A capital weekend with an 'old skool' friend: 29.03.15

This weekend one of my old school buddies came to stay from Gibraltar. With the intention of showing her how I like to spend my time in much loved Londres these days now that she's moved away (you know you wanna come back!) I just thought I'd post this up as we had a couple of little gem finds.

We started on Friday night with dinner at my local Smokehouse in West Hampstead 'One Sixty' which involved heavenly mac and cheese, pulled pork, burgers and more...we had a stuffed start to the weekend. This place does an excellent range of beers by the way and I would go there just for that if not their delicious smoked meats.

Click picture to see website:

Saturday we DID venture to Oxford Street, something I've not done for a while although it wasn't painfully busy! I can't believe the sexyness of the shoes my friend bought in M&S-that's what happens when you get vouchers, you discover that M&S do some decent shoes, that looked pretty fine with her perfectly peachy toenails.

We stocked up with a delicious lunch at 'East Street' on Rathbone Place. I had the Khao Soi (recommended by a friend Nat- superrrrb) which were curried Thai noodles with chicken, and a Ramen to rival many for my buddy.  Have a look at their menu by clicking the picture below. It's cute inside with the street food signs hanging everywhere too, and the prices are not spicy either!

    

Click below to see menu.

After more shopping, we had a quick change, then out to see Romeo and Juliet at The Peacock theatre in Holborn (part of Sadlers' Wells). See my post about it from earlier on the blog.

In true Jenny fashion we headed out for some dancing. I apologise to anyone I may have bumped or whipped into! The music was too good. I even remember the DJ spinning some Lucy Pearl which made me so excited that security came to get me as they thought I was being troublesome. But no. The music made our night.

Sunday's hangover breakfast will always be at my little favourite on Kilburn High Road. Ciao Ciao cafe, you just can't beat it :) £3.95 for a cracking English breakfast, and it does the job it needs to and more (mainly because they do chips with it, which is really naughty but I think that's what it is!)

We then headed over to Dalston DIY art Market at EPIC Dalston. In a quest to find some nice 'Londony' art, we did just that. My friend got this brilliant 'Be Lucky' screen print by Ben Rider. See his prints for sale here. 

http://printclublondon.com/artist/ben-rider/

It's so super bright when you see it for real that this picture doesn't do it as much justice, but it'll bring her luck for years to come I'm sure!

In keeping with the London theme, I came across this wonderful artist Pedro Demetriou, who I was able to speak to at the event. See his work here:

http://pedrodemetriou.co.uk

With many of his pieces being inspired by what he sees in and around London, I bought this print 'Skyscraper' which means I can have another version of the wonderful London skyline to look at in my flat! 

The most EXCITABLE discovery was undoubtedly the stall run by Massive Arms Productions. See their bloody brilliant works here:

http://massivearms.bigcartel.com

I immediately purchased this Prince jumper (it says 'I wanna be your lover') in homage to the days my Dad spent journeys in the car with us playing his greatest hits (I thought I'd put this pic of Niomi up as her outfit was super cute :))

I couldn't resist buying their greetings cards, one of which I've already given my friend Andy who is a MASSIVE Prince fan. I think he liked it...A LOT. Oh and they were so nice that they threw in a Lisa Left Eye Lopez tea towel-washing up will never be as fun as it is now!

Rasta Thomas' Romeo and Juliet: Peacock Theatre 28.03.15

As a lover of any art form that crosses over, I was excited to see how Rasta Thomas' Romeo and Juliet would fare, and was hoping that it wasn't going to be style over substance. It wasn't.

Firstly, I enjoyed the casting of Romeo and Juliet, the dark and light coming together literally, and the reflection of our diverse society was great. On seeing Juliet's gentle entrance, I had a feeling that she would pack more of a punch in some of her later dances.

I'm also a big fan of projections, and annoyingly overuse the word 'projection' far more than anyone should in their daily vocabulary (sorry friends!). I started off by using projections in school shows as a way of modernising productions, but also, it hugely resolved the issue of moving a heavy cumbersome set on and off stage. I have actually come to appreciate clever minimal set pieces more as of late, but I welcomed seeing the use of projections, and it added to the 'musicvideoness' of the whole production.

