Ballet Central Diary

Our first two performances

I know it has been a while so I thought I would start by apologising for not having written sooner, however the girls have been equally as bad so I do take a little comfort from that. A lot has been going on, David Nixon has been in and selected his cast for the new piece he is creating and Brenda, Rym and I have all been chosen which is a wonderful opportunity for us. Along with our tireless rehearsal schedule the Company also did a residency at University College School in Hampstead. It lasted two days and was a really good experience. It is an all boys school and throughout the day they would turn up, watch and participate in ballet and pas de deux classes. We also did a jazz workshop which I would like to think went down well with the 40 twelve-year-old lads that took part.....manic to say the least.

The residency finished with a performance and that is where it all started to go wrong. Rym and I had been ask to perform Christopher Gable's 'Fireside Pas de Deux' which we were very very excited about. Rehearsals had been going really well but for some reason it all just went horribly wrong on the day. Rym tripped over my foot about half way through and it went downhill from there, my finger got caught in her costume on one of the lifts and the presage at the end was almost non existent. 'you know when something is going so wrong you do not believe it is really happening', Rym's comment as we walked off stage summed up the performance perfectly. Needless to say we felt the full throttle of our embarrassing performance from the Boss, our only consolation being that we had a chance to put it right four days later.

'Behind the Scenes' is an event that Central put on for our many sponsors. The school is decorated to the maximum and many important and powerful people come to watch a performance that we put together. It is a special occasion and Rym and I knew how important it was that we got it right, Bruce Sansom's decleration to the audience that the pas de deux represented everything the school stood for in terms of artistry and technique did little to settle the nerves but perhaps gave us the lift we needed. It went very well and according to reliable sources caused a few tears in the audience, the exact response we were after. All in all the last few weeks have gone well, rehearsals are progressing nicely and rather worryingly time is going rather quickly. We have been told the Matthew Bourne reportoire, something that I am particularly excited about and also some exciting news about Mark Baldwin, we will let you know soon. Thank you for reading, speak soon, Tom x

Introduction... to Tom Conlan

Having been subtly reminded on a number of occasions, i finally decided that my hour and a half break between ballet and contemporary class was probably the right time to listen to the wise words of the Central PR staff (and my rather excited Mum) and write my first web entry. So, sitting in the library on my own with a bottle of water perched on the desk and a half read Guardian sports page on my lap i guess the best place to start is by introducing myself. My name is Tom Conlan and welcome to the world of my weblog. I am currently a third year student at Central School of Ballet and I started dancing when i was about 2 years old. Inspired by mr Astaire and a certain Rudolf Nureyev I continued my training locally before embarking upon the Central rollercoaster. The first two years have been extremely hard work but also very worthwhile and third year, thus far, has been equally tough and rewarding. It poses a different kind of challenge in the shape of many famous choreographers and, since I am the last person to fill in the diary, I have noticed that neither Rym or Brenda has done any name dropping. Matthew Bourne, David Nixon, Christopher Hampson, Ashley Page, Mark Baldwin, Russel Maliphant and Christopher Gable are just some of the names people will recognise when they look at the Ballet Central 2008 programme. Rather impressive and also rather daunting, we just hope to do them all justice. As much as i would love to sit here telling you all about myself and my aspirations in the dance world my dear friend Dan, who has just dived into reception with a starbucks and a half eaten sandwhich, has reminded me that contemporary starts in 2 minutes (not enough time for a bite apparently). Anyway thanks for reading, hopefully that has given you all a jist of who I am. Take care and I hope to write again soon x

Hey There! Kif ahna? Introduction ... to Brenda Lee Grech

Aaaaaa…. I’m so excited to present myself to you and I’m getting a bit lost, cause I don’t know where to start from. …. And I also want to make my intro ‘’brief’’ as I tend to say a lot…. It’s amazing how I always find something to chat about.

Well, this is Brenda Lee…..Welcome to my diary!

19 years ago, I was born to a very beloved couple, in one of the tiniest islands in the world – Malta! Tiny yet Independent. Dad& Mum are two very talented people, dad creates the most amazing furniture and mum is an extraordinary dress maker, however when it comes to dancing, they are not quite ….. lets say… into it. They do though love music and dance, however in Malta unfortunately there is not so much to follow as regards to art when compared to other countries; ballet for example, has been in Malta for 45 to 50 years(something like that) so it is still 'new' to us when considering the early days in which ballet evolved. I was named after the American singer Brenda Lee, but I turned out to be a dancer instead, although I do Enjoy singing… O I Love it and I’m so glad that this year I have the opportunity to actually learn how to sing properly.
One other interesting thing which you might want to know about me is that, when I was born, the doctor told my parents that I was never going to walk. It was quite a shock for my parents and they were uncertain for six months, which is when the doctors were then able to take X-rays of my feet, and realized that everything was ok….. and that the doctor was actually mistaken……. Now I don’t just walk on my feet but I dance on the very edge! Great isn’t it!
After having been to Italy and then to France, I am now in London to pursue my studies at the Central School of Ballet. Life is hectic here but I love it. We have already started working on quite a few choreographies which Ballet Central will be touring with. I am really enjoying it as the work includes a bit of everything, form classical repertoire to contemporary and jazz! I am that kind of person who likes everything; I love all forms of dance, and like exploring new ways of moving and challenging myself to different styles.

End of part one …..More news next time…

Ps: A big Happy birthday goes to Marley Lagana', Alison Grech, Marilyn and Marianne Schembri who will be getting older this month! ;)

Introduction... to Rym Kechacha

Having been asked to join such illustrious company as Samuel Pepys and Carrie Bradshaw and keep a diary of my exciting life for the entertainment and information of the public, I thought I’d take this opportunity to introduce myself!
I am Rym Kechacha and despite my wildly exotic name, I was actually born in Barking and raised in Essex- enough said! I begged my mum to take me to ballet classes when I was four because all my friends did it, and although there was never an epiphany moment when I decided that I absolutely had to wear the red shoes, I have never wanted to do anything else. I came to Central from an ordinary comprehensive school when I was sixteen and did ‘A’ levels in English, French and Dance alongside my dance training during first and second year.
The past two years have been indescribable- exhausting, exhilarating and have taught me so much about life, the universe and everything! Every day I learn something new about myself and about the life that I have chosen for myself, and the hardest thing I have had to learn so far is that life is not perfect, and that there are no answers, only questions. I guess that’s a part of why we look to art for perfection and magic in our everyday lives- ballet certainly isn’t perfect, but its closer than most!
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Ballet Central is something that everyone looks forward to throughout first and second year, and so far, the experience is living up to every expectation. There is so much to look forward to this year- we have a very exciting and as always diverse repertoire, which I hope we can do justice to. (Especially as it is the twenty fifth anniversary of the school, so we have some important flag flying to do.) There is a truly spectacular list of choreographers we will be working with and learning from, some of whom we have already met and rehearsals are well underway for some of the more classical pieces (details to follow in a future entry.)
As well as all the exciting things that we are getting to do with Ballet Central this year, there is also the future beyond graduating next July to think about. I do have some ideas about what I would like to do, but as I’m very wary of writing my intimate hopes and dreams on the internet for all and sundry to read, I’ll just say that I hope to do lots of auditions in the course of this year and see where I get!
Anyway, enough rambling. More scintillating(!) gossip next time!