My First Class in KNT's New Studios

 

Yesterday I attended Karren Lester Sant's  Pre-Intermediate Class in her new studios at 114 Chapel Street for the first time and was very impressed.  The studio was easy to find with ample parking just across the street.  It has been fitted out with everything that a dance student could possibly need including a well-sprung floor, travelling barres and excellent acoustics. Best of all many of the dear friends and acquaintances that I have met in Karen's classes over the last 9 years were at the barre.  It was a great experience.

I set off from Holmfirth much later than I would normally do because a previous commitment had overrun. I messaged Karen to say that I was running late and asked whether I could do the advanced class barre.   As it happened I did not need to do that because Chapel Street is much easier to reach from Yorkshire than Oxford Road and there are masses of parking spaces. I came in during glissés. I did a quick warm-up of tendus and pliés and took my place at the barre in time for ronds de jambe.  

Thereafter we did all my favourite exercises. frappés at the barre, an enchantment that included tendus in the centre, grands battements and soutenus, balancés and pirouettes, posés pirouettes or "pirate peglegs" as another dear teacher calls them, glissades and assemblés finishing off with joyous temps levés.  Karen chose some lovely music for us.  I recognized "Getting to Know You" from  "The King and I" and I think also Piazzolla?  Definitely Argentine tango.

The only drawback to the evening is that I was forced to acknowledge just how far I have fallen below my previous level of ability.   I can't raise my leg to the barre for a stretch,  My balance was completely AWOL. I was slow and quite out of puff by the time I was halfway across the floor.  I can no longer stand on demi-pointe on my right foot.   Some of it is a loss of fitness which I can recover in the gym.  Some of it will be age-related.  I shall be 75 next birthday.  Some of it will be the result of the broken tibia that I suffered last year.  Happily, I can still do something in ballet and as it is nearly 55 years since I learnt my first plié at St Andrews I really can't grumble,

Anyone thinking of joining one of KNT's classes will find the schedule here.  There is lots of choice at many different levels.  On 22 July 2023, there will be a Special Guest Tracher Day with Emily-Joy Smith which looks like a lot of fun.  I have attended similar events in the past and can strongly recommend this one.

What's in a Name?

Deborah Bull with Dominic North and Robert Parker

(c) 2016 Chantry Dance Company: all rights reserved

Reproduction licensed by the company

As I said in "My Trip to Hungary" 21 April 2016, I met Mel at Chantry Dance's workshop in Lincoln in May 2014. Ironically, on the very day that I had arranged to visit her in Hungary Chantry Dance held an event at DancePointe Studios in Grantham which attracted four of the people that I most admire in dance.

They were:

• Deborah Bull, Assistant Principal of King's College in the University of London;
• Robert Parker, Artistic Director of Elmhurst School for Dance and civil aviation pilot;
• Dominic North, one of Sir Matthew Bourne's leading dancers; and
• Sarah Kundi of English National Ballet.

The occasion was the naming of three of the studios at Dance Pointe as the "Deborah Bull Studio", "Robert Parker Studio" and "Dominic North Studio" by each of those distinguished visitors respectively. Sarah Kundi attended the event in her capacity as a patron of the Chantry School of Contemporary and Balletic Arts.

As a Friend of the Chantry Dance Company I had been invited to the event and I dithered for several days between abandoning my trip to Hungary notwithstanding my prepayment of fares, accommodation and theatre tickets. It was only my regard for Sir Peter Wright and my friendship with Mel that tipped the balance.

As I did not attend the event I quote from the Company's press release:

"The event saw students from DancePointe and Chantry School perform a showcase for the three guests of honour and an invited audience of solo and group routines in the different styles of dance they study which included contemporary ballet and acro-dance. Afterwards the guests were introduced to the audience and they presented name-plaques and signed pictures that are now displayed at the studios. The students were evidently delighted to be able to dance in front their dance heroes, with many asking for photographs and autographs afterwards. One student even had her pointe shoes signed by the three VIPs! Mr Parker said of Chantry and DancePointe that 'the level of energy and passion they bring to all of the wonderful work they do is so encouraging for the young people'. Mr North said he was 'absolutely thrilled' to have a studio named after him and Ms Bull said 'I so admire the work that Chantry Dance and DancePointe are doing here, making a real difference to young people – you see it on their faces when we saw them perform today – they were fantastic!”

