THE BEAUTY OF THE DANCE AND THE POWER OF THE VISUAL IMAGE"

where the allusivness of dance meet the intimacy of film to create a new kind of magic !



( Duende y Misterio del Flamenco, film by Edgar Neville)




There are amny similarities between the two field , the Dance Industry and the Movie industry. According to some professional in the performing art 'field , these two fields have some common elements, such as the spirit, the power and the freedom of communication Even if some people of the public may consider these, two different types of arts they cannot ignore the fact they they both convey an emotion... I remember one of my closest friends in London when he was asked about the relationship between dance and movies he said “ they have nothing to do with each other, these are two completely different entities, one use the bpdy and the non verbal communication channel and the other use the visual image, how can they have some common elements?”. Even if he is a professional and has been working in the film field for many years, that time I had to disagree with him. I honestly believe that these two form of arts have in common the element of “ emotion”. They both convey emotions and can make the public feel what they feel during their exhibition whether they are dancing in the theatre or acting on the stage. I remember when I took an acting class some years ago and at the first lesson the teacher taught me how to use my body to convey an emotion. I remember having to take body languages classes a tolearn the the movements that can be used to better get in touch with the audience. For this reason I truly belive that in both the dance and the film fields there are some important elements that need to be taken into consideration, or just for the simple reason that they are both “ arts vehicles”.
One of the best examples in which when these two types of arts find themselves can be in the movies about dancers or choreographers 'lives. In the past years this form of convergence between film and dance has taken up an higher levels, when Hollywood film production companies decided to start producing film that would include stories of important dancers or ordinary people who found a solution and a salvation for their problem thanks to the practice of dance . One of the best and well made movies that is concerned with this issue is “ A Time to dance””(1996).The film explains the stories of tow young girls, Sam and Jules who were bets friend since they were nine. The story begins at the start of senior year where Sam and Jules were attending a party, each of them discussing what they would like to do after the school.. They are both dancers working very hard to prepare the final performance for the senior year before going to colleges/. However their plans were halted when Jules begins to feel pain in her hip and after several attempts to sort out the problem , she finally finds out that she had cancer. The movies described both Jules' and Sam's reactions to the cancer and how they felt often recalling memories from their childhood. However, Jules decide not to give up and start fighting against the cancer, holding on to the only thing that could keep her sane, the dance, therefore, the overall film has a lot of different dance related scenes , such as when she was admitted at the one of the most prestigious dance school in the country and or the final performance that she had to do before singing herself up to the hospital for cures.. The movie tries to convey a positive message and used the beauty of the dance and the power of the image to convey emotions such as the freedom, sadness and anger.
Another of the most interesting and well knowns examples of artworks where film meets the dance can be found in one of the oldest performing arts , the Musical. They are films that are centred on combinations of music, dance, songs or choreography. In traditional musicals, cast members are ones who sings. Musical highlights various musical artists or dancing stars with lyrics that support the story line, often with an alternative, escapist vision of reality, a search for love, success wealth and popularity. This genre has been considered the most “ escapist” of all major film genres. Tremendous film choreography and orchestration often enhances musical ability to affect and amaze the audience in so different levels. The Musical has a long way back , with the coming of talking motion pictures the musical film genre emerged. Stage musicals, and operettas, revenues, cabaret, musical comedy, music halls and vaudeville, are all examples of artworks where the Dance meets the power of the images. It is worth indicating that the first ever produced musical in history was “ The Broadway Melody (1929). It premièred in Hollywood in early February of 1929 at Grauman's Chinese Theatre and was the first widely-distributed t sound film incorporating dances to win an Academy Award for Best Picture, in 1935 and in 1937.
In nowadays, the increasing studies and research in both these field had let to the creation of new types of artworks, such as Dance festival incorporating elements of movies and camera shootings. Some of these festivals and organization that incorporate dance and film are really specific and unique. One of the most famous festivals of these kinds is called “ Dance Camera West Film festival”. This particular festival who is based in Los Angeles, California offers the most outstanding examples of dance on screen a rich medium that hit the boundaries to redefine both dance and film .


It was founded in 2001, the Dance Camera West Film festival has established itself as a vital ingredient in LA evolving cultural landscapes . This film festival has presented over 1,000 international dance films since it first festival in 2002 making it the leading voice for the innovative genre of Dance art Film. As some reporters have stated “ as the world of dance film,and dance media evolve to include new innovative forms, so does out festival and our organisation evolve to include new venues and new events and new audiences. We are always interested in seeing everything that the dance film world has to offer”. Moreover this festival offer an occasion for the audience to truly estimate the value of dance and of film and the fabulous creations that these two forms of arts can create when used with balance and grace . As Steven d. Lavine. Ex president of California institute of the Arts has stated “ this festival is a significant presence, exerting a strong influence on the development of dance and dance audiences in our city”.




Along the line of Dance Festival there some organisation which were originated with the intent of getting in touch with different dance and film companies, One of the most recognized Association is (DFA) and is dedicated to furthering the art of dance film. It is DFA's aim to connect artists and organisation fostering new works for new audience and sharing essential resources . It is a not-for profit membership corporation with accomplishes this mission by promoting and facilitating production, distribution and use of dance films and video , supporting the public about the history and the development of dance films and videos, and supporting the efforts of educators institutions and community groups to present dance films , offering courses such as Camera Touring program. It was founded by Susan Braun in 199 and included Ted Shawn, as well as modern and dance pioneer Jose Liomon and ballerina Alicia Markova as members of its first Board of Directors. Ms. Bran has devoted her l;life to finding, showcasting , preserving dance films and videos until her death in 1995 and for that reason it is important to keep her dream alive, by going and supporting this Dance Film festivals.









