Thanks to londondance.com you can check out what's happening this week in Big Dance 2010 - here's what they had to say:

Let’s hope the weather keeps the rain on hold and the temperature maintains a steady simmer for the next couple of weeks – as there’s a fine choice of dance performances to see and events to take part in coming to London’s open spaces.

Big Dance 2010 opens with a welcome and watery splash as Shobana Jeyasingh’s new work for 15 female dancers is set amongst the fountains of the neo- classical courtyard of Somerset House.  There will be 12 performances: Thu & Fri 6pm & 7pm; Sat & Sun 12noon, 1pm, 3pm & 4pm.

Dancing City once again uses the stunning backdrops of the public spaces around Canary Wharf for a cornucopia of dance and physical theatre from around the world – including Motionhouse Dance Theatre (who also present previews on Thursday and Friday evenings), a new open air work by Henri Oguike and East London Dance’s major new work – Bolero Remixed.   Using Ravel's famous music, Jeanefer Jean-Charles' choreography uses 100 local dancers, professionals C-12 Dance Theatre, the 52 piece New London Orchestra, with DJ Excalibah amongst others.  Bolero Remixed reflects the spirit of regeneration which characterises East London at the moment.  All performances take place between 1pm & 5pm.

After dusk, from 6 to 9 July in Trafalgar Square, you’ll find artist David Michalek’s wonderful – and huge  - film installation, Slow Dancing. Michalek is married to New York City Ballet star Wendy Whelan, who is one of his subjects, alongside choreographers William Forsythe and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre Judith Jamison amongst others. Slow Dancing is pretty much what the title says  - a series of 50 larger-than-life, ultra-slow motion video portraits of dancers and choreographers from around the world. Projected on to three giant screens, the portraits are selected randomly to be shown simultaneously, allowing viewers to compare dancers from different styles and different worlds. Their movements viewed in slow motion gives a fascinating insight on the complexity of the simplest gestures, catching details that would normally escape the eye.

Back in the mainstream, there’s the chance to see dance film favourites Billy Elliot (4 July, Walpole Park, Ealing, W5) and Strictly Ballroom (5 July, Potters Fields, London Bridge, SE1)  al fresco, as part of Big Dance. More details on our film pages

We are looking for people who are going to celebrate their birthdays between June and September this year.
We are trying to get people with different cultural backgrounds and life styles. A couple of the groups we are focussing on are young people who are into street dance/break dancing or Music MC's
Following up the huge success of hit show Four Weddings – LIVING TV have requested a brand new sister series, but this time it’s Birthdays. It's like ‘Come Dine with Me’, birthday party style!
In the show, four birthday girls/guys will experience and judge each other’s events - the winner will get a SURPRISE PRIZE.
if you would like to feature in the show, please call Carl on 0207 157 3641.

Creation Dance believes that everyone should be able to enjoy dance, whatever your age or ability, but we also understand that as new dancer, especially if you’re a bit older than the average teenager (!) can be daunting, so here’s our easy guide to getting started:


1.       Don’t be afraid to visit the studio (if you can) and take a look around, meet the staff and check out the facilities.  One thing to remember, dance studios are rarely glamorous.  It’s an arts thing… whilst we love to dance, most of the money a studio makes goes on getting the best teachers in, so changing rooms are often small, few studios  have showers and you might need to be willing to travel to find one you like. If the class is in a gym, then you know what to expect, more facilities, but smaller dance studios.

2.       Not sure how Hip Hop is different from Jazz Funk? Doesn’t matter.  I recommend you just try the classes and see how you like them. The name is just the name. Each dance teacher has a different style, which means one person’s Hip Hop class is completely different to another person’s hip hop class. Just dive in and keep going until you find a teacher you like.


3.       Ok, so you really want to know the difference between Hip Hop and Jazz Funk?  Mainly, it’s technique. Jazz Funk is more girly, and uses some kicks and turns that are based on ballet, so it’s sexier, but also sharper. Pussycat Dolls style dancing is a good example of Jazz Funk. It’s also called Commercial Jazz, Jazz or Street Jazz depending on where you’re from.

