CENTRE FOR ADVANCED TRAINING

Dance Technique and Performing Skills

Students will undertake classes in contemporary dance and ballet supported by other complementary dance forms in order to develop:

• Physical strength, flexibility, agility, co-ordination and efficiency of movement
• Correct posture, placement and alignment
• Spatial awareness, body line and design
• Articulation and clarity of movement
• Movement constituents of the movement vocabularies of the styles studied
• Projection / focus; clarity of intention; appropriate use of dynamics
• Sensitivity to musical phrasing and dynamics
• Use of different movement qualities
• Ability to respond / be present in the moment of presentation
• Ability to utilise and retain feedback
• Use of energy and sense of whole body engagement

Dance Fitness and Health

The aim of the Performance Enhancement (PEn) sessions is to support technical and creative training. The content focuses more on general physical functioning and less on particular dance styles or techniques. The approach is supported by current Dance Science research and knowledge.

Within the PEn sessions the following areas will be worked on:

• Stamina and fitness levels
• Muscular strength and conditioning
• Alignment and control
• Body and anatomical awareness

The PEn sessions will also provide and explain best practice strategies such as:

• Warm-up and cool-down
• Effective stretching
• Positive mental attitude
• Nutrition and hydration for energy giving purposes
• Use of psychological skills such as imagery, to support physical training

Creative Workshops and Choreography

Students will have regular creative workshops and experience with professional choreographers. Students will be encouraged to be imaginative, innovative and take creative risks through:

• Exploring dance ideas/concepts in response to a variety of stimuli e.g. kinaesthetic, literary, visual, auditory, contemporary issues, repertoire, styles and traditions
• Selecting, structuring, and refining movement material
• Developing initial movement ideas into final choreographic form through selecting and developing action, dynamic, rhythmic and spatial content
• Using choreographic devices, e.g. motif, variation and development, chance, unison, canon, climax
• Forming the overall shape of the dance
• Structuring appropriate relationships between content and form in the expression of a dance idea
• Considering the relationship of dance and music
• Communicating artistic intention and the expression of dance ideas/concepts
• Reflecting and evaluating throughout the choreographic process

Performance Opportunities

In order to develop the student’s practical experience of performing, there will be regular performance opportunities in a variety of settings and to different audiences, including:

• Termly informal sharing’s of work for family and friends
• Contributing to the Youth and Community Dance Platforms
• Performances in Laban’s Bonnie Bird Theatre
• Performing in theatres in and out of London

Complementary Studies

In order to support the dance curriculum, and ensure that each individual encounters a range of artistic and creative opportunities and is prepared for progression into further training, the following will be included either as part of the Saturday programme or in the additional study days or intensive courses:

• Practical workshops in a range of dance/movement genres e.g. African, South Asian, Hip Hop, Capoeira
• Visits to see professional dance work in a range of genres and a variety of cultural experiences available in London including theatre performances and art exhibitions
• Collaborative music and dance projects with Junior Trinity
• Careers information and advice

André Fabien Francis

While successfully auditioning for the Council for Dance, Drama and Musical Theatre: Aspiring Dance Mentoring Scheme, under the direction of Liz Dale – Director of Dance at ISTD – and Hannah Dye – Head of Programming for Breathe Arts and Freelance Producer for English National Ballet – André was scouted to join the Centre for Advanced Training (CAT) Programme at The Place: London Contemporary Dance School. After nearly 3 years, André graduated from The Place: CAT accepting a fully funded place at London Studio Centre (LSC). During his time at LSC André took some time out to attend The Ailey School – the training ground for the world renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre – Summer Intensive in 2013, before returning to LSC where in 2014 he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree.

Following graduation, André joined the ensemble of The Lion King, Germany where he was trusted with the responsibility of teaching Company Class. On Returning to the UK André joined the West End Production of Wicked in the prestigious Ribbon Boy Track before going on to play Paul in Kiss Me Kate at The Watermill Theatre choreographed by Oti Mabuse – for which André was nominated for the BroadwayWorldUK: Best Supporting Actor Award. Most recently André played Seaweed J Stubbs in Hairspray for The Grange Park: Pimlico Opera.

