This year, the Greenwich Dance & Trinity Laban Partnership and Trinity Laban individually have each participated in the Jerwood Choreographic Research Project, an innovative investment model designed to kick-start ideas and research into challenging and exciting choreographic concepts. It aims to stimulate new thinking in choreography by enabling artists and creatives to think, dream and experiment freely.

Trinity Laban participated in the selection process by volunteering to read and grade proposals, attend the shortlisting day, and participate in the final pitching and selection day at Dance Xchange. In order to support the selected artists, Trinity Laban have allocated funding as well as in-kind resources.

The projects being supported are:

Greenwich Dance & Trinity Laban Partnership: Sasha Milavic Davies and Lucy Railton

Research into everyday female gesture and traditional women’s dance from around the world, and exploring large-scale participation for women of all backgrounds, ages and professions.

Trinity Laban: Dan Daw and Mark Maughan:

Dissecting the notion of “inspiration” and exploring the wider notions of inspiration beyond disability and its relationship to audience need and expectation.

For more information please visit the Dance Xchange website. 

Image: onedanceuk.org

Trinity Laban’s past and present students are thriving as innovative artists pushing the boundaries of music in the jazz world.

Many alumni have recently featured in Fader Magazine, amongst artists described as “making jazz feel brand-new”. The article goes onto to call South London the “epicentre [of] the homegrown U.K. jazz movement”.

Formed in 2012, Ezra Collective includes alumni Femi Koleoso (drums), Joe Armon Jones (piano) and current student Dylan Jones (trumpet). They recently performed at the jazz-meets-hip-hop Black Milk Boiler Room special, with an explosive 45-minute set which stole the show.

2016 graduate Moses Boyd forms part of Sampha’s newly christened live band. His own music won Best Jazz Act at the 2015 MOBOs, and he has collaborated with artists Lonnie Liston Smith, Ed Motta, Little Simz, Four Tet, Floating Points, Zara McFarlane, Gilles Peterson, Soweto Kinch and many more.

Newly formed septet Nérija, including five Trinity Laban alumni, are rapidly becoming established instrumentalists in their own right. As a group they form a combination of guitars and drums which meet the powerful force of multiple horns.

Tom Misch’s 2014 White Label EP series remains one of the most popular. His most recent EP Reverie, featuring south London rapper Loyle Carner, is also tallying up the plays.

Read the article in full on the Fader website.

To find out more about Jazz at Trinity Laban, visit our Study pages.

Trinity Laban dance students and alumni have joined Jools Holland for a short video which describes and illustrates some pieces from his new album ‘Piano’.

Filmed at the Laban Building at the end of last year, the video sees musician Jools Holland talking about the inspiration behind selected works for his new album: Christabel, Grand Hotel, Last Date and Romantic Ruin. During his performance of the works, the dancers are seen to interpret the songs in the background, and are even joined by Jools for a bit of improvisation!

The dancers involved are: David Kam, Verena Schneider, Luke Birch, (Alumni) Samuel Baskett, Georgia Brown (BA3 students) Sean Murray, Viva Foster, Osian Meilir (MA Dance Performance (Transitions) students). Alumnus Sylvia Ferreira movement directed as well as performing in the video.

Jools Holland’s new album ‘Piano’ is out now: https://goo.gl/rloUhY

2015 graduate Cassie Kinoshi has been selected for “The Old Vic 12”, a leading artist development programme from one of the UK’s most prestigious theatres.

Cassie – the only composer to be selected – was chosen from more than 1,300 applicants for the scheme, which is now in its second year and aims to support the next generation of theatre makers. It was introduced by artistic director Matthew Warchus, who has said: “Supporting the next generation of theatre makers is one of the most important and effective contributions to our cultural future we can make”. Over the course of the next year, the 12 participants will receive mentoring and networking opportunities.

Cassie is also known for her work with jazz septet NÉRIJA, Afrobeat band KOKOROKO and her own large ensemble SEED. Alongside working frequently within the world of jazz music and live performance, Cassie has also written for short film and videogame as well as professional classical ensembles such as the Benyounes Quartet and members of the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Trinity Laban trains composers and creative practitioners for the realities and diversity of professional life in the global community. For more information about studying composition at Trinity Laban, visit our Study pages. 

