Monday 11 May 2015

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

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Dance Reviews

Reviews



Out now in Dance Dynamic February issue / The Nutcracker review of the Royal Ballet dancing at the Royal Opera House and The Snowman reviewed at the Peacock Theatre and performed by the Birmingham reportory company.




Previous Reviews Mayerling by the Royal Ballet, Cirkus Cirkor, Insane in the Brain, Interview of Dame Beryl Grey, Scottish Ballets 40th Anniversary performances, Paco Pena Flamenco Company





All the reviews with photographs will be posted on my web site soon in pdf format



Future Reviews



Matthew Bournes Swan Lake at Sadlers Wells



Below is a taster of the review which will be published in the March edition of Dance Dynamic.



The magazine is released on the 25th of February.



A Powerful Sinister Production danced with incredible energy


Out of the mist appears a swan danced by Richard Winsor. Instantly the whole drama of the production intensifies. The swan soars into the air. Christopher realises that this swan is his salvation and feverishly runs after it. He dances with energy and total conviction. The swan moves with fluid inverted actions of his arms and feet he poses with strong lines and evil eyes. All the swans arrive in groups of three and four. They jump and twist and turn their necks letting out hissing sounds producing a menacing and powerful dance. The moon on the set shines a steely grey light on the swans upper bodies accentuating their naked torsos and their beautiful syncopation



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Tales of Beatrix Potter and Les Patineurs






In progress





Reviews and photographs of the Flamenco Festival at the Sadlers Wells February 2010



Tips of the week for weddings

See todays blog 15th February 2010

Female Guests:

The shops are full of black clothes but don't succumb! Direct your eyes away and look in the colours. White with black trimmings look great. Red with black trimmings will be perfect for November/December Weddings. Why not try purple? No black hats, save those for funerals. If you are worried you will stray towards buying a black outfit take a friend with you to shop. Or go to a small boutique where you can get a personal service.



Snow on the ground very cold. Bring a warm shawl so that you can put this when you are walking in between shots. This will stop you looking blue.