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Melody Bear has made a new friend!! Basil the cat was formerly a stray, spending these winter months cold and alone on the streets of Swansea. But he says that now he's found a friend like Melody Bear, he's much to look forward to this year! |
World Dance News !!
In August 2006 the ballerina Darcey Bussell and the judge from Strictly Come Dancing Arlene Philips came together to present the 'Dance Manifesto ' to the Minister for Culture, David Lammy. They were joined by other important people in the field.
The 'Dance Manifesto' took six months to produce and numerous dance organisations and individuals were consulted to contribute to its content. The 'Dance