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Students Diary..... December 2002 by |
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Stephanie Elstob... What a month! Since I last wrote to you the time has literally flown by. So much has been packed in that I really don’t know what to tell you first! Our performance at the Tate Modern on December 4th was an amazing experience. I couldn’t begin to try and describe to you in words just how big the Turbine Hall is where we performed! There is something quite disorientating about looking up whilst on stage and not having a ceiling until at least a 100 feet above you! Apart from being fascinated by the size of the space, the event was a huge day of realisation for a lot of us. This performance was our first public showing of some of our Ballet Central pieces and hence, that night we officially became Ballet Central! I am actually writing this entry on our last day of term and I think we are all looking forward to going home and spending some rare and valuable time with our families. I personally can’t wait to do things that I used to take for granted, like hugging my parents and just showing appreciation for all they do – during term time you can’t do that over the phone! Anyway, back to this month. As I told you in my last entry I had my audition for Scottish Ballet. As far as a first audition goes – I really enjoyed it and would love it if every audition were as good as that one. After class some of us were asked to learn some repertoire. The rep was very physical and challenging but I loved it! Ashley Page taught and ‘coached’ us on it, spending time to get it into our bodies and make it into his style. At the end of the day we were told that, if successful, we would hear before the 18th December. I have to say that I am not expecting anything to come of it but am happy with what I did within myself and am looking forward to more auditions! (Watch this space!) All this week we have had the fabulous photographer Bill Cooper in school, helping us to look the best we can for our audition and production photos. As positions go, the shots felt ok but I will tell you better when I see them! Maybe one of our headshots will go on this page so you can see me! I think you definitely deserve a photo after you have spent time reading through my entries. I am going to close this month by saying how lovely it is to have Amy back at college and how our flat (made up of Sally, Amy and myself) is complete again. Both Amy and Martin looked fantastic when we saw them performing ‘A Christmas Carole’ in Wimbledon last week – we are very proud of them both! Have a Happy Christmas and New Year!
Steph
Edward Gottschall Hi everyone! I’m Edward and I have been asked to keep a diary of my final year at Central School of Ballet, which will include the 2003 Ballet Central Tour. This is a very exciting time for all of us, but also rather scary. First, just a little about myself: I’m 18, I live in Enfield and I have been learning to dance since I was 8. I started my training at the North London Dance Studio. I have passed both RAD and ISTD exams in a number of dance disciplines. I have also taken part in professional pantomimes at the Millfield Theatre in North London, performed in many of the Dance Studio shows and competed in The All England Dance Competition. I was a pre-senior student at Central, and, following my audition for a place at CSB I was offered the first Boy’s Christopher Gable Scholarship. I felt that this was a great honour, and that it placed on me a responsibility to be the best I can be at all times. At times it seems as if I have been learning to dance all my life. But then again it only seems like yesterday since I embarked upon my three-year journey to obtain my diploma in classical dance. In the New Year I will start upon my audition trail to try and join a company and to follow my chosen career as a classical dancer. November has been a very busy and exhausting month for all of us because we have started our rehearsals for Ballet Central. We seem to start work very early in the morning and to finish very late at night. Still! I am sure that all this will stand us in good stead for when we start touring next year, and for when eventually we are ‘out there’ in the real world. We are very lucky to be working with several different choreographers, including Michael Corder. In fact, we have just finished learning the choreography for his piece, which is very exciting but also totally exhausting!! There’s lots more work and choreography learning to go before we are ready though! We have also been very lucky to have Adrian Scott help us with our singing. Greg Apostalides has been giving us innovative jazz classes, and Patricia Merrin has been helping us to prepare for mock auditions. All in all we have been working really hard and have had some extra pressure on us because we are giving a performance at the Tate Modern for our sponsors, Scottish Power, who have been extremely generous to us and are supporting our Ballet Central Tour. We have also had our assessments in Ballet, Contemporary Dance and Musical Theatre, and hopefully we all did well! But we won’t find out until after Christmas. On Monday 9th I am taking my RAD Advanced 2 exam at the RAD in London. Wish me luck!
Edward Gottschall
Hello and welcome to my first diary entry! It has been a month since I introduced myself, and what an eventful month it has been for me! So no wonder it has flown by so quickly. However, it is also one I will always remember. The real adventure for me started once I stepped onto the coach at NBT’s headquarters in West Park, and was on my way to Belfast to start touring with the company in their production of A Christmas Carol. After a week of classes and rehearsal in Leeds, the music was playing in my head, the steps were in my body, and I was looking forward to getting on stage and performing. However, to my horror, when we arrived at our hotel in Belfast, we discovered our rooms had been double booked. Fortunately though, everything turned out well because Martin Bell (who is also from Central) and I were moved to a four star hotel down the road, and it was pure luxury! This was the life! But I couldn’t help feeling guilty that, although we were students, we had ended up with the better deal. As this was the first week of performances, generally the first cast was used, and therefore I didn’t perform very often. Nevertheless, this gave me the chance to watch close up from the wings, and to see the company performing with great emotion, vitality and depth of character. During rehearsals, the company members gave their roles their all. However, with the addition of lighting, costumes and live music, the dancing had that extra edge, and it was so real and so inspiring to watch! I certainly learnt a great deal from this first week, and I was given my chance to put this into practice in Northampton and Wimbledon, where I danced a number of parts. So I was kept on my toes (literally) with quick changes, and I loved it! All these parts were also extremely diverse, ranging from more contemporary dance genres to Balanchine- inspired classical ballet, which added an element of excitement, and it was great to do all of this in one show! At Central it is constantly emphasised how versatile one has to be in companies nowadays, and being at NBT certainly proved this to me. As this was my first time touring with a company, I had my first taste of theatrical digs, which was actually pleasant enough, but I did hear some stories about eccentric landladies – something I hope to avoid when I go on tour with Ballet Central! Another first for me was getting paid for dancing, and I feel extremely lucky to be in a job where I’ll be paid for doing something I enjoy. I was also fortunate that my first experience of company life was so enjoyable. The company was helpful and welcoming, while A Christmas Carol was simply a joy to dance! Christmas came early for me this year, and I’ve been in the Christmas spirit ever since! The action didn’t stop once I finished with NBT. At college it was literally ‘Lights, camera, action!’ for the last week of term, because we had audition, production and head shots to be taken. Bill Cooper was our photographer, and it was a privilege to work with someone who is so highly respected in the dance world, and who has photographed some of my idols. So, as you can see, my month has been rather hectic, but I have enjoyed every second of it, and I will always treasure these memories. Right now I am looking forward to going home for Christmas and a long rest, before returning to a Spring term, packed with rehearsals, I’m sure! For the moment I’ll wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year! See you in 2003!
Amy Grubb |
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