Sometimes, here in TheLab™, things can get a little bit delayed and this particular video feature has been delayed since June of last year when we filmed the graduating class of 2015 of Northern School of Contemporary Dance. All of these dancers are now in the wild, so to speak, finding their way in the wide world of dance.
But, history is history so the feature is still important. Within our trio of features we bring you one work from Avatâra Ayuso ‘A Brief History Of The World In 3 Acts’, Ben Dukes untitled work about dance students graduating from a dance school (geddit) and 5 solos, count ’em, from the students themselves. Ben Dukes work did have an option for filling in the name of your favourite dancer in the programme and that would become the title of the piece.
It is perhaps the solos that really speak to the nature of a dance student however. Willing to put yourself out there, all on your own, in front of your peers and a paying audience. All dancers know that particular kind of fear, none dance folk should try it sometime, just to get a feel of it, so in this day and age these dancers are commendable for that alone.
For obvious reasons these works are not on tour so you can’t see them anywhere else but they will remain here for all time for you, our dear readers, to peruse.
The dancers in Ben Dukes work are Solange Balde, Natasha Harrison, Josh Hutchby, Tiaa-Maaria Ojala, Phoebe Ophelia Douthwaite, Lilly Pohlmann, Lauren Trim and Alice Shepperson. For Avatâra Ayuso the dancers were Robert Anderson, Steven Charnock, Elliot Thompson, Davide Troiani, Liam Wallace, Josh Wild and Cristian Zevallos Villavicencio (this owrk was performed on alternate evenings by a group of male and female dancers). The solos are performed by Anna Fooks, Tiia-Maaria Ojala, Stanley West, Zoe Bradley and Robert Anderson.
Filmed at The Riley theatre in Leeds on June 10th 2015.