Global Online Choreography Challenge
Keeping our minds and bodies active as we all have come to terms with a very different way of life has not been easy.
Dance schools across the world are closed and events, exams, and auditions postponed. Despite the proactive attitude of many dance teachers who now deliver online classes, many students have felt lonely and missing what they call their 'dance families'.
As we watch an old world slip away we try to find ways to embrace our new normal and keep our dance creativity bubbling away. So when we were approached to support the bbodance Online Choreographic Challenge we ‘leapt’ at the opportunity 😀
The challenge was created by Julie Bowers of BBO and Principal of Birmingham Royal Ballet, Brandon Lawrence. As a BBO Patron and former BBO student, Brandon has experienced first hand the frustrations of the lockdown on dance.
'I felt it was extremely important to connect the bbodance family during this challenging time... many professional dancers and companies have been creating dance online; I wanted to make it extra special for bbodance members to be part of their very own piece of original dance.'
The Online Choreographic Challenge was for students of bbodance teachers from across the world. They were asked to express what lockdown meant to them by choreographing one of three pieces of music commissioned from composer Andrew Kristy especially for this challenge.
Highly acclaimed former Artistic Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB), Sir David Bintley, CBE together with Brandon had the very hard job of judging these very talented students who had poured their creative heart and soul into their unique pieces. The final six winners were Honour Dixon, Hallie Mitchell, Kayleigh McCullough, Fraya Cowan, Martha Christy and Imogen McBeath with Freya selected as the overall winner (pictured).
We were delighted to provide Dansez gift vouchers as prizes for the challenge but more importantly we were very proud to be asked by BBO to be a partner and support them in their great work.
You can see all the pieces on the @bbodance insta account and excitingly coming soon is the Brandon edit of all submissions illustrating the students' collective experience.