The paparazzi section before the ball was humorous and gave us a taste of what was to come. It also gave us a chance to laugh at the characters a little, on seeing Mercutio using bum jiggling tactics to be the centre of attention. He was great to watch throughout the performance and was full of energy.

Usher's 'Without You' was the first lifter for me, marking the moment after Romeo and Juliet first meet at the ball. It was in this dance that there was much needed unison which added strength and joy to the event.

Romeo's dance with his friends at the beginning to 'Forever Young' actually made my heart pang a little as they watched the revolving ferris wheel and danced their 'youthful' steps of merriment. It harked back to those more carefree days when all you had to worry about was the colour of your backpack, the pictures in your DT folder and your Year 11 crush. It had a 'Sandlot' feel about it, and certainly took the me back to that feeling of newness and first love.

Other familiar songs such as 'Every Breath You Take', 'Unchained Melody', 'Teenage Dream' and 'Party Rockers' featured throughout the show and were all choreographed superbly. In having the mix of classical and modern, it was clear that it wasn't a tokenistic choice for the popularity vote, but it meant that you could easy connect the right tone immediately with a certain part of the story. After all, Shakespeare wrote his plays for everyone and so this production really does have something for everyone.

I was more than delighted to hear Sade's 'Kissing you' used in the Baz Luhrmann film during the famous fish tank scene where Romeo and Juliet fall in love. My eyes even welled up as the dancers created a beautiful tangle, building up at the right moments then revealing the close love that the characters shared for one another.

A final mention must go out to the Friar's dance, which I felt was a hard dance to portray with the usual understanding of the Friar being an older, larger friendly dumpling of a man. However the dance linked in well with the dark lead up to Romeo and Juliet's death, with high tempo music and a 'solid' feel, clean choreography and excellent mood lighting.

So yes, it comes to the final thought! Well, three words that come to mind when I think about this production are SWEET, CHARMING and FUN!

This production was a great example of clear characterisation and music choices in order for the audience to connect to ballet in a way that I know some don't when paying a small fortune to go and see other productions.

It certainly raised some emotions in me that haven't popped up for a little while, so for that I am always grateful.

CHICKENSHED: "as the mother of a brown boy..." 19.03.15

(See the video trailer for this production in the Theatre section of this blog)

On Thursday me and Lisa B (my fellow Drama teacher who I set up the department with, and prime theatre buddy!) went to see  "as the mother of a brown boy..." the second run of the show after the first re-telling of this touching yet beautiful and tragic story in 2007.

This one hour show tells the story of Mischa Niering a former pupil of Chickenshed who died aged 19 in a fatal accident involving the Police.

The narrative is told through the recorded voice of Mischa's mother, and her perspective on the journey of her son, from being a beautiful baby boy in her arms, to growing up to be a son she was proud of. 

There is no sugar coating in the story either. As an audience member being taken through some of the key events in Mischa's life, and some of the Mother's observations, it is clear that there were times when his life bought her great joy, times when it brought her sadness, and times in which she experienced confusion over his decisions and actions.

The main message here in this story is that of LOVE. A mother's great love for her son, and her desperate need to want the very best for him. The special bond that she shared reminded me of my own relationship with my family, and how they may have felt about some of the decisions I made growing up. How I may have caused them stress or hurt or even joy at times. This I know is a wonderful result of Chickenshed's work, always giving the audience the ability to think deeply and reflect on how we behave as human beings, and how we treat and care for one another. 

The use of multimedia, music and movement in this story is a magic combination. The music and movement highlights certain moments perfectly. I loved the use of India Arie's 'Brown Skin' and the way it highlighted the beauty of being mixed race. I particularly enjoyed  the use of the boxes being repositioned on stage for different purposes, and the 'parkour' quality the playground scene in which the actors portrayed Mischa's schooldays.

From what I could see, at least half of the audience shed a tear throughout this production, as we were all hit with the reality that a life that was so precious was taken away so quickly, especially in a time of growth and progress for Mischa. 

