Venue: Small Studio, Guangdong Modern Dance Company, NO.13 Shui Ying Heng Road, Sha He Ding, Guangzhou
Dates: Monday 05 – Friday 09 January 2009
Time: 10:00 – 16:30

5-9 January 2009, the Cultural and Education Section of the British Consulate-General Guangzhou in partnership with the Birmingham Royal Ballet, Guangdong Modern Dance Company and Kapok Theatre will organise a five-day creative dance workshop in Guangzhou.

The Workshop will focus on participation, collaboration and inclusive dance practice. Inspired by the ballet Romeo and Juliet, 10 art educators are invited to work collaboratively with an inclusive group of 10 young people to create an original dance piece that will be performed on 8th January at the Small Theatre of Guangdong Modern Dance. Participants will also share their thoughts and experiences of the Workshop, which will be presented by Kapok Theatre through an improvised performance of “Playback Theatre”.  

Workshop Aims:

• To create an original dance work that explores, through dance and theatre, the theme of communication and ideas from the ballet Romeo and Juliet.
• To provide opportunities for an inclusive group of young people to engage with dance - it’s making and performing processes.
• To offer professional development opportunities for teaching artists that will enhance their skills and confidence in delivering dance workshops in a range of community settings.

The Partners:

1. Birmingham Royal Ballet
www.brb.org.uk

Birmingham Royal Ballet is an internationally known and respected company, performing,  traditional, twentieth century works and newly choreographed ballets throughout the UK and abroad. Together with this Birmingham Royal Ballet, has a nationally renowned dance education and community programme that offers a range of engagement opportunities for people of all ages. The dedicated Learning team often works in partnership and strives to ensure that all projects are inclusive, enjoyable and empowering experiences.

2. Guangdong Modern Dance Company Training Centre
www.gdmdc.com

Founded in 2004, the GMDC Training Centre aims to promote the development of modern dance in China. It knits Chinese modern dance and international modern dance together, openly and inclusively anticipates the future of dance. Performing class is created this year to provide a chance for trainers to perform in 2008 Dance for Fun. The centre offers workshops and open classes, providing a solid platform for learning and dialog. It also presented the Modern Dance Lecture Series, including lectures, demonstration classes in the universities of Guangzhou. Through these events, thousands of university students have experienced modern dance.

3. Kapok Theatre
www.theater.ngocn.org

Kapok Theatre, Guangzhou’s first public drama organization and the first Playback Theatre in Mainland China, was founded in July 2005. It serves as the platform for social services, aiming at promoting social sustainable development through public drama.

As a kind of improvised theatre performance, Playback Theatre was created by Jonathan Fox in 1975. Performers utilise their body language and music to tell the stories that the audience have shared. They believe that everyone has their valuable stories to tell, which should be listened to and respected. The Playback Theatre is not just a kind of performing arts, but also an interactive sharing procedure between individuals and community. As long as the audience open their minds to listen to others’ feelings and stories, they can also explore their inner world and the connection between the community and themselves.

The Birmingham Royal Ballet Education Team

1. Lee Fisher MA, FRSA

Born in Essex, Lee Fisher was educated at the Royal Ballet School before joining Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet (now Birmingham Royal Ballet - BRB) in 1988. In 17 year career with BRB, Lee became a soloist, performed many leading roles and had roles created for him by choreographers including Sir Kenneth Macmillan, Sir Peter Wright and David Bintley CBE. Despite retiring from a fulltime dance career in 2005, he continues to perform and has made guest appearances nationally and internationally.

In 2000, he obtained an MA in Applied Dance and has since authored and presented papers, for academic journals and at conferences nationally and internationally. For over ten years he has been delivering dance workshops across a broad range of education and community contexts and in 2002 he co-founded and remains Artistic Director to Birmingham Royal Ballet’s successful education and community initiative, Freefall Dance Company, a company that works with a group of young dancers with learning disabilities.

He is currently BRB’s part-time Head of Creative Learning, a freelance project director and choreographer and a consultant/coach at Lane4 – a performance development company working in the public and private sectors. In addition he is a Board member of Geese Theatre Company, Fox Hollies Performing Arts College and is a Specialist Advisor (dance and education) for the Scottish Arts Council. He was the Dance Fellow on The Clore Leadership Programme 2005/6, Creative Partnership’s Leading Edge Practitioner 2007/8, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts and alumni of the Windsor Leadership Trust.