References:


http://www.dancefilmsassn.org/Aboutmission.html

http://www.dancecamerawest.com/

www.allreaders.com/topics/info_29297.asp

http://www.dancefilmscotland.com/

www.filmsite.org/musicalfilms.htm

THE COUNCIL OF ART AND ITS FRIENDLY FELLOWS CONGLOMERATES!!!!!

Obviously, one of the most important and main centre of development of arts and dance across London is the Council of Art. For those who did not know that, this is the main important body and conglomerates that regulates and control of the flows of information and strategies for any event related to dance or performing arts.

The Council of Art is the father of the Dance field in London and all its baby are respectively called “ The Council for Dance Education and Training which divided itself again into minor department each of these dealing with different areas of the business of the dance. The other minor bust still fundamental bodies include “ The British Dance Association”, “The Royal Academy of Dance”, the “ British Ballet Association” and the “ Imperial society of teacher of Dancing”.

The website for the Council for Dance Education and Training. This site is the main body that deals with investing money to the industry; including private dance professionals, dancing companies as well as various dance agencies. The British Ballet organization which focus principally on training programs for classical dancers and Ballet companies. It is also one of the leading dance examination boards in the United Kingdom. It provides training programs in dancing categories such as classical Ballet,Tap,Jazz and Modern Dance. The Imperial society of Teachers of Dancing is a governmental body which deals with creating examination and tests for teachers and professionals in both private and public spheres.

The International Dance Association awards different types of dance training programmes for dancing students and professionals. It grants money to a variety of activities all connected to the world of dance. Some of these activities include dance festivals and dance competitions . The International Dance Association. This association grants awards to dance training qualifiers and has certification programs for dancing students as well as professionals. It also grants money to the dancing companies and agencies. The British Dance Association is another governmental body which can grant money to independent dancers and schools. The Royal Academy of Dance is a leading international board specializing in classical Ballet training programs. It examines professionals and teachers.

These above are the most important conglomerates that make up the share of the dance profit and business within the UK, and more precisely within London. Every and each of these conglomerates exercise such as strong impact on the society and on the culture of the dance industry . For example, the Imperial society of the Teacher of Dancing” is a governmental body at first created to train the choreographers about the different types of dance present in London and offering at the same time various exams and tests that they need to pass fully in order to be able to be recognized by the dance authorities in London .

This body is really important and plays a vital role in the creation and in the training of the next generation of dancers In fact, the teachers are taught into the traditional techniques of the old art of the Dance and are encouraged to develop a specific set of mind,along the line of that one of the teacher. In fact,I think that sometimes choreographers should be a little more elastic and letting their own students to find their own ways and styles of the Dance.

Plus, being this one a government body , it has to perform following the lines of the government regulations and expectation of what dance should be like. In fact, I think that there should be more bodies like this one spread out across UK so that there will be more expansion and diffusion of different techniques and ideas which would rend the magic world of the dance even more exciting and charismatic.






Sources:
http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/

Adam Cooper , a marvellous creature "

His talent will leave the audience breathless and amazingly inspired !!!!.

Adam Cooper is and always will be one of the greatest dancers that the UK has ever had. His talent and his movements of body and performance are known worldwide. He has been interested in dance and has been an ongoing dancer in the market for so long .
His first steps in this industry can be traced back to his childhood. He grew up in the area of Tooting London in 1971. Since he was a little child he has shown a strong appreciation for the dance, training himself at the Jean Winller School of Dance in Tooting. After being educated on classical dance and ballet he surprisingly found himself to be liking other genres such as music, singing, but always remaining faithfully attached to his main inspiration,the dance. He ha also shown interest in working in different types of dance such as Contemporary and Character Dance. During his time in between dance academies and work to pay hi living, he appeared with London festival Ballet and Chataley Theatre Paris and make some appearances in some of the most important media and television shows such as the BBC programmes "Merry Wives of Windsor".


Obviously one of the his most important, amazingly and wonderful performances is his role as the Swan in the Swan Lake. This was the main reason that inspired me to be reading and to become an passionate fan of his work and of his life as a professional dancer. I can clearly remember the first time that I went to the Theatre and saw him in that role. I can clearly recall what I though to myself as soon as he stepped out in the stage “ What a beautiful and strange creature this one is”. As a matter of fact it was a creature, he was not human , it was like if he was coming from some unearthly dimension showing up his true colours of a beautiful swan.
I was amazed by his talent and the way he was able to completely own the stage without never loosing the sigh of it. I have been training myself in some theatre academies and I can honestly assume that he must have been rehearsed many exhausting hours to just come out and do that scene. But he did not seem to suffer dancing half-naked on the stage all day. I felt like if it was natural to him to just move his arms as wings and feet as springs. He is in my opinion one of the most talent British dancers and choreographers in our generation. His moves of body were technically perfect and gave some much pleasure to the observers to just sit down and enjoy his performance.

