'DANCESCAPE' South Africa in Zolani a township in the Western Cape . A tribute to a exceptionally talented lady Fiona Sutton. All photographs copyright Elaine Mayson

 These are a few of the images I took on my recent trip to South Africa.  I visited the township Zolani and stayed with my friend Fiona Sutton and her husband, Mitiya. in the town of Montagu in the Western Cape.  It was wonderful to see Dancescape in action and to photograph all the young dancers.  Fiona has given these children hope to live a new and fulfilling life dancing.  They are all so musical and everyone of them works very hard.  This has come about through the dedication and talent of Fiona. The drive and determination she has wielded to form the company and set it on its path, is truly amazing!  She has now passed away after a short battle with cancer.  Her legacy continues and a new paid teacher is being found to fill the post but never replace Fiona and continue the productive work.  It was my privilege to spend time with Fiona before her death and to see the incredible love she produced from everyone around her.  Not only the children and parents in the township but all the people in Montagu loved her.  It was a humbling time for me but also inspiring and motivating.  These photographs are a tribute to her and her vision that is 'Dancescape'

Elaine Mayson Photography studio in Kingston Upon Thames Pregnant Portraits 2016

Elaine Mayson Photography has a  Studio in Kingston Upon Thames. 

She photographs business portraits male and female and gives very competitive prices

  All photos are edited and presented on a disc.

Children's portraits, Pregnancy portraits.  Mother and baby portraits and Vintage portraits.

 All with  changes of clothes.

There are a wonderful array of accessories you can experiment with at the studio especially hats, scarfs and jewelry. There is a separate room where you can change and bathroom with mirrors.

 Studio of Elaine Mayson Photography in Kingston Upon Thames

FLAMENCURA Paco Pena Dance Company

The Paco Pena Dance Company led by Paco Pena, one of the greatest flamenco guitarist of this decade is back at Sadlers Wells.  They bring with them a new show called 'Flamencura'.

A dazzling display of creative dancing music and singing.  The show is back to basics glorying in Flamenco.  What a joy to watch!
No sets and  mostly black background, the musicians sitting  at the back of the stage and the lighting stark white from the side and top.  Never good for photography!

However the impact of the show seeps through your soul.  The pas de deux danced by Angel Munoz and Carmen Rivas is spine chilling and very moving.  Carmen dances the soul of the dead wife Angel the husband who senses her movements, so that they dance together but hardly touch.  Fernando Romero choreographed Flamencura.  Very impressive and enjoyable.

Charo Espino danced a few solos and her posture, arms and hands are exquisite.  What a presence on stage.  Its wonderful when she smiles with a twinkle in her eye and with her arched back accentuates her bottom for the appreciative males in the audience.

Angel Munoz, her husband  could show off his amazing technique and incredible balance.  This enables him not only to stamp and tap at dazzling speed but also to be very quiet and skate across the stage or spin with hardly a sound.  There was a moment when he smiled.  A little more of the smile and tease combined with his breathtaking movement would have brought the house down.
A fabulous show accompanied by wonderful music.  Paco Pena leading the musicians or sitting on the stage playing solo.  The new singer Vimala Rowe had a beautiful voice strong but melodic.

BBC Young Dancer 2015 Grand Final

I was delighted to be invited to the photo call of the Young Dancer 2015 Grand Final.  We were able to photograph the entire show.   What a treat!  Thank you Kate Davis.
The dancers were all male apart from the South East Asian dancer Vidya Patel.  There were 2 contemporary dancers Jacob O'Connell and Connor Scott and two Hip Hop dancers Kieran Lei and Harry Barnes and one classical dancer Archie Sullivan.  It was wonderful to watch such varied style and movement in these dancers and the camera work on the evening was skilfully worked to increase the drama of all  the dances. 
Visually for me Vidya Patel with her swirling colourful skirts and dervish turns and enormous expressive eyes captivated my camera!
Connor Scott the overall winner was dynamic in his movement and explosive in his jumps.  He was a definite contender on Friday night as I battled to capture his lightening steps.  Acknowledging  the direction the competition was swinging with a male dominated judging panel I rashly predicted Connor would be the winner!  I instantly was mortified especially as Connor's brilliant choreographer Patricia Okenwa was staring at me.  Concentrating so hard on capturing the movement through a lens is not like watching the dancers normally and can certainly impair any sort of judgement.  However this time my deep instinct was right.  Whew!  Hopefully see more of my photographs in the next Dancing Times.

Connor Scott winner of the Young Dancer 2015Vidya Patel

Jacob O' Connell

 

Archie Sullivan

Kieran Lei (below)                        Harry Barnes

Kate Simmons School of Dance: La Creation, Dance of Life and Danse Macabre 2015

La Creation, Dance of Life and Danse Macabre gave Kate Simmons School's pupils a feast of dancing.  No sets and minimalistic backdrops exposed students and cried out for them to perform to their limits. Difficult scores performed by a live orchestra also meant the dancers had to listen and respond to the music.   Contemporary pieces were choreographed by Emma Briggs and the classical sections by Peter Parker in La Creation.  Dance of Life movement 1 choreographed by Gillian Hurst and the other 2 movements plus Danse Macabre by Kate Simmons. 

The energy and commitment shown by the dancers was at times electrifying.  The orchestra conducted by Daniel Parkinson was wonderful and not only inspired the dancers but also the audiences at the Brindley Theatre.  What a project for students! 

Jenny Hackwell excelled in her roles and has had an amazing year.  Her latest triumph is to secure a contract with Northern Ballet Theatre.  She will start in July.  Congratulations!

Also a mention to Samuel Jones who always gives  100%  on stage and is a composite artist.

TANGO FIRE at the Peacock Theatre 2015

The photo call for Tango Fire only lasted half an hour but it was action packed.  Five  couples danced their own variations.  Each dance had a different style and feeling. The more controlled Argentina tango with the tension between the man and the woman making your spine tingle, excites me the most.  These two couples, with the men in more formal suits, demonstrated the virtuoso tango to perfection.  The more sexually explicit group dance smoldered with fire.  The women scantily dressed in red show off their long luxurious hair, perfect figures and are controlled by the macho men wearing white shirts and black trousers.  Passion and a little danger with a lot of testosterone and sexual tension will make this show popular.  Especially at this grey and dismal time of the year!

Anton & Erin in 'that's Entertainment' at the GI in Guildford

Add caption

Anton  and Erin are back dancing together in their new show 'that's Entertainment.'  Erin Boag has had a year off to have a baby and now with a healthy and energetic baby boy 9 months old she has her hands full!  She is no longer in 'Strictly Come Dancing' but Anton is.  Anton and Brendon are the only two surviving dancers from the original Strictly show.

A classic stage show with a large  orchestra on stage make the show very entertaining for all age groups.  Though the matinees do attract the older generation.  Masses of magnificent colorful costumes are a real treat!  Anton and Erin are accompanied by their singer Lance and six dancers.  Three men and three women dance with style and obvious great enjoyment.  Beautifully played music and great dancing from Anton and Erin are the highlights.  However Anton and Erin both have strong personalities and question and answer time is fun though sometimes a little long!  Highly recommended.