Scottish
Congress 2007
The
ISTD Theatre Faculties’ Congress held
in November was
a resounding success
The
ISTD Theatre Faculties’ Scottish Congress
was held in Knightswood School in Glasgow on
18th November 2007. Scottish Congress was a
wonderful opportunity for teachers and students
to participate in a wide variety of dance styles.
The Theatre Faculties provided excellent classes
and demonstrations, which were obviously enjoyed
and appreciated by the large amount of our members
and their pupils who attended. An enormous thank
you to Elizabeth Henderson, Gaynor Owen, Kay
Ball and their team of helpers and to Jon Singleton
and members of the senior management team and
staff who contributed to the success of the
day.
Paddy Hurlings
Classical
Greek
The Classical Greek Dance Association Faculty
lectures were presented by Penny Childs and
Karen Collings. Penny gave a very expressive
and enjoyable taster of our varying styles and
vocabulary, whilst Karen presented an excellent
demonstration using pupils of Karen Berry from
Danscentre in Aberdeen to show how Classical
Greek can enhance a Classical training. Both
were enthusiastically received.
Kay Ball
Modern
Theatre
The demonstration of the new Advanced 2 Modern
syllabus at Scottish Congress was the result
of a very happy coalition between pupils from
Karen Berry in Aberdeen and from the Dance School
of Scotland, who were hosting the Congress at
their studios in Knightswood School in Glasgow.
They were joined by dancers from Bird College
and from Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary
Dance who were originally trained in Scotland.
The demonstration, which was set and presented
by Sarah Wilson, was rehearsed by Gwen Bruce
and Gwyneth Grant and was a really special experience
for all the young Scottish dancers.
Sarah Wilson
Imperial
Classical Ballet
The Imperial Classical Ballet Faculty held two
sessions at Scottish Congress. The new music
for the General Graded examinations was introduced
by Heather Fish and the teachers worked through
Primary and Grade 1 to Paul Stobart’s
inspiring music. Celia Johnson conducted a well
attended children’s ballet class, emphasising
the importance of stance and placement as well
as musicality. Both sessions were accompanied
by the excellent playing of Gavin Meredith.
Heather Fish
Tap
Alison Forrester conducted two excellent Tap
classes, one based on free work and one introducing
the students to improvisation. In addition she
presented a demonstration of some of the technical
steps and forward-looking ideas that both she
and Tracey Lee are preparing for the new Tap
syllabus. Many thanks to the staff and pupils
of the North Aberdeenshire Dance Academy for
their contribution to this event. Further information
is included on the Tap Faculty pages.
Paddy Hurlings
National
The National Faculty was represented by Miss
Cathi Conroy-Jones, who is an Examiner in National,
Tap and Modern Theatre. She presented two classes,
one for Teachers and one for the children. The
Teachers' class consisted of selected requested
dances at FDI level. The dances were explained
precisely and with enthusiasm, and were very
valuable to the young teachers working their
way through the FDI syllabus. The children's
class was bursting at the seams and was received
with much enthusiasm. The children worked their
way through some of the syllabus grades dances,
and had a taste of a number of different countries
on the way. A very lively session indeed!
Cathi Conroy-Jones
South
Asian
Chitraleka Bolar, the chairman of the South
Asian Dance Faculty gave inspirational classes
during the Congress. Each age group was thoroughly
absorbed in mastering the complex movements
and intricate rhythms. It was a wonderful chance
for the children and students to study a dance
form previously unknown to them and they certainly
appeared to enjoy the opportunity.
Paddy Hurlings
Cecchetti
Preston Clare, formerly a dancer with Scottish
Ballet chose to teach the Spanish dance from
The Nutcracker. He taught Pete Darrell's tricky
choreography with style and verve to a busy
and enthusiastic class.
Maureen Christie |
