Archive for the ‘Ballet’ Category

The Balletboyz at The Roundhouse

Saturday, August 2nd, 2014

2 August 2014

Balletboyz. Serpent/Fallen & Young Men (Excerpt) at The Roundhouse

Balletboyz final 2 performances of Serpent/Fallen with live music performed by BBC Concert Orchestra at London’s Roundhouse.

Balletboyz 1Serpent. Choreographer Liam Scarlett

Balletboyz Young Men 2Young Men. Choreographer Ivan Perez, Music Keaton Henson

Young Men takes its inspiration from the First World War, this is an excerpt the finished dance will be premiered in 2015.

Balletboyz Fallen 1

Balletboyz Fallen 2Fallen. Choreographer Russell Maliphant, Lighting Michael Hulls

Fallen, Choreographed by Russell Maliphant with lighting by Michael Hulls, was particularly strong and beautiful to watch, with the dancers creating different levels by lifting each other and falling.

Yorke Dance Project, Etching

Wednesday, March 12th, 2014

12 March 2014

I have printed an etching using the same images as the backdrops for No Strings Attached, the dance choreographed by Charlotte Edmonds in Yorke Dance Project’s Figure Ground. Edition of 30, printed on zerkall paper in burnt-orange coloured ink, can be supplied framed (floating in black box frame) or un-framed.

No Strings Attached Etch ©

Print £110,

Frame £50

sales: sallymckay@btinternet.com

Yorke Dance Project given 5 stars!

Tuesday, March 11th, 2014

10 March 2014

Read a great review given by Luke Jennings in The Observer plus 5 stars given to Yorke Dance Project’s triple bill, I designed and painted the backdrops for Charlotte Edmonds  No Strings Attached, the first dance of the evening. I worked from drawings I had made during the rehearsals last summer.

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Fang-Yi Sheu and Yuan Yuan Tan

Monday, December 2nd, 2013

14 November 2013

Edwaard Liang / Russell Maliphant / Christopher Wheeldon. An Evening Featuring Fang-Yi Sheu and Yuan Yuan Tan

Dancers Fang-Yi Sheu, Yuan Yuan Tan, Damian Smith and Clifton Brown perform at Sadler’s Wells.

3b Russell Maliphant1

3c Russell Maliphant

PresentPast. Choreographer Russell Maliphant, lighting designer Michael Hulls, dancer Fang-Yi Shue

6 Russell Maliphant

After The Rain. Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, dancers Yuan Yuan Tan and Damian Smith

8 Russell Maliphant

Five Movements, Three Repeats. Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon dancers  Fang-Yi Sheu, Yuan Yuan Tan, Damian Smith and Clifton Brown

9 Russell Maliphant

Two by Two. Choreographer Russell Maliphant; lighting designer Michael Hulls, dancers Fang-Yi Shue and Yuan Yaun Tan

Rambert Dance Company at Sadler’s Wells

Wednesday, October 30th, 2013

23 October 2013

Rambert 1

Rambert 8

Subterrain choreography Ashley Page

Rambert 2

Rambert 7

The Comedy of Change choreography Mark Baldwin

Rambert 6

The Castaways choreography Barak Marshall

Rambert will celebrate the move to a new home on the Southbank with two weeks of free events, 2 -14 December

Wayne McGregor Random Dance. Atomos

Thursday, October 10th, 2013

October 10th 2013

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Random 5

Atomos, Wayne McGregor‘s new work with his company Random Dance is thought provoking and stunningly beautiful, danced by ten extraordinary dancers. Lighting by Lucy Carter.  Next performance is at Brighton Dome November 8th.

Royal Ballet. Don Quixote

Saturday, September 28th, 2013

27th September 2013

I was invited to Covent Garden to watch The Royal Ballet rehearsing Don Quixote. Carlos Acosta Directs as well as performing the lead role, Basilio, with Marianela Nunez dancing Kitri. As I watched I drew some of the rehearsal.

Royal Ballet 1.

new R B

Royal Ballet 5

Random Dance, Conrad Shawcross at Roundhouse

Wednesday, August 28th, 2013

25th August

Timepiece is a giant faceless clock created by artist Conrad Shawcross. Three rotating arms with lit up bulbs on the ends mark the hours, minutes and seconds, they move through the space at different speeds like inquisitive lit up probes, sending beams of light out across the dark room and the 24 pillars which surround the light sculpture, they cast moving shadows all going in different directions. The Conrad Shawcross installation, Timepiece, has been suspended in London’s Roundhouse for 3 weeks. During the installation, company Wayne McGregor I Random Dance, Siobhan Davies Dance and dance artist Iona Kewney performed in the space beneath the clock. I caught the last performance of Random Dance dancing Azimuth.

Below: these are some of the drawings I made during the performanceRandom 1s Random 3s Random 2s

Random 2

We sit on the floor in a big circle around the 24 pillars, the dancers enter the circle at different points from the darkness behind us. The audience are transfixed, the dancers move with such extraordinary speed, skill and agility, they run the circumference of our circle – time racing forwards at dizzying speed; sometimes their actions reflect the rotations of the Timepiece above, reminding us to be aware of the clock. Sometimes a solo, or a duet or everyone in movement. My drawings look crowded with bodies, I was loving the activity and speed of the dancers, so drawing an individual several times as he or she moved across the space.

Kings Place is the next venue to catch these fantastic dancers when they present Random Works 20 September, 21 September, then the company will be at Sadler’s Wells performing Atomos from 9 October and don’t miss Thinking with the Body an exhibition at The Wellcome Collection.

Open Doors, Open Dancing

Saturday, June 22nd, 2013

8th June 2013

Today Greenwich Dance (GDA) opened the doors to the local community for a day of free dance classes Open Doors, Open Dancing, as Greenwich Dance Resident Artist I organized easy going art workshops throughout the day. All ages participated, youngsters drawing the dancers on long sheets on the floor while the class was in progress, older children and adults preferring to use individual sheets of paper.

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open doors8 open doors9 open doors11 open doors12

 

 

 

 

Drawing the dance class while the dancers danced

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some preferred to sit apart and try collage or drawing from memory

 

 

 

 

 

Ballet Class

 

 

 

 

 

African Dance Class

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We made a Greenwich Dance Gallery

 

 

 

Dancing around Duchamp

Wednesday, May 29th, 2013

May 29th 2013

Richard Alston Dance Company dance a mixed repertoire of Cunningham dances within the Barbican Art Gallery. I am there with my sketch book and pencils.

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