Freelance journalist and PR consultant
What makes Argentine tango music unique? What does the clave do in
salsa? And what are the qualities of a good band-leader? For an article for Dance Today magazine Geny Caloisi meets musicians of five different bands who play for you on the dance floor and gets some answers.
Follow this link to see the PDF: Meet the band
DanceToday I Went ’cause I had n
It was going to be an unusual weekend from the outset. The plan was to travel from the UK through Europe by car – a nice sporty number with an open roof – and plan the stops according to the tango milongas on the way.
The highlight was to be Sunday, September 1: a party that was a whole different experience for everybody involved. The first of its kind – daring, unique – in which participants bare everything to each other. Yes, we were going to the first ever Naked Tango Milonga.
Follow this link to see the PDF: DanceToday I Went ’cause I had nothing on Nov13
Dance Today Beyond dancing Aug13
Five days, four couples, one MC, a director, 100 hours and a live band were the ingredients to make Nobody’s Baby Dance Marathon possible at Greenwich Dance’s Borough Hall from June 3 to 7.
Dance marathons became a craze during a time similar to the one we are living in now. In the financial crisis of the 1930s, the physical challenge of the dance marathon was rewarded with a tempting sum of money.
Follow this link to see the PDF: Dance Today Beyond dancing Aug13
Vintage Dance Style
With vintage beauty parlours mushrooming at dance events, numerous repro designers offering retro-style clothing for dancers and the profusion of revival events with live bands and lindy around the UK, one cannot help but wonder about the relationship between dance and vintage styling.
Follow this link to see the PDF: Vintage Dance Style June13
DanceToday – Lindy by the sea June13
Brighton dusted off its two-tone shoes and put flowers in its hair to welcome its first Lindy Hop Festival. Held at the University of Sussex at the end of April, the weekend was blessed with sunshine and the magic of springtime.
Organised by Sussex Swing, run by Lizzie Abrahams, in association with Simon Selmon’s London Swing Dance Society (LSDS), the festival attracted 150 people, from Brighton, London and even from abroad.
Follow this link to see the PDF: DanceToday Lindy by the sea June13
DanceToday – Stompin’ swing June13
Dancers set the floor on fire at the Stompin’ Swing for the Crown 2013 competition at the 100 Club this spring, culminating with the final on April 8. Organised by the London Swing Dance Society (LSDS), the event attracts many different couples every year.
The event has been running for over a decade. Starting in January, once a month there is a heat, where up to ten couples show what they are made of.
Follow this link to see the PDF: DanceToday Stompin’ swing June13
Dance Today – To Market, to market
In times of crisis many of us might wonder: what if I re-invent myself? What do I love doing? Perhaps our love for dancing might make us look in that direction as a possible way to enhance our lives. Maral Kojayan and Mariano Laplume are a pair of young dancers who are living just such a dream, though, as they explain, it is not always easy to find a balance between dance and business.
Follow this link to see the PDF: Dance Today To Market page 1 page 2
DanceToday – Exhibition road Oct12
Anyone who didn’t manage to get a ticket to see the Olympic or Paralympic Games could still enjoy the party atmosphere around London with special events popping up everywhere. One of particular interest was the Exhibition Road Show, or shall we call it nine days of partying on South Kensington’s Exhibition Road?
Free for all, the event saw over 60,000 visitors rendezvous on Exhibition Road to eat wonderful food, play table games, watch acrobatics, listen to music and dance.
Follow this link to see the PDF: DanceToday Exhibition road Oct12
An interesting project to build a cultural bridge between the UK and China has started in South East London. This June Goldsmiths University launched the Confucius Institute for Dance and Performance with inspirational speeches from Chinese and UK officials and beautiful performances from these two corners of the world.
Working in partnership with the Beijing Dance Academy, studies at the Confucius Institute for Dance and Performance at Goldsmiths will include Mandarin, Chinese performance arts and dance, Chinese culture and Kung fu and Tai chi.
Speaking at the launch event, Baroness Morris Yardley said, “This project will allow students to discover a culture they might not even have thought of getting to know. At Goldsmith we want to offer excellence and access building new relationships between nations, cultures and people.”
There are over 300 Confucius Institutes in 105 countries. Their aim is to promote Chinese language and culture, and support Chinese teaching and cultural exchanges. Each institute determines its own specialist program of activity.
China’s Ambassador Liu Xiaoming, added, “This is the first Confusions Institute focused on art and performance. Learning Mandarin is an essential part of learning Chinese culture. Goldsmith has produced great artists and I hope this wonderful adventure will bring new stories of friendship between China and the UK.”
Just before the performances Madame Xu Lin, Chief Executive of the Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban), closed the speeches reflecting, “This partnership is a fertile ground for new styles in dance and performing arts can emerge. They will not necessarily be Western or Eastern; they will be a combination of the two.”
Students fro
m Goldsmith and from China carried out a series of contemporary and classic dances. There was Chinese poetry written and recited by an English student from Goldsmith, and even an opera singer from the university sang in Mandarin.
The Institute lessons will start in the new term.
First published in Dance Today and NUJ Lewisham
DanceToday – Robyn Simpson Jul12
A cast of 20,000 is warming up for the London 2012 opening and closing ceremonies, which will be watched by an estimated audience of four billion. Geny Caloisi hears from dancer and choreographer Robyn Simpson, one of the aerial captains for the Olympics opening ceremony on July 27, which will involve a blend of theatre, dance, circus skills, acrobatics – and lots of surprises!
Follow this link to see the PDF: DanceToday Robyn Simpson Jul12