Dance 498

TH E I NTE R N ATION A L VOICE OF TH E I M PE R I A L SOCI E T Y OF TE ACH E RS OF DA NCI NG THE INTERNATIONAL VOICE OF THE IMPERIAL SOCIET Y OF TEACHERS OF DANCING

Issue 498 • May – August 2023

F E AT U R I N G

A career in dance Christopher Hawkins shares his story

Accreditation

How to access our teaching qualifications

MAY – AUGUST 2023 ISSUE 498

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Join us in getting more people across the UK dancing with ISTD qualified teachers.

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Members welcome Headquarters 22/26 Paul Street, London EC2A 4QE + 44 (0)20 7377 1577 www.istd.org Chair Michael Elliott Executive team Chief Executive Ginny Brown GBrown@istd.org Director of Dance Liz Dale LDale@istd.org Director of Examinations Janne Karkkainen JKarkkainen@istd.org Director of Membership and Communications Gemma Matthews GMatthews@istd.org Director of Education Louise Molton LMolton@istd.org Director of Finance and Resources Nikki Stewart NStewart@istd.org Advertise in Dance magazine Email marketing@istd.org Tel + 44 (0)20 7377 1577 Cover photograph: ISTD Theatre Bursary Awards 2023 Photo by Brian Slater Design by Membership and Communications Department Printed by Gemini Print Unit A1 Dolphin Way Shoreham by Sea West Sussex BN43 6NZ © 2023 Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing.

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"This edition shines a light on the rich and varied careers of our members."

Welcome to edition 498 of Dance. In January, I attended the funeral of our beloved Life President, Dame Beryl Grey DBE. It was a poignant moment to celebrate her life and remember her extraordinary achievements in dance. You can read about her special connection with the Society on page 22. Inspired by Dame Beryl’s example, this edition shines a light on the rich and varied careers of our members.

When I first joined the ISTD, I was struck by the close connection many had with the Society throughout their lives and sometimes across multiple generations. This is illustrated by ISTD Patron, Christopher Hawkins, who reflects on how his dance story started with an ISTD teacher at the age of nine and how he has remained closely connected to the Society ever since (page 4).

In a sector that has few career pathways, the ISTD provides dancers and teachers with a rare progression framework for both their training and careers, and this edition shares some inspiring examples from across the globe. On page 14 you can read about how we celebrated exceptional talent amongst ISTD trained young dancers at our recent Theatre Bursary Awards. And the first Sue Passmore Award recipient, Veronica Day, shares her experience of inspiring the next generation by providing dance workshops in her local primary schools (page 12). But, of course, not everyone is fortunate enough to have trained with the ISTD, so page 16 explains how members and new entrants can access our teaching qualifications at an appropriate level for their professional status and experience via the Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) scheme.

If these stories inspire you to take the next step in your career, why not think about standing for election to a faculty committee, or plan your continuing professional development? You will find details of both on page 58.

Ginny Brown Chief Executive Dance | Issue 498

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Regulars

Membership matters 20 Your membership matters – renew today Your commitment to the ISTD and our membership community made 2022 a great year, plus important exam updates

News 12 Bringing concepts alive through modern dance Veronica Day, our recent Sue Passmore Award recipient, explains why she would encourage others to apply

Features

Focus on 30 Cecchetti Classical Ballet Two very different careers with ballet in common, plus teaching tips for performance 34 Classical Greek Dance Our members are enjoying a range of career experiences influenced by their early training 36 Classical Indian Dance BBC Young Dancer winner, Adhya Shastry, plus the Faculty's new Licentiate and Fellowship qualifications 40 Contemporary Dance Sharon Watson MBE talks about her career in dance

14 Theatre Bursary Awards A review of our annual event that celebrates exceptional talent and potential amongst ISTD-trained young dancers

44 Disco, Freestyle, Rock n Roll and Street Feedback from our dancesport bursary award winners, plus Oliver Kirk's career in dancesport

International update

46 Imperial Classical Ballet A successful partnership between dance schools in Germany and Kenya

24 International dance careers Our international representatives highlight the broad sweep of fulfilling dance careers and the people doing them

48 Latin American, Modern Ballroom and Sequence Committee member, John Partingon, reveals the career benefits of brand ambassadors and ISTD accreditation

What’s on 58 Highlights Updates on current events, CPD and funding opportunities for members 60 Join the conversation A look at what's trending online

50 Modern Theatre International members and events, including our International Modern Theatre Awards 52 National Dance An accomplished dance leader with Down's syndrome has overome barriers to pursue her passion 54 Tap Dance Two student teachers from Italy reveal how the ISTD's teaching qualifications have helped their careers

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Dance | Issue 498

Issue 498 | May – August 2023

PAGE 22

Remembering Dame Beryl Grey DBE We look back at the Society's special connection with our honorary Life President, Dame Beryl Grey DBE (1927–2022)

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PAGE 16

Curiosity, culture, career and community

Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) explained

We speak to two ISTD members with vastly different experiences to illustrate how important culture is when building and sustaining a healthy dance career

Are you a dance teacher? Have you got experience teaching and performing?

Our APEL scheme could be for you

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A career in dance ISTD Patron, and President of the British Dance Council, Christopher Hawkins, shares his dance story

Dance | Issue 498

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Interview

A career in dance ISTD Patron, and President of the British Dance Council, Christopher Hawkins, shares his dance story.

I decided that I was going to become a World and Open British Champion from the age of 11.

Right Christopher Hawkins demonstrating

How did your dance story begin?

My life as a dancer began at the age of nine. Having become a parent myself, I now understand that my own parents were probably looking for somewhere to ‘deposit me’ whilst they went for their own dance lessons, and consequently, they took me along to a dance class on a Saturday morning.

On arrival, there were several young children there who were bouncing around to the chart hit In the Jungle, the Mighty Jungle, and the dancing bug got under my skin from the very first day. From there, I soon began private tuition with the renowned Vernon Kemp at what was then known as the Gwenethe Walshe Dance Studio in Central London, where I commenced my early medal tests. As the saying goes… the rest is history!

What would you say the benefits of teaching dance are?

Teaching dancing is one of the most incredible journeys that can be described. Every person who comes before me as a student has their own individual character, and their own path to growth.

It is exciting to watch as my students achieve mastery of the different skills and challenges involved with dance over time, including musicality, coordination, postural excellence, artistic qualities, to name but a few.

You’re the former Open British and World Professional Ballroom Champion (three consecutive times). Did a young Christopher Hawkins have this in his future plans?

Absolutely, I decided that I was going to become a World and Open British Champion from the age of 11. I entered my first ever major championships at the Royal Albert Hall in London. As you can imagine, it was a truly mesmerising experience for a young child.

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Three things happened on that day that changed my life forever. Firstly, my best friend at the time took third place in the event and stood on the podium holding one of those iconic awards. Secondly, my partner and I came fourth, and did not receive one.

I decided that I was going to be a future champion because I did not want to miss out on winning the title again. Who knows – if I had won a trophy that day, I might never have had the motivation to succeed.

What have been some of your proudest achievements in your career to date?

I think that it falls into different aspects of my career.

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If I talk about my competitive career, it is undoubtedly fulfilling the lifetime dreams of becoming both British and World Professional Ballroom Champion together with my dance partner at the time, Hazel Newberry. This was a 25-year journey which led to a success that I will always hold dear to my heart. Being crowned champion of the world on the famous Empress Ballroom floor in the Winter Gardens, Blackpool, is something to treasure for life.

In terms of my committee work, I am very proud to have created the sub-committee, Dancesport 2000, for the English Amateur Dancesport Association. This provided a weekly training system from all the best teachers and trainers of dance and physical preparation that could be provided. I am also proud to have evolved the representation of competitors within the world competitive industry.

Of course, I am honoured to have been recognised by the ISTD in many ways. Recently receiving the Imperial Award, voted for by my colleagues and being both a Dancesport Ambassador and Patron of the Society are huge endorsements of the effort that I have put in to seal a better future for all of our members.

Naturally, I would have to include being elected to become President of the British Dance Council. It is an honour to have earned the trust of my colleagues at an unusually young age, and I accept this faith invested in me very seriously when the industry needs healing and rebuilding. I will do everything in my power to live up to the expectations that have been laid on my shoulders.

You were appointed President of the British Dance Council in June 2022. What are your plans for the council whilst president?

It has been an incredibly difficult period for the dance industry over the last few years. The Coronavirus pandemic obviously sent a huge tidal wave through dance schools and studios throughout the country and made us all ask how we were going to survive such an enormous shock. Suddenly, dancers could not practise together, take lessons, dance in competitions or travel. These were all the areas upon which the dance business is built, and it led to a crippling impact for us all. This, plus the shocking occurrence of a war in Europe, has really taken its toll on our future.

One of the key jobs that I see is to rebuild towards a thriving industry again at all levels from dance schools through to high level competition dancing.

Another area of concentration is to really bring the British Dance Council up to date with modern procedures and policies. We have already introduced a proper Safeguarding Committee,

Public Relations Committee and an Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity Committee since I took on the presidency, and I am very proud to see the Council grow into a strongly constituted regulatory body.

Finally, I think that it is important to focus on unity within the dance world. Our Council is full of all the major organisations that work towards controlling ballroom, Latin American, sequence, disco and freestyle genres in our country. We need to harness all these organisations and use their various skill sets in order to create a flourishing business for everyone. If I succeed, I believe that I can say that I have achieved some very important goals during my tenure.

Above Christopher Hawkins with his ISTD Imperial Award rose bowl

Having a career in dance is possibly one of the richest experiences that you can have in life.

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Interview ~ continued

One thing I would suggest is to open yourself up to as many experiences as possible. I myself studied many forms of theatre dance genres when I was a young dancer, and it gave me a broad understanding of dance upon which to make my life choices.

Above Christopher Hawkins representing the British Dance Council, which sponsored the Juvenile Ballroom and Latin Championships at the recent British National Championships in Blackpool

How does your previous experience help you in your role as President of the British Dance Council?

I suppose that it is fair to say that I have been training for this role all my life. I have been on committees of one sort or another since I was a young Amateur competitor. I am a great believer in democracy, and I think that the experience that I have gained in being Chair/President of both competitive organisations and those within the Imperial Society, means that I have a strong overview of the needs of the whole dancing industry.

In my opinion, to be a great President of the British Dance Council, it is essential to have this wide perspective, because the job encompasses so many facets of dance at so many levels.

Do you have any advice for young people who want to begin a career in dance?

Having a career in dance is possibly one of the richest experiences that you can have in life. It can be shaped in so many ways, but the key that underpins it all is that everyone involved has a deep love of artistic movement to music.

Whether you choose to become a performer yourself, a choreographer, an examiner or a teacher; whether you choose to specialise in competitions, theatre, or running a school; whether you prefer ballroom, tap, ballet or contemporary, there are endless choices. All these journeys are rewarding, and they will give you a lifetime of enjoyment.

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You were a member of the ISTD Modern Ballroom Faculty for over 10 years, being elected Faculty Chair in October 2015. What changes did you bring to the Society, and would you advise other people to join the ISTD committees?

My various roles on the Ballroom Faculty have been hugely rewarding, and I had the honour of working with some exceptional experts of the ISTD. I would not like to take credit for any one thing achieved at the Society as it is, and it always has been, a collective effort.

One of the most important things that was achieved was a communication conduit between the dancesport faculty committees and the ISTD management. I think that it is very important that all areas of the ISTD work together in a collaborative way, because everyone has their own set of experiences and skills to offer. If we embrace all these different assets, the ISTD will have a fantastic future.

I view the role of the ISTD as a family for dancers everywhere.

You recently became a Patron of the ISTD. Can you describe how you see that role for yourself?

My role as a Patron of the Society is making sure that dancers all around the world are aware of the traditional excellence of the organisation. I view the role of the ISTD as a family for dancers everywhere, and that family will protect its children with excellent teachers, excellent syllabi, and traditional values. It is my job to ensure that these values are sustained as we inevitably must modernise as an organisation, and that the organisation matures with a youthful style that will lead to growth in the modern era.

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Feature

Curiosity, culture, career and community We speak to two ISTD members with vastly different experiences to illustrate how important culture is when building and sustaining a healthy dance career.

Diego Marín Diego is an established choreographer, director and dance anthropologist, Artistic Director of Ballet Contemporáneo de Ciudad Hidalgo and Founder and CEO of Diego Marín Creative Studios. He is based in both Mexico and the UK.

I would say resilience is what has sustained my entire career

Growing up in Mexico I grew up in Ciudad Hidalgo (Michoacán, Mexico) and although I have dreamed of working in the creative industries since I was a child, I never imagined that I would work in dance. I started in a student dance competition in high school, and there the Head of Culture of a university motivated me to attend an audition as they were looking for new dancers for their company. Months later, I won a scholarship via the Universidad Latina de América to study for a degree and join their dance group. I learned and performed modern dance for five years, and after graduating, I decided to pursue a career in the dance industry.

After university After university, I was fortunate to win a government fund to produce a dance piece, so I founded my studio and company in my hometown. My choreography quickly attracted attention in nearby municipalities, and later in different cities around Mexico. Directing and choreography are my passion but the work that I am the most proud of is Con Espacio Hay Danza,

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a social project that introduced community dance to areas with limited artistic interaction. The aim of the project was to offer spaces to young people to prevent them from falling into the hands of drugs cartels, and consequently led me to give a conference with UNESCO in Mumbai in 2018, as well as award from the Mexican National Youth Institute.

Hedónimal, a live performance which made its debut in Mexico City in 2018 and in London in 2022, has been the most successful of my stage productions. Curiously, it is the only one that never received public or private funding to create; rather it is the result of a personal effort that has been driven by people who believe in me. Over time, the production gained interest in local theatres, and later it reached the billboard of one of the most important theatres in Mexico, and was screened at the Theatre Deli in London for a season.

My university studies have had a strong influence on my work, and my interdisciplinary training has helped me to see dance beyond the perspective of the performing arts. My teaching methodology, my creativity and my artistic discourse have been enriched by knowledge from fields including anthropology, neuroscience and cultural policy. I would also say that resilience is what has sustained not only this production, but my entire career; making a living from art is no easy task and achieving recognition and international presence demands authenticity, shrewdness and a sense of responsibility.

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Artificial intelligence (AI) and dance I started my Human/AI Co-Creation of Dance project research whilst studying my International Masters in Dance Knowledge, Practice and Heritage studies with Choreomundus Consortium (Choreomundus is a programme that investigates dance and other movement systems as intangible cultural heritage). From my research, I found that there are very few choreographers who have seriously experimented with AI, and very little research on dance and artificial intelligence (AI). I think the dance community, like everyone else, is concerned when looking at the advances of AI because we often fear the extent to which it will replace human skills.

When we talk about AI dance, we are not necessarily talking about VR (virtual reality), robots or digital avatars, it is in principle much more complex than that. My project investigates kinesthetic creativity in humans and AI, focusing on its potential for creative collaboration and its differentiation from other existing practices (such as the use of AI as a tool or as a puppet). The result of the project is the book Embodying the Artificial (in which I theoretically underpin my research) and the piece Dancing Embryo, in which I perform and create dance in real time with an AI dancer. This project was successfully presented at the Centre for the Future of Intelligence at Cambridge University and led to me being shortlisted for the 2022 One Dance UK Awards in the Science and Research in Dance category.

ISTD contemporary syllabus How did the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing help in getting me to this point? My first approach to the ISTD was due to my eagerness to

improve my technical skills and explore other styles.

I trained in classical ballet for three years at an ISTD approved dance centre while studying a bachelor in contemporary dance in another university. Today, I feel happy to bring the ISTD contemporary syllabus to my dancers and to the students of my studio in Mexico.