Louiseanne Wong’s choreographic work Skinship was selected for the opening night of live works in Diffrazioni Multimedia Festival, Italy.

Diffrazioni Festival is dedicated to contemporary art, striving to explore boundaries between technology and poetic expression. The festival included works by widely celebrated artists such as Marina Ambramovic and Bill Viola, basing its strength on collaboration, young artists, cultural associations and non-profit organizations.

Hong Kong born and raised, Louiseanne studied on the MA Choreography programme at Trinity Laban, graduating in 2014. Her most recent work Skinship is in collaboration with sonic artist James Wilkie – together named Wong/Wilkie – creating a work incorporating video, dance and live interaction. The performance took place at the Palazzina Reale building in Florence Santa Maria Novella, Italy.

Our postgraduate programmes offer the opportunity to develop creative and professional skills at an advanced level. We offer study across a range of disciplines: performance, choreography, creative practice, dance science and community dance, with qualifications ranging from Postgraduate Diploma to Master of Fine Arts.

For more information about studying at Trinity Laban, visit our Study pages.

A group of enterprising Trinity Laban students are seeking support for an ambitious performance and education project that will could see them head across the Atlantic.

The Old Jelly Rollers – seven young jazz musicians from Trinity Laban – are aiming to travel to New Orleans in February 2017 to perform at Mardi Gras and to create an online resource for music students and children in the UK.

The group are planning to conduct interviews with celebrated musicians in New Orleans, the home of jazz. They will also document their experience of Mardi Gras and music culture in the French Quarter, using their discoveries to develop online resources and interactive workshops for students back in the UK. By making jazz education accessible to a wider audience, the Jelly Rollers aim to protect and promote this rich heritage, and to take arts education to a broader audience.

The Old Jelly Rollers came together to celebrate the centennial anniversaries of both the first ever jazz recording and the birth of George Webb, regarded by many as the father of the trad jazz movement in the UK. The septet comprises alumnus Louise Balkwill (Voice) plus current students Johnny Woodham (Trumpet), Hannah Hever (Clarinet), Laura Impallomeni(Trombone), Martin Lee Thomson (Multi-instrumentalist), Adam Chinery (Banjo) and Tom Wright (Drums).

The ensemble currently relies entirely on crowd funding to support their journey, hoping to raise £10,000 by 20th December 2016 in order to make their vision a reality.

For more information visit The Old Jelly Rollers website. To make a donation, please visit their crowdfunding page.

Image: Henrijs Grabovskis

Theatre and dance legends were presented with the highest honour from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance during ceremonies for 2016 graduating students.

An Honorary Fellowship was presented to co-founder of the Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG), Rosemary Squire OBE on Wednesday 07 December, whilst dance artists and choreographers Michael Clark and Rosemary Lee received their award on Friday 09 December.

Rosemary Squire OBE is one of the most prominent women in British theatre of the modern era. Co-founding ATG in 1992, it has gone onto become the world’s number one live-theatre company with 46 venues in Britain, the US and Australia and is one of the world’s most prolific theatre producers.

In collecting her award, Rosemary Squire commented –

“I am honoured to receive this award from Trinity Laban. The UK is renowned for the vigour of its creative industries – but their future depends on the skill and entrepreneurialism of graduates entering the business. I am proud to be in such distinguished company today and to be associated with an institution that is developing the talent that is so vital to our industry.”

Hailed as “British dance’s true iconoclast”, Michael Clark is a defining cultural figure. Since emerging in the 1980s as a prodigy at London’s Royal Ballet School and founding his own company in 1984, he has remained at the forefront of innovation in dance, winning rave reviews and countless awards.

On receiving his award, Michael Clark commented –

“I am delighted to be receiving this Honorary Fellowship from Trinity Laban who continue to do so much to enrich our understanding of what dance IS, and what dance CAN BE.”

Trinity Laban alumnus Rosemary Lee is a performer, choreographer, director, and film-maker. From her first works in the 80’s to today, she continues to quietly push boundaries and assumptions through working in a wide range of contexts and media to reach new audiences and inspire many young dance makers and artists.