This production is not around for long, but if you want to see some of the excellent work that Chickenshed do, go and pay them a visit, as they have a brilliant programme of work coming up. This company stand for inclusivity and showing the value of young people, and this production shows that perfectly.

http://www.chickenshed.org.uk

Performing Dance: How does it all begin?

I was fortunate enough to bump into these two brilliant girls who were helping backstage at the London heats of the Great Big Dance Off on Monday.

They agreed to have a chat about how they got into performance and the platforms that led them to now perform with two excellent dance crews 'Buckness Personified' and 'Project G'.

What came through was that you don't necessarily have to have parents taking you along to Ballet and Tap (from the age of two or whatever) to succeed now!

 In fact, if the interest comes from you, your desire to get better can sometimes have more longevity.

Well done to these two girls for all your hard work backstage, and I hope to see you again in the future :)

Interview with Rachel Steckbeck

On Monday 16th March I had the privilege of being a Judge on the panel of the Primary and Secondary school London Heats for The Great Big Dance Off National schools competition. This took place at the New Wimbledon Theatre, with close to 60 schools competing in both sections.

It was great to see so many schools taking time out of their busy schedule (I've been on the other side and know how hard it can be to get this sort of thing together!) to get their pupils onto that stage and give them a chance to show what they can do.

A big shout out to any of the Teachers (if you are reading this) who helped put together a dance on behalf of your school. It doesn't go unrecognised, and the inclusivity of the groups was also clear to see which is important. You may have planted a new love for dance which will continue to grow in some of your pupils!

Rachel, the founder of the competition took a few minutes out of her VERY busy day to talk about why she started the competition and why it's important to have this platform. Take a look!

FUTURE ELEMENTS: Lillian Baylis Studio: 14.03.15

Wow! what a pleasure it was to see the young performers do their thang' at Sadler's Wells last night.

Being a teacher who cares greatly about performance opportunities for children, I was interested to see how the youth considered to be the future talent of Hip Hop theatre were going to run things.

First up to perform were 'Platinum', a street crew of all ages performing their piece 'EVOLUTION.' This was fast paced, energetic and hard hitting. This crew seem to have mastered swag in a way that is hard to teach. Some nicely shaped formations and a clear representation of how 'age ain't nothing but a number (to quote the late and wonderful Aaliyah) when it comes to showing your moves on the main stage. A nice little surprise from the smallest dancers of the group hitting out with the highest energy to Beyonce's '7/11' which gave the piece a cheeky and impressive finish.

Next Baanji and Muti performed their piece 'Submerge'. Choreographed by the performers themselves, this piece was certainly gripping, like when you're about to find out what happens at the end of that film! The movements in the choreography gave a sense of having power and struggling, whilst demonstrating emotion and pain at times. The music and lighting helped to give this piece a certain mood, and strong emotions came through in the performance. It certainly made me think and appreciate the way that their movement only could portray the idea of power and struggle.

Alexander Benjamin was next up, aiming to show his progress in dance since he was first inspired by working with the Breakin' convention in 2008. A wonderful interpretation, demonstrating excellent musicality and on point. This was a clean and satisfying performance to 'Earned it' by the Weeknd.

A penultimate performance from Unity Youth, who have been a favourite of mine ever since I saw them on 'Got to Dance' in 2014. They are soooooo clean in their movements! I wish all of my school kids could watch them, just so they can see how to hold a really nice Freeze frame in Drama! When they are still, they are like ICE, and when they move, all I see are clean clean lines. This crew clearly rehearse and train hard and moved in formations the red arrows couldn't even match. I loved the way individual talents were showcased, especially in the middle section, and I LOVE their grimey roots, representing East London.

Finally, Tyrus McKenzie aged 15 seems to have a number of amazing achievements under his belt and is a member of ZooNation Youth company. He performed 'Can I have your attention' which he choreographed himself. Again, his musicality is second to none, and his showcase of various styles blending into one another was impressive. He clearly has a bright future. Click the link above to see his piece.