My interdisciplinary training has helped me to see dance beyond the perspective of the performing arts.

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Feature ~ continued

Janani Mohan We also got in touch with Janani Mohan, Founder and Artistic Director of Natyarpana Dance Academy and Bharathanatiyam dancer. Janani is based in New Jersey, USA and has a Masters of Science, specialising in Microbiology and a Masters in Fine Arts.

Growing up with Bharatanatyam The story of my dance journey began when I was three years old. The natural proclivity towards Bharatanatyam (Indian Classical Dance) was always there in me, as well as the innate passion for teaching. Along with my entrepreneurial spirit, I knew I wanted to do something good for the Indian diaspora in the United States.

My mother used to take me to Bharatanatyam recitals. I was fascinated with the footwork of the artist, the costumes they wore and the beats of the music. I commenced my Bharatnatyam expedition under the tutelage of Late Guru Thiru Gnana Prakash and my grandmother Saraswathi, who was a disciple of the late renowned Thiru Vazhuvoor Ramaiah Pillai.

Inculcating tradition and cultural values forms the core tenet of this dance school.

How my curiosity led me to ISTD The desire to be of service is the main motivation behind teaching for me, and that informs the way I teach dance. I got involved in choregraphing for a lot of cultural events for the Indian community in the United States before I became a dance teacher, and many were important and rewarding, but dance is the real joy is for me.

My ardour lies in understanding human behaviour and pysche through dance. I wanted to enrich my pedagogical knowledge by taking the time to learn the strategies behind teaching dance, including those related to assessment, curriculum, instructional strategy and devising teaching goals. Whilst researching on this topic, I came across the ISTD, which as we know is dedicated to promoting and developing the art of dance and has a strong presence internationally.

The organisation offers training and examination programs in a variety of dance styles, including Bharatanatyam, where I wanted to excel.

Founding my school I founded Natyarpana Dance Academy in Monroe, New Jersey, USA. The school had a humble beginning with a small group of students in February of 2018, with the sole intention of teaching Bharatanatyam for all ages. Inculcating tradition and cultural values forms the core tenet of my dance school.

The state of New Jersey is served by a plethora of Bharatanatyam schools for the Indian diaspora.

Natyarpana Dance Academy was able to differentiate from other schools by focusing on how the individual student assimilated the art form, thereby creating their learning goals, approaches to pedagogy and classroom management for smaller groups.

As of today, the school is proud to have enrolled close to 75 aspiring students and I am relentlessly working towards to become one of the finest Bharatanatyam dance schools in New Jersey.

I knew I wanted to do something good for the Indian diaspora in the United States.

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News

Bringing concepts alive through modern dance Veronica Day, recent recipient of our Sue Passmore Award, tells us about the impact her funded workshops have made to her local community, and explains why she would encourage others to apply.

Veronica Day Recipient of Sue Passmore Award

Schools were more likely to want to work with us if we developed a workshop that fitted around a topic the students were already studying.

There used to be a small building that stood in Lomas Altas, in the heart of Mexico City. This place was like my second home during my upbringing. It was a place filled with people from all walks of life who came together to share in the joy of dance.

My ISTD teachers, Gail Clifford, and Katie Morea, not only developed our technique and helped us pass our exams but developed our sense of selfworth, creativity and confidence. Even back then, I knew that one day I would want to run my own classes, and to share my passion for dance just like Miss Gail and Miss Katie had done for me.

Today, I am the owner of Dance and Beyond, a community-based dance school located in the small city of Chichester – a long way from Mexico City – that aims to spread the message of the joy of dance to many.

When I saw the opportunity to apply for the Sue Passmore Award, it resonated deeply with our objectives, and we were fortunate enough to be successful in our application. I must pay extreme thanks to Irela Strachan, who runs the ISTD teacher training courses at Chichester College. She trained me as an ISTD teacher, continues to mentor me in my professional career, and was integral to my successful application.

Coming off the back of the Coronavirus pandemic, our project, ‘Bringing Concepts Alive through Modern Dance’ sought to re-engage primary aged students with their learning after a long

period of remote education. This inclusive project aimed to introduce modern dance to a much wider audience that had, perhaps, never even attended a live performance, or engaged themselves in practicing dance before. We wanted to impact as many children in our local community as possible and expose them to these enriching experiences.

By collaborating with local primary schools, we engaged with individuals from all demographics, including different socio-economic backgrounds, genders, ethnicities, and special educational needs.

So far, we have been invited to work at 8 different primary schools, delivering 23 workshops to groups of 30 pupils in 11 different themes: the fire of London, super heroes, space, dinosaurs and pirates to name a few. In total, we have engaged with over 630 primary aged children in our local community.

It has been an excellent way for me to share good practice with new graduate ISTD teachers at Dance and Beyond. We still have some funds available, and we continue to pursue other local schools. Our aim is to have visited every local primary school in Chichester by the end of the project!

Some of the highlights for me have been working with the Year 2 students at a local school.

The class included four Ukrainian refugees who, obviously struggling with the language-learning in class, were able to access and flourish in our dance session. Another would have to be working with the Special Educational Need’s and Disabilities unit

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(SEND) at Parklands Primary School. Speaking with their teacher, they often don’t get the same opportunities as the mainstream school, and we have subsequently been asked to return each term over the next year to deliver similar workshops for them.

Developing sustainability for future engagement was always one of the key goals of this project.

Building a positive relationship with these schools has meant that 40% of them have asked us back to deliver workshops for a second year. They have learned to value dance and are now financially supporting them, with one school asking us to deliver training sessions for their primary teachers, to build their confidence in their own planning.

We have been asked to look at their current schemes of work and help them bring more dance into their curriculum, which is fantastic. We have also introduced the families to Dance and Beyond, inviting the children for free trials and scholarships to our after-school programmes to give those who are interested access to the next step.

For anyone thinking of embarking on similar projects of their own, here are three key things I took away from the experience:

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Always share the work with parents. It’s one of the best ways to gain their support. They will love seeing the children learn new skills. Don’t be afraid to share the working progress, the learning process is just as valuable as the finished product.

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Be flexible. Schools were more likely to want to work with us if we developed a workshop that fitted around a topic the students were already studying.

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Be persistent. Schools are extremely busy places, there were many who did not initially respond and who we had to call or even visit to get them involved. Don’t be disappointed if you don’t hear back, keep calling!

Above Primary school students engaged in a super heroes modern dance workshop

Finally, thank you to the ISTD for this opportunity and thank you to Sue Passmore for all the advice she offered at the beginning of the project.

Membership Are you an ISTD member? Do you have a project idea that broadens access to dance? Apply now for project funding at www.istd.org/projectfundingopportunities We want to get more people dancing with ISTD-qualified teachers. Check out your toolkits, templates, cheat sheets, business guides and more at: www.istd.org/findyourdancespace Get discovered by updating your details today at: www.istd.org/find-a-teacher Continue your professional development with the ISTD: www.istd.org/CPD Dance | Issue 498 13

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News

Theatre Bursary Awards and Examiner Reception Our annual Theatre Bursary Awards celebrates exceptional talent and potential amongst young ISTD-trained dancers.

The Theatre Bursary Awards and theatre examiners’ reception took place in February at the Kenneth More Theatre, Ilford. Each performer present on the day was nominated to represent a faculty because of winning recent ISTD faculty events. The main performances on the day were adjudicated by respected leaders of the dance industry including Elly Brand, Dollie Henry MBE and Dincer Solomon.

The day comprised of a theatre examiners’ reception where the latest guidelines, policies and updates were discussed, followed by a wonderful afternoon tea and a great opportunity to catch up between fellow examiners. The afternoon was topped off with solo performances from all nominees, with special guests performances from ISTD schools, Dupont Dance Stage School and Mayhew School of Dance as well as Redbridge

I feel a great sense of achievement and I’m so thankful to the ISTD, the judges and also to my teachers who have helped get me here.

Kristen-Leigh Petit

Dance and Drama Centre, who are closely linked to the Theatre. The afternoon concluded with an awards ceremony for the winners and commendations– awarded by the adjudicators.

As part of the ISTD’s charitable status, the winning dancers will receive financial bursaries to support their future training, and teachers of nominated students will receive a bursary to fund development opportunities and community activity.

Kristen-Leigh Petit, Junior Commendation for Modern Theatre reflected on her win, “I feel a great sense of achievement and I’m so thankful to the ISTD, the judges and also to my teachers who have helped get me here. The money will help with my continued training, to be able to enter intensives and events, which I may not have been able to enter before, and to assist me with things that sometimes are not attainable, which will help me pursue my dream and career in dance.”

Winners from the day’s celebrations Senior Winner: Cameron Jones (Nazene Langfield, Nazene Danielle’s Dance Dynamix), Modern Theatre Junior Winner: Relinda Kozol (Astrid Sherman, Poirier Productions), Imperial Classical Ballet Senior Commendation: Gabriel Pimparel (Teresa Vieira, Centro de Dança do Porto), Imperial Classical Ballet Junior Commendation: Kristen-Leigh Petit (Jody Eccles Squirrell and Louise Harrison, Ignite Dance Company), Modern Theatre

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Exceptional performances The ISTD’s Director of Dance, Liz Dale, said, “watching young people dancing today has been joyous and it’s uplifting to see live performances again and celebrate what joins us all together – dance”. Michaela Stannard, Head of Projects and Strategic Events at the ISTD said: “The quality of the dancers is exceptional, you’d never know that there has been a pandemic, and training was interrupted. This event aims to celebrate not only the quality of our dancers and their ISTD teachers, but also to celebrate the sheer variety of our genres with schools and performers travelling to the event from across the world.”

Ginny Brown, ISTD Chief Executive, highlighted the importance of connecting and networking with other dancers and teachers and reflected on the ISTD’s bursary offerings: “It’s been great to see

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everyone come together from a variety of genres and international stages to compete. The most exciting aspect of these awards is that students and their teachers receive bursaries to further their development and, in turn, grow the dance opportunities in their local communities. I would really encourage to all students and their teachers to enter our faculty awards, which feed into this prestigious event.”

Membership Find out more about our bursaries: www.istd.org/fundingbursariesawards

Above Senior Commendation, Gabriel Pimparel, Centro de Dança do Porto Top left Theatre examinersʾ reception Above left Dupont Dance Stage School Far left Ginny Brown giving a presentation Below All bursary finalist students with their teachers

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Business

Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) explained Are you a dance teacher? Have you got experience teaching and performing? Our APEL scheme could be for you.

The scheme is designed to allow members and new entrants to access our teaching qualifications at an appropriate level for their professional status. It takes account of professional experience and unregulated qualifications, to enable applicants to be granted exemption from usual entry requirements.

1 Do not have accredited qualifications that can be directly matched with our qualifications

ROHANNE UDALL

Who is it for The APEL scheme is designed for mature professionals who:

2 Wish to progress through our qualifications more quickly than stated in the entry requirements and are existing members 3 Have qualifications (such as Licentiate or Fellowship) with another teaching organisation and who wish to take an equivalent qualification with the Society Routes In our commitment to ensuring that all prospective dance teachers can access our teaching qualifications at an appropriate level. We have two routes for assessing Prior Learning: APEL route 1

APEL route 2

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) – exemptions for relevant units in the Level 4 Diploma in Dance Education (DDE) and some units for Level 6 Diploma in Dance Pedagogy (DDP)

Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) for entry on to the Level 6 Diploma in Dance Pedagogy (DDP), Licentiate and Fellowship

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We spoke to a selection of our members who have successfully been granted APEL to hear about their career experiences and their dance teaching journeys so far.

Athena Burns Granted APEL to proceed to Fellowship in Imperial Classical Ballet and Modern Theatre.

My early introduction into the arts world was hard. After completing the foundation course at Liverpool Theatre School and College (LTSC), I auditioned for the threeyear Dance and Drama Awards (DADA CDMT) course and failed to get onto it twice. I ended up at Merseyside Dance and Drama Centre and my first ISTD school! It was different. I had not had the academic/technical input within dance training before, and now I was learning completely new things.

It was the first time I really thought about teaching and the mechanics behind dancing, and I was consequently offered several roles as a dancer within musical theatre productions, including West-End tours such as Grease, Footloose and Moulin Rouge. I loved my time performing, but I suffered from quite a severe knee injury from an accident on stage, and it became a burden to perform with. I soon found myself producing choreography and working freelance.

Why did you want to come to the ISTD to do your teaching qualifications?

I looked at a range of dance societies, including the ISTD. The teacher feedback and structural development of the education programmes the organisation offered appealed to me because they filled the areas that I was the weakest in. The ISTD stands out because it bridges the gap between learning the grades and understanding educational development.

My daughter, Darcey, was born in 2017 with Kleefstra syndrome, a non-verbal, intellectual disability. After the diagnosis, I threw myself

into research and work, which is when Athena Theatre Works and Productions came into fruition. Playing music and dancing is something we do together that we both enjoy, understanding each other without words.

The ISTD has enabled me to be an all-round professional. The support and resources and community of teachers worldwide is incredible.

What do you hope to achieve in the future once you have taken the qualifications you have received APEL for?

I was lucky to be awarded an ISTD £2,000 bursary scholarship to complete my DDP (Diploma in Dance Pedagogy), and I’ve been nominated for an award for arts inclusivity. Most recently I’ve benefitted from the ISTD APEL, working towards Fellowship in Imperial Classical Ballet and Modern Theatre.

I would like to apply to become an Approved Dance Centre (ADC) and to provide DDE course training.

Left Divya Kasturi teaching (see page 19)

The ISTD stands out because it bridges the gap between learning the grades with understanding of educational development.

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Divya Kasturi – Classical Indian Dance Granted APEL to proceed to Fellowship for Classical Indian Dance – Bharatanatyam.

I am an electronic and communications engineer and completed my Masters in South Asian dance studies at Roehampton

University in London.

Bharatanatyam is a cultural form, and I was raised in Chennai, it’s birthplace. It started off as an after-school activity, and I was later put forward to work with a Bharatanatyam guru. I went onto to do my engineering at university back in Chennai and carried on dancing alongside my engineering, performing whenever possible.

I was lucky enough to be paid as part of a dance company and tour around India. I was also doing shows on television, being an anchor and dance show conductor. This work funded my dance performance expenditures, which is how my dance career took off. In 2006, marriage brought me over to the UK and thereafter I started teaching. I was invited to audition for various productions – not just in dance companies but also theatre companies that provided more exposure like being featured in BBC Look East, West End, Broadway and National Theatre (NT Live).

Why did you want to come to the ISTD to do your teaching qualifications?

I am an artist that loves to be inspired and motivated.

I am intrigued by various artistic inputs, inspiring me to share this knowledge with my students, which pushed me to come to ISTD in the first place.

Looking at the standard of the ISTD syllabus, there is a rigour and emphasis on ensuring a holistic training approach. It provides a sense of value for arts education, an empowerment for the aspiring teacher, outlining values with a strict adherence to discipline, training, knowledge, deep insights, and allied systems such as music and body-conditioning.

What do you hope to achieve in the future once you have taken the qualifications you have received APEL for?

I want to apply for the Fellowship, as that will be a huge recognition of success for me and my practice. I teach regularly in the South Asian/ Indian community in Stevenage, Peterborough, and other Hertfordshire towns; it would be a vital accreditation for these students and their parents.

Michele Di Molfetta – Cecchetti Granted APEL to proceed to Licentiate in Cecchetti Classical Ballet.