Having being trained in theatre and in acting for some time I knew exactly what was going on his mind when he had to get in and start performing . Even if to many people his movements and acting seem to come easily as if it is part of human nature, I can honestly assure anyone of the contrary. It is really hard and is process that need a certain level of concentration and silence in order for the performance to come and to "emotionate" the audience. He really needs to get down inside himself and at the same time being able to separate himself from the surroundings , focusing on himself and on his role. This articulate and deep process of recognition and understanding of one's true conscience and nature is an element that any performer has to deal with if he want to appear genuine in the eyes of the audience.

For a dancer, this process of absorbing information about one self and emotion and being able to use them as occasion and situations present themselves come out in the form of non verbal communication and body movements. A good dancer needs to be aware of his body and of his potential. Once a dancer is aware of the capabilities and limits that his body can reach he is then able to use it as beautiful machine to express his feelings and help the character to become real. In the language of dance every movements that you make with your body has a specific symbol and meaning. Even just by moving an inch higher your right arm can send a totally different message than it meant when it was 2 inch lower. Every moment that a dancer make has been planned and worked over times and times again in order to come out naturally . Adam has been able to achieve this perfection , his movements of legs and arms are perfectly connected with the idea that he wanted to portray while he was dancing .

The help of the backstage lights and of the side lights can really make a difference in some cases. When he played the part of the Sawn, his body was totally flashed out with colourful and magical lights that rendered his dance and performances even more unique.
For some reason dancing is like breathing , it is a feeling so pure that come right from the heart and it cannot be stopped. It is like an electric wave of heat that go throughout your body and all you can do is to follow it. As the actor who played Billy Elliot in the famous movie ,has stated during his audition scene “ Dance to me is like electricity “. That is what Adam Coop is to me, pure powerful energy .

FEDERICO SENTINELLI

Further information:

websites:

( Adam Cooper in Swan Lake performance)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIwzT-EGSws

http://www.adam-cooper.com/

REGULATIONS TO THE DANCE INDUSTRY IN UK

EXTERNAL REGULATIONS TO THE DANCE INDUSTRY IN UK

The Royal Academy of Dance, one of the best and notorious academies in London, has a list of special duties and regulations that it need to respect in conducting its business.These regulations have been imposed on this academy by an external governmental body .

In fact ,the Academy is a member of the Council of Dance Education and Training , the national standards body of the professional dance industry., the National Dance Teacher's Association the Foundation for Community Dance which is the UK development agency for dancers . These bodies have the function to operate as analysing that the Royal Academy is working properly following the rules and the regulations fairly.

“The Royal Academy of Dance is validated for education and designed as an awarding organisation by external agencies and as a result to fulfil its obligations specifically regarding the Equal Opportunities and Race Equality policies in the process of selecting students. The Academy has a general duty under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 as amended by the Equality Act 2006 to promote equality between men and women to eliminate unlawful sex determinations”.

The Royal Academy has the duty to produce a Gender Equality Scheme in connection to meet the gender equality objectives which are effective policies and practices in order to ensure gender equality in the workforce and the delivery of it service.

Another rule that I found to be really interesting is referred to as 9.2 and it explicitly states that “There will be wider consultation involving employees, students other institutions and the local and wider community. The Royal Academy has to make sure that these national policies against any form of discrimination have been adopted by using a variety of tools”. One of this ways is by consulting with employees or with teachers regarding this issue and analysing their opinion about the conduct of the Academy and investigating whether there were any cases relating to discrimination or racism among students and teachers.

Another national regulation that I think it to be really important when we talk about dance in the UK regards the protection and assistance that these academies have to give to disable students or students that need more assistance and help while they are being educated in the academy . These rules concerning students suffering from psychological or physical problems have been regulated by the Policy Statement on Promoting Disability Equality.
“ The Royal Academy of Dance has a general duty under the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 an aims not to discriminate against disable people including employees, potential employees, students, potential students, examination candidates clients, and other customers”.

INTERNAL REGULATIONS

Apart from satisfying the regulations imposed by the national governmental bodies, dance companies are allowed to create and personify their own set of rules . One of the best examples can be found in the regulation guidelines of English National Ballet School. Saccharine to the “SCHOOL TERMS AND CONDITIONS” students are expected to follow these rules including:

Fees :

1)Acceptance is subject to the parent or guardians acceptance of fees. For some students this may tale the form of a UK Dance and Dram Award or a private scholarship.
2)Fees should be paid by the first day of each term for UK students and in full by the first day of the academic year for international students.

3) Progression top the second year of the course is dependent on the student's successful completion of year 1 dance. While the School will make every effort to facilitate the students progress form the School into a professional dance company it doesn't undertake to find employment for student at English National Baller or any other organisation .

4)The withdrawl from the School, a full term notice is mandatory. In fact, if you fail in giving the Academy some warning you will be obliged to pay terms fees in lieu of notification whether or not you are receiving financial assistance from any source.

5) There are some other important rules that need to be taken into consideration , especially regarding non European students. This Academy stated that “non European students will be billed at the start of each year for their annual fees. Where there is a problem with funding the school will provide with seeking sources from somewhere else".

INSURANCE

This Academy requires its students to have private medical insurances with the School insurance scheme unless their parents are already insuring them.


This academy will not accept responsibility for loss, demage or accidents that may occur. Parents are strongly advised to arrange insurance for students property.


