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A round-up of these successful events
On a sunny Friday at the end of July, I arrived at the Bishop Otter Campus in Chichester to begin a week’s scholarship at the Cecchetti Society Summer School for teachers. As a relatively new and younger teacher – I have taught only for six years – it was my first occasion there. My colleague and mentor, who brought me, Carolyn Parker, filled me in on the basics on the way down – who taught where, and which choice of classes would suit me best. What she did not inform me was that I would encounter some of the most invigorating, inspirational and informative teaching that I have ever had.
On the very full and wide ranging programme, I will attempt to convey my own highlights of the course and the classes I gained the most from personally; apologies if I leave anyone out!
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Top Left: Teachers at the Cecchetti Society Summer School, Chichester
Above: Students’ Summer School |
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| Above: Miss Paris leading the Révérence |
The week began with Senior Standard 7, taught with aplomb and good humour by Elisabeth Swan. Alison Jenner also taught a lovely free class that stretched the dancers but was pitched to allow our brains to catch up with our feet. Further on in the week, we had a free class with Vincent Hantam, whose exercises were beautifully lyrical and exciting.
Interspersed within these were several Advanced 2 and Diploma level classes with Cara Drower and Diane van Schoor. The Diploma work was new to me, and Advanced 2 I had seen very little of, so I was very lucky to see the work taken apart in such detail with various references to the origins of the step, such as Ms. van Schoor’s reminder that the Thursday Adage, Pas d’Alliance should reflect the calm and tranquillity of the peace at the end of WW1, or that teachers should reinforce the fact that all steps come from a theatrical origin and students of the work should think about costumes and stage directions.
Also invaluable to me were the classes covering FDI and CDE with Gillian Hurst. As I am working towards the final units of my CDE, it was somewhat daunting to discover how much I need to do, but wonderful to be directed clearly in the right direction. The classes were demanding, but extremely thorough. Central to this part of the course was working with a pianist, which ironed out miscommunications from teacher to pianist and glitches in setting exercises. This tutoring was then reinforced by a lecture from Roland Thompson, pianist, and an evening lecture with Mr Thompson and his wife, Ms. van Schoor.
The theme continued well into the evenings. We were treated to a DVD of the 1988 Congress in which Richard Glasstone lectured, using student demonstration, on the progression of the Cecchetti method. The DVD also featured Jessica Clarke, who taught us the dramatic ballroom scene from Macmillian’s Romeo and Juliet; and Matthew Hawkins, who also taught contemporary later in the week. Many of us also visited the Chichester Festival Theatre to see Oklahoma, which I enjoyed immensely.
On the final day we were treated to a wonderful free class with Ms. van Schoor and not one, but two pianists, Derek Downes and Andrew West, who, along with Liz Hewson and Roland Thompson, had been feeding us tired and sore teachers uplifting and beautiful playing all week. This duet, I have been informed, is now a firm Cecchetti Society Summer School tradition. In the afternoon, we were invited to attend the Students’ Performance, which featured demonstrations of the Cecchetti work, some scorching Spanish coached by Conchita Del Campo, some repertoire coached by guest artists but especially some improvisational contemporary devised by Nicky Ellis and the students themselves. The students were electrified and clearly relished every second on stage.
The Teachers’ Course was masterminded by Elisabeth Swan and assisted by many people to ensure the smooth operation we all experienced. Altogether a most fruitful, intensive and enlightening week, and I am certainly looking forward to next year.
Lucinde Lane
After an early departure and a long drive, I arrived at Chichester University clutching my overflowing suitcase and thinking about the week to come. I had previously taken part in a couple of Ballet summer schools, but I had never experienced a residential course before; needless to say I was feeling quite nervous. A warm welcome awaited me in the foyer of ‘The Show Room’, where I found a number of other anxious students and their parent’s laden with luggage. Everyone was extremely friendly, and I found that I was not at all unwilling to wave goodbye to my parents. After being introduced to the course organisers, Miss Cara Drower and Miss Alison Dos Santos, all of us took part in a Ballet class. As the age-range spread from 14 to about 25 years old, there was quite a varied standard of Ballet among the students. We were all anxious to impress Miss Drower, and each other.