At 18, I started working in a small dance company in my town where I was able to gain a year of stage experience. Later, I passed the audition to join the corps de ballet of the Teatro Regio in Turin, where I worked for several years covering soloist and principal roles dancing choreography by M. Petipa, F. Ashton, H. Van Manen, F. Bujones, R. North and O Araiz.

In 1994, I worked for the Italian Ballet Company directed by Carla Fracci, and later with the Aterballetto company. In 1995, I worked at the Gothenburg Ballet under the direction of Robert North. Three years later, I joined the Arena di Verona Company as Soloist and Principal Dancer, and later the Scottish Ballet where I finished my performing career in 2001. Since then, I’ve taken over the direction of the Danzarteatro school with my wife Lucia Pravisani, where I still teach.

Looking at the standard of the ISTD syllabus, there is a rigour and emphasis on ensuring a holistic training approach.

Divya Kasturi

The (ISTD) Cecchetti Method is comprehensive, attentive to lines, correct posture, and use of épaulement and coordination, and I feel it’s a well-structured technique.

Why did you want to come to the ISTD to do your teaching qualifications?

When I stopped dancing, I felt the need to find a valid method to guide me in teaching all age groups. My wife introduced me to the Cecchetti method because she had taken the Cecchetti Faculty exams at the ISTD, both as a dancer and as a teacher. The Cecchetti method is comprehensive, attentive to lines, correct posture, and use of épaulement and coordination, and I feel it’s a well-structured technique.

What do you hope to achieve in the future once you have taken the qualifications you have received APEL for?

Once I get my teaching qualifications, I would like to continue to popularise the Cecchetti method, trying to pass on as much knowledge as possible to the children I teach. I am fortunate enough to be called upon to teach often as a guest in Italy and abroad, which gives me the opportunity to promote and publicise the Cecchetti technique.

i For applications and further queries, please email the Education and Training Department at hqualifications@ istd.org and visit the website for more information.

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Membership matters

Your membership matters – renew today Your commitment to the ISTD and our membership community made 2022 a great year.

Our advocacy for dance will continue in 2023 as we work with our members to develop further resources and opportunities to champion inclusion and increase access to dance teaching – ultimately driving business to you.

Many of you got involved with our first national campaign Find Your Dance Space. This campaign, designed to support members’ businesses and get more people dancing, provided you with exclusive business and marketing resources. You shared with us your experiences of how dance has improved the lives of your students, and how you’ve reached new audiences to encourage them to dance.

Our advocacy for dance will continue in 2023 as we work with our members to develop further resources and opportunities to champion inclusion and increase access to dance teaching – ultimately driving business to you.

We’re also making several practical efficiencies across the business and our examinations to deliver the value to you and your students. (See below) As a member, you are part of a global community of dance teachers. You can network with members in your local region and within your genres of interest simply by joining our Facebook groups or attending regional members meetings: www.facebook.com/ISTDdance/groups Make sure you take advantage of our full programme of member discounts and free CPD courses. Our online and in-studio courses are an excellent way to refresh your knowledge and learn new skills to help develop your business and teaching practice. Find out about our 2023 programme on the website at www.istd.org/CPD And as a member we have a range of exclusive member benefits that support your teaching including: • Dance business software from ThinkSmart • Competitive insurance products from Gallaghers • Discounts on dancewear from International Dance Shoes and IDS

Make sure you continue to be part of your professional membership organisation and enjoy all the benefits of membership. If you haven’t yet renewed, login to MyISTD and renew today. www.istd.org/renew Members who have not renewed by 30 June will have to pay a reinstatement fee.

Examinations We are delighted to inform you that the examination fees will remain unchanged until the end of August 2023. We are bringing our exam fee period inline with the academic year in the UK and most territories we operate in. The new fee period will run from 1 September to 31 August each year.

Changes to our examinations Last year, we began a review of our assessment model in line with statutory guidance issued by Ofqual (May 2022) which instructed all awarding organisations to review their assessments and ensure their examinations remain valid, accessible, and fair to all learners. Our review focused on: • confirming that there is no overassessment within our examinations • facilitating our commitment to inclusivity through our Reasonable Adjustments Policy • ensuring parity with other awarding organisations offering regulated qualifications across the performing arts sector Working collaboratively with our lead examiner teams, we mapped our assessments to make them as efficient as possible by: • reducing the length of some exams • allowing more candidates in some exam sessions

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Phase one of our review focused on Grades 1–6 for Imperial Classical Ballet, Cecchetti Classical Ballet, Modern Theatre and Tap. More information about the changes, which will begin from 8 April 2023 can be found at www.istd.org/examupdate Please note there are no changes to the training method (syllabus) and what you teach, only the assessment. But the changes to exam format may have the benefit of maximising the efficiency of your exam day by reducing its length and, thereby, all the associated costs.

QUEST We previously asked you about your experiences of using QUEST, our examination management system. Based on your feedback we’ve been working to improve the user experience. Updates to the system include: • a new interface for requesting PINs for new candidates • a simplified process for entering both estimated number of days and candidates (UK only) • improvements to the timetable functionality • rebate rule for dancesport exams (UK only)

• and improvements to the group entry functionality for dancesport For more information and guides visit www.istd.org/myistd We’re making it easier to share report sheets We are always exploring ways to reduce the environmental impact of the Society and make our operations more sustainable and efficient.

As such, we will be making a change in the way we issue report sheets for learners by publishing them in electronic format only.

We will be introducing functionality to QUEST so you can either print a report sheet or download and email a PDF copy to send directly to the student or parent/guardian. This will allow you to store the reports sheets electronically for your school records, and to share the results with your students immediately after they have been released.

We’ll keep you informed of the transition period for moving the report sheets to electronic format only. Please note that there are no changes in the certification process, we will continue to issue them in hard copy within our published service timings. Medals and awards will also continue to be issued as usual.

If you haven’t yet renewed, login to MyISTD and renew today. www. istd.org/renew

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22 Dance | Issue 498

Remembering Dame Beryl Grey We look back at the Society’s special connection with our honorary Life President, Dame Beryl Grey DBE (1927–2022).

D

ame Beryl's links with the ISTD went back to the 1950s, becoming a council member from the early 1960s and Chair from 1984 to 1991. She was appointed President in 1991 and Life President in 2001. She received the Imperial Award in 1987. Dame Beryl was the ISTD's first Honorary President.

Meisner also reveals the origins of Dame Beryl's raven locks: "She was the central figure of Death in Massine's Scottish inspired Donald of the Burthens (1951). Although not a popular success, it turned Beryl permanently from being brown to black-haired, after she decided to use dye rather than wear a wig and liked the effect."

Breaking the mould Dame Beryl's ISTD memories Dame Beryl became the first English In 100 Years of Dance (published to dancer to perform with the Russian celebrate our centenary in 2004) Dame ballet companies of St Beryl shared memories Petersburg (then called of her association Leningrad) and Moscow with the Society: Her expansive (1957–58). She wrote "Through the faculties personality about her tours to the the Society has always reached over the Soviet Union and China in benefited immeasurably footlights, and her books Red Curtain Up from the support, keen many people in the (1958) and Through the interest and talent of the audience became Bamboo Curtain (1965). In members worldwide. her lifelong 2017 her autobiography, "Every area of the personal friends.

For the Love of Dance ISTD's work has the dancer was published. This and teacher at the centre. was informed by her My experience of and diaries, which she had pride in the competition started on the advice of her Swedish structure and the exacting nature of the husband, Sven Gustav Svenson. examinations, at all levels, always brings As Anna Meadmore puts it in her professional reminiscences to mind. article about Dame Beryl Grey – see "I look back on sharing www.istd.org/dameberyl – originally the ISTD's vision as one of the published in issue 483 of Dance privileges of my career." magazine: "Throughout a stellar career, Beryl Grey was acclaimed for her From Groom to Grey remarkable technique, quick intelligence, Grey was not always her surname. She and the gracious warmth of her dancing. was born Beryl Groom. According to Her expansive personality reached Nadine Meisner, writing in Dance Gazette: over the footlights, and many people "The new identity came from Ninette in the audience became her lifelong de Valois, founder of Sadler's Wells personal friends. With her unusually tall Ballet, who had already transformed stature and extreme youth, Grey broke Peggy Hookham into Margot Fonteyn." the mould of the English ballerina."

"It was a great privilege to visit Dame Beryl at home to interview her for a film – see www.istd.org/dameberyl – to celebrate her 90th birthday, which was then shown at Graduation 2019. During our conversation, her love of dance and deep respect for dance teachers shone through. She talked vividly about her long career, remembering the great impact of her early teachers. Despite her advanced years, she was remarkably elegant and agile – a wonderful testament to the value of a life spent dancing."

Ginny Brown, ISTD Chief Executive "Dame Beryl's ability to light up a large auditorium through her remarkable stage presence is well documented. It was a quality she brought to every meeting I attended with her. Her abiding intellectual curiosity to learn about developments in the world of dance at large, and the ISTD's vitally important role within it, were inspirational. That she was 'gifted' as a dancer and a leader of the dance world is unquestioned, but what perhaps is less understood is the enduring gifts she gave to us all at the ISTD. I miss her wonderfully generous and clear guidance."

Peter Kyle CBE, ISTD Chair 2006–2012 "What a wonderful example of dedication, determination and wisdom this remarkable lady was throughout her diverse career in our dance world. I met Dame Beryl Grey in 1970 at Bush Davies Ballet School and admired how she supported teacher training and embraced technical diversity in dance. She was a respected advisor, mentor and valued friend."

Sue Passmore, ISTD Chair 2015–2021 Dance | Issue 498 23

International update

International dance careers Our international representatives highlight the broad sweep of fulfilling dance careers and the people doing them.

Europe Carole Ann Watson speaks to ISTD teachers about their career choices.

The choice of a career is often a difficult decision to make especially when it comes to the arts and even more so after the pandemic. Three young teachers share their journey on how their passion for dance gave them the strength to face the challenges of teaching and in some cases change their career path.

Nicole Milela from Bari, southern Italy, grew up with the dance school run by her mother and two colleagues. After having lived and breathed dance throughout her childhood and still searching for a career path, Nicole decided to give dance teaching a try. She found the teacher training challenging and stimulating.

She states that once she started teaching as a studentteacher she asked herself, “why do I like teaching?” Her response: “I want to transmit all that I have learnt. It’s like sharing my passion for dance with the students.”

Now qualified with the DDE in Imperial Ballet, Modern Theatre and Tap, she is preparing her students for examinations for the first time. The adrenalin is high, emotions are surging and as the exams get closer it is getting more and more stimulating to be able to motivate the children to reach their peak. “Frizzante! [bubbly] The energy is amazing, it is an exciting experience and I feel that sharing my love for dance through teaching is extremely rewarding.”

As the exams get closer it is getting more and more stimulating to be able to motivate the children to reach their peak.

Lisa Plicante has danced since childhood.

She decided to go to university after her A-levels. Her dream was to become artistic director of a theatre. Lisa completed her BA in Disciplina dello Spettacolo e della communicazione in November 2020, in the midst of the pandemic. During the pandemic Lisa had missed her dancing and felt a pang of hunger to return to a dance studio but this time not as a dance student but as a trainee teacher.

The more she developed her knowledge, studying for the DDE, the more the passion grew and the more

Being able to teach for me is like transmitting my own passion for dance. she realised that she wanted to teach. Lisa has almost completed her DDE Imperial Ballet. She will always be grateful for her university studies but she feels that she has now found her ideal career. Lisa states: “Being able to teach for me is like transmitting my own passion for dance.”

Tosca Leotta trained in her teens at il Balletto, in Castelfranco Veneto, Italy.

In 2017 she danced professionally in Copenhagen, with the Tivoli Ballet Theatre company. Tosca returned to Italy and decided to study Philosophy at Padova university. Over the years she stopped dancing. However, she kept in contact with her teacher and worked in the office at school when she wasn’t studying for her degree.

In 2020 she gained her BA and with the encouragement of her dance teacher she decided to begin the training for her DDE. Day after day she began to realise that the passion was still there but this time it was far stronger. Now teaching she is totally motivated and inspired to share this beautiful art.

“The challenges are stimulating and watching the students’ progress has given me a feeling of self-esteem.” Tosca is also doing her MA in philosophy as she believes that these studies help her with her rapport with the students.

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Australasia Jess Walker explains why learning dance in a tiny nation like New Zealand allows for cultural sensitivity and creates a global awareness that is advantageous to dance careers.

It may seem that we are at a disadvantage due to our small size and distant location, seemingly not having as much access as some larger locations. But the reality is just the opposite.

Due to our isolated location, we put more effort into making sure we have access to everything. This is especially true for our more advanced dance education at the secondary and university levels, which produces professionals who are so well prepared for any job in dance, in any culture, and wherever.

Coming from a tiny nation that is acutely conscious of the value of a dancer with global awareness and cultural sensitivity is a true advantage.

Our post-secondary dance education is a cultural buffet, where students can learn about and analyse the connections between dance and more general political and cultural movements. They accomplish this by taking both practical dancing training and academic courses on various global cultural environments.

Ballet, jazz, and modern dance serve as a base to provide a clear and solid technical foundation. In terms of cultural dance, we study New Zealand dance, covering our Maori heritage, traditional dances like the Haka and poi dancing, as well as the enormous influence of the Pacific Islands, like the Samoan sasa. We cover the tango, salsa, and the dabkeh, a classic Levantine Arab dance, traditional Chinese dances, bharatanatyam, classical Indian dance, and gumboot dancing from South Africa. Electives like circus arts are available to make sure that students receive a truly well-rounded education.

In conclusion, dance students in New Zealand experience a variety of cultural dances in their classes. They research the origins of dance forms and practical motions, as well as how these might be modernised to match contemporary culture while preserving the movement’s purity and history.

Whatever dancing career route they decide to pursue, they are equipped to travel anywhere in the world as a professional with a wide range of influences. Coming from a tiny nation that is acutely conscious of the value of a dancer with global awareness and cultural sensitivity is a true advantage.

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International update

Africa and the Middle East Delia Sainsbury speaks to five dancers for whom dance is not just any career, it is a sustainable one.

How many times is a dance teacher told by dubious parents that ‘dance is not a viable career’, or asked ‘what does a dancer do when you hang up your ballet or tap shoes’?

The obvious answer is to teach, as many, if not most ISTD trained dancers complete teaching diplomas in the various dance genres offered by the organisation.

Teaching is by no means the only option.

I have been in touch with various alumni from my own college to check on where they are now, and how their ISTD training lead them there. The replies were diverse and encouraging.

Robin Timm, a global performer Robin began his career in 2015 with his Advanced 2 in ballet, modern and tap, plus Associate teaching diplomas in all three genres. He began his career as a dancer working for Norwegian Creative Studios, who provide artists for six star cruise companies. In 2016, he was part of the inaugural cast of the RSS Explorer, the most luxurious cruise ship ever built. In addition, Robin performed in such shows as Burn the Floor – My Revolution, A tribute to Peggy Lee, and the Great American Song Factory. Robin was soon promoted to Dance Captain, then Company Manager.

In 2019, Robin performed with the Cape Town City Ballet in their production of Spartacus, branching out into musical theatre, understudying and playing the role of Brad Majors in the South African production of The Rocky Horror Show.

He remained performing in South Africa until 2020, when Covid really took its toll on the performing arts industry.

Utilising his ISTD and Trinity College qualifications, Robin accepted a post in Dubai at the DS2DIO Performing Arts Academy as Head of Musical Theatre and Drama. This year, Robin directed their end of year Musical Showcase.

The latter part of 2022 has seen Robin back on the cruise line circuit, this time on the Oceana Marin, performing globally in places including Italy, Turkey, Finland, Sweden, Holland and France. Just one example of a diverse career as a result of ISTD training!