2. Jenny Murphy

Born in Hull, Jenny Murphy trained at the Royal Ballet School and joined Birmingham Royal Ballet in 2001.  Her repertory includes a wide range of works and many of the classics, she has performed at a variety of venues throughout the world, including the Royal Opera House in London.  Jenny has created choreography for Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Choreographic projects, on the Hippodrome main stage: The Planets, ‘Neptune’ and Dynamic Dance, ‘Much a dance about nothing’.  She has also taught and choreographed at BRB summer schools.

For several years Jenny has been involved with Freefall Dance Company, a company of dancers with severe learning difficulties, led by Lee Fisher.  In the summer of 2006 Jenny completed the Professional Dancer’s Teaching Diploma at the Royal Academy of Dance and in September 2007 she successfully completed the Dancers’ MA degree programme, run by the University of Birmingham.  Jenny ceased her career as a dancer in 2007 and joined Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Learning Department as Co-ordinator for Learning.  Since joining the department Jenny has run workshops at touring venues, developed the Ballet training strand, and set up Insight Days in Birmingham.  She recently helped lead a workshop with Lee Fisher for the NDTA conference at Laban.  Jenny has project managed the Selly Oak Arts Champions, which has built up links and worked closely with a particular community.  Following her year long support of the South Birmingham Dance Track Classes, Jenny will be teaching the North Birmingham weekly classes for disadvantaged children from September.  

Outside of BRB Jenny has taught on the Royal Academy of Dance Summer School in Fondo, Italy, for a week and has led repertoire workshops in Birmingham.  She has also taught at Rambert School in London and at Dance Xchange in the Hippodrome.

3. Pearl Chesterman – Director for Learning

After performing professionally Pearl followed her passion for teaching and opened her own dance school.  After successfully building up the business to include 3 branches and having seen many students progress to performing and teaching careers, Pearl joined Birmingham Royal Ballet in 2002 as Education Officer.  She has worked on key projects including BRB Summer Schools, Boys Only workshops, Dance Track and Freefall Dance Company for young adults with severe learning disabilities.  She was appointed Director for Learning in 2007 and is committed to further developing Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Learning programmes for the community.  On taking on the role she said: “I am excited by the opportunity to lead the department in identifying and utilising all the talent and skill BRB can offer to provide opportunities that are relevant and accessible for all communities”.

Pearl is an experienced  project manager , having managed many large scvale partnership projects.  She completed her MA in Applied Dance during which she evaluated and redeveloped the Dance Track programme.  Pearl is a member of the Royal Academy of Dance and Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance, as well as being a member of the Schools Committee for Council for Dance Education and Training.  

4. Andrew Kristy – Musician

Since turning professional in 1986 Andrew has had extensive experience both as composer and performer, appearing in performances of his own works on Radio 1 (The Andy Kershaw Show and The Friday Rock Show), BBC2 Network East, Channel 4 (Big World Cafe) with Nigel Kennedy and Nusrat Fateh Alla Khan.

He has worked as composer and pianist, under the auspices of Birmingham Royal Ballet, on numerous education projects including: Romeo & Juliet, Swan Lake , Penguin Café, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Theme & Variations, The Nutcracker, Coppelia, La Fille mal Gardee, Elite Syncopations and Nutcracker Sweeties, Hobsons Choice and Arthur Part 1 & 2. Andrew has also composed for The London Contemporary Ballet Company, Jiving Lindy Hoppers, Sampad, The National Youth Ballet, Kokuma African Dance Theatre, Chitraleka Dance Theatre and Tallia Teatrum. His music has been performed live at The Lichfield International Arts Festival, The Stroud Festival, Sadlers Wells Theatre and Birmingham Hippodrome.

TV and Radio credits more recently include “Chameleons of Truth” animation film (ITV), “News at 10” (2004), “African Safari” (BBC 2005), and “Ballet-Hoo” (to be broadcast in Sept 2006), and a pilot for a new children’s TV series, “Burkey Bear”.

His first work for full orchestra, 'Synapse', was commissioned by The Duke of Norfolk to open the first open-air fireworks concert at Carlton Towers, Yorkshire in July 1995. He has since written for members of the BBC Philharmonic, Royal Ballet Sinfonia and Bardi symphony orchestras, and arranged music for concerts at Symphony Hall, Birmingham.

He also mentors piano students from The Birmingham Conservatoire, and is a consultant for AS & A2 Music Technology.

Schedule (5-9 January 2009)

Workshop Address:  Small Studio, Guangdong Modern Dance Company, NO.13 Shui Ying Heng Road, Sha He Ding, Guangzhou
Workshop Showcase:  Small Theatre, Guangdong Modern Dance Company, NO.13 Shui Ying Heng Road, Sha He Ding, Guangzhou