TWO final year dance students from Andover will perform with renowned young dance company Ballet Central when they return to touring this spring.
Jack Tyler and Joel Wright will join the company on a four-month tour of 11 venues across England, arriving in Newbury at the Corn Exchange as part of the Newbury Spring Festival on May 19.
The company presents a new cast of exceptional dancers performing a mix of original pieces by distinguished choreographers and a revival of an existing contemporary work.
Jack, 18, attended John Hanson School in Andover and began his training at the Suzanne School of Dancing while attending the Central School of Ballet Associate Program on Saturdays.
He is now in the final year of a three-year BA (Hons) Professional Dance & Performance at Central School of Ballet in London.
Joel, also 18, attended Bishop Challoner Catholic Secondary School in Basingstoke and also began training at Suzanne School of Dancing in Andover before joining Central School of Ballet where he is also in his final year.
Central is a global professional dance training center offering graduates employment opportunities with the world’s leading dance companies and international musical theater productions. Students join the Ballet Central touring company to gain professional performance experience and the opportunity to work with top choreographers until they graduate in July.
Under the artistic direction of Artist-in-Residence Mikaela Polley and Artistic Director Kate Coyne, Ballet Central will present three new pieces this year created on the dancers of Central.
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Mikaela Polley’s new piece Unbound involves the whole company, created as a celebration of the ensemble’s dynamism bringing together classical ballet and contemporary dance. Dance industry influencer Ashley Page’s new choreography, Twice Removed, is set to music by composer John Adams. Ballet Black’s Mthuthuzeli November, also a former Ballet Central touring dancer, has created a new piece Sunset in Cape Town that showcases her distinctive choreographic voice. Cathy Marston’s Moving, Still is re-enacted especially for this year’s Ballet Central tour.
Jack said, “I enjoy working with external choreographers to create new pieces for the Ballet Central tour. Ashley Page’s work Twice Removed, created especially for Ballet Central, particularly appealed to me because I am drawn to neoclassical choreography. I hope to have a diverse dance career that includes working in different areas of the entertainment industry. I would particularly like to get into musical theater because I have always been a fan of musicals.
Joel said: “I’m looking forward to performing at different venues around the UK and being in Newbury with the Ballet Central tour, not far from my home, will be special. I particularly enjoyed learning about our artist-in-residence Mikaela Polley’s new creation Unbound, as it incorporates both neo-classical and contemporary dance. I hope to have a long and healthy career in the dance industry after I graduate in July.
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Mikaela Polley added: “The experience of working with renowned choreographers in the creative process is invaluable for student dancers. They learn to absorb, understand and interpret the story of each piece and the different ways of working of choreographers. This accelerates their growth as future professionals and helps prepare for the transition to corporate life when they graduate in July.
Kate Coyne said the tour experience “sets our dancers apart and supports their future employability in the dance industry”.
She continued: “Performance is the ultimate goal for professional dance students, so the opportunity to bring their entire training to its peak in front of a live audience fulfills their ambitions and stimulates new learning. Audiences benefit from the discovery new talent and dynamic choreography in theaters across England.”
Ballet Central’s annual tour offers audiences across the country the chance to see the company’s young and dynamic dancers perform choreography by current industry professionals alongside newly commissioned works and updated classics from the world’s top choreographers. world. Performing a varied repertoire on tour for several months to a ticket-buying public is an enriching experience for students, enhancing their skills and development, which makes them particularly employable.
Recent Central students are currently employed by Scottish Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater, English National Ballet, Northern Ballet, Rambert, Ballet Black, Phantom of the Opera (West End & Worldwide ), The New Adventures of Matthew Bourne, Milwaukee Ballet – USA , Singapore Dance Theatre, Sarasota Ballet – USA, K-Ballet – Japan, New English Ballet Theatre.
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