Having worked in the Arts industry for almost two decades, André has danced, taught, assisted, created work and been mentored both nationally & internationally. Working with world class artists, theatres and organisations including: Richard Alston, Denzil Bailey, Thea Barnes, James Bennett, the Southbank Centre, the Olympic Ceremonies, the Royal Albert Hall, Rebecca Howell, Richard Jones, Paul Liburd, Oti Mabuse, Mandy Montanez, Alex Parker, Joan Peters, Richard Roe, Jane Sanig, Judine Somerville, Christian Storm, the CDMT, Disney Theatrical Productions, Eric Underwood, Antoine Vereecken, Buddy Watkins, Nikki Woollaston and Sadler’s Wells. Which André continuously utilizes to inspire his work in the studio, on stage and off stage.

Ben McEwen

Ben began dancing in a local youth dance group in Kendal, Cumbria and just kept going! He graduated from Trinity Laban, the training cycle at PARTS, and last year completed an MA in Creative Practice at Independent Dance/Trinity Laban. He works extensively as a performer and movement researcher, including major works with Vera Tussing, Charlotte Spencer Projects, Francesco Scavetta/Wee, Hagit Yakira and Lisa May Thomas, and has been part of numerous smaller projects, dance films and music videos.
Alongside performing, Ben teaches classes and workshops throughout Europe for professionals and dance companies, specialising in contemporary technique, floorwork, Flying Low, improvisation and instant composition. He is currently a teacher at The London Contemporary Dance School, a regular guest teacher at several conservatoires and universities, including the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, and is a teacher on the Trinity Laban CAT programme.
He also practises the Japanese martial art Aikido, for the last 5 years at Tetsushinkan (London), and really loves to walk and run, especially if mountains are involved!

Carolyn Bolton

Carolyn Bolton is an American dancer, teacher, lecturer and choreographer residing in London. Born in Columbia, South Carolina, Carolyn began her pre-professional training at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities before completing her Bachelors of Arts in Dance Performance/Choreography from the University of South Carolina. She later went on to study at the Martha Graham School for Contemporary Dance and Bejart Ballet Lausanne before joining Rambert Dance Company in 2013. Carolyn joined Shobana Jeyasingh Dance in February 2019 and has since had the privilege of working with L’Opera National du Rhin for their 2020 season. Carolyn has also worked with Julie Cunningham and Company as well as presented solo work for the Operaestate Festival in Bassano Del Grappa where she was previously an artist in residence. Carolyn is currently a lecturer of ballet and academic tutor for London Contemporary Dance School as well as a ballet instructor for Trinity Laban’s Centre for Advanced Training.

Charlotte Blinkhorn

Charlotte trained at Central School of Ballet (CSB), London, beginning her professional training at the age of sixteen. She graduated with a BA (Hons) in 2006. Charlotte spent her third year of training touring the UK as part of Ballet Central and performed the solo piece ‘Futility’, choreographed by Sara Matthews, as part of the Ballet Central 2006 tour. She then spent a year with Phoenix Dance Theatre, working with Javier De Frutos and Henrique Rodavalho whilst completing a Post Graduate Diploma.
Charlotte joined Springs Dance Company in 2008, performing and teaching extensively both nationally and internationally for over 8 years. Working with Springs gave Charlotte the opportunity to work with choreographers such as Darren Ellis, Will Tuckett, Vicky Fox and Suzannah McCreight. A highlight of her performing career was performing a solo piece choreographed by Suzannah McCreight at the Royal Albert Hall. Working with Springs Dance Company gave Charlotte a great deal of teaching experience, teaching on the company’s apprenticeship course and annual summer school. Charlotte has led many educational projects and workshops in primary and secondary schools in a range of settings across the UK. Alongside dancing for Springs, Charlotte has performed in projects at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Resolutions, amongst other platforms. Charlotte now teaches across the South East, teaching ballet and contemporary techniques to students from a range of ages and including a professional course.