Thalia Burt, dancer, choreorapher and fitness instructor Thalia studied in Cape Town and completed her ISTD training 2014. She immediately joined the international cast of Cats, touring South Korea and Singapore. Between 2015 and 2018, Thalia performed in musical theatre in the international productions of Singing in the Rain and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, returning to the company of Cats for the UK tour. This led Thalia to leave South Africa as her base and settle in London.

She immediately found work at the London Palladium in cast of Joseph, sandwiched another tour of Cats in between,

Moving into the nutrition and physical fitness field was a natural progression from dance, as health and safety has always been the backbone of the ISTD teaching method. this time as resident director, then returned to work on Joseph as Dance Captain and Associate Choreographer.

She is currently on tour between the UK and Canada.

Whilst balancing a frantic and full performing career, Thalia continued to train to obtain her Personal Trainer Qualification through the UK Institute called Train Fitness. She also holds a diploma in Sports Nutrition.

During the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, Thalia began coaching online and began developing her website.

She now creates nutrition plans for people all over the world. In addition to her jam-packed schedule, Thalia works for a company called Versa Instructor in the UK, which offers a low impact, extreme cardio workout.

Moving into the nutrition and physical fitness field was a natural progression from dance, as health and safety has always been the backbone of the ISTD teaching method.

Thalia’s diversity and progression of career is a true reflection of where the ISTD can take you for a sustainable future.

Visit Thalia’s website at www.transformwiththalia.com Owen Lonzar, choreographer, producer, entrepreneur and director of corporate events Owen began his ISTD training with Keith Galloway and I in the early 1980s at our Johannesburg school. Owen states that he “never wanted to be a dancer” as he was “always far more interested in making up steps and creating new ones”. He told me he tried classes with two other associations before coming to the ISTD method.

Owen says that the ISTD really prepared him for his chosen dance path. He was introduced to rhymical structure such as stop time, syncopation and cross-phrasing, as well as a vast array of diverse genres of music. He says the training didn’t just shape him creatively, but the discipline of repetition, the dedication to constant class attendance and the tenacity to simply ‘keep going’ is the work ethos he applies to every contract today.

Owen began his career as a professional dancer, but swiftly moved into his passion, which was choreography.

For a time, he was the Choreographer and Artistic Director

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for the University of Johannesburg as well as continuing to build his freelance profile and establish his own company.

Owen is now in great demand as a professional adjudicator for festivals and has travelled worldwide in that capacity.

During the height of the pandemic, Owen established a company called Waiting in the Wings, producing three online productions to raise funds to support industry professionals as well as selling online entertainment to corporate clients.

Today, Owen is back on the professional circuit, directing, producing and choreographing numerous shows and corporate events. He says: “Even during uncertain times, the ISTD training kicked in. The discipline I was taught reared its beautiful head, so I found ways to create, survive and thrive.”

African dance competitions, he has held tap workshops throughout Africa, the Middle East, the USA and the UK. His original work has been performed for many South African dignitaries, including the State President.

Lyndon was recently named as one of South Africa’s leading young entrepreneurs, resulting in an interview and conversation with President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Lyndon is proud of his ISTD training and is deeply grateful for the discipline and work ethic that it has installed in him.

His goal now? To push forward and establish an influential bridge between business and performing arts. From ISTD training to becoming a leading entrepreneur, Lyndon proves there are no limits to where ISTD training can take you.

Lyndon ‘Pegs’ Miller, Managing Director at Verb, media specialist agency Lyndon always had a passion for performing arts, mainly dance, beginning at the age of 10 in the South African company of Evita. Aged 15, he won the World Championship of Performing Arts Tap and Irish categories. He trained at the Waterfront Theatre School in Cape Town, and was given special permission to take the ISTD Associate Diploma in Tap aged 19, which he passed with distinction. Lyndon then began his professional career as a dancer in musical theatre, performing in many South African productions including West Side Story, The Music Man and Grease.

At the same time, Lyndon ventured into the corporate world of marketing, merchandising and corporate training, and so Verb agency was born.

Lyndon considers it to be a ‘no brainer’ to employ ISTD trained dancers, as the “brilliant teaching methods fully equip the dancer for a professional career in any dance medium”. He has branched into production and calculated that he has employed over 5000 dancers over the years in various corporate events, working mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Sitting on the judging panel of various South

Vanessa Harris, dancer, choreographer and theatre owner Vanessa Harris has enjoyed an extraordinary career as a dancer since graduating from Waterfront Theatre School after gaining her examinations at Advanced 2 level.

She began her career in musical theatre in productions including We Will Rock You, The Rocky Horror Show, The Buddy Holly Story and The Full Monty, as well as forging a film career as an actress in various South African movies. As a student, Vanessa produced her first show called Loudly South African, showing originality that would propel her into producing and choreographing her own work and eventually owning the Kalk Bay Theatre in Cape Town. The theatre has enjoyed packed audiences since its inception, with Vanessa and her dancer husband Ashley choreographing the intricate pas de deux work and stunning ensemble routines for which the theatre is known.

Lyndon considers it to be a ‘no brainer’ to employ ISTD trained dancers, as the “brilliant teaching methods fully equip the dancer for a professional career in any dance medium.

Vanessa employs many ISTD trained dancers who can cope with the demanding athletic work that she choreographs.

During the pandemic, Vanessa lost the theatre when South Africa went through one of the strictest Covid lockdowns in the world. The couple lost their only source of income, and so Vanessa began teaching online, utilising her dance and personal trainer qualifications to keep going. Having lost the venue after some 15 years, Vanessa found a new one that offered a bigger space in the iconic Brass Bell, a theatre restaurant (and a legend in Cape Town). She persuaded the owner to allow her to put on a different kind of show, a spectacular performance with highly trained dancers and speciality acts.

Once again, Vanessa’s productions are playing to capacity, and she employs many ISTD trained dancers who can cope with the demanding athletic work that she choreographs.

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International update

The Americas Astrid Sherman speaks to three of our members about why a foundation of ISTD training helps inspiration to flourish around the world.

When I ran a school in Canada, I often found myself explaining to parents the value of ISTD training. They questioned the additional costs for examinations when other schools just offered open classes.

• Every examination, with its certification, is validated, which is proof of standards attained.

• Every examination attained shows a higher level of commitment from both student and teacher.

• Our examinations offer achievable goals with defined progression and stimulate tenaciousness, curiosity, and commitment in students who will apply these lessons in all future endeavors.

• Even though the accreditation is not yet internationally direct for all schools and university credits as it is in the UK, certain schools allow for Arts, Education or PE credits (level dependent), or some sort of career-life connection (a course that is designed to identify and develop each student’s personal interests, passions and goals) and capstone project (final year project) credit with proof of vetted examinations.

• Students who completed vocational examinations are good candidates for PhD and Doctorate programme selection committees as they demonstrate the commitment to stay the course and have interests outside of academics for life balance.

• Proof of ISTD Accreditation when immigrating gives extra certified credentials for work purposes/employment opportunities.

Three ISTD alumni in my area are ideal examples of the influence and inspiration that a foundational ISTD training can have globally.

Erika Mayall, owner and physiotherapist, Allegro Performance Clinic, Vancouver, Canada During the years when Erika was training in ISTD Modern, Tap and Imperial Ballet, she realised there was a lack of professionals specifically experienced in treating dancers.

This sparked her interest in a career in physiotherapy, and more specifically in a career in dance physiotherapy.

Erika says that as a dance physiotherapist, she spends a lot of time assessing and analysing movement quality and dance technique. “The majority of overuse injuries in dance come from faulty biomechanics or incorrect dance technique.

Being able to identify these faults and address the root cause is critical in the treatment process. My training in ISTD helped me to develop these skills, and understanding the technical progressions within the syllabus system allows me to ensure that dancers are meeting technical requirements as they progress through their treatment and training.”

She also says that ‘knowing’ the vocabulary and being able to ‘speak the language’ of dance also helps her to communicate effectively, not just with her clients, but also with their dance

Above Coppelia's Ballet and Company, Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

teachers. This collaborative approach she says, ensures the dancers’ health and wellness is always a priority, and that things worked on in the clinic can also be addressed in the studio setting. Erika also can often be found giving studio workshops in injury prevention and pointe readiness to young students.

Richard Ambrose, performer and choreographer, Saint Lucia, Caribbeans Richard began ISTD syllabus work with the Saint Lucia School of Ballet & Modern Dance under director Theresa LowrieCollymore. He later excelled at the Schoerer School in Guadeloupe before proceeding to dance studies at the St Denis University Paris VIII in France. Richard has performed and choreographed in the Caribbean, the US, Europe and Africa. His work has qualified for the 2023 Francophonie Olympic games in Kinshasa. This contemporary Caribbean piece, Belelesh, explores issues of male identity.

The ISTD was an affirmation for me. It sparked a greater conversation on movement.

In Saint Lucia, Richard engages in several climate justice and social awareness efforts. He combines sensitivity, technique and art, making poignant statements that he hopes “can spark some change”. He can be seen in a visual classical music album, experimental YouTube video concept by English pianist Fabio D’Andrea, featuring his picturesque homeland.

Internationally, Richard has collaborated with Le Plus Petit Cirque du Monde and La Ruche theatre company. ‘Spectacle

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vivant’ or live art performance allows him to reach, build and motivate throughout the Caribbean especially.

His formal training in dance, married to the rites, traditional dance knowledge and research that he engages in, educates his work and adds a formidable newness with authenticity.

To herald Saint Lucia’s two Nobel laureates, Richard is now exploring the signature Gros Islet Friday Night Street Party in his hometown. He aims to use the phenomenon as impetus for his new indigenous-based artistic work.

“The ISTD was an affirmation for me. It sparked a greater conversation on movement, and how to process and speak intelligently about dance. I now analyse movement, recognising it can employ a jargon that is precise – identifying rudiments and principles in our dance forms.”

Frida Bader Villarreal Yosif, Artistic Director, Coppelia’s Ballet and Company, Playa Del Carmen, Mexico For Frida, the Imperial Classical Ballet has been very important in her development as a teacher and director for her school and company. Frida says that in Mexico it is beneficial to have a school that offers official training which gives documentation of accreditation that supports any dance studies. Thus, when she first opened her school, despite her background in the Cuban method, she retrained in ISTD as it offered the best option to offer a serious education.

Further, Frida relates, she became so passionate about studying the method that she has now managed to present her Fellowship in Classical Ballet. “It is a method that helps you organise yourself, teach students seriously, and above all, presents the important opportunity for students to take yearly examinations and receive certification that endorse their dance studies.”

Frida speaks too about the way she combined the influx of students and teachers coming to receive professional dance and teacher training with her community, which called out for quality shows for tourists and the public. “I had the vision of starting to create a ballet company that combined Mexican folklore with classical ballet. This merger has been very attractive for the public and essential for the scenic and artistic development of the students. It is a motivation for the new generations to want to continue training to be able to dance professionally.”

Asia The possibilities for a successful career in dance have never been better, explains Chua Zjen Fong.

Some people still hold the old-fashioned view that dance can only be a hobby, rather than a reliable way to earn a successful living. However, as a dancer myself, I’ve managed to achieve financial stability, all thanks to dance.

Choreography or performance offers the chance for a wonderfully creative career, from music videos, films, and television productions to theatre, with the opportunity to travel all over the world. Working as an adjudicator, judge or technical official in dance competitions can also offer flexible work and opportunities to travel and meet new people.

As a coach or teacher, you can teach dance classes in a dance studio, community centres and schools.

Coaches are in high demand, especially since dancesport is now accepted and recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as a sporting event.

Coaches are in high demand, especially since dancesport is now accepted and recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as a sporting event.

Dance therapy is a wonderful opportunity for those who wish to make a living by helping people through movement.

In our wellbeing themed issue of Dance magazine (issue 492) we featured articles about how dance can be a useful tool in rehabilitation following cancer treatment, helping people with Parkinson’s, and maintaining mental health.

Dancers can even become online influencers with the right skills, becoming video editors and content creators in the process. Any salary or profit usually comes from a high viewership, with social media platforms including YouTube and TikTok paying you if your channel/s reach a high level of engagement. Influencers can also be sponsored by companies to promote their services and products.

i CON TAC T Delia Sainsbury, Africa and the Middle East dsainsbury@istd.org Astrid Sherman, the Americas asherman@istd.org Jess Walker, Australasia jwalker@istd.org Carole Ann Watson, Europe cwatson@istd.org Chua Zjen Fong, Asia chua@istd.org Dance | Issue 498 29

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Cecchetti Classical Ballet Faculty committee elections: see page 58 for details

Cecchetti Classical Ballet

From ballerina to management impresario Cecchetti committee member Julie Cronshaw speaks to professional classical dancer Rebecca Haw, founder of CODA, a recruitment service for both employers and dancers and the first agency of its kind in classical ballet.

NATALIE ROLLEY

CODA stands for Consultancy Operations and Design Agency. The agency provides recruitment services for employers and representation for dancers seeking employment fulltime, freelance, or for galas and other guesting opportunities. The agency is expanding to liaise with Classical Company Managements, helping them with their recruitment process.

Rebecca Haw shares her years of experience, providing insights and contacts with hopeful auditionees. In 2020 she developed a resource guide that she calls the Audition Educator (www.auditioneducator.com), which is separate from, but linked to, CODA. In addition to CODA Classical Ballet Agency is CODA Digital, which provides digital media marketing.

Having been a professional dancer myself, both in companies and as a freelancer, I wish there had been such 30 Dance | Issue 498

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Philippa McMeechan Head of Faculty Development for Cecchetti Classical Ballet cecchetti@istd.org

an agency in existence, especially during those freelancing years!

Rebecca’s success story as a dancer and now as a fledgling management impresario, is testament to her determination to persevere and succeed in an already hyper-competitive professional theatre environment. I asked her about her dance career journey.

ALEX FINE

The early dance journey Rebecca explained: “I started ballet at the age of just two and a half, later expanding my training to gain a coveted position at a vocational school. My journey to obtaining my first contract was somewhat unorthodox as I spent my entire graduate year, plus the year after, auditioning.

“After graduation, I worked five jobs outside the dance industry, both to finance my audition endeavours and to continue self-funded training. By the time I gained my first company contract I had also worked as a waitress, barista, and bartender, qualified as a lifeguard working at two leisure centres in first aid and rescue, and gained experience in retail and customer service. In addition to a whole host of organisational skills.

“I had attended all auditions I was invited to, but the rejection reasons piled up with ‘too tall’, ‘too large’, or ‘not enough experience’. Finally, I ended up gaining a two-month contract, which led me to stay at my first company for over three years.”

“

Rebecca’s audition experiences and career struggles enabled her to develop a business that benefits countless dancers, teachers, directors, and choreographers.

The big move Many professional dancers who are lucky to be in full time employment remember the struggle with gaining that all-important first contract, but Rebecca made a big move in her mid-twenties. That can be very scary for dancers, so I asked Rebecca how she managed this move.

Above Rebecca Haw

She remembered: “As I was shifting toward my ‘mid-twenty-move’, the ballet companies in Europe were switching to a different hiring policy and junior companies and apprenticeships were being set up (such as the Het National Junior company and Royal Ballet Auld Jensen Programme).

“What this meant for me was that, although I had gained all the stage experience that I had lacked in my first round of auditions a few years before, now this experience

appeared less important as a criterion for hiring. Instead, ballet companies were looking predominantly for younger dancers, fresh out of vocational schools with no experience needed for an apprentice position.

“It was a further two years of auditioning and creating opportunities for myself before I eventually resigned my position to push myself further and eventually gain my current contract with the Semperoper Ballett in Dresden. Over those four years I attended upwards of 50 auditions.”