These regulation are not established by any national or global body . They have been created by each single school and differ from the external rules in the sense that they are privatly established.

These following Rules and Regulation are without prejudice to the right of the event planner, the Licensing Authority HSE or other competent authorities to deal with any special cases as they may arise.
Any event must comply with the "License for hire of the Venues" and the " General onditionsof Hire" contained in the license agreement.

DEADLINES

All the deadlines which are required to provide EC&O's customer service departement with all the details listed in the table below. Failure to meet these deadlines may result in the event license being withheld or an individual stands being condemned and rendered unable to trade and therfore partecipating in the event.

MINIMUM 90 DAYS BEFORE LICENCE PERIOD

A)Public transport details on tickets and promotional material
b) Profile of event
c) Initial scaled floor plan
d) Special licence application


35 DAYS BEFORE LICENCE PERIOD

a) Final scaled floor plan including layouts
b) Final special applications or certification
c) Details of all complex structures
d) Risk assessment form


PRIOR TO VISIT ADMITTANCE

a) All complex and non -complex stand certifications
b) A temporary strutures and special effect certification have to be written and aggred by this time.

FIRE SAFETY RULE:

EC&O provides appropriate numbers of patrolling fire stafety personnel for each event. If an increased fire risk is presented by a specific activity at the event or by the natur eof the event itself any additional fire sagety staff reuqired will be provided by EC&O and charged to license.

INSTALLATION POLICY:

Due to the high risk nature of electrical work, licenses may only use electrical contracts who are approved by the EC&O " Control of Contractors Procedure". A list of these contractors can be obtained by the event manager. Contractors who are not on the approved list must complete the appruval process before they will be allowed to operate on the premises.

EC&O will monitor electrical installations and will not pertmit any connection where the installation is unasatifactory.

Electrical regulatons must be observed by all licenses exhibitors,franchiese and other sub-licensees and their contractors , sub-contractors agents and staff.
In order to keep the audience and the public of any event safe , the event manger will need to satisfy that the licenses'measures for crowd control on and off the premises are sufficient.


COMPRESSED GAS

The use of compressed gas within the venue is strictly regulated. Licensees whishing to use compress gas shall comply with the EC&O and with the Safe Working Practise and Use of Liquified Petroloeum Gas ( LPG ) and Other Pressurised Gases.

a) Installation
Any person carrying around work involving installation testing commissioning and maintanence of gas appliance or associated fittings must be competent under the Gas Safety regardless of whether they are registered with the Council of Registered Gas Installers or no.

b) Delivery and storage
the delivery of cylinders by gas suppliers must be notified to the event manager
Some Cylinders will be stored only if accepted if there is sufficient space available in the storage cage

USE OF COMPRESSED GAS WITHIN THE VENUE:

a) conections must be made inspected and certified by a competent person. The licenses must arrange and bear the cost of inspections. A copy of the certificates and regulations must be given to the event manger prior to teh use of the appliance.
b) The number of cylinders per stand shall be restricted to that required for the operation of the appliance, in accordance with the risk assessement and the number agreed with EC&O.



ON-SITE MANAGEMENT :

All stands construction must be monitored during build-up by the licensee's appointed structural engineer and floor management team. Stands which appear to be complex, which have not been submitted for appruval, will be challanged and construction may be stopped until satisfactory information has been received.

ANIMAL

According to the safety regulations body no wild or domestic animals except guided dogs are allowed without the prior written consent of EC&O. Written application must be submitted to the customer services department at least 35 days prior to the event. Animals must be appropraitely supervised, housed, maintained fed and watered to the satisfaction of EC&O .

Where animlas are exhibited, guidence as to animal welfare and appropriate safety measures shall be obtanied for a suitably qualified veterinary officer. A copy of this report should be passed on to the customer services department for submission to the Licensing Authority.



FLOOR COVERING:
If the licensee has hired a carpeted hall, the floor covering provided must not be lifted without prior written permission from the EC&O. No other floor covering must be laid directky on top of the existing carpet. Floor flats or platforms must be laid if alternatives floor covering is to be used. Any costs incurred for the lifting of carpet, if applied the proibishion of client's own floor covering must be done by license agreements.
In other areas drugged matting, crumb,cloths and other loor covering shall be so done secured and maintained that it will not cause any harm. All floor covering must complay with the event manager plans. Other forms of fixing to the hall floor, suych as cable. clips, nails, and bolts are strictly prohibited. The license will incur a charge for any tape not removed by the end of the venue period or any adamage caused to the hall floor.

CATERING

Catering should be planned together with the assistence of the Retail Catering Strategy. In order to have a well organised and balanced catering system for the event, the manger of the event should have planned and gotten in contact with catering companies. The EC&O has the right to introduce other retail catering partners into the venue at any time. Such partners are likely to have exclusive core product agreements.EC&O wil inform licensees as soon as any such agreements are reached.

In order to protect the commercial interestes of our catering partners, no other retail catering is permitted in the venue without the written permission of EC&O. In such situation a concession fee will normally apply.

additional catering provision

The permanent catering facilities are designed to meet the needs of the majorities of events. However there may be some other events needing extra facilities. In fact the EC&O may be needing of a specific catering requiremenet beyond the ordinary one.

SALE OF FOOD AND DRINK FROM EXHIBITION STAND:
The sale of food or drinks from exhibition stands will not be permitted unless it is clearly for off-site consumption.