Chloe Stone

Chloe has built a portfolio career as a teacher, choreographer, artistic director and performer.  She trained at Tring Park and at Trinity Laban gaining a Post Graduate Diploma in Contemporary Dance as a member of Transitions Dance Company 2006-7. As a performer Chloe has worked on Dance Films, tours in Scotland with Smallpetitklein Dance Company, and across London with Combination Dance Company and Parkour Dance Company.  She also had a character role in the Olympics Closing Ceremony 2012.

In 2009 Chloe set up E.Dance a company, touring four pieces supported by Arts Council England and North-East Lincolnshire Council.

Chloe has been teaching ballet, contemporary dance and creative classes for a number of years at Trinity Laban.  She also teaches dance in Primary Schools and delivers Professional Development to teachers as part of Dance Directions.  In the last few years Chloe has been the Artistic Director of Trinity Laban’s Youth Dance Company which has twice been successful in gaining a place at U.Dance National Festival.  Chloe has choreographed extensively across many Youth Dance Groups.  A highlight being a collaboration between a Trinity Laban Performance Group and Animate Orchestra which headlined Live at TL in 2016.

Chloe has also taught for the Dance East Centre for Advanced Training, the Royal Academy of Dance, The Urdang Academy and London Children’s Ballet.

Gerrard Martin

Gerrard Martin trained at De Montfort University, gaining a BA Hons in English Literature and Performing Arts; he then went on to Northern School of Contemporary Dance and obtained a Diploma in Professional Dance Studies.

He has danced for Altered Skin, Akademi, Rosie Kay Dance Company, and has toured nationally with Tavaziva Dance, Union Dance Company, as well as dancing for the West End’s production of the Lion King, Ballet Black, Aletta Collins Dance Company, State of Emergency, and Phoenix Dance Company.

Aside from modelling, commercial dance contracts, and film engagements, Gerrard has also danced for National Theatre, has toured internationally with the ‘English National Opera’, and the Royal Opera House.

Gerrard currently teaches on the CAT programme at Trinity Laban and has taught and mentored on the Children Youth Dance and Adult Classes & Courses programme at the Place, he is a guest Associate Lecturer at the University of Northampton, and a dance teacher at RADA, (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art).

Gerrard has choreographed for Outbox Theatre, Longborough Opera, British Museum, Pegasus Opera and the National Portrait gallery. The West Bengal Federation of Dance, India commissioned Gerrard’s choreography for World Dance Day.

He created his project-based company ‘Gerrard Martin Dance’ in 2011 and has had work featured at the National Portrait Gallery, RichMix and the Emerge, Between the Lines, South Bank Urban, Let’s Dance International, and Cloud Dance Festivals. Gerrard’s work has also been selected for The Field Film festival, UK and the Athens Video Dance Project, Greece. 

He was an assistant choreographer on the English National Opera’s Porgy and Bess, One Love Musical, (Bob Marley), and the 40th UAE Royal Anniversary Performance, Abu Dhabi.

Gerrard aims to produce works of emotive and socially relevant dance-theatre; to teach and facilitate creativity through movement, yoga, and dance, and wishes to collaborate and engage with artists across different mediums.

He is part of the first cohort of The Kerry Nicholls Dance Mentoring Programme and is a trained Yoga teacher.

Kieran Stoneley

Kieran trained at the Royal Ballet School. Upon graduating, he toured with the Royal Ballet and went on to dance with New York Theatre Ballet, Los Angeles Ballet, English National Ballet, Northern Ballet, Scottish Ballet and The National Ballet of Ireland. As an independent dancer, Kieran has worked with Michael Clark Company, Chantry Dance Company, Alexander Whitley Dance Company and Yorke Dance Project. He performed in ‘The Most Incredible Thing’, a collaboration between Choreographer Javier De Frutos and Pet Shop Boys; ‘Fusional Fragments’, a collaboration between Choreographer Marc Brew and percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie; ‘FLOW’ at The Print Room; ‘Rootless Dialect’ at Wilderness Festival with Hannah Rudd of Rambert; and ‘4×4 Ephemeral Architectures’ with Gandini Juggling. Kieran has worked on various TV and film projects, has been a guest artist with Westside Ballet California, Irish National Youth Ballet, and Teatre Principal in Palma de Mallorca. Kieran teaches at Sylvia Young Theatre School and the CAT scheme at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.