Lastly, the Premiere of the video 'Unsocial Media' was presented, in which 20 young artists (MCs, aerosol artists, film makers and producers) came together to produce a music video highlighting the problem with social media. A hot topic in schools at the moment and everywhere actually, it was promising to see that this concept was being brought to the fore by the generation who use social media to the max. Awareness of how we live in a virtual world full of 'friends' as opposed to nurturing proper relationships with people is so important, and told through the medium of dance and music? I can't think of a better way to communicate the message.

It's thanks to projects like Future Elements from the Breakin' Convention that young artists can be born, inspired and nurtured to develop. As an educator, I feel so strongly that these opportunities remain and grow so that more young people can master an art and get an opportunity to perform on a proper platform. This way they get a taste of success, and have something to strive for. Actually 'doing it' is what creates the hunger and determination to stick at an art such as dance and performance. If we can allow the younger generation to do this, they'll no longer have to just dream about it and imagine it, but can hold it in their hands.

An inspiring project with a strong message. Here's to the future of Hip Hop theatre.

TWERK: LILLIAN BAYLIS STUDIO: 06.03.15

After a yummy dinner at Caravan in Exmouth market with my work homie Lisa B (ham hock croquettes, sweet potato pockets, soft shell crab and ribs all washed down with a couple of Camden Hells!) we ended a busy week in the drama department by getting excited about seeing TWERK. With our Theatre heads on normally used to a good ol' narrative, it was clear that we were going to have to take these hats off and get prepared for the visual feast that was ahead of us.

Upon entering we were treated to a booming soundtrack from the DJs Elijah and Skilliam from label Butterz. The dancers resembled spinning tops as they took on the challenge of spinning around to the music (or not) which seemed like an endurance test. It did draw me in however, mainly because I was in awe of their ability to stay focused on this task without getting dizzy and losing their step.

I liked the five different 'types' that were created through costume and dance styles. The costumes could be deemed as androgynous and represented to me a mixture of 'podium dancer', 'festival go-er' and 'clubber'. This set me up nicely to accept the idea of the human bodies of these dancers being sexy in general as opposed to 'male' and 'female' sexy.

It was interesting to see the different dance styles flowing into one another rather than an organised set. The mixture of whacking, dancehall, krump and house styles came through at different moments, and I felt like I was watching a bunch of (incredibly well trained) Friday night punters having a great time at a late night party. The flowing nature of the styles was more reflective of how you would dance on the floor, and it made me feel far less embarrassed of my mini sessions trialling my 'dancehall legs' and whining in my room before launching into a Dougie! I mean, after all, the night of music is ever changing and so do the moves and grooves that we use.

I particularly liked the 'Pow' section in which four of the five dancers emerged topless in black underpants and whirly black wigs. The Dancehall legs were showcased well here by one dancer, however the movements hit the beats subtly. It was refreshing to see this. I know that when Pow usually comes on, I turn slightly mental and probably emulate a boxer with a dose of Yonce- punching every beat aggressively with a few ripples here and there. The dancers demonstrated waves of movements but still showcased the style well.

The twerking itself was quite a treat, and should be upheld as more than a parody party trick. This is a skilled move which involves controlled bum jiggling at its finest. Admittedly there were moments when it looked like there were puppies in their pants, but who doesn't like a puppy?!

The TWERK-TRAIN at the end was enjoyable, funny and a pleasure to witness. Like a stylised game of twister, dancers interlocked head under crotch with each other, it even moved, finishing with a 'legs in the air' celebration that the Buddhist Gods would be proud of.

I came away with a feeling of appreciation for the dance styles, admiration of the dancers who are athletes in their field, and a heart that thumped in all the right ways to the music (thank you DJ's). And I've learned that although there was a disconnect from the audience, and I didn't necessarily feel invited in, that that's o.k and is perhaps something I need to get used to within the dance entertainment world. I do however feel I would have enjoyed it more if there were some more fun moments of interaction for the audience to grip onto. By the end I had truly had a good quality serving of a glittery grimey starter, main and TWERK dessert. A good feeling to start the weekend with!