ALCOHOL

Exhibitors wishing to sell alcohol for off-site consumption must obtain a temporary off-sales licence a copy of which must be submitted to the event manager prior to the event opening.

HOPSITALITY CATERING
The event manager must offer a stand catering service, as well as providing a full hospitality in private rooms.

If exhibitors wish to provide visitors to their stands with hospitality catering of any kind they are required to obtain the food and drink from the EC&O hospitality catering partner. Exhibitors are not allowed to bring their own food on to their stands.

In fact, on the occasion where an exhibitor contravenes this rule the catering partner reserves the right to charge the exhibitors a corkage or concession fee.

SAMPLING

Any proposed food or dring campling activity must be notified to the customer sevices departement not later than 35 days prior to the start of the event license period. Unless agreed the standard acceptable sampling as follows:
a) Unwrapped Food( small portions)
b) Indiviudally wrapped items
c) drink 85 ml container


CHILDREN

Children under 16 years old are not allowed on the premises during build-up and breakdown. Anye event which has a large number of children attending as visitors must have an enhanced security stewarding presence in accordance with the requirements identifed in the event risk assessment.


Sources:
http://wwww.royal-ballet-school.org.uk/equalopportunitiesanddiversitypolicy
http://wwww.ballet.org.uk
http://www.eco.co.uk/rules and regulations

Dance industry in London

MISSION STATEMENT

Dancing is affirmative, optimistic and democratic. It embodies the idea that the world can be a happier place. Those are useful ideas in difficul times" ( the Guardian 20 December 2008)

LOGO


Logo: MY LOGO FOR THE DANCE INDUSTRY WOULD BE A SMALL FIGURE OF A PAIR OF BALLET SHOES. This is a common symbol of dance and it would be more than appropriate for a international festival of dance . The symbol of a pair of ballet shoues would be my logo for the event.

I chose the image of a young dancer for my festival of dance because it incorporates what dance means to many professionals in the field as young and full of energies and dreams .

IMMAGE :

Sources:

http://www.londondance.com/

http://www.bbc.oc.uk/dance

http://www.dancedirect.com/

Dance festival ownership graph

These are some important resources and websites that can be used to gain more informatio about the dance Industry in the Uk. Some of these sources offer a complete range of programmes and courses that anyone who is interetsed in dance can get involved with.

PRODUCERS:

http://www.cdet.org.uk/

This is the website for the Council for Dance Education and Training. This site is the main body that deals with investing money to the industry; including private dance professionals, dancing companies as well as various dance agencies.

http://www.bho.org.uk/

This is the website of the British Ballet organization which focues principally on training programs for classical dancers and Ballet companies. It is also one of the leading dance examination boards in the United Kingdom. It provides training programs in dancing categories such as classical Ballet,Tap,Jaz and Modern Dance.

http://www.istd.org/

This is the website of the Imperial society of Teachers of Dancing

This is a governmental body which deals with creating examination and tests for teachers and professionals in both private and public spheres.

http://www.idta.co.uk/

The International Dance Association awards different types of dance training programmes for dancing students and professionals. It grants money to a variety of activities all connected to the world of dance. Some of these activities include dance festivals and dance competitions .

http://www.idta.co.uk/]

This is the website of the International Dance Association. This association grants awards to dance training qualifiers and has certification programs for dancing students as well as professionals. It also grants money to the dancing companies and agencies.

http://www.btda.co.uk/

This is the website of British Dance Association which can grant money to independent dancers and schools.

http://www.rad.co.uk/

This is the website of the Royal Academy of Dance. It is a leading international board specializing in classical Ballet training programs. It examines professionals and teachers.

DANCERS

Here above, are a list of the main types of dances that are currently practiced in London.

http://www.ballroomdancers.com/

This is a particular type of dance which refers to a set of movements. These movements orginated from a mix of influences; ranging from the International Standard of Classical Ballet to the Latin dancing styles.

http://www.latindanceacademy.co.uk/

This website refers to a wide range of dance movements orginating in Latin America and Cuba. Some of these dances include: Merengue, Tampa,Bachata, Cha-cha-cha, Rumba, Samba

http://www.efdss.org/

This website describes a type of dance called "folk" dance. It is a set of dance movements including clogging, English country dance, Irish dance, and Nordic dance.

http://www.hip-hopdance.com/

This website describes a social and choreographed dance style , primarily focusing on the hip-hop music. The media has now called this type of dancing "break dancing" and refers to its dancers as "break dancers". It is a typical dance which is characterized by a strong rythme and aggressivity of music.

SCHOOL

The main dancing schools in the UK are divided into private and public. Here are some of the following websites of some of the most notorious dancing schools.

Pineapple studio

http://www.pineapple.uk.com/

This is one of the most famous dancing schools in London. It is located in Covent Garden right in the heart of London. It offers a wide variety of dancing style and programs ranging from classical ballet, street je, hip-hop salsa, Egyptian dance to Bollywood grooves and more.

Basement Dance Studio

http: www.//www.jumpanddance.com

This is another important dancing school in the UK. The school has the resources to offer one on one attention between the teachers and their students, which contributes to the schools prestige. .

http://www.enbschool.org.uk/

This is the English national Ballet school. This school provides ballet training for students ranging from ages 16 to 19 years old. this school enables its graduates to achieve a level of artistry and technique required by English National Ballet and other international classical ballet companies.

