last diary next diary first diary BGBC tour dates Central School page The students... Pia Driver Laura Caldow Benjamin Whitson Martin Collyer We are following four final year Central School of Ballet students through their final training, UK tour and hunt for jobs. The students involved record their thoughts the way they want and when they want, and we wish them every success for the future. The diary started in February 2000

Laura Caldow
Like March, April provided it's fair share of highs and lows, with plenty arising to challenge the Ballet Central dancers, including the all-important London shows, which everyone was both nervous and excited about. I was disappointed to discover that the Jazz piece wasn't going to be performed at The Linbury Studio Theatre as I really enjoy performing it and everyone that comes to see the show has loved it. However it was to be included in the Lillian Baylis performances in the week running up to the Linbury performances which was some consolation at least.

The shows at the Lillian Baylis Theatre went well. It was our first time doing both a matinee and an evening performance and it was certainly very tiring, but as both shows were quite well sold out there was a lot of energy coming from the audience and amongst the dancers.

The next day it was off to Wales. Unfortunately one of the boys was injured and I was asked therefore to perform his part in Feeney's Eleven, which was daunting, considering I hadn't even been learning that pert. Little did I know that by the end of the month I would be doing two other dancer's parts as well. I think it is safe to say that I pretty much have a good grip on the piece now!

The highlight of Wales was having a day off in Abergavenny, a small market town. It was a beautiful day and we were able to see the market and the ruined castle and venue had a barbecue in the evening. That is one of the great things about touring, seeing there is life outside London!

On returning from Wales I received a panicked call from Greg to inform me that Eliot (BGBC dancer) was too badly injured to perform in my ballet in the Linbury performances which started the next day. I was naturally disappointed but was able to put on the second cast so the piece could still go on. The Linbury is a great theatre - even though it is a studio theatre, it is bigger than most 'proper' theatres we've performed in. The dressing rooms were a luxury and it was exciting to be backstage at the Opera House.

After the three shows we had a short Easter break and I went home to Scotland for a few days. The day after returning it was off again, this time to Whitley Bay which took 7 hours in the cramped minibus! However once we got there we were able to stretch our legs adequately along the beach which was opposite the hotel. The highlight of the trip (apart for the sea) which also took in Hexham, was doing a TV interview which myself and another dancer were selected to do. It was for a children's programme and was filmed in a colourful studio complete with toys and bubble chairs and a very bubbly female presenter. All this helped take the edge of the nerves and it turned out to be really fun. It also meant I escaped doing the 'get-in' at Hexham, which left me refreshed for the evening's performance.

Let's hope the month ahead, when we go to Scotland for a week, provides as much excitement as the past has! Until next time...

Pia Driver
Sorry I couldn't be with you last month but I'm back now to fill you in on all that's been happening.

I must admit, last month started off quite badly for me. Due to family circumstances I had to go back home to Cambridge for a while and missed out on doing Cannock and Reading venues. I didn't mind this at all, I appreciated the time I had at home with my family and felt that the rest would do me good.

I returned back to London in time to perform in the Lilian Baylis studio at Sadlers Wells. I was looking forward to performing at this venue very much so I was a little disappointed to find out I was only doing the Jazz and Contemporary pieces. However, considering the time I had off and rehearsals I had missed it was understandable. Personally the performance had a bad feeling about it. I didn't feel confident, everything felt flat and I found myself questioning my capabilities. Looking back at it now it all sounds stupid, but you know when you get those moments when you look at things in context and start doubting yourself.

A few days later we were on our way to Wales where I was going to perform my hardest show yet. I had six pieces to do which included Raymonda and Dinerasade, dances which are hard to get through on their own, let alone one straight into the other.

I was looking forward to the challenge; it was a chance for me to get back into the routine of it all again. The first show in Abergavenny went well for me. I felt like I was never off the stage and I loved it.

The Wales trip was definitely the highlight of the month. We had our first day off on tour and luckily for us the weather was fabulous. We spent the day walking round the town, sitting in the park, having a picnic, visiting the castle, sunbathing and then finished off the day indulging ourselves in a sumptuous barbecue. We even found a local pub that we made our regular for the weekend. I'm not sure what the local people made of us but I think they were a surprised when the whole company started dancing to the Village People's, 'YMCA'.