Afterwards we had a class with Linda Ryder in ‘The Alexander Technique’, which I have never come across before. It was really interesting and I learnt a lot of new information that I can use in my training; and I also gained my centre before embarking on a week of intensive dancing. Each of us had our own room, which was on the university campus. It was lovely to have a bit of privacy after a long day, and the only downside was that if you forgot to take the key out of your room you would have to chase someone to get you back into your room, as one of my friends soon discovered!
There was something going on nearly every evening. This gave us a chance to be sociable and have some good fun on the course; it was not all hard work! One night, we had a Motown Magic Party. It was really terrific; a wonderful combination of fantastic music, some questionable dance moves and even some jocular costumes! We also went to see the musical Oklahoma at Chichester Festival Theatre, and the production was absolutely spectacular and of a very high standard. In addition to this, we were able to watch a video of the Cecchetti work featuring Richard Glasstone, which I found really enjoyable and inspiring to watch, and also it was really strange to see Jessica Clarke (who was teaching on the course) dancing as a student herself.
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Above: Sarah-Jane Aboboto, Jazz Fusion
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Above: Gillian Robinson, Repertoire Class |
In contrast to our light hearted evenings, we worked very hard in the day. Each day began with a Ballet class, and we were extremely privileged to be taught by some of the best teachers in the Ballet world: Cara Drower, Diane van Schoor and Vince Hantam, accompanied by renowned pianists Kyoko Sutter and Lelanie Smook. I learnt so much from all the teachers we had and picked up invaluable advice and corrections, which I am sure will stay with me throughout my dancing days.
Yet it was not just classical Ballet that we studied; we also took part in Spanish and Pilates (Conchita del Campo). Pas de Deux and Solos (David Yow and Jessica Clarke), Contemporary and Choreography (Nikki Ellis) and Pointe work (Jessica Clarke). The variety of the course was great, and it was very enjoyable to be able to do different types of dance that I had not done before. The Spanish was really amusing, and so exciting to dance! In Solos we learnt two solos, one from Les Sylphides and one from the Nutcracker. It was fantastic to be given the chance to just dance and to feel like you are dancing real Ballet for once, instead of just exercises. A class that proved to be more challenging than expected was Pas de Deux, as it is actually extremely difficult to trust your partner and hold your balance. Now I can really appreciate Pas de Deux when I see it on stage, for I know it is not nearly as easy as the couple on stage would have the audience believe! Contemporary and Choreography were linked together on the course and I enjoyed dancing and creating unusual and difficult routines that helped me to push my boundaries as a dancer.
All our classes culminated in an end of course show, which we had prepared for all week and that our parents could come and watch. As well as performing the different genres of dance that we had learnt, we also demonstrated parts of the Cecchetti work. Naturally, I was quite apprehensive for the performance; I wanted to perform well and enjoy myself. We were even able to perform in a theatre, because at Chichester The Show Room has tiered seating, lighting and wings for us to exit and enter from. The Show went superbly; I could not possibly choose what my favourite pieces were because they were all so thrilling to dance!
Overall, the week was something I would gladly do all over again; it was probably the best week of my summer holidays! I would definitely recommend the course to somebody who likes to challenge themselves and have fun at the same time!
Katie Byrne
My theme for this year’s Summer School was Aaron Copland’s ‘Rodeo’. I love this piece of music; it is filled to the brim with joy, comedy, landscape and colour; and it is a gift to choreographers of all dance styles. With that in mind I called in the best cowboys, cowgirls and gunslingers (that’s Highly Respected Teachers of Dance to you readers) and set them all a ’teachin’ of our stampeding herd of one hundred and twenty students; and this was the result.
From Isabelle’s mum: “My daughter had a lovely time. I can’t speak highly enough of the way I found it organised and how lovely the staff were. I would rate it very highly … from the moment we arrived I can only say how wonderful the whole experience was. Once registration time had arrived Miss Paris appeared at the door, and the adventure began.”