COMPANIES:

These above are the main dancing companies in the Uk. The companies divide themselves in classical dancing companies and contemporary dancing companies.

Classical dancing companies:

http://www.royal-ballet-school.org.uk/

This companies main focus is to train and educate outstanding classical ballet dancers for the Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and other top international dance companies. They are known for setting standards in dance training nationally and internationally.

CONTEMPORARY DANCING COMPANIES:

http://www.motionhouse.co.uk/

This company of contemporary dancers is choreographed by the strong direction of Kevin Finnan and Louise Richards. They create and deliver an extraordinary range of dance performances, acclamied for stricking use of imagery theatricality and immediate impact.

AGENCY:

Here above are a list of agencies that divide themsleves into Private and public .

PRIVATE:

http://www.kmcagencies.co.uk/

KMC Agencies is involved in creating an even bigger community of performers. The agencies dancers appear worldwide from the UK's West End to Paris Fashion week; even to the Sundance Film Festival.

PUBLIC AGENCIES:

http://www.grenwichdance.org.uk/

This agency is supported by Arts Council of England. It is a public agency which offers support to dancers . It is an agency which caters to diversity offering categories of dancers and performers for different events and festivals.

PLACE:

Here are a list of the main venues where dancing companies bring their dancers to perform for a wide variety of occasions and situations.

Theatre:

http://www.sadlerwells.com/

The Sadler's Wells Theatre is located in Central London. It is dedicated to showing different types of performing arts and dance companies. Right now, the Flamenco festival is going on and many Latin companies are participating in this event. Some of the dances that are showing include : Salsa, mambo, cha-cha-chaoand rumba.

Television companies;
Some dancers may get involed with television production companies such as BBC,BBC1,BBC3<>

http://www.bbc.co.uk/

Live shows:

Some dancers may be getting involved with live shows around london, in festivals or in other outside events and competitions. These venues are perfect for a dancer to show off their talent and get their name around.

http://www.dancesport.uk.com/events

This website shows the main dancing competitions in the Uk. In yesterdays page there was the image of two great dancers , Micheal Malitowski and Joanna Leunis who were ready to perform.

AUDIENCE;

The target audience who is interested in attending these competitions, or any event linked with the dance can be divided into the following categories: Children, ordinary people (who have a great passion for the dance),and last teachers and trainers (who get involved with these shows and events in Theatres and in live-shows for working puropose only.)

"10 majors resources for Dance Industry in London"

These following websites, forums and blogs will be used in order to understand the quality and quantity of the dancing exhibitions in London . These blogs will be used in order to for me to acquire a full understanding of the structure and the ways dance is originated, planned and put in practise .

1) http://www.london.gov.uk/danceexperience
This website is one of the main sources that I will use in order to understand the process of planning and executing a cultural event in London. This website was firstly created by London government in order to raise attention and awarness about the concept of dance and the way it is planned for tourists and for Londoners in the following ones. One of the most important programmes is called GLA and it was established in order to welcome new ideas and new planners for dancing events

2) http://www.timeout.com/danceperformances
This website is one of the most common and famous in London. This website refers to the famous English magazine Time Out who goes out every month and inform the audience about the events that will be happening in London in the upcoming weeks. There is a part of the magazine that refers to the cultural events with a list of festival and exhibitions that are worth to look at in order to understand which ones are interesting and which ones are not. This website can also be used as a public relation tool in order to understand what the audience , mainly the young one, want and expect from a cultural event.

3)http://www.viewlondon.ac.uk
This is another source that can be used to understand what is going in London and what kinds of festival the city is planning to execute in the upcoming months. By reading the commentaries of the audience who has participated in these events, I could use the suggestion that they had in order to improve my festival and make it as fumy and enjoyable as it can possibly be.
4) http://www.londonworlfestival.com/ /video
This page was created to welcome the audience at the London world festival who runs every year in London. One of the most important aspects of this website, except for its creative and colourful background is that there is a presenter who welcome the web- audience as well as the real audience and describe the main objectives and aims of the festival. I found it to be really interesting because not many festivals have that particular starting page . Most of festival websites start with the programme that they offer but not with a young nice hoister who speaks about the festival, in a understandable and simplistic way so that any person can easily understand him. This website showed the art of advertising and how effective it can be used to inform and to market an event.

5)http://www.twitter.com
As we have discussed in class, this is one of most popular websites for finding ou informations about events in Londo. This website is a easy and quick database that allow to discover what is going on in London and what the people think about a certain event. For example I found really interesting to notice the comments that people have left on the design festival website. These comments can be perceived as sources to find out if they liked the event and what suggestions they have to make it better for the following year.

6) http://www.artscouncil.org.uk
This website is a very important source for the financial part of my project. This website refers to the fund-raising strategy that the Art Council of England give to cultural events, epsecially for dancing projects. I found this website to be of particular interest because there are many publication published accordingly to the topics each of them relating with teh arts in London. there are specific reports of dancing companies and their main performance and shows.