From dancer to impresario I asked Rebecca when she realised that she could use her experience to create and develop an agency for ballet dancers.

Did she have a ‘lightbulb’ moment or were other dancers asking her for advice already and she felt she could help them?

Rebecca replied: “It was a combination of growing ideas and ‘light bulb’ moments. I always knew I would do something to improve this system but for a long while wasn’t sure how.

“Audition Educator came to me as a light bulb moment. I was constantly being asked for audition advice or to check over portfolios prior to applications and figured I could combine everything I’d learned along with extensive research from the people doing the hiring, into a medium that was digestible and accessible, whilst feeling baffled as to why it hadn’t been done before.

“As for CODA, it grew from there.

Mulling over all the possibilities an agency could bring dancers and all artistic aspects of our ballet world together for that matter, I was often questioning why it hadn’t been set up by someone else already – and how it could be executed successfully.”

The birth of CODA I asked Rebecca when the project started, where it’s based and who it is for. She explained: “For a long while I had wanted to begin CODA after my retirement from dancing. However, it became increasingly clear that I could better execute it from my position Dance | Issue 498 31

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Cecchetti Classical Ballet ~ continued

as a working professional, being closer to dancers who would find themselves in similar job-seeking positions to those I had experience in. I was also in closer proximity to the people doing the hiring!

“The agency operates remotely.

I am in Dresden, Germany, dancing with the Semperoper Ballett, but our team members and dancers are located all over the world. Behold one of the few ‘beauties’ of the pandemic, the ability to execute almost anything from almost anywhere!”

How the agency works Rebecca explained how the agency works for dancers: “We are currently structured with a tiered model. Dancers apply to join our Dancer Directory where they will be put forward for positions we may be recruiting for, based on their application and preferences, and in line with the employers’ requirements. In addition, we are there to aid their own applications should they wish. There are no fees for dancers in our directory, and this is very important to us as we don’t believe it should be their cost to bear.

“Our next tier is our represented dancers. They are at soloist and principal levels looking to put their career ‘on a pedestal’ by gaining additional work via galas and guesting engagements or looking for help in facilitating a company move.”

“

After graduation, I worked five jobs outside the dance industry, both to finance my audition endeavours and to continue self-funded training.

The future “I am still happily dancing with the Semperoper Ballett in Dresden, and feel I have a good few years left in me.

I feel very privileged to say that, so far, I’ve met all my career goals as a dancer, especially as there was a time that I thought it might never happen.

Everything from here on out is a bonus!

“Launching CODA whilst still dancing enables me to have a clear focus for what I will move into postretirement. I would always recommend to professionals that they retain other

interests in case of injury and for the inevitable retirement from the stage.

“I launched CODA with a 10-year strategy plan, understanding that this was never going to be a short process.

Future plans include handling the whole recruitment process for classical companies from applications to contract, signing, building relationships with schools and bridging the gaps between them and employers, opening up our directory to choreographers, ballet masters, teachers, composers and even directors, and lastly, implementing our management model. This will encompass the benefits of an agent along with branding, marketing, and PR services to create a well-rounded management service for individuals and establishments in the ballet world.

“We have an exciting month ahead as we move our directory to JamarGig with whom we have been working, as they develop the most advanced, innovative, and easy-to-use audition management and agent software in the digital marketplace. Dance professionals will have the ability to create a profile, input availability and update audition materials at any time whilst employers will have the opportunity to sift through preselected ‘pools’ of dancers based on their exacting requirements and preferences.

It’s what we’re doing now, but far more improved, efficient, and transparent.”

Rebecca’s previous audition experiences and career struggles have, in the end, enabled her to develop and implement a visionary plan with a thriving business that benefits countless dancers, teachers, directors and choreographers in the competitive world of professional classical ballet companies and schools. On behalf of our readers, I think I can say with enthusiasm that we wish Rebecca all the success she sincerely deserves and look forward to hearing much more about CODA.

i Find out more at www.codaclassical. com and www.auditioneducator.com Instagram @wearecoda.classical

Multi-talented We speak to Jasper Eaglesfield, whose ISTD dance training is helping his musical career.

Tell us a bit about your course at the Royal College of Music (RCM).

The course I am on is BMus (Hons) – Composition. From an academic perspective, the BMus course, at base level, is the same for all undergraduate students at RCM, regardless of their instrument, and composition is my ‘instrument’ as it were.

Tell us about your exciting collaboration with the English National Ballet School (ENBS) and how the opportunity arose.

Inspired by Young Choreographers, which offers ENBS and RCM students the chance to collaborate creatively, in November 2022, I pitched a project for the Great Exhibitionists series at RCM. Great Exhibitionists is a week-long performance festival that takes place every year in March/April. Students can pitch big ideas, which they can produce themselves if they get selected. I decided this could be my opportunity to work on a ballet piece.

I got in touch with the team at ENBS, to see if they’d be interested in collaborating, and, to my delight, my proposal was met with huge enthusiasm and proactivity. So, it was decided, we were going to make this happen, and by July my full focus was on writing the score.

In November I pitched the project for Great Exhibitionists, which was accepted

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and by mid-December the score for Three Houses, a short ballet based on the story of The Three Little Pigs, was finished.

The orchestra that I put together recorded the music for Three Houses in January, and the ENBS performs their ballet to the recording on 1 April 2023 in the Britten Theatre.

Teaching tips for performance Head of Faculty Development, Philippa McMeechan, reflects on the 2022 Cecchetti Classical Ballet Awards and discusses bridging the gap between the studio and the stage.

What was your inspiration for this piece of composition for ballet?

In February 2022, I was working on a new orchestral piece for a separate compulsory RCM project and when I first showed a draft to my composition teacher, his immediate response was, “this sounds like a ballet score”. I needed no further persuasion. This was going to be a ballet.

How do you think learning Cecchetti ballet, tap and modern theatre dance in your younger years helps and influences your composition work?

Learning to dance (and watching dance) as a child had a huge impact on the way I view drama, and the concept of time. Music and dance share the crucial factor that they take place in time, as well as space.

A choreographer can tell people to do things, to put things together in whatever way they choose, to curate the way a large group of people experience a certain period of time. People might not all appreciate it in the same way and will most likely all have slightly different experiences, but they all experience the passing of time at the same rate.

Audiences may come out crying, laughing, angry, happy, excited, or inspired and the choreographer can control that.

So, if a choreographer can make people feel and respond to a medium purely by what they direct other people to do on a stage in front of them – that is composing.

I use sounds and they use shapes.

How are the skills you learnt in dance helping your life and career now?

One skill that is very important to me – which is wholly synonymous with dance and music and is one that I continue to develop – is creating things that unite people in certain feelings, conveying emotions or dramatic narratives through my own medium. In short, making people cry and laugh whenever I want them to.

Being the audience’s puppet master.

Above Junior category dancers

The Cecchetti Classical Ballet Awards, held at the Central School of Ballet on 27 November 2022 was thoroughly enjoyed by all. For some of the young dancers this was the first time dancing in front of an audience for three years and all conducted themselves with professionalism both on and off the stage.

The technically accomplished and artistically polished performances of the young dancers were a real joy to watch and the beautifully choregraphed set work and dances ensured that each competitor had their moment in the spotlight.

In their critique, our adjudicators Gillian Robinson, Mary Stassinopoulos and Brandon Lawrence talked about the importance of eye line and maintaining performance levels not only whilst dancing but also during entrances, exits and the rotation of lines on the stage.

This is an element of training which can sometimes be forgotten when preparing for a performance or competition.

Quite rightly, good knowledge of the required choreography is vital, but how do you equip your students with wider stage craft skills? You may find that the answer lies in the structure of your daily classes, the terminology you use and the ability to create a theatrical picture for your students.

By incorporating entrances and exits

in regular classes, students can work on those performance skills. Presenting to the ‘audience’, eye line, use of backs, and working as a group/corps, are all important to an adjudicator and an audience.

It is also excellent for holding the concentration of all pupils (particularly if they may be inclined to like a little chat as they wait at the side). If they know they need to be ready to run on for their turn they will need to be focusing as they wait, watching the previous group, and anticipating their turn to run on.

In my experience, students love doing this, particularly if we strongly relate it to being on a stage with an audience and thus put it into a wider theatrical context. All this will then have the added benefit of being second nature when it comes to a school show or when entering your pupils for a competition.

The Awards are generously supported by the Cecchetti Society Trust www.cecchettisocietytrust.org Read a full report from the Awards at: www.istd.org/cbawards22

i The Cecchetti Society Trust offers annual awards, bursaries and scholarships. Visit www. cecchettisocietytrust.org Dance | Issue 498 33

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Classical Greek Dance The influence of the Ruby Ginner method Our members are enjoying a range of career experiences influenced by their early training.

Choreographer/practitioner Ruth Seager explains the influence of Ruby Ginner’s technique on her work; actor Jak Skelly shows how classical Greek technique has supported his career development; and osteopath Natasha Peachey credits classical Greek dance with sparking her interest in how the body works.

Natasha Peachey, Osteopath I started learning classical Greek dancing with the ISTD from the age of three. It inspired my interest in ancient Greece, and I went on to study classical civilisations up to A level.

The two subjects enriched one another.

I became an Associate of the ISTD, and the training I undertook sparked my interest in teaching others. I never had the skills to be a professional dancer, so instead, still with an interest in movement and how the body works, I became an Osteopath.

My teaching skills have provided me with the opportunity to lecture in anatomy and aspects of osteopathy. From a personal point of view, dancing has certainly helped my posture, strength and flexibility as well as developing lifelong friendships.

It has been a real positive in my life.

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Pippa Cobbing Head of Faculty Development for Imperial Classical Ballet, Greek and National classicalgreek@istd.org

Jak Skelly, Actor My Classical Greek training began at the age of 10 during my time at the Dupont Dance Stage School. I remember feeling how free and expressive Classical Greek dancing was, and how much it could appear within the many other styles that we were being trained in.

After graduating from the Arts Educational Schools London in 2016, I now work predominantly as an actor in musical theatre, and I am currently performing as Oaken in the original London cast of Disney’s Frozen the Musical. My dance teacher and the classical Greek style taught me how to physically manifest a character to bring something to life on stage and portray it as truthfully as possible. Classical Greek provides dance and movement that is not only technical but gives a performer permission to explore their musicality in a way that you wouldn’t expect.

I find that when rehearsing a musical (especially as an ensemble member where you are required to become multiple people throughout the piece), it is important for any performer to understand their bodies and to be able to manipulate their performance to fit the character that they are portraying at that moment, and classical Greek dance helps you to discover that.

Immersing yourself in a range of dance styles is so important and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to include classical Greek dance in my professional journey.

Ruth Seager, dance teacher and choreographer When it comes to being a dance teacher and choreographer, my passion for classical Greek dance and the way in which it has shaped me as a practitioner continues to influence my work. However, I am surprised, and a little disappointed, that this beautiful and unique style of dance, which has been a cornerstone to my practice, remains a mystery to so many. My early experiences and training in this area of dance has hugely impacted on my professional life as a choreographer.

Having been introduced to classical Greek dance as a young child, I soon discovered the magic and importance of storytelling through movement. Consequently, this ‘narrative in dance’ is apparent in every dance project I undertake. The strong influences of narrative-based movements in Ruby Ginner’s technique – the tragedies, rituals, and contrasting dynamics of the athletic and lyrical work, contribute significantly to the creation of the dramatic narrative.

This style of dance has also impacted greatly on my musicality which, together with the use of exercises such as Nature Rhythms, enables the dancer to enter a ‘narrative world’ to convey (physically and sometimes vocally) an aspect of nature, whether

that is Jack Frost, or the sun rising on a summer’s day. Ruby Ginner’s technique offers the opportunity for freedom of expression whilst also having clear technical requirements where necessary.

An example of what can be achieved, with the necessary motivation, commitment, and dedication, is when I had the privilege of choreographing a classical Greek dance in Shrewsbury in celebration of the 2012 Olympics.

This performance coincided with the Olympic torch passing through the town and was not only a very special moment for all those involved but a fitting and exciting opportunity to put classical Greek dance in the spotlight!

My professional training at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance enabled me to explore and create wide-ranging opportunities where I collaborated with musicians, choreographers, and dancers to create dance pieces which were influenced by the work and technique of Ruby Ginner. One piece I wrote with my brother, which I also directed and choreographed, was selected to go on to the final heat of the Classical Greek Dance Festival. An Imposter Wears the Crown was awarded first place in the choreography section. It was an honour and a privilege for me to receive the very shield which had previously been awarded to my teachers.

I hope this has provided you with a tiny taster of the magic of classical Greek dance. Keep dancing!

Right Ruth Seager (far right) and fellow dancers Dance | Issue 498 35

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Classical Indian Dance

BBC Young Dancer winner, Adhya Shastry We caught up with Adhya and her teacher Ananya Chatterjee BBC Young Dancer winner 2022 and ISTD bursary finalist 2021 Adhya Shastry took time out of her busy training and performance schedule to talk to us about her experience of BBC Young Dancer and our ISTD bursary event, as well as her dance training and aspirations for the future.

BBC Young Dancer BBC Young Dancer returned in 2022 with a new format open to all dance styles including ballet, street, contemporary, tap and classical Indian styles, with in-person auditions leading to 10 finalists attended a week-long dance residency at Darington Hall in Devon.

Across the series, the finalists were put through their paces by leading choreographers to prepare new works for the grand final in London’s Roundhouse, under the watchful eyes of the judging panel of Ryoichi Hirano, Arthur Pita, Kate Prince, and Subathra Subramaniam, and where Adhya Shastry was crowned as winner.

BBC Young Dancer Artistic Director Emma Gladstone OBE stated that, “Adhya Shastry was noticeable from the start for her commanding presence on stage, as well as her versatility across different styles.”

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Lisa Harrison-Jones Head of Faculty Development for Modern Theatre and Classical Indian classicalindian@istd.org What have been your greatest fears and hesitations in this journey?

One of my greatest fears has been that ‘I am not enough’ and the fear that I won’t live up to expectations of my own.

Left Adhya with Clara Amfo. Above Senior Kalakunj Dancers with Adhya

Starting out Adhya first started her dance training in Bharatanatyam aged nine at the Kalakunj Performing Arts Group in Reading, led

by ISTD teacher and Guru, Ananya Chatterjee. In 2016 Adhya attended the Yuva Gati CATs scheme (National Centres for Advanced Training) and in 2019 developed her broader dance skills at The Place CATs scheme and as a member of National Youth Dance Company (NYDC) through 2021–2022. Whilst working with NYDC, she competed in the BBC Young Dancer series, and with each competition round, Adhya rose to the challenges of the choreographic tasks alongside the other competitors working as a soloist in duets as well as a company member.

Adhya’s teacher Ananya Chatterjee reflects that from the start of her association with Kalakunj in 2013: “Adhya grabbed every performance opportunity that came her way and gradually developed herself with strong movement (Nritta) and expressional (Abhinaya) skills. As well as participating in annual showcases, numerous community cultural events and other regional performances.

“Kalakunj trains all young dancers following the ISTD Bharatanatyam curriculum which, I believe, provides a structured pathway to build up their skills and techniques of the traditional art form.

“Many young dancers will be inspired to follow Adhya’s journey and pursue dance as a lifetime career and passion.

“2022 has been a great year for us marking Adhya’s crowning glory as the

BBC Young Dancer and Kalakunj being recognised with the Pride of Reading award for cultural contribution.”

Adhya’ s reflections What have you learned from taking part in BBC Young Dancer?