From Abigail, a student: “Paris’ summer school of 2009 could possibly have been the best yet. Every lesson was unique in its own way and I felt myself improve in both posture and technique throughout the week. She invited many inspirational and fabulous teachers for us and each one brought a different asset to the week. Repertoire with Gillian Robinson was fantastic and really helped me to feel the music I was dancing to. She chose a solo from Coppelia for us to learn and it was a truly beautiful dance. One major highlight for me was the lesson with Cara Drower. I learned more in that hour and a half than I had in a long time. She later give an informal talk to all of the seniors about options that were open for us and other courses that we could take to help us reach our goals in dance, whether we would prefer to keep it as a hobby or take it into further branches such as teaching or performing. Another highlight for me was the themed evening half way throughout the week. This year was a hoe-down! On top of a fantastic meal and many laughs, Paris invited Country Western dancer, Paul Streatfield to teach us a few routines for the evening dance. This was fantastic fun as it was something completely different to what we were all used to and everyone really enjoyed it. He also came back to lead the dances in the evening, which all turned out to be a great success.”
From Gillian Robinson, one of our teachers: “Congratulations on a brilliant Summer School. The hoe-down evening was fantastic! Here is a list of the Repertoire classes that I gave: ‘Brown girls and blue girls’ from Les Patineurs; boys and girls – Dr Coppelius and the doll (mime and dance); Swanhilda’s Spanish Dance from Coppelia; Boys and girls – Czardas from Coppelia; Aurora (Dawn) from Coppelia; Girls and boys – Peasant pas de deux from Giselle.”
From Nurse Vicki: “This was my second year as nurse to the Summer School and I think that I was as excited as the children in the week prior to kick off … no dramas or emergencies this year, just a few bumps, strains and tired limbs … this year’s students were definitely the noisiest …This year’s classes 1 & 2 were kind enough to let me join in three of their ballet classes (I haven’t done a class for 16 years!), and my feet haven’t been the same since!”
From Georgia, a student: “I just wanted to say a huge thank you for having me at summer school for the last five years! I've learnt so much and gained so much from coming every year and have progressed so much as a dancer, not only in technique but also in confidence. In September, I took up my place at the Urdang Academy in London to do a National Diploma in Dance for three years on a 50 per cent scholarship and I feel that you and the faculty at summer school have contributed to my growth as a dancer. Now I'm a full time vocational student I feel that the advice and lessons from the teachers at summer school are very important to me and I can use them in my training to make me the best possible dancer I can be.”
From Richard Glasstone, adjudicator of the Choreographic Competition: “Congratulations on what has clearly been a very successful and happy summer school. It was good to see the enthusiasm of the students, as well as some promising young talent.”
From Emily, a student: “Thank you ever so much again for a wonderful week at summer school. This was my second year and sadly my final year at Tring.
I enjoyed it ever so much. There really wasn't a dull moment, I enjoyed every class, they were all so fun and they have been great learning experiences. Tring is always such a friendly summer school and I have made some very good friendships! I would like to thank all the staff for all the effort that was put into the week! I’m very glad to say my sister also had a fantastic time, it was her first year at summer school and I am certain it won't be her last!”
From Linda Isaacs, one of our teachers: “… I dived straight into my first of four Ballet classes to find the students ready, willing and very able. Throughout the day I felt that all the students were very intent on getting as much as they could from everything this summer school offers and there is so much. Ballet is very much at the fore and as I went through the day and with conversations in the staff room between the other Ballet teachers (and teachers of other subjects) the general feeling was that all the students were very highly motivated, wanted to push themselves and were ready to try anything that was given to them.”
“Wednesday saw a wonderful American Hoe-Down theme night take place. The dining room was festooned with stars and stripes flags, red and white balloons and even the menu consisted of southern fried chicken and corn on the cob! After this we were treated to a wonderful line dancing display with all the classes demonstrating what they had learnt that day; and ending up with us all line dancing as a grand finale. The students raised the roof and I thought the next day would find them good for not very much.”