7) http:// www.thefundingnetwork.org.uk/dance
This website is really interesting and can be easily used a source to assess the visibility and the functionality of dance schools and dance classes in London,. By having a complete list of newspapers in this website, the audience seem to be reassured of the seriousness of the organisation they are getting involved with.
8) http://www.blog.myspace.com
This is another interesting website that has been used to collect different comments from people of the audience who is used to go and attend cultural festival and exhibitions. In this website there are statistics demonstrating which target of audience is willing to go to and participate in a event like a festival. This source will be used to identify the best frame audience to which my campaign will be addressed to mostly.
9) http://www.forumevents /danceperformance
This website can be used as another resource by which I can understand how they plan an event. This website was created in order to enable senior executives to make informed decisions, develop relationships, and invaluable advice through networking and getting in touch with other people who work in the field of Art and Music.
10) http://www.mcmillian.org.uk
A final website that I found to be really useful is related to MacMillan Cancer charity organisation. This organisation is known to be a dedicated London based company , aiming at organising special events in the capital. Their main interest is to support unique events and help make a difference to the two million people living with or beyond cancer in the UK. This website will be used as a form of guide to plan and then present a cultural event that may be dedicated to raise fund for good cause as this agency does.

Sources and websites:

http://www.mcmillia.org.uk/

http://www.forumevents.org/dance

http://www.blogmyspace.com/

http://www.twitter.com/

http://www.thefundingnetwork.org.uk/

http://www.artcouncil.org.uk/dance

http://www.timeout.com/

http://www.london.gov.uk/dance

http://www.londonworldfestival.com/

"Convergence of traditional and new media "

Traditional media has disappeared due to the fast growing of new digital and visual media who rend the communication faster and more specific. There has always been a strong and hateful debate between who is in favour of this fast development of digital media and the positive effects that they can bring to the people especially for those who work in Media and Film Industry and those who perceive these changes as dramatically and as carriers of isolation and loneliness into the modern society. In fact, according to a report released yesterday by investment bank Jordan Group, about this issue, indicated that “ 88 percent of the publishing and advertising industry's revenue growth over the next few years will come from four sectors: Database& Information.B2B Online Media, Consumer Online Media and Interactive Marketing Services. In other words it will be coming principally from Web.

However there are is also the opposite side of the issue, whereas some people think that the new media will turn the consumer be more passive and indifferent to the outside world because they will focus mostly in learning facts through these devices and media database and therefore losing control of social interactions with the other people. This will lead the society to be more self-centred and selfish.

Some good friends of mine have argued the possibility that this new era of digital interaction will leave the human being to become more “ lazy “ and will isolate himself not only from the other human beings but from the physical objects. A good friend has told me “ I am sure that in a future not far from now, there will not be the possibility to turn the page of a newspaper and feel it across the finger. Everything will be in digital and all I will have to do will be just to click a button in my mini-digital computer and see the ordinary news from a small morrow”. ( 2005)
I honestly believe that the development and growth of the new ideas will give more hopes to the youngest to find more jobs and more safety for their future. I am a strongly believer that these technological advanced will increase highly the chances of learning and of looking more deeper into any news that we are interested about . However these changes may not be welcome from the more conservative part of the population such as the oldest and some reformists. They will perceive these changes as unproductive and negative, in the sense that they will create even more isolation and decrees the social relation between individuals.

I honestly believe that convergence will make London even more creative than it really is. London has always been a very fascinating and creative city, mostly based on the different cultures and different ethic groups that have immigrated from their motherlands and found themselves in a new country where to live and where to settle down , with their own values and ideas. I honestly believe that you as an ordinary person can notice all these different people by jut walking down the streets of London . You may never notice it before but there are thousands of people of different skin-colours and backgrounds that just pass you by or near you. Each and every single of them is here with the same purpose of creating a better future and maybe settling down for good. I honestly believe that this particular characteristic of London is what makes this city so charming and unique . Some people even call it “ the centre of the world “ in order to intensify its beauty and uniqueness.

I honestly believe that digital media and convergence will be the key to develop an even more open-minded society which would encapsulate and tolerate all kinds of people because of the already mixed ethnicity that this city is formed of. I am strong believer that London will be able to rich high levels of tolerances through the continuously development of digital media that will help the connections and the links between different kinds of people to arise more in the following years. Hopefully this growth and development will not find any obstacle but will continue to arise, becoming an example to follow for all the countries where there are still signs of intolerance and social violence.

We as social animals are and have always been affected by the world around us and the media around us .Even if sometimes we do not want to admit it to ourselves we are deeply interested in what other people do and that is why we read news or we watch ordinary programmes such as the BBC or the CNN for their accuracy and for their always brilliant and fascinating stories about people that otherwise we would have never been able to know . Because Media is so powerful and effective it is important to use it in a good way to improve the creativity and the freedom of expression from all the social classes in London in order to enrich the society as a whole.

In a more domestic view, the more the companies are willing to hire managers and people from different countries the more incomes and more successful the company will be . I personally believe that by having different people and therefore having more diverse ideas within a company , they will diversify the companies strategies and services and therefore increasing the consumer demand , who will always be answered with new ideas and news ways to solve any problem they may have in the future.

One of the most common but yet most efficient examples that come to my mind regard the development of Internet in the past year. Internet has become a true tool of creating connection with different types of people and with different societies and countries that would otherwise be remained in the shadow. Internet has drastically changed the way social interaction is made between the people. I personally am one of those people who is and has always been in favour of the use of Internet. I think it has created so many more possibilities for every individual to connect with each other and has drastically changed people perceptions on some common and international issues. Internet has been maybe the first digital media source able to internationally create connection with other people.