There are so many things I have learnt from this experience; I truly don’t know where to begin. I learnt about different dance styles; I learned about other people’s experiences with dance and how versatile dance is.

I learned about how dance can bring many people close together in ways I can’t begin to describe, and more about myself and the way I like to move and approach movement. I am truly so thankful and grateful for this opportunity and the whole experience as it has shown me and allowed me to see and do things I otherwise might not have.

What has been the most memorable part of your journey into a professional dancing career?

I believe my journey has just begun, but through dance I’ve already made many memorable moments including taking part in BBC Young Dancer and joining NYDC (National Youth Dance Company). During both experiences, I got to meet so many beautiful people who have influenced me and have changed my life for the better and have helped me understand movement in my body a bit more.

How has your experience of participating in ISTD’s bursary competitions, and exams with Guru Ananya Chatterjee, helped you?

The ISTD bursary competitions gave me an opportunity to become a more independent dancer, as I got to perform a solo to a small audience and panel of judges, whilst the exam processes have helped refine the way I learn Bharatanatyam, providing me with soft skills that can be applied to many of aspects of life.

What advice would you give to younger students of Kathak and Bharatanatyam?

Keep dancing and do it for yourself. Enjoy dance and trust that it will take you where you need to be. Also, keep close ties with your culture and roots and always be open to learn and explore new things.

Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

I see myself as a stronger, more experienced, and versatile dancer. I want to work with many choreographers and keep learning and growing as an artist. I also want to create my own work and find out more about dance, and inevitably myself.

i The Classical Indian Dance Faculty is delighted to host the third Bursary Awards Event in readiness for our Annual Bursary Awards later in 2023.

All Junior and Senior entrants will submit solos in their style of choice and nominees will be adjudicated by industry adjudicators who will receive reflections on their performances.

Winning nominees will go forward to represent the Classical Indian Dance Faculty at the Theatre Bursary Award Finals, where winning dancers and teachers receive financial bursaries.

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Classical Indian Dance ~ continued

that demonstrate a real excellence in teaching at the highest levels.”

Pushkala Gopal MBE, FISTD, faculty committee member who has worked on both the Fellowship and the Licentiate syllabi explained: “This development will enable teachers of a traditional form to think out of the box and progress the art form, with a blend of authenticity and creativity. Acquiring these advanced qualifications, gives teachers a bridging route and an outlook to promote the teaching of dance in an optimal way. There is no other robust equivalent across Europe for recognised standardised exams in this sector.”

Licentiate and Fellowship Introducing the Classical Indian Dance Faculty’s new Licentiate and Fellowship teaching qualifications.

Supporting our teachers Our Classical Indian syllabi have been in practice for over 20 years, with a healthy rise in exam candidates and more teachers becoming members. Therefore, it has been imperative for our faculty to develop our Licentiate and Fellowship teaching qualifications to future-proof and support our new and experienced teachers in the UK and across the globe.

There is much demand for higher teaching qualifications for our faculty, as increasingly more students are wanting to utilise their learning of classical Indian dancing as a profession. So, the Licentiate and Fellowship qualifications in both Kathak and Bharatanatyam have provided important additions to the Classical Indian Dance Faculty’s portfolio.

Developing the qualifications From initial Faculty discussions dating back to 2017 with Kay Ball, Paddy Hurlings and committee members, it was clear that there were many facets

to research and trial, some of which were delivered through the pandemic, which posed extra challenges.

The faculty maintained its trajectory from research to ratification of our teaching qualifications through the Teaching Qualifications Panel, and finally to Qualification Development Committee with the support of our members, committee, industry leaders and Julie Campbell, ISTD Head of Teacher Training, who commented: “This is such an important development for both the ISTD, and the Classical Indian Dance Faculty. The Licentiate and Fellowship qualifications allow us to meet the needs of the sector and to support the growth of classical Indian dance across the world. The wealth of talent and knowledge amongst ISTD’s classical Indian dance teachers can now be fully reflected in qualifications

The positive effects of dance education As teachers we are very aware of the positive effects of dance education, from strengthening muscles, improving balance and flexibility, developing cognitive skills, communication, critical thinking skills, and creativity, enabling students to use their imagination and collaborate with their peers.

Therefore, it is vital that we pursue our teaching progression pathways to stay current and ahead of industry standards, to pass on knowledge and passion to others and to lead the way by becoming future lecturers, teachers, and examiners, as well as continuing to be positive and impactful on our communities and students.

Chitra Sundaram, MBE, FISTD, long-term dance-theatre lecturer in higher education and a well-established member of the classical Indian sector in the UK and internationally, commented: “The syllabi evidences the ISTD’s well-known fastidious focus on subject-appropriate pedagogy, clarity of outcomes, transparency of evaluation criteria, and relevance to potential candidates,

Having the Licentiate and Fellowship qualifications available for teachers will provide clear progression routes to all teachers of classical Indian dance styles nationally and internationally.

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and their success and employment in the growing sector of dance teaching, training, and performance.

“These enabling qualifications will provide a strong foundation for our professional dancers and teachers to build upon. They will also contribute immensely to the classical Indian dance sector in the UK and internationally, as well as situating these Indian dance forms and styles alongside other long-established genre qualifications in the West.”

About the qualifications These higher teaching qualifications promote a deeper understanding of the grade and vocational syllabi, focusing on creativity, movement analysis, artistic expression, and musical interpretation, all of which are underpinned using biomechanics, teaching methodologies, and safe dance practices.

The delivery of the first section of the examination is a teacher-led class, demonstrating the teacher’s knowledge of the syllabus, teaching methodologies and safe dance practice, as well as incorporating their own creative arrangements of tasks and supporting exercises, appropriate for the level of the pupils in the class.

The second section of the examination demonstrates the teacher’s ability to analyse grade and vocational material, as well as giving time for

discussion on creative tasks, tala, musical choices, cognitive development, biomechanics, and corrective measures.

This allows teachers to demonstrate their combination of artistic and technical elements required for today’s teachers.

Perspectives from the committee Our Kathak Lead Examiner and co-creator of the Kathak syllabus, Sujata Banerjee MBE, FISTD is one of the leading and senior teachers of classical Indian dance in the UK. Sujata explains: “I have served the faculty as the Chair and as a committee member for over two decades and mentored numerous professionals in the UK and in other parts of the world.

I have seen the classical Indian dance sector in Britain grow over the years and ISTD syllabi have contributed hugely to this development. Having the Licentiate and Fellowship qualifications available for teachers will add to this development and provide clear progression routes to all teachers of classical Indian dance styles nationally and internationally.

“This development is particularly important at this point because although the engagement in Indian dance has increased over the years there are no full-time vocational training courses in South Asian dance available in the UK in contrast to western dance forms such as ballet, contemporary and

modern, which are well represented in further and higher education. These qualifications will provide a strong foundation from which professional dancers and teachers can develop high level teaching skills and knowledge to inspire and motivate the community.”

Nina Rajarani MBE FISTD explains: “In my role as Lead Examiner for Vocational and Teaching Qualification Bharatanatyam examinations, I understand the need for these higherlevel teaching qualifications and that they will have a positive impact on the development of classical Indian dance because a standardised qualification system doesn’t exist within the classical Indian dance sector, and this is much needed to enhance the quality of work delivered by dance teachers worldwide.”

The art of dance and dance education is a powerful medium to express thoughts and aspirations of the individual and is a tool for reflection about the world in which we live. As part of our mission, we support teachers to develop their careers through progressive training and teaching qualifications, by building a diverse and sustainable dance profession.

Supporting our teachers and their students on this learning pathway is paramount and delving deeper into our classical Indian dance styles through these qualifications will, in the words of Parimala Hansoge, APEL teacher and Bharatanatyam exponent, enable them, “to hone their skills and promote the rich art form globally.”

Membership You can book Kathak and Bharatanatyam Licentiate exams through the ISTD Quest system. For support in preparing for this exam, contact hqualifications@istd.org Candidates need to have passed their DDE or have received Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) through the ISTD to be eligible to enter. For further information on APEL and these qualifications contact hqualifications@istd.org For details of up-coming CPD visit www.istd.org/events Dance | Issue 498 39

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Contemporary Dance

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Michaela Stannard Head of Projects and Strategic Events mstannard@istd.org

Talking dance leadership Sharon Watson MBE talks about her career in dance.

When did you start dancing and what attracted you to the artform?

My inner city school didn't have dance on its curriculum, it was an inspiring teacher who saw to getting it added to the curriculum through her tenacity and belief in dance. After my first lesson I told my mum and dad that when I left school at 16 I was going to be a professional dancer.

There was nowhere to train in Leeds at the time, so I went to London and trained at The Place, did my three-year course, and haven’t looked back.

Now that I am further in my career I am fighting the fight for others and the younger generation. My career in dance has taken me to many dance companies, including many gigs in Europe, although I never saw my career out there. In 1989, I was invited back to Phoenix Dance Theatre as one of the first female dancers of the company, which at the time was an all-male, all black award winning company. I've never regretted anything I've done, I look back and just think how blessed I am.

You’ve had a varied dance career, could you tell us a little about your journey from becoming a professional dancer to your current role as Principal of Northern School of Contemporary Dance?

Sitting here now, the reflection is quite valuable, having taken the job at Northern over the period of the Coronavirus pandemic. One of the things you reflect on is what your signature and your direction are going to be.

Working with Phoenix gave me the platform to recognise the range

of work that is happening around the country, and ways in which work is being dissected in the sector itself. It also helped with understanding the labels that are put on dancers. I never really saw myself as a black dancer. Phoenix was a contemporary dance company that happened to be made up of black dancers, and for some people that was great, and for others it was a problem. So you are beginning to build these dynamics of understanding of who you are as a

If I do my job well I can feed the nation with dancers who are developing, emotionally, physically and creatively, which is a national need and an international requirement. performer, but sometimes I was frustrated that we could not just be who we needed to be. You can also become a political tool for other people's businesses and it just continued; it was one of the fascinating things about being a performer.

So, I stepped away and came back to Northern School and I decided I would get my degree, so I would be better schooled in understanding how it was going to work and how it could work.

Darshan Singh Bhuller came back to the UK when he was taking over as Phoenix’s Artistic Director, asking me if I would be his Rehearsal/Tour Director.

I was running my own company at the time, so I shelved that to learn from the great and the good. It was amazing because I learned to really understand on how to run an organisation.

At one point, Phoenix was going through a transition, and I had to look out for myself, so I took the opportunity to join the Clore Leadership Programme, and what an experience it was. Then I applied (for the second time) for the job of Artistic Director. I didn't see that I had anything to lose. I could see where the problems were and I understood the company; I also felt the whole organisation needed a change.

So I spent 11 years transforming the company. Rebirthing through creativity.

Then the roles of CEO and Principle of Northern Dance landed on my doorstep – these jobs don’t come up very often.

I remember very early on in my career saying to my mum, “I wouldn’t mind this job,” not knowing what it would entail and the pressures it might bring. When I got the job and told my mum that morning, she was wearing an original Northern t-shirt from the early days! She said, “I remember you said this to me 16 years ago.” I look at the journey now and think that’s incredible. I am back where I went to school and grew up. Back home.

Its quite a unique situation to be in.

*Northern School of Contemporary Dance (NSCD) was founded in 1985 as the first conservatoire dance school within the public sector.

Nadine Senior was founding Principal, and she established the school to give the young people of Leeds vocational dance training following the success of her earlier teaching work at Harehills Middle School.

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Contemporary Dance ~ continued

If we are broad in our thinking, we will find that we are strong as a sector and as an industry.

What was the transition like, going from Phoenix to Northern?

Well after 11 years at Phoenix, and people asking, “why did you leave when it was at the height of its journey?” There were a lot of positives at the time; money in the bank and a reigning vision that was about to take us to the next level.

It was a good time for someone else to pick up. We of course had no idea about the looming pandemic, which changed the direction for everyone.

At Phoenix I had the vision to grow with artistic content and I could continue to be an ambassador for the art form, for students and the city. Outside of London Northern is the only conservatoire, and there are a lot of similarities between the two roles. If I do my job well I can feed the nation with dancers who are developing, emotionally, physically and creatively, which is a national need and an international requirement. So my role at Northern does two things in a way.

Have there been any challenges that stand out in your journey and what did you learn from these as you forged your career?

I don't think there is one specific challenge. When I turn a corner there's always a new one. Keeping the workforce believing in what we do and how we do it is important. I have 250 young people who I believe in and I need the sector to know how important they are and to understand that you need to create space for new and diverse thinking.

It’s not always easy. We don’t always embrace change in the way we could.

We are always learning, and Covid, for example was massive for everyone.

So outwardly this was a challenge and you could get people to help with this, but I think Mental Health has seeped through and raised its head and really Covid has only been part of that problem. We have had these challenges throughout but they never found their platform before. The diversity is massive around mental health and everyone comes with a different challenge.

You carry the flag for diversity because our work force is not diverse and you end up really stretching yourself and as an individual to try and be sure that diversity goes into areas that have not always been embraced. There are many characteristics that sit within that. We are dealing with a lot of those conversations as we go forward. George Floyd's death was only one aspect of it. These are big challenges and I don’t think they are ever going to go away.

They have always been part of who I am, as far back as I can remember.

What’s been your greatest achievement to date?

Outside my sector, I’ve been recognised at the Northern Power Women Awards as part of the very first ‘Top 50 Power List’. I was also awarded The Sue Ryder 2016 Yorkshire Women of Achievement in Business Award and the Yorkshire Woman of the Year 2016 award. I have been given an Honorary Doctorate of Arts by Leeds Beckett University for my contribution to the arts and wider cultural sector.

How do you see your role as a cultural leader?

I can’t be complacent. You have to be fearless, and I question my courage sometimes. I don’t give myself options though, I question first but I try to get on and do it. It’s time sensitive, there’s a cycle that just keeps on going. Strategically I realise I am doing this, with how I work with finance, people and government, local and head office. You gauge how you can make some impact, expose inequalities or put challenges on the table.

You want a result and change. I see myself as a cultural leader and a creative activist.

For me, if the technique had not been integrated well, I don’t think I would have had a sustainable career.

How has your personal dance experience informed your approach to training young dancers?

I have an open-door policy. My students can walk in and talk, I am not untouchable and not unreachable. I often walk the building as Principle and my students can access me. The students need to know that I am available for them, that’s the only reason I am here. You need to build courage and the opportunity for them to move forward. I say to the students “it is important to go with change”.

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discuss; the challenges that stop a young person really being involved in what they are doing, in terms of training. Sometimes things behind the scenes can prevent a young person really taking strides in their development, whether it’s a student having to look after a family member, or having financial trouble with paying fees.

I think the real challenge is on a much bigger level, with fighting government cuts to funding creative education. It comes from the grass roots level. It requires organisations like us to reach out, but money is needed for that and there is no money for the resources. It can get harder to stay in the industry because you simply have to survive. Just imagine living life without culture – not just dance, but so many art forms. The current government really makes it difficult to do our job.

We fill our schools with staff that are knowledgeable in their field. You have to build that relationship; our staff aren’t dictators, they share their experiences and their knowledge with the students. The fine line for the students is finding the courage and sharing the courage, and I know I make that job a lot easier for the majority of people.

Could you tell us a little about your experience of creating the solo for the Advanced 1 Contemporary syllabus?

It was good fun working with Antonio (Borriello) and the students in the studio. When devising the solo, it comes back to courage, devising that material, understanding what the benefits are going to be. When creating, you realise that the techniques have their place because they ensure you are building a holistic performer.

What is on the curriculum for the students?

