Amateur Ballet Gala

Bloomsbury Theatre

Photo Frankie Roberto
Source Wikipedia

If I wasn't dancing in Northern Ballet Academy's end of year show at the Stanley and Audrey Burton Theatre in Leeds that day I would be in London for the Annual LAB Gala 2015 at the Bloomsbury Theatre. According to the Theatre's website:

"The UK's leading adult amateur ballet company, London Amateur Ballet is proud to present The LAB Gala 2015. This magical annual event will leave you spellbound by the achievements of this dedicated company of amateur dancers. The highlights in 2015 include LAB's very first specially commissioned new work from choreographer Jamie Thomson, along with a diverse programme of excerpts from ballets... and as if that wasn't fabulous enough... we'll even have a few guest stars from the UK's leading ballet companies to inspire us all!"

The London Amateur Ballet's website says that the company was founded in 2012 by Tom Linecar-Boulton. He is its artistic director and he is assisted by an impressive group of dancers and teachers. The company organizes classes, coaching sessions and intensive courses as well as performances. It has an on-line store for clothing, ballet bags and other branded merchandise.

I have got to know something about the company because one of its members dances occasionally in my Over 55 class in Leeds. She lives in Lincolnshire and travels considerable distances to attend class with us (see The Time of My Life 28 June 2014). Last year she was in our end of year show and I don't think she missed a single rehearsal. She must travel even further to attend class and the other activities offered by London Amateur Ballet. She is one of the main contributors (if not the main contributor) to BalletcoForum and has written very interesting posts about very long days that started early with trips to Leeds and continued with trains to London and lots more work with the LAB and a late train home. It is hard not to admire such dedication and marvel at such stamina, particularly as her travels sometimes take her to Argyll to study with Ballet West (see Taynuilt - where better to create ballet 31 Aug 2013).

I wish everybody in LAB's gala chookas and/or toi-toi for their show. As I seem to be spending more and more time in London I hope to attend one of their shows. Their classes and course seem far too demanding for the likes of me but I think the company is a great idea and I hope to support it in other ways.

If you expect to be in London on 4 July here is a link to the Bloomsbury's box office. Ticket prices are between £18.50 and £22.50 (£15.00 for children) which is not an unreasonable amount of money when you consider that there will be pros from the English National Ballet and other major companies appearing with the amateurs on stage. If anyone attending the show would like to review it for Terpsichore I should be glad to publish such a contribution.