Another example of convergence can be simply notice in the use of MSN or Chat and blogs. These creative digital rooms have given to a young audience the possibility to sit comfortably in his room and at the same time get to know people that live on the other side of the planet. MSN has always encouraged creativity because of the exchange of ideas and values that two people of different background may share during an online conversation. I remember one of my dearest friends that now work in the media field telling me “Internet has revolutionised the way people live and has drastically improved the creativity by just giving the possibility to create a connection between two companies or people of different countries”.( the Guardian 2003)

Sources:
http://www.guardian.oc.uk/

http://www.investement.oc.uk/

http://www.standford.edu/

The Dance Industry in London!

Dance in England!!


This blog is meant to creat and give us a chance to understand which are the most important dance companies in London and the way this art is perceived today.

Dance in England has found languages, forms, meanings and applications over the last four decades.

One of the basic reasons why people love to dance is for fun, recreation, social or for health. Some stuidies have been found that dance is important in education, and particularly as a tool against some particular deseases . In fact during health settings there is a strong proof that greatest impact is achieved if the patient for example suffering from depression syndromes engage himself in dancing or in physical activities.

An other important statistic that I found to be really relative to the dance industry regards the founding that it need to acquire in order for this sector to perform weel.
There are currently 72 dance organisations that receive regular funding from the Arts Council , 23 are based in London,19 across the Arts Council's North West, North East and Yorkshire regions,20 in the Midlands and South West, and 10 in the South East and East. These regularly founded dance organisations currently constitue 10,78 per cent to Arts Council Englads's overall spend, as compared to 1997-119 fugures where it was 12,44 per cent. The 54 dance organisations receriving regular funding from the regional arts boards and the Art Council in 1998/199 shows that the majority (24 ) were agencies,followed closely by companies (22).Almost 80 per cent of all organisations received grants of less than 250K£.

Dance operates within a mixed economy. Arts Council funding gives significant investements from other sources including local authorities, private sector funding trusts and fundations and earned income. From 2004-2007 , Arts Council investement comprised of 32 per cent of the total income of dance agencies, venues and festivals, and 50 per cent of the total income of the producing and touring compainies. There has been an increasing investement in this sector with over than 3 million through Grants for the arts that has made a difference to the economy of the sector although this only compromises only 9 per cent of the total funds available through Grants for the arts in the years 2004-2008.


The Dancing Industry deals and focuses mainly on engaging with workface in film, television, digital production,webcasting and music video. As a student of dance has pointed out in this report "One of the most interetsing aspects of being a dancer is to have the possibility to be innovative and cutting edge on the web. Being able to travel and work internationally and create work with partners throughouyt technlolgy is an exciting opportunity".(2005)

There are different types of dances each of them with a precise set of rules and mouvements that you need to be aware of . Some of the most famous and interesting types of dances include:

• Jazz: This is a fun dance, that relies hevaily on originality and improvisation. Many jaz dancers mix different styles into their dancing, incorporating their own expressuin. Jaz dancing is charcaterised by using bold, dramatic body movements, including body isolations and contractions




Tip-Tap : Tap dancing is an exiciting form of dance in which dancers wear special shoes equipped with metal taps. Tap dancers use their feet like drums to create rhytmatic patterns and timely beats.











• Hip-Hop is a dance style, usually danced to hip-hop music that evolved from hip-hop culture.Hip-Hop include various moves such as breaking,popping, locking and krumping and even house-dance. The main important characteristics of this dance are improvisation and personal interpretation which are essential to hip-hop dancing.












• Modern: dance is a new style that rejects many of the stric rules of calssical ballet , focusing mostly on the expression of inner feelings. Modern dance was created as a rebellious actions against the rules of classical ballets, focusing mostly on cheorography and performance.












• Swing : This kind of dance is characterised by a strong rythmatic bit with couples making jumps, spinning and swinging.












• Contra Dance: this is a form of American fok style in which dancers from two parallel lines and perform a sequence of dance movements with different partners down the lenght of line. Contra dancers are usually friendly, active people with a deep love for dance.












• Flamenco dance is an expressive dance form that mixes percussive footworks with inricate had, arm and body movements. This dance originated in Spain and conist of three main forms: Cante, the song, Baile, the dance and Guitarra,gutar playing












• Flok Dance: this dance refers to a variety of movements developed by groups or communities as opposed to being made up by a choreogrpaher. There are several type of this dance including; clogging, english country dance, international fold dance, Irish dance Maypole dance, square dance and many more.

In nowadays society Dance has been changing and some of these styles have been mixed together to create even more exciting dancing . A new generation of upung artists us starting to emerge through the centresfor advanced training and through the workd of organisations such as Youth Dance England.

Popular culture has brilliantly helped to raise profile of dance. Dance has been represented by some important shows such as Strictly Come Dancing and Britain Got Talent as well as Billy Elliot to the Musical, have captured the public's imagination.

Like theatre dance needs to develop new approaches so that the audience will have more chances to enjoy the magic and ownderful world of the dance . It is important to keep teh relationsjips between choreographers, dance companies and thetares strenghted to better foster an environment with witch dance can fully cluorish and crete even more harmonic performances and show

Sites:

http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/

http://www.dance.net/

http://www.londondance.com/