The curriculum is quite varied. The Cunningham Technique is very strong in the school. First years do get an experience with Graham technique, and they have requested more. It's a challenging technique, but taught correctly it can be incredible. We have added new work to the curriculum, Cultural Dance Forms, which is a

very different style of dance.

The combination helps to bring a strong body which has sustainability within it, but also has the flexibility and dynamics. This enables you to go on and do other things. There is a little bit more flex around how we integrate the strength of those techniques.

Technique is so important, and we must try and move away from the fear of this. It’s a means to an end.

We are working with people who are really dissecting the body now; understanding certain aspects, anatomical processes, and how the body functions.

I feel confident that we are moving forward very strongly with technique.

For me, if the technique had not been integrated well, I don’t think I would have had a sustainable career. Understanding that repetition is important because the body starts to remember, and muscle memory becomes a significant part of the journey. Maybe we need to reiterate this more. I hope the students and graduates that we train now will have a long sustained career because of this.

What are the major obstacles for young people pursuing a career in dance and how does the Northern School of Contemporary Dance tackle these?

There are many challenges. Perhaps the hidden challenges are the ones we don’t

How can we encourage a diverse range of young people to engage with a dance journey?

One of the things that we can do as an industry is talk positively about the amount we all do. If a young person is interested in music but is also an amazing dancer, and they want to do hip hop, for example, then let them get on with what they are good at! Allow them to flourish in the area that fulfils them. If we are broad in our thinking, we will find that we are strong as a sector and as an industry.

I also think it is still important to hold on to what is deemed ‘old fashioned’.

For example, we have a library with printed books, and we assign time for our students to be in there. I do not believe you can fulfil a dance career by only doing it online. There is something about the real lived experience that I hope will never ever go away and will never change.

Interview by Michaela Stannard, Head of Projects and Strategic Events

i Sharon Watson MBE DL Sharon is CEO and Principal of the Northern School of Contemporary Dance (NSCD). Prior to this she was the longest-standing Artistic Director of Phoenix Dance Theatre.

In January 2022 she was awarded an MBE for Services to Dance.

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Disco, Freestyle, Rock n Roll and Street A career in dancesport We spoke to Oliver Kirk, 24, ISTD alumni, now successful performer, about his career journey. Oliver contacted us from a cruise ship, where he is currently working on a contract, dancing, and travelling across the world.

My dancing life started simply, going to work with my dad, who is an ISTD examiner, teacher, and adjudicator.

As soon as I knew it, I was up and dancing from the young age of three and I’ve never looked back!

Disco, Freestyle and Rock n Roll Faculty committee elections: see page 58 for details

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Amanda Tapp Head of Faculty Development for Disco, Freestyle, Rock’n’Roll and Street dfr@istd.org

DFR Grand Finals 2022 Bottom left Oliver Kirk and dance partner Right from top Raela-Belle Farndell, Isabella Hutton, Tamsin Jennifer Hinson, Faith Boyland-Rayner

For me, I always knew I wanted to be a performer. I had a strong friendship group who always supported and encouraged me dancing through school. However, balancing school and dancing was quite difficult. I mainly focused on schoolwork first, then did my dance classes later in the evening.

I remember one time I was revising a Spanish oral exam at the Freestyle World Championships in Blackpool Tower.

The first time I thought about what I wanted to do for my potential career, I wanted to dance on a cruise ship. I always loved the idea of travelling and performing, it’s a win-win in my eyes.

Fast forward to years later and my career highlight would have to be performing on my first job, having my family come and visit me and see me dance on my first professional contract. It was a full circle moment which shows all the hard work, late nights, and countless early mornings were worth it. For them to be able to see me perform, knowing everything they did was worth it as I was living my dream. For that I am forever thankful.

The hardest part about my job is living and working away from friends and family, however they are very supportive, and I call and message them all the time to keep them updated on my travels (and to make them a little jealous).

The ISTD exams have really helped me in my career, as they developed my technique along with the performing aspects of doing competitions.

These worked hand in hand when auditioning for jobs in the industry.

The future? I don’t really think much into the future I’m quite easy going, as long as I’m having fun and dancing, I’ll be happy!

Last year we launched the Dancesport Bursary Awards, whereby financial awards were given to talented ISTD students to support their future training and their dance school and create a bursary fund of their own, to broaden access to dance.

We spoke to our Disco, Freestyle and Rock n Roll award winners: Raela-Belle Farndell Junior winner (student)

Dexi Rowland Junior winner (teacher)

“I am absolutely thrilled and honoured to have been awarded this bursary. The opportunities this will now create for my school are amazing. I feel so proud that my dancer and I were the lucky winners of this prestigious award.”

Dexi Rowland Isabella Hutton Juvenile winner (student)

Amy-Leigh Sellers Juvenile winner (teacher)

“As the Principal of Amy-Leigh Academy of Dance, I feel honoured, humbled and proud to have trained the first Jean Cantell Bursary Award Winner. Our students and team at the academy work extremely hard behind the scenes and we cannot thank the ISTD enough for this financial support during what has been a very difficult couple of years.” Amy-Leigh Sellers Tamsin Jennifer Hinson Junior runner-up (student)

Joanna Bevan Junior runner-up (teacher)

“I am honoured and delighted to have been given this award.

Dancing is my passion and I am so lucky to have the guidance of Joanna Bevan as my dance teacher. I started as a very nervous 4-year-old and she has helped me so much in developing my confidence and my technique.” Tamsin Jennifer Hinson “The award will give the dancers at JBSD the opportunity to try something ‘different’ without having to financially commit to it.”

Joanna Bevan Faith Boyland-Rayner Juvenile runner-up (student)

Katie Gooch Juvenile runner-up (teacher)

“This was very unexpected and a real pleasure to be a part of. Faith is seven years old. It was very daunting for her to get up in front of everyone on the day but she did it. It has really helped with her confidence and as her mother, I was very proud to watch her dance so beautifully.” Faith Boyland-Rayner “It is a privilege to be offered this award, I’m extremely grateful to Faith for her efforts on the day in winning this award for the school.” Katie Gooch Dance | Issue 498 45

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Imperial Classical Ballet

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Pippa Cobbing Head of Faculty Development for Imperial Classical Ballet, Greek and National imperialballet@istd.org

Outreach programmes not only spread the joy of dance but also benefit your dance career and your business.

Left Dance class at the Art of Music Foundation in Korogocho, Kenya

Reaching across the continents ISTD teacher, Lucy Squire, reports on the partnership between Squire Ballet Studio in Kiel, Germany, and the Art of Music Foundation in Korogocho, Kenya.

The initial connection with the Ghetto Classics Dance Programme and the Art of Music Foundation was made through my son in 2018. He had been engaged as a musician for a Nutcracker production in Nairobi, where he met and spoke with the ballet teacher, Joanna Priwieziencew. Now in my head I refer to her as the ‘good fairy’.

I had a 16-year journey from Associate to Fellowship to school owner. At this point I should mention I had the luck to have been mentored by Patricia Prime and Heather Fish, tutors whose words and methodology I still use to this day. It took me many years of freelancing before I had the confidence

to take on a school and I finally took the plunge in September 2018.

Just before the end of the school year after nine months of smooth running, I realised that my vision for the school was paying off. I put it down to both my studies and my years of experience. I had a paycheck for the first time ever during those holidays that summer. Moreover, I was becoming aware of how lucky my students and I were to reside in a land where the arts are generally well funded and more poignantly, accessible and (for the most part) financeable. I wanted to give something back on behalf of the school.

Several emails later Joanna and I were on immediate good terms and had established much common ground.

She and I had both been to professional schools in our early learning years – myself Elmhurst and Central and she the State Warsaw Ballet School. We are both pioneers for classical ballet whilst having a wide vision when it comes to dance as an art form. We not only have the mutual language of movement but also that of pedagogy, albeit in incredibly different circumstances.

Since that year, our contact has been maintained in the form of, but not solely, an annual donation. I did have to reflect whether to continue after the bruising of the pandemic, but the consideration didn’t take long. Perspective and priority made the choice simple.

The fabulous Raymond Ochieng from Ghetto Classics Dance taught a hip-hop session to my students over Zoom in 2020, and I in turn taught ballet to Art of Music students at Easter 2022. We also delivered remote classes for their January intensive week in 2023. Our twice-yearly video calls are fascinating and treasured with genuine interest and respect for each other despite our career paths differing. We laugh so much about the ups and downs of teaching. I wish to go one day to Nairobi, to meet the kids and the team in-person and to teach.

Read more about how our members across the globe are involved in outreach programmes and how they not only spread the joy of dance but also benefit their own businesses: www.istd.org/outsidethebox

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Latin American, Modern Ballroom and Sequence Sequence Faculty committee elections: see page 58 for details

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Malcolm Hill Head of Faculty Development for Latin American, Ballroom, Sequence latin@istd.org, ballroom@istd.org, sequence@istd.org

How brand ambassadors can benefit your career Committee member, John Partingon, reveals the career benefits of brand ambassadors and ISTD accreditation.

Brand ambassadors are of amazing benefit if you want to promote or grow your dance school. What is even better is that they work for free.

These ambassadors are not always celebrities but are often the people, customers, fans, and advocates who will talk with passion about you as teachers and the schools that you run. Often, they don’t need any prompting to do so. Some people may have assumed that brand ambassadors needed to be celebrities or figure heads and traditionally that was the case. Now an ambassador can be anyone who loves your brand and promotes it to others.

Why do brand ambassadors do this? Most probably it is because they love what you offer in the world of dance and people love talking about what they love to do. Some of you will already be aware of this promotional tool and will utilise it to promote your schools. Others will probably be doing this to varying degrees without even knowing about it.

For those who have never heard about brand ambassadors have a look around your school and you will see them already working for you. The idea is to work

“

Use your qualifications, accredited medal examination and the ISTD status to your advantage. Many people, especially new students, will respect an association with a long-standing organisation such as the ISTD.

with these people and remember that they will be promoting your business whenever they are at work, with family and friends or at social functions. A

little extra time spent with them may pay dividends for your business.

I once saw in a research article that 80% of a company’s business comes from 20% of their clients. I think something similar can be said of brand ambassadors in that those most loyal to you as teachers and your schools will tell others how good you are and encourage new pupils to the school. So, before we go and assume that some of the old-fashioned ideas around promoting and growing our businesses are out of date pause for thought and look out for your ambassadors.

It is also important to recognise that not everything we do around social media needs to be online. An offline conversation with a new pupil could lead to them following you across various social media platforms, they could even be influential within their own social media platform. Offline conversations could enhance your digital marketing, boost the number of shares, and likes you have and increase your following.

An advantage of doing what has

been outlined is that you will also nurture a community around you and make contacts in the local area. Local press, local papers – don’t underestimate their influence, and similar businesses.

By identifying and utilising brand ambassadors coupled with identifying the benefits of some more traditional ways of working could still prove of value today.

When doing this one of the advantages of being an ISTD member is that you are part of a wider, internationally recognised organisation. Use your qualifications, accredited medal examinations and the ISTD status to your advantage. Many people, especially new students, will respect an association with a longstanding organisation such as the ISTD.

i John Partington, BSc (Hons), MA, MBA, FRSA, FCMI is owner and director of the Capital Dance School in central London.

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Modern Theatre

International members and events The Modern Theatre Faculty were so delighted that in spite of the interruptions of the pandemic the dance world remained connected and our international teachers and dancers were able to participate in the many successful faculty events.

These included, West End Repertoire Competition 2020, CREATION 2021, and our International Modern Theatre Awards 2022 which sat alongside our UK Janet Cram Awards 2022 last summer.

All these events celebrated the fabulous work that our teachers continually deliver showing their talents and commitment through their schools and dancers in the modern theatre genre.

Clearly the online experience was a lifeline and continues to be so.

However, it is important to us as a faculty, to maintain this strong connection within our dance communities.

With dancers and teachers being back in studios and theatres, our legacy of continuing our online engagement as well as live opportunities, is paramount to support our teachers. This is reflected in our refreshed format of our Janet Cram Awards 2023, which for the first time is open to all teachers and dancers from across the globe.

The Modern Theatre Faculty has had a long history of developing international events and courses spanning many years. For each committee it continues to be imperative for us to support all teachers irrespective of geography.

Sharing traditions and experiences with the myriad of teachers across the globe, unites us all through the common language of dance. Fostering better understanding of backgrounds and histories leads to mutual respect and appreciation for all the varying challenges.

Right Senior winner, India Rose Pears Scown and junior runner-up, Adelaide Ouwejan, both from Northern School of Performing Arts (New Zealand) Above centre Junior commendation, Sage Tousaw, from Steps Ahead Dance, British Columbia, Canada Far right Junior winner, Thai Tue Lam and Jenny Luu (teacher) from Soul Music and Performing Arts Academy, Vietnam

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Lisa Harrison-Jones Head of Faculty Development for Modern Theatre and Classical Indian modern@istd.org

“Being a finalist in the International Musical Theatre Awards was a meaningful accolade for me. Dancing has always been my passion. I am so honoured to share this result with Ms Jenny Luu, who helped me create such movements within my daily life through the many stories that rendered love and courage. For me, participating in this competition was a wonderful experience”.

SMPAA student, Ly Bao Tran

Reflections from the International Modern Theatre Awards 2022 “Participating in the International Modern Theatre Awards was a pleasure. It was a lot of fun getting to learn new and different choreography and then having the opportunity to add my own artistic choices. I had a fantastic time learning the choreography with my teacher. It was a fun challenge learning the more musical theatre style of choreography, which we do not often use. This was a fun project to work on, and it was nice that it could be learned and prepared in a short amount of time so that it could easily be added to a schedule. I am very grateful that I got to participate in the International Modern Theatre Awards this year and would recommend that other dancers participate in the coming years if they are able to.”

Kyla Joyce (from Denise Fung School) “We are based in Auckland, New Zealand so any opportunity to be involved on an international scale is wonderful! We find it is a good way to extend our dancers beyond studio training and a great way to get them experiencing different styles of movement and choreography.

We are already looking forward to the next one.” Alicia ChadwickCook, Director, Northern School of Performing Arts, New Zealand

“I enjoyed learning the choreography and working with my teacher to perfect it. It was exciting to think of international dancers working independently in their studios, being assessed, and

recognised by the society. Thank you for organising the event and thanks again for a wonderful opportunity!” Sage Tousaw, Steps Ahead Dance, Canada “After the lockdowns of 2020–22, I was so pleased to hear of the Modern Theatre International Awards. Western Canadian students have been lucky enough to experience several local festivals and competitions this past spring but one highlight for me was teaching and filming the combinations for the International Awards; we are getting adept at filming these days!” Lorraine Blake, Director, Steps Ahead Dance, Canada “Having the International Modern Theatre Dance competition online gave our students the opportunity to participate.

The girls loved the choreography and worked very hard to give their best performance. We are very proud to have won the junior section, and I can see the artistic growth in all my students.

Thank you ISTD for organising this event, we will look forward to participating again next year.” Jenny Luu, Director, Soul Music and Performing Arts Academy (SMPAA), Vietnam “This contest has brought me precious moments when I am free to indulge my own passion, along with music that brings emotions that are hard to describe, and I feel very lucky to have received a Junior Commendation. I would like to thank the organisers for giving me the opportunity to express myself while immersing in the music. I hope to be able to participate in these meaningful competitions again, see you soon”.

