Tanguera A dark and passionate love story set in Buenos Aires

Tanguera not only tells a story of two lovers but it reveals for the first time, through the tango dance, the hardships of everyday life for the working class people of Argentina.

The choreography is by Mora Godoy she has excelled in producing a wonderful array of intricate foot work, sensitive dances and realistic acting scenes. On a few occasions when the three couples in the cabaret are dancing and in the pas de deux between Giselle and Lorenzo the steps blend together creating sublime moments of sheer chemistry.

The show is held together and carried throughout by a brilliant score by Gerardo Gardelin.

See the full review in the October issue of Dance Dynamic.

Francesca Filpi brings more than a touch of magic to her role as the Godmother in Cinderella

Francesca Filpi is a dancer with one of the most prestigious companies in the World, the Royal Ballet Company. She has danced many soloist roles with the Company but for the first time Francesca has been asked by Monica Mason the director of the Royal Ballet Company to dance the role of Fairy Godmother in Cinderella. It is a role that will test Francesca's lyrical abilities and she will need to have nerves of steel to dance her solo on the empty vastness of the Opera House stage! It is a very exciting time for Francesca because she is also involved in setting up a Dance Retreat, Dar Danse in Morocco.

EM/ Have you performed the role yet? If so how did you feel on stage?

FP/I have danced the role of Godmother once and the next one is tomorrow evening.

Its funny, one minute your are standing in the comforting darkness of the wings, surrounded by the friendly stage crew lads, cracking the odd joke and then suddenly you are plunged into this surreal world, a huge empty stage with a bright light shining down at you, incredible music drifting up from the orchestra pit, your feet start bourreing ...and you're off.

Read the full interview in the September issue of Dance Dynamic.

Merchants of Bollywood at the Peacock Theatre

The Merchants of Bollywook hits the stage at the Peacock theatre with amazing energy, vitality and fun. The forty performers smile and flirt with the audience enjoying every minute of this action packed and often Kitsch story set in India.

Ayesha danced by Carol Furtado is the daughter of the famous Merchant family. She leaves her Grandfather, Shantilal acted by Chanda Khanna and her boyfriend Uday danced by Deepak Rawat to seek her fame and fortune in the films of Bollywood. It is a weak story line but this does not distract from the dazzling array of dances and costumes. The show uses 1,200 costumes and 2,500 pieces of Indian jewellery.

The film Slum Dog Millionaire fuelled an unprecedented interest in the West for Indian films, dance and a fascination for the World of Bollywood.

Therefore it is not surprising that this thatrical show has been put together in celebration of the Indian film industry.

Bollywood makes 800 films a year and 15 million tickets are sold a day!

Sharon Watson, the Director of Phoenix Ballet

Sharon Watson is the new Artistic Director of Phoenix Dance Theatre. She is going to be leading the company as they move into their purpose built space within a brand new £12 million building shared with Northern Ballet Theatre. She has also been named as one of the Cultural Leaderships Programme's Women to Watch.

A challenging and exciting period lies ahead for Sharon and her company as they prepare to be in the UK's media spotlight.

I travelled to Leeds the home of Phoenix Ballet to meet this inspirational lady and to find out more about her career, her choreography and her plans for the future.

See the full interview in the July edition of Dance Dynamic!

Kate Simmons. A gifted choreographer and talented teacher. Kate is also the owner of one of the top dance schools in the North of England.

Allergro Dance ( photograph above and below left) An educational group formed by Kate Simmons Dance Ltd with pupils from her vocational school. They tour the North West of England.

Photographs above of Cinderella danced by the pupils of Kate Simmons Dance Ltd. performed at the Brindley Theatre in Runcorn

Kate Simmons is a gifted choreographer and talented teacher. She has built up her dance school in Warrington to be one of Britains largest and most highly acclaimed in the country.

EM/What is the storyline of your new ballet Cinderella?
KS/Cinderella is set in Northern France at the start of World War 1. I have always been interested in this period. Also I discovered that the Ballet Russes were in Paris during this time. I am going to use Kasarvina, a ballerina with the Ballet Russe as Cinderella's Godmother and Mikhail Fokine as the ballet master. There will be no fairies or magical coach in the production and at the stroke of twelve a bomb goes off. However it does have a happy ending and the couple survive the blast.

Read more of the interview in Dance Dynamic next month

Ballet Nacional De Espana at the London Coliseum 2010

Spectacular show full of drama and variety. Inspired dancing from Elena Algado & Christina Gomez.
See my full review in the magazine Dance Dynamic June edtion.
Out now in the May edition the review of Blaze with the interview with Chris Baldock and the review of the Flamenco Festival at the Sadlers Wells in February.
The front cover is my photograph from Ballet Nacionale de Cuba at the London Coliseum April 2010

Mark Morris Dance Company

Beautiful fluidity of movement. Great rhythmn, colour and spacial awareness.