Hip Hop  traditionally uses moves including breaking, locking and popping, but at Creation Dance we don’t really teach beginners these moves because they’re quite technical and we want you to learn to love dance before we throw the harder stuff at you! So think Urban music and high energy sounds that are great for working up a sweat. All our teachers have their  own style, so why not try a few classes and see who you like best.

4.       Afraid that everyone in the class will be too young, or a great dancer? At our studio, the average age of our dancers is 28 – 32, because we specialise in adult beginners classes. Most people have never danced before, or just started when we opened, so you won’t be alone.  It is important you feel comfortable, and dancing with other like minded people helps. But remember, everyone in the room feels just like you do, and they are all too busy worrying about what they are doing to be looking at you in the mirror – if you still need moral support, enlist a friend to come with you. 

5.       Not sure what to wear?  For most classes gym or yoga clothes and trainers are fine, for ballet class you can do it in socks or ballet slippers, just call us and ask and we’ll tell you what to bring.


6.       Worried you won’t be any good?  If dancing was that easy, we’d all be out of a job because it takes more than 1 class to pick up the basics. Here’s some handy tips to get  you started though:

-          You need to train your brain to talk to your body – through motor fitness exercises

Even gym bunnies rarely do this, so coordination is often a bit slow, and it takes time to get the grey cells working at speed. The good news is that if you stick with it, you’ll see improvement within 4 – 8 weeks  and once it clicks, it stays.  However, it’s like a muscle, so use it or lose it!!!

-          Getting great muscle tone through dance means doing technical dance like ballet or jazz. It’s the effort of standing in the correct posture that tones you up and gives you buns of steel.  So Hip Hop to burn calories, and ballet to tighten and tone….great!

-          Don’t think that missing a class is the end of the world.  We all have commitments ,so book onto classes, but if you miss one, don’t drop out, book the following week and keep coming. Set yourself a goal and you can reach it!

 

-          Don’t hide at the back of the room. The brain uses your reflection in the mirror to help you learn, so watch yourself not the teacher as soon as you can, and you’ll find you remember routine quicker, and improve your dancing too!

So want to try a class? Why not come and try us.  START WITH A BEGINNERS CLASS – it’s always best to start easy then move upwards , than the other way around . See our timetable here and book yourself in – we hope you love dancing just as much as we love teaching you.

OK, so normally at Creation we just give you short pieces each week to work on, but we have to show you this, which is  a slightly longer Lady Gaga routine by Anastasija and her students. Love it!
Now we know it's not polished and perfect.. but let's remember these guys are beginners and only have a couple of hours to put this together - looks hot to me!:

Having recently seen this show in Asia, I'm excited that it's now in London so you can all check it out too. If you love glitter, glamour, romance and the allure that is Bollywood, then this is for you. Expect dance routines extraordinaire, a love story and lots of fabulous costumes. If this doesn't inspire you do dance, I don't know what will.

Listing DetailsVenue Name:

The hit West End musical,Thriller Live, is spectacular show that celebrates the career of the world’s greatest ever entertainer, Michael Jackson, and tells the story of
the Jackson 5. The show’s directors are seeking new dancers and have partnered
with Talent Expo to run live auditions.
 
To register your interest visit
 
www.talentexpotickets.co.uk and respond to the email address shown. You will need to attend
Talent Expo on Friday, 25 June.
 
Discount tickets are on sale now exclusively at
www.talentexpotickets.co.uk

 
Gary Lloyd, director and choreographer for Thriller Live, talked about what he’s looking for: “We’re seeking up to twelve new performers.
They must be strong, commercial dancers with great technique and specialised in
hip-hop. Ability to perform acrobatic or trick moves isn’t essential, but
definitely a plus.”

Visit Street Dancers Network at: http://www.streetdancers.co.uk/?xg_source=msg_mes_network