SMPAA student, Lê Ngọc Vân Anh

“I was the winner for the junior section at the International Modern Theatre Awards and I really appreciated what this contest have given me; more confidence in myself as well as self-improvement and am very proud of myself. I would like to thank my teacher, Ms Jenny Luu for always guiding, accompanying, and supporting us”. SMPAA student, Thai Tue Lam

“This year’s competition was a meaningful and memorable experience. I overcame the absence of the audience, which took away some of my emotions. I had to relate to the feelings of performing my dances on stage and tried my best to immerse myself in the stories that I created for the dance routines. I would like to thank the organisers for giving me the opportunity to fortify myself by overcoming challenges, and also Ms Jenny Luu for always doing her best in supporting me and improving my dances”. SMPAA student, Nguyễn Tương Minh Thư

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National Dance Everybody dance!

Jen Blackwell is an accomplished dance leader who has pursued her passion throughout her life, overcoming the barriers she experiences having Down’s syndrome.

Jen Blackwell, 41, left school in 1999 and spent 10 years travelling up and down the country trying to find suitable dance teacher training for a person with a learning disability; frustratingly to no avail. It soon became clear that many others with learning disabilities were in the same situation, excluded from leading mainstream dance. With no previous experience, Jen and her parents took matters into their own hands and formed DanceSyndrome, an inclusive dance charity that provides opportunities for people with learning disabilities to become visible leaders.

The charity has the unique ethos that every dance activity should be disability led. At the organisation, people with learning disabilities work collaboratively to design and deliver sessions alongside professional dance artists. As choreographers, performers and workshop leaders, people of different abilities are empowered to explore dance practice in a fully inclusive way.

This distinctive co-delivery model is equally enriching for DanceSyndrome’s dance artists who do not have disabilities.

Donna Wheeldon, who has worked with Jen for over a decade, sees the impact that inclusion can have on the lives of everybody involved with Jen: “Jen came to me in 2011 for private ballet lessons. Every lesson I took with her turned out to be a lesson for myself.

She just blew my mind with her stunning grace and passion [for dance] from within.

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Pippa Cobbing Head of Faculty Development for Imperial Classical Ballet, Greek and National national@istd.org

a couple of workshops with Jen and the first session was magical. Never had I seen such joy, love, and passion from a group. Every session from then on continued the same. This was so new to me, but every day I learnt from Jen. Not only through dance but also from an inclusion perspective.

“Being part of DanceSyndrome has shown me how to achieve the very best, not just through technique but from the passion from within. Nothing in the dance world compares to this.”

with people with disabilities and to strengthen their own inclusive practise.

Both courses aim to generate understanding of how people with additional needs may feel in settings that are not inclusive, highlighting barriers that people may face. Participants learn simple ways to offer adaptations, how to use language in an inclusive way and how to give every dancer a voice.

The hope is that by continuing to teach these principles, one day in the future there will not be ‘inclusive dance’, just dance which includes all people.

So, what advice would Sophie give to a dance artist who may be thinking about becoming involved in co-delivered, inclusive dance?

“

DanceSyndrome is an inclusive dance charity that provides opportunities for people with learning disabilities to become visible leaders.

This inclusive way that DanceSyndrome works has been pioneered by Sophie Tickle, DanceSyndrome’s Artistic Director, who has played a fundamental role in developing the ‘Everybody Dance’ co-leadership model and overseeing DanceSyndrome’s two key training programmes: ‘Dance By Example’ is an accredited Leadership course (at Level 1 and 2), which DanceSyndrome offers to people with learning disabilities to not only teach the skills needed to co-lead inclusive dance workshops, but also transferable skills that help them at home, in work and across society.

‘Inclusive Approaches’ is a oneday training course for professional Dance Artists to gain insight into how an inclusive dance company can work

“As a freelance artist, it can sometimes feel very lonely, and so I would say really think about the potential of co-delivery. Having someone to bounce ideas off, inspiring each other, taking different roles within sessions, being able to deal with a difficult situation whilst your co-leader keeps the rest of the group engaged, and reviewing the session together are just some of the many advantages of co-delivery.

“DanceSyndrome’s motto is that: ‘Everybody can dance and there is beauty and significance in all movement’, but inclusive dance is so much more than that. In an inclusive environment, everybody, regardless of age, gender, race, ability, or disability, sees benefits to their health and wellbeing, their sense of community and their dayto-day life skills. Everybody feels happier, more optimistic and has a sense of belonging. Everybody feels more creative, more fulfilled and wants to contribute. But most importantly, everybody should have the opportunity to join dance sessions that are

accessible and inclusive so that they are able to reap these many rewards.”

DanceSyndrome has benefited from input by Heather Burns, National Faculty Lead Examiner, who has introduced the team to Folk Dance Studies, which has proved to be an ideal tool for this inclusive, co-leadership approach and has fitted well with the ethos of the organisation.

DanceSyndrome offers a full programme of inclusive dance activities, both in-person in Lancashire and online via Zoom, for those in other locations.

To find out how you can get involved, please visit www.dancesyndrome.co.uk Article by Julie Nicholson, Managing Director of DanceSyndrome Above Dance Artist Anna JamesClayton, Artistic Director Sophie Tickle and Dance Leader Jodie Turner Left Dance Leader David Corr and Dance Artist David Darcy Below Dance Leader Jen Blackwell and Dance Artist Donna Wheeldon

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Focus On

Tap Dance

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Jason Di Mascio Head of Faculty Development for Tap tap@istd.org

Tapping into adulthood Thinking of enrolling onto the ISTD teacher training qualification in tap dance?

Valentina Ragno, tap, modern and Imperial Ballet DDE student teacher, tells us why the qualification leads on to good growth potential and excellent employment opportunities.

The ISTD provides excellent ideas for personal growth that have been helpful to me, especially at the beginning of my teaching career.

When I was 18, 11 years ago, in my last year of high school and eager to start my climb in the world of ‘being an adult’.

Unlike many of my peers, I already had clear ideas about my future. From a town in Bari, south of Italy, I moved to Milan to attend a musical theatre academy. After graduating from high school, I moved to the other side of the country to make my dreams come true.

Overwhelmed by expenses, I decided to start working after the academy’s courses. I found a school in need of a dance teacher for a children’s course, and I decided to throw myself into this new adventure.

Above The Greatest Show, 2021

“You have been studying dance all of your life, it will be easy to teach something to children!”, I used to say to myself… I was wrong!

During each class, I was facing difficulties. I used to create too complicated exercises and students were not able to keep focused. In short, I felt the need to have guidelines and be instructed to learn an effective teaching method.

This is where my ISTD teaching career comes in.

I discussed my concerns with my lifelong teacher, the one who had shaped me artistically from an early age.

He gave me suggestions on how to approach young students and advised me to study these topics more in depth.

I decided to embark on the path to gain the DDE in tap dance, modern theatre and Imperial ballet. I thought in Italy I would have used my teaching

Tap Dance is a truly appreciated and highly requested discipline in my country, with good growth potential and excellent job opportunities.

skills more in ballet and modern dance, but these considerations were based on what I used to see in the dance schools I had previously attended.

Today, however, after some experience, I can say that tap dance is a truly appreciated and highly requested discipline in my country, with good growth potential and excellent job opportunities.

Anyone interested can study tap in dance, music or theatre schools. Even some state schools can provide such courses. Tap dance attracts audiences of all ages, including children who are intrigued by the sounds made by shoes, and teenagers who want to imitate the stars they follow on social media. Even older adults are getting into tap dancing, recalling movies with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

In my first years of teaching, the ISTD provided me with the right tools and basic knowledge to develop what has become my teaching method.

The Society has given me a way to properly process and make use of the information that I’ve acquired over decades of study, helping me to conduct my teaching work in a conscious way.

Ten years ago, I was lucky enough to be inspired by a young teacher who continues to guide me on my career path.

Today, I feel compelled to return the favour by trying to inspire future generations.

Good luck on your climb into the world of adults!

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Focus On

Tap ~ continued

Tap after 40 Vincenza Giammona, DDE Student-Teacher from Italy demonstrates how the ISTD teaching qualification is inclusive regardless of age, race, or gender.

I started teaching tap dance in Italy in 2009 after years of study through numerous workshops and national and international festivals, where I had been focusing on the so called ‘American Technique’. However, I felt that a common thread connecting all the learned elements was missing.

I felt the need to find a complete teaching method that would allow me to lead the students on a logical learning path, which was not focused

only on the vocabulary elements.

After careful research, I realised that the ISTD could offer me exactly what I needed, even if this meant ‘starting again’ from the basics to be able to assimilate a methodology that did not belong to me nor was familiar to me.

The love for this discipline, the desire to become a better teacher and sharing my greatest passion with others, and the endless patience of my tutor have allowed me to accept this challenge.

The path in becoming an ISTD teacher has been long and not always easy. Contrary to what usually happens, I did not start at a very young age. Furthermore, working also as a biological medical laboratory technician,

time for personal study was never enough. Nevertheless, after taking my first ISTD exam in my late 40s, today I can proudly affirm that I could not have chosen anything better.

Thanks to the ISTD, I have learned (among many different elements) how to be aware of the correct posture and how to co-ordinate different parts of the body in a harmonious way and typical of dance. I have also learned how to improve musicality, sense of rhythm and how to enhance ‘lights and shades’ in the sounds. I have been able to broaden my knowledge of different musical genres, experiencing different ways to dance them with the right style. Finally, the study of the correct technique, in a gradual and

After taking my first ISTD exam in my late 40s, today I can proudly affirm that I could not have chosen anything better.

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Above and left Vincenza with her students

effective way, has been granted by its inclusiveness, health and safety in dance.

My experience as a teacher is also supported by the ISTD inclusivity, a fundamental principle in today’s dance industry, which has not only allowed me to undertake this journey as a mature student but has also welcomed, trained and educated me to be a better teacher for the new generation of dancers.

By sharing my experience, I try to motivate everyday my students with the following motto: “Believe in what you do and do what you love the most. Only in this way everything can become possible.”

I felt the need to find a complete teaching method that would allow me to lead the students on a logical learning path, which was not focused only on the vocabulary elements.

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Calendar

What’s on Dates for your diary For more information on our events and courses visit www.istd.org/events

Invest in your CPD To book contact coursebookings@istd.org

Membership

Bursaries Apply now for our Teacher Training Bursary Scheme.

Each year, we provide support for members to access teaching qualifications where finance may be a barrier to ensure that dance teachers can invest in their own development and progress with their teaching journey.

To date, the scheme has financially supported the training of over 100 teachers from countries across the globe, including the USA, Italy, South Africa, the UAE and the UK. Complete your online application now.

Application deadline 12pm BST on 18 May 2023.

Other funding opportunities include our Sue Passmore Award and Broadening Access to Dance Award, which provide up to £2,000 to support projects, with applications opening later in the year.

Find out more at www.istd.org/fundingopportunities

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22 May Classical Indian Bharatanatyam Grade 4 to Advanced 1 set and creative syllabus refresher June (TBC) Imperial Ballet Intermediate vocabulary analysis and artistry in the variations, Mexico City, Mexico

24–25 Jun Contemporary Intermediate foundation, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa 25 Jun National Grades dances revision, Hybrid course (London and online) 1–2 Jul Contemporary Intermediate foundation, Gauteng, South Africa

Want to be on your faculty committee?

Election for the following faculty committees opens this year: • Cecchetti Classical Ballet Faculty – only those with Fellowship status may apply • Disco, Freestyle, Rock n Roll Faculty – only those with Licentiate or Fellowship status may apply • Sequence Faculty – only those with Licentiate or Fellowship status may apply The deadline for applications is 1 July 2023.

If you would like to be nominated or know of someone who should be nominated, please contact the Policy and Governance Manager: +44 (0)207 655 8808 governance@istd.org

Our events May–Aug 2023 Check www.istd.org/events for the most up-to-date information on all our events.

Cecchetti Classical Ballet

Imperial Classical Ballet

17 Jun (TBC) Cecchetti Scholars Audition 19 or 26 Nov (TBC) Cecchetti Classical Ballet Awards 3 Dec (TBC) Cecchetti Malta Awards

15 Apr Junior and Senior Ballet Awards live UK finals and announcement of online international finals

Classical Greek Dance 5 Nov (TBC) Classical Greek Faculty Centenary Celebration 7 Jul Classical Indian Kathak Grade 4 to Advanced 1 set and creative syllabus refresher 9 Jul Teaching dance in primary schools, London, UK 31 Jul–11 Aug Summer Programme at Laine Theatre Arts, Surrey UK and online.

You can look forward to a packed programme across our extensive range of dance genres to support your teaching and inspire you to develop your practice. Take

advantage of online dates as well as in-studio courses.

Tickets on sale 28 April.

September 2023 DDP applications are open Enrol for the Level 6 Diploma in Dance Pedagogy with ISTD Academy today.

Applications close end May. Interviews June/July. hqualifications@istd.org

Have your say, drive initiatives and assist in shaping the future of the Society.

Classical Indian Dance Classical Indian Bursary Online Competition: 11 Apr Tickets open 26 Jun Video submissions close 12 Jul Announce winners

Modern Theatre Janet Cram Awards: 15 May Announce online heats finalists 25 Jun Live finals

National Dance 26 Nov or 10 Dec (TBC) Grandison Clarke Awards For confirmation of the dates that are listed as TBC (to be confirmed) please check www.istd.org/events

Dancesport 8–14 May Ballroom, Latin and Sequence medallist competitions, Wimborne, Dorset 12–18 Jun (TBC) Ballroom, Latin and Sequence medallist competitions 9 Jul Street Dance Competition, Portsmouth 17 Sep DFR Dance Exchange 8 Oct DFR Grand Finals, Guildford Spectrum DFR Area Competitions: 23 Apr East Anglia – Sudbury 14 May Hemel 2 21 May Sussex/Surrey 11 Jun Cambridge 25 Jun Wilts/West 10 Sep Bucks/Berks/ Middx (Staines) (TBC) North Dance | Issue 498 59

What’s trending online

Join the conversation on social media

Bringing you some of our recent highlights. Get involved and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube. @istddance #ISTDdance

Find Your Dance Space ISTD Member, dance teacher and Strictly Come Dancing head judge, @shirleyballas, is backing our Find Your Dance Space campaign to get more school children dancing.

“Dance is good for the soul, good for your physical health and mental wellbeing and you socialise whilst you’re doing it. I back the campaign because I want to see people of all ages dancing.” #FindYourDanceSpace www.istd.org/ findyourdancespace

The return of in-studio professional development in 2023 A week of learning together, upskilling on teaching and learning strategies whilst sharing good practice.

Check online for details of our upcoming summer programme. www.istd.org/events

Guess the grade We have been sharing ISTD exercises in a sequence of ‘guess the grade’ videos for our audience to play along with. Don’t forget to tag us in all your posts, videos, reels and more – we love to see our global teachers and students learning, dancing, and celebrating exam results. @summerscales_pa #GuessTheGrade #ISTDdance

Happy Chinese New Year In 2023, we ring in the year of the rabbit, one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac.

The rabbit is a symbol of longevity and good fortune, which is seen to be highly lucky for most. Thank you to UK China Performing Arts for sharing their traditional fan dance with us to celebrate Chinese New Year.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities “My wheels are my legs and dance is my job”. Kate speaks more about her experience of finding her place within the dance industry.

To continue the conversation please visit the link www.istd.org/ katestanforth

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Join us in getting more people across the UK dancing with ISTD qualified teachers.

Scan the QR code to find out more

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TH E I NTE R N ATION A L VOICE OF TH E I M PE R I A L SOCI E T Y OF TE ACH E RS OF DA NCI NG THE INTERNATIONAL VOICE OF THE IMPERIAL SOCIET Y OF TEACHERS OF DANCING

Issue 498 • May – August 2023

F E AT U R I N G

A career in dance Christopher Hawkins shares his story

Accreditation

How to access our teaching qualifications

MAY – AUGUST 2023 ISSUE 498

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