“How wrong could I be? My first group were in the studio before me, ready to get going with body conditioning and Lyrical Jazz. The beauty of CJSS is that everyone has the opportunity to try something they may not have done before and I found that students who had only taken Ballet lessons very eager to try the unknown, some held back at first but with encouragement from their class mates, were soon at the front letting themselves go.”
“I have taught at CJSS now for a few years and have always been impressed with how it is run and what it has to offer but this year I felt that the work ethic really shone through in all the students in all the classes without losing the fun, which is so very important.”
As you can see from these letters there are many aspects to the Summer School. Every student does at least one Ballet class each day and then other classes with as wide an array of dance styles and disciplines as possible, and these were our wonderful teachers: Cara Drower – Ballet, Miss Paris – Ballet, ‘Classical Ballet Workout’ & Choreographic Skills, Alison Jenner – Ballet, Choreographic Skills and ‘Corps de Ballet’, Gillian Robinson – Repertoire, Gillian Toogood – Ballet, Pointe & Repertoire, Judith Wilson – Ballet, Richard Slaughter – Ballet, Juliet Locks – Ballet, Linda Isaacs – Ballet, Lyrical Jazz & Floor Barre, Lisa Christian – Ballet, Hayley Cheneler – Ballet, Lucy Pohl – Classical Greek, Matthias Sperling – Contemporary, Ruth Farrin – National, Hugh Rathbone – Cossack Dance, Helen Watts – Drama (Commedia dell’Arte), Zoe Smith – Musical Theatre, Sarah-Jane Aboboto – Jazz Fusion, Michelle Harkes & Gill Light – Zumba Dance Fitness, Derek Hartley – Tap Dance ‘(S)hoe Down’, Paul Streatfield – Country Western (and MC of our Rodeo Hoe-Down in the evening); and some of us went on a trip to Tring Museum. Our indefatigable pianists for the week were: Pam Peters, Jill Barnes, Lelanie Smook and Kyoko Suter; and our adjudicators of the Choreographic Competition were Richard Glasstone and Jill Barnes.
There are two other elements of the Summer School that generate fierce determination and much hilarity in equal proportions. First of these is the Choreographic Competition. Every year Pam Peters chooses some contrasting piano pieces, ranging from beautifully lyrical classical music to high stepping Scott Joplin. Meanwhile Ruth, my assistant, and I choose other pieces of recorded music (I had found a wonderfully evocative percussion version of Copland’s Hoe-Down, which all the boys chose for their choreography – and won a medal)
Lastly there are the highly sought after cups and scholarships, and this year the prize winners are (from left to right in the photo): Elena Foxwell, winner of the Abigail Kessell Cup; Nicholas Wood, Angelica Wolanska, Taylor Rowden and Noga Inspector each winners of half scholarships to the 2010 Cecchetti Society Summer School for Young Dancers; Jill Barnes and Richard Glasstone, Adjudicators of the 2009 Choreographic Competition; Alexandra Wetherilt, winner of the Nesta Brooking Memorial Cup; William Rogers, winner of the Barbara Geoghan Cup; Miss Paris; Anna Martin and Stephanie Pugh, joint winners of the Haydée Laye Musicality Cup.
Of course I cannot end without proper mention of my team: Ruth Farrin who works tirelessly and with real dedication all year as my Assistant Organiser prior to the Summer School, and during the week at Tring where she also organises the Choreographic Competition. Then there is Nurse Vicki Harris and the helpers Vicky Potts, Hayley Cheneler, Ros Wetherilt, Rachel O’Malley, Sarah Lazzerini, Megan Gibson, Megan Ashby and Charlotte Skipp. Thank you all so much for your hard work throughout this round-up, and your cheerful smiles through all the ropin’ and the brandin’.
Paris H Brownlie Notley
Organiser, Cecchetti Society Summer School for Young Dancers. |
