“You’re probably all wondering why I’m here.” smiled nine times Professional World Latin Dance Champion, Carmen Vincelj on arriving at the rather anonymous Kingwood dining hall somewhere in deepest Surrey. I think it’s fair to say a location not designed to host such a renowned title holder. So yes, I suppose you could say we were wondering why she’d shown up.
Royal Holloway has a thriving Ballroom and Latin American Dance society, more commonly known as BALADS. The society was lucky enough to gain complimentary tickets to former champions Bryan Watson and Carmen’s prestigious London Ball back in October and BALADS has been Carmen crazy ever since. Enthusiastic president, Dasha Nikitina wasted no time in contacting many professional dancers, enquiring whether they would be interested in teaching our society for a lesson, (of course for a student friendly price) but never did we expect the response we got ...
“One of the things Bryan wanted as a present for his 40th birthday last year was for us to give something back to the community, so when I got your email I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to help you with your dancing.” Carmen explained on arrival. She began the master class with some valuable technique, focussing on where the placement of our weight should be when we dance and how we should use our spine. She demonstrated her remarks with some Rumba walks, “I’m a little rusty.” She confessed, modestly. However from her effortless, fluid movements I found this very hard to believe!
Technique explained, we got to have a go ourselves. Carmen was adamant on stressing the importance of direction when we danced, so much so she made the boys and girls practice their steps separately, then dance in front of each other – not in hold, and then finally in hold ... So much for Rumba being “the dance of love” then.
“I want to finish our lesson with some Jive.” She announced. A titter of excitement filled the room – always a popular choice! Half an hour and lots of kicking and flicking later, I have never seen my Jive transformed in such a short space of time, as Carmen carefully explained where the motivation for every kick should come from, explaining that the Jive is a “body dance” and not a “leg dance” as a lot of us had thought – valuable stuff when competing. Exhausted and hot despite the November snow still settled outside, the lesson was inevitably over.
Once Carmen left the grounds of the university, the excitable hysteria from BALADS members was still palpable while we reflected on what we had just been lucky enough to experience – all of whom appreciating what a respected name Carmen Vincelj is in the dance industry. It was this energy that we took to our upcoming competition in Nottingham the very next day – where BALADS achieved our best results to date, winning all four Beginner disciplines.
Saturday, 11 December 2010
Sylvia - Covent Garden, London November/December 2010
Frederick Ashton’s second full length ballet, first performed in 1952, is a mystical treat from start to finish with nymphs, Gods and Goddesses set against the portrayal of a touching love story, much of which in this new production unfolds in the third act but is more than worth the wait. A short synopsis for those unfamiliar with this ballet, first created to showcase the work of Margot Fonteyn goes as follows; Aminta is a young shepherd in love with Sylvia one of Diana’s nymphs. Aminta spends much of the first act enraptured by watching Sylvia dance but unaware of an evil hunter, Orion, also watching Sylvia and becoming enflamed by her beauty. Aminta declares his love for Sylvia but she is horrified and blames the statue of Eros, God of love, she draws her arrow aiming for the statue but her arrow pierces the heart of Aminta instead. As Sylvia leaves, Orion takes his moment to capture her, while a mysterious hooded figure miraculously brings Aminta back to life. The second and third acts see Sylvia be freed and the lovers reunited, the third act functioning as an indulgent vehicle for the protagonists to display their skill, which both Sylvia (Marianela Nũnez) and Aminta (Rupert Pennefather) do capably in a hugely satisfying conclusion for the audience.
Ballet purists have voiced their concerns over the lack of dance content in the opening acts in this new reconstruction by Christopher Newton. However for those who are not regulars at the Opera House, such as myself, I was, from the opening dance of Sylvia’s nymphs, entranced by their technique, musicality and control set again the beautiful backdrop of the magical moonlit woodland, and from the moment Sylvia leaped gracefully onto the stage I was hooked. Nũnez is intensely watchable with her articulate footwork that contains so much grace one can barely hear the inevitable clatter of a performer’s dance shoes on the stage; she fulfils the role with just the right degree of emotion and subtly to be believable, although I was far too preoccupied with awe at her impeccable technique and sublime grand jeté’s.
The short second act’s wide criticism, set in Orion’s cave, is understandable with its lack of traditional ballet, but I believe still serves a purpose with its colourful costuming, use of mime and likeable dancing concubines in the cave of the evil Orion.
The third act idolises the power of love, firstly through two faultlessly performed solos from the two protagonists and then a dazzling pas de deux, including ambitious leaps and jumps that audibly led the audience to gasp in amazement at the trust shared within what I thought to be a totally authentic partnership. For what remains of the third act, the performance comes to its conclusion with a short scene of celebration that the lovers have been reunited and finally the audience is rewarded with the full cast on stage together, dancing in unison, a vision so impressive to look at, Sylvia reaches its climax all too soon.
Ballet purists have voiced their concerns over the lack of dance content in the opening acts in this new reconstruction by Christopher Newton. However for those who are not regulars at the Opera House, such as myself, I was, from the opening dance of Sylvia’s nymphs, entranced by their technique, musicality and control set again the beautiful backdrop of the magical moonlit woodland, and from the moment Sylvia leaped gracefully onto the stage I was hooked. Nũnez is intensely watchable with her articulate footwork that contains so much grace one can barely hear the inevitable clatter of a performer’s dance shoes on the stage; she fulfils the role with just the right degree of emotion and subtly to be believable, although I was far too preoccupied with awe at her impeccable technique and sublime grand jeté’s.
The short second act’s wide criticism, set in Orion’s cave, is understandable with its lack of traditional ballet, but I believe still serves a purpose with its colourful costuming, use of mime and likeable dancing concubines in the cave of the evil Orion.
The third act idolises the power of love, firstly through two faultlessly performed solos from the two protagonists and then a dazzling pas de deux, including ambitious leaps and jumps that audibly led the audience to gasp in amazement at the trust shared within what I thought to be a totally authentic partnership. For what remains of the third act, the performance comes to its conclusion with a short scene of celebration that the lovers have been reunited and finally the audience is rewarded with the full cast on stage together, dancing in unison, a vision so impressive to look at, Sylvia reaches its climax all too soon.
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