Lucy Evans

Lucy Evans trained at London Contemporary Dance School and Trinity Laban as part of Transitions Dance Company 2007 gaining an MA in Dance Performance. Whilst in Transitions, Lucy toured work in the UK and Europe by Henri Okguike, Jenni Kivela, Pablo Ventura, Aszure Barton and Cristian Duarte. Her career as a freelance dance artist has included performing with H2dance, La Fura del Baus, Cie. Willi Dorner, e.dance, Aletta Collins, DeDa and the Olympics Closing Ceremony under the direction of Kym Gavin.  She has taught for Trinity Laban, The Royal Ballet School, Urdang, Arts Educational Schools London, London Children’s Ballet, The Academy for Theatre Arts and Darren Ellis Dance.  She received the Lisa Ullmann Travelling Scholarship in 2008 to deliver dance workshops to under privileged children and young people in La Paz, Bolivia. In September 2014, she was awarded a place on Dance UK’s Teacher Mentoring Program. Lucy co-founded her own dance theatre company ‘Anecdotal Evidence’ with William Aitchison in 2013 making work that uses text and movement.  Other choreographic commissions for young people include creating ‘Fair-e-Tale’, a professional work for E.dance that toured schools in the North of England, as well as receiving commissions to create work for young people from U Dance, PrimarySteps and the Unicorn Theatre.

Niamh Morrin

Niamh has successfully completed a BSc in Sports Science and Health and an MSc in Dance Science. Since graduating in 2006, she has worked extensively with dancers. Work includes, lecturing on the BA undergraduate Dance Science module at the University of Wolverhampton, teaching dancers health and injury prevention workshops with Akademi, Centre for Advanced Training (The Place and Trinity Laban), Springs Dance Company apprenticeship scheme and D and B School of Performing Arts.

Niamh’s research interests include; optimal warm-up for dancers and the biomechanical effects of fatigue in dance. She has presented her research internationally at the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science. Her current position as Healthier Dancer Programme Manager at Dance UK ensures that she keeps up to date with current thinking and research within the field.

Niamh is passionate about young dancer’s health – providing young training dancers with sound injury prevention and performance enhancement training and advice means that they enter the professional dancing world with an understanding of their own bodies and a tool kit to keep dancing longer and stronger.

Wayne Parsons

Wayne graduated from London Contemporary Dance School before embarking on a performance career that spanned 13 years working for some of the world’s leading dance companies and choreographers.

Wayne’s long-term engagements as a performer included five years of domestic and international touring with National Dance Company of Wales (NDCWales), three years with Richard Alston Dance Company and Wayne moved to Australia on an invitation by Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela to join Sydney Dance Company.

Wayne has also worked with Motionhouse, Mark Bruce Company, Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company, Alexander Whitley Dance Company, Yorke Dance Project, SmallPetitKlein, Joe Moran Dance, Oguike Dance and performed works by the likes of Jacopo Godani, Itzik Galili, Stephen Shropshire and Stephen Petronio amongst others.

Wayne is a choreographer with his own company creating dance theatre works that tour across the UK and internationally. His choreographic work has been supported by East London Dance, The Place, Swindon Dance, DanceEast and Stephen Joseph Theatre. Wayne is an Associate Artist at Swindon Dance 2018-20. Wayne also works as a movement director and choreographer for theatre working at places such as Shakespeare’s Globe and Hampstead Theatre amongst others.

Wayne has taught throughout his career as a performer and choreographer and as a result has amassed extensive experience as a teacher and facilitator leading workshops, classes and restaging works across the world. In the professional realm Wayne has taught for companies such as New Adventures and National Dance Company of Wales and has been a guest lecturer at London Contemporary Dance School, London Studio Centre, Mountview, Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, Beijing Dance Academy and Codarts. Prior to teaching on the CAT Laban programme Wayne was a teacher on the CAT Ipswich programme for two years.

Useful Links for Dance Industry Information, Auditions and Job Opportunities:

• Article 19
• Juice
• Arts Jobs
• People Dancing (Foundation for Community Dance)
• Artsjobsonline.com
• National Dance CATs
• Foundations For Excellence