Videos of extracts from the speeches by Deborah Bull, Robert Parker and Dominic North are available on YouTube.

Deborah Bull and Robert Parker are carving glittering careers for themselves off the stage but Dominic North and Sarah Kundi still delight us regularly with their performances. I had the pleasure of meeting Dominic North after he danced with Rae Piper in Chasing the Eclipse at the Gravity Fields science festival (see Gravity Fields - Chasing the Eclipse 28 Sept 2014) but I have never met Sarah Kundi even though I have followed her since she was with Northern Ballet and have written a lot about her. She has recently been interviewed by Desiblitz on her career and culture (see Sarah Kundi ~ An Enchanting British Asian Ballet Dancer Desiblitz).

In its press release the Company notes that the event was highly significant not just for Chantry School and DancePointe but for dance in Lincolnshire in general

"as dance students in the region will undoubtedly find it highly motivating to have received support from such respected and high profile dance celebrities."

Grantham, a beautiful little market town with its magnificent parish church and live beehive pub sign, has already produced one of the world's greatest scientists and (whether you like her politics or not) one of the most influential British Prime Ministers since Robert Peel and now has every chance of producing a succession of great dancers.

Serendipity - Tristan Dance Studio

On a Wednesday evening I normally go to the University of Huddersfield for a mixed ability ballet class (see "Team Hud Adult Ballet Class" 22 Jan 2014) but late this afternoon I was told that ballet had been cancelled owing to "mixups at gym", A bombshell that was sugared with three kisses (xxx). Not long ago I would not have minded missing class in the least but now I do. I love my classes and I don't know how I ever managed to get through the first 63 years of my existence without them.

I was desolate but then I had a brainwave. Way back in the recesses of my memory I remembered that I had googled "adult" + "ballet" + "Huddersfield" in February when I was told that the class at Team Hud was fully booked.  I found an adult ballet class at Lockwood and was invited to join it. Fortunately, I was allowed back into Team Hud the next week and I have hardly missed a class since then.  I trawled my email until I found the invitation and saw that there was an adult ballet class on Wednesdays. I googled "Tristan" + "Dance" + "Studios" again this evening and found this website. I checked the Huddersfield timetable and found there was a class tonight.

Tristan Dance Studio is not an easy place to find. Its postal address in Lockwood but I would have placed it in Beaumont Park or even Netherton.  Google maps traced a tortuous route down narrow country lanes and the signage was so indistinct that I drove past it twice. When I did spot the sign I found that the studios were located in a former mill.  Barring my way was a heavy steel gate but nobody in the gatehouse.  I got out of my car and found a control panel on which the words Tristan Dance appeared. I pressed the button. Someone picked up the phone but did not speak, The gates opened and in I drove,

The mill consists of several buildings each with several tenants and it took me some time the studio. It was at the top of a flight of rickety stairs.  I scrambled to the top and found a lady called Elaine who told me that she was also taking the beginners' class.  Although the kindest things I can say about the studios was that they had seen better days and could have benefited from a lick of paint and a new floor they were quite light and airy. Some idea of the premises can be gleaned from the YouTube video above.

From our studio Elaine and I could see the advanced class through a glass partition. It was taken by a gentleman whom I now know to be Tristan Nigel Edgar. He had two students. We saw them practising développés. Later they donned black tutus to dance an adagio.  We were taught by a lady whose name I cannot remember.  Our class began with pliés in first, second and fifth, then tendus and glissés, then ronds de jambe and finally grands battements and cloches. Our instructor led us into the centre and showed us an adagio which involved chassés and pas de bourrée. Once she was satisfied that we had got that right she showed us a more complex adagio which required us to balance first in arabesque and then attitude. Next we attempted some pirouettes and I have to say that Elaine was a lot more successful than me. As Elaine told me that she had only just started ballet it is clear that out instructor must be good. She did not push us as hard as Fiona or Annemarie but she was nevertheless effective. She was very patient and encouraging and I liked her very much. 

 Looking through Tristan's website I see that it has had some significant successes.  At least one of its recent pupils has made it to the Royal Ballet School.   I will certainly come back to this studio now that I know where it is. Although I will stick to Fiona on Wednesdays I will come to Tristan's Friday night classes whenever I can.  Classes at Tristan are £6 per hour which is the same as Hype but more than Team Hud and The Base.