On receiving her award, Rosemary Lee commented –

“I am thrilled and humbled to receive this Honorary Fellowship. It is particularly special to me because this is where I studied and began to imagine a path for myself as a dancer and maker that might follow a less conventional route.  I couldn’t have done that without the education and the inspiration of the teachers and guest artists I met here.”

Ailie Robertson reached number 2 in the iTunes Classical Music chart with her new single Haven.

Composer and harpist Ailie is currently studying for a PhD in composition at Trinity Laban. As a composer with a background in traditional music, Ailie’s work continually bridges the divide between traditional and contemporary music by bringing the past and present together authentically.

Ailie’s honours include winning the Scottish Chamber Orchestra Composition Prize and the Sofia International Composition Competition, and coming second in the 14th International Oslo Grieg Competition. She has received commissions and awards from Creative Scotland, Enterprise Music Scotland, Culture Ireland, Distil, Celtic Connections and the BBC Performing Arts Fund, along with residencies at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and Berwick Sound.

Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance offers the research degrees of MPhil and PhD. For more information about Trinity Laban’s research degrees and composition department, visit our Study pages.

Listen to Ailie Robertson’s new single Haven on Soundcloud:

Immersive performance group BitterSuite’s performance, Debussy’s String Quartet: A Sensorial Concert, has sold out in New York City.

BitterSuite successfully raised more than £28,000 on their latest Kickstarter campaign, allowing them to realise their NYC debut at The Brooklyn Academy of Music on 9th December 2016.

The concert is an immersive classical music experience that harnesses the power of all five senses to enhance Debussy’s String Quartet. 2015 graduate Linzy Na Nakorn is the creative producer in the UK, with fellow graduate Gina Ricker as the US producer. Laura Ganotis is on the communications team, with countless dance alumni performing within the company.

‘BitterSuite symphonies allow you to remain powerfully in the moment… This is a concert where you don’t just listen to the music, you taste it, smell it and feel it as well.’

— Lyndsey Winship, The Guardian

BitterSuite concerts are immersive sensorial experiences. Audience members are blindfolded and guided through the experience in the reassuring hands of BitterSuite dancers, who move around, spray smells and feed tastes, all alongside a live ensemble.

To find out more about BitterSuite, visit their website.

For more information about studying at Trinity Laban, visit our Study pages.

Image: www.bittersuite.org.uk

Several Trinity Laban Vocal alumni have been enjoying significant successes in competitions, on stage and in the concert hall.

2014 graduate Georgia Bishop recently gained second place in the Wagner International Singing Competition. Aged just 24, Georgia was younger than most competitors, making this is a particularly outstanding achievement. The competition – run by the Wagner Society – is held every three years and aims to identify singers with the potential of becoming Wagner experts.

Fellow 2014 graduate soprano Nardus Williams has won the Maureen Lehane Vocal Award, an annual award that has been supporting aspiring young singers for over 20 years.

Alumnus Peter Wilcox is currently on stage in Amadeus, joining Trinity Laban tutor Eamonn Mulhall in Peter Shaffer’s iconic play at the National Theatre.

And tenor Guy Elliott, who graduated in 2014, recently appeared as soloist in two performances of Handel’s Messiah at the Royal Albert Hall.

To find out more about our Voice programme, visit our Study pages.

A recent Trinity Laban performance has led directly to a current double bass student performing with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

In Trinity Laban’s innovative Side by Side series, students regularly perform alongside principal players from the UK’s top orchestras. The most recent concert on 4 November saw Trinity Laban students join forces with the BBC Symphony Orchestra at Maida Vale Studios.

At this performance, current student Lewis Grant Reid made such a good impression that he was invited back by the orchestra the following week, joining their double bass section in their performance of Berlioz’ Grande Messe des Morts at the Royal Albert Hall.

Lewis commented:

‘It was a little daunting to play with the BBCSO at first, but once I was on stage all my apprehensions went away.

I have to applaud the bass department here at Trinity Laban, ever since I started studying here it’s continued to get stronger. We all support and push each other to keep working hard, which is great!’

Trinity Laban alumni regularly go on to successful employment as soloists, chamber musicians and with the UK’s leading orchestras.

To find out more about studying music at Trinity Laban, visit our Study pages.