From Wales we were back in London to perform in the Linbury Studio at the Royal Opera House. We were performing there for three nights, the last performance including some pieces choreographed by 2nd year students at CSB. I had a light show, which was nice, as I had time to browse in the shops and drink coffee. The days went by very quickly and nothing happened except when Kenny (BGBC Dancer) broke his toe running down a corridor. He was taken to hospital and found that he had a Spiral Fracture and would not be able to dance that evening. This created havoc, as we don't have many boys who are dancing at the moment. They all appear to be injured in one way or another, so Kenny did not have an understudy, which meant one piece, had to be cut. The running order was revised resulting in me doing 'Dog Suite' at the last minute, without a rehearsal! This wasn't as bad as it sounds and I am over exaggerating but I was quite nervous bearing in mind where we were!

Easter! Five days of home cooking, Sky TV, family reunions and Cadbury's Creme Eggs.

Next stop - Whitley Bay and Hexham. The shows were okay and thing felt a bit routine.

I finished the month by auditioning for Peter Schaufuss. He didn't pick any girls to go through to the next round in either group, which was quite amusing. A bit of a waste of time but I got an extra class in so I'm not that bothered. Thanks Peter!!

Benjamin Whitson
This month has present many challenges concerning myself as well as the rest of the company. It started with the preparation and performances for our London season. The first London performances were at the Lillian Baylis Studio Theatre at Sadlers Wells. They were quite successful and fairly disaster-free, except for a few technical hitches, but the performing space is very intimate and it is quite uncomfortable having the audience so close to you. With no front curtain it makes the space even more awkward. However, the performances at the Linbury Studio Theatre weren't quite as straightforward. Although the theatre is very advanced it seemed to take hours to do the jobs that would normally take an hour, in fact we didn't actually get to see the lighting until the first performance which was a bit unsettling, however, we managed and did a good show. Also, we are struggling with injury problems, one dancer has broken his toe and a couple of others are off. So the programme had to change and people were thrown on into parts half an hour before the show began. As always we tried our best and we pulled off a good show. It was a mixed programme because we shared the stage with 2nd year students from CSB. The opportunity and achievement was fantastic.

Being interested in choreography myself I think it is essential that young people interested in this medium are given the freedom and security to be able to discover a language that they feel describes best what they want to say. Choreography shouldn't become (like it so often does in a dancers career) something to do once you have finished dancing, it should be encouraged and developed at a young age. I agree that you have to experience different types of dance and experience life before you really can develop as a choreographer, but opportunities should be offered more frequently to young dancers, especially in this country where we only like a new choreographer if they have done something good elsewhere.

Touring doesn't seem to be getting any easier. The hardest challenge that I am finding at the moment is getting used to the different performing spaces. Some stages are hexagons, some don't have wings, lumps appear in the floor where you don' I have to say that I quite enjoy dancing on a raked stage, I'm not sure why, but my shows seem easier on raked stages. However, I have to say that I really am enjoying doing the 'get-ins' and 'get-outs'. Like my dancing I find it quite interesting working out how we are going to place everything in the different theatres. Some theatres need a lot of work on the floor, some others need more work on the lights, and it really does vary from venue to venue. However we have the best Technical Manager in the world (Kieron Docherty) and he is great, so our problems are solved pretty quick. Every company should have a Kieron. He is also great at partying and this is something we do very well on the BGBC tour. We found this fantastic pub in Abergvenny, Wales, right next to the theatre. It had a jukebox, which was all we needed. We were up dancing straight away and the locals in the pub loved us. People were just sitting around watching. As well as working very hard we certainly know how to play hard as well. In fact, 'Hello' out there to anyone who witnessed my rendition of 'I Will Survive' in Stafford at the local Karoke night.

I reported last month that a couple of job opportunities had come up, in fact I am pleased to say that everything seems to be working out quite well. I have been offered a contract with Atlanta Ballet and today (30th April), I auditioned for the Peter Schaufuss Ballet and was offered a contract. Auditions are not easy and very unsettling, you are constantly working flat out to try and please someone who might not have even noticed you, having to think of selling yourself 100% all the time just in case one person catches a glimpse of you, and if you don't get have that feeling of what is wrong with me. However I can start to set my mind at ease now that these opportunities have arisen.

I have recently started to dance a new ballet on tour, which is the Flower Festival pas de deux. It is very challenging, especially for stamina as it is so technically demanding. However I have performed it twice now and I have been cheered both times, so it can't look that bad. That is a good thing about going on tour with BGBC, you get to tackle so many different styles and techniques of dance and perform them at a high standard. The sort of opportunities offered to us usually take years, not months, in any other professional company, and this sets us at an advantage when opportunities arise in company situations.

Well I guess it is goodbye for now and I will see you next month.