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The Cecchetti
Centre's Christmas Choreographic Workshop
The
Christmas Choreographic Workshop 2006 held at the Arts
Educational Schools in Chiswick, London, took place
on 17th December.
Once again, this annual event was a tremendous success.
Being so close to the festivities, it was entirely possible
that people would be away and unable to attend but the
day proved to be as popular as ever.
106 children age eight and upwards came together to
create a ballet of The Snowman and perform it twice,
in only a single day. The planning began in July!
The story was adapted; music collated, cut and pasted
and volunteers recruited to ensure the day ran smoothly.
Costuming the cast usually fell on the shoulders of
one wardrobe mistress but since she retired last year
and nobody else wanted the job(!) the helpers took on
the challenge of dressing their dance group.
It was astounding how resourceful and creative they
were: the Ice Crystal dancers were draped in silver
organza; the Snowflakes donned white tutus; there were
properly suited Snowmen and one helper delighted the
children with orange card beaks, brown nylon tights
and red fronts with a feather pinned to the chest –
they were Christmas Robins! All the costumes were so
simple and yet so effective.
My sincerest thanks to the team who gave their time
and support so willingly: Elizabeth James; Ali Stevens;
Kirsty Williams; Geoff Wheatley; Renée Cohen;
Diana Lloyd-Jones; Diana Cremona; Jane Scholl; Holly
Unnuk; Sarah Bradshaw; Eileen Eagle; Roz Strevens; Rhoda
Peckham; Judith Wilson; Lisa Millard; Kirsty Arnold;
Belinda Payne. It would never work without you.
This year's show meant there were more main character
parts for boys, than girls. Kai Strevens and Dylan Price
(pupils of Eileen Eagle and Elisabeth Swan respectively)
played the brothers; Anthony Doran (pupil of Jane Scholl)
played a jolly Father Christmas and a female pupil of
Susan Handy, Stephanie Boardman, played the Snowman.
The performances by everyone were very good indeed and
it was truly wonderful to see what the children could
produce.
The Christmas Choreographic Work- shop is such a special
day because it enables any child regardless of their
level or experience to experiment with choreography
and perform in a theatre. The environment is fun, caring
and positive. Children with an interest in Ballet can
come along, mix with people their own age and make new
friends. The idea is for the performers to make up their
own choreography, with a minimum of guidance from the
helpers. This always leads to some highly original ideas
and a unique performance.
The Cecchetti Centre is grateful for the continued support
from Cecchetti teachers and their pupils. It is hoped
many of the dancers (and helpers!) will return next
year for a day of tremendous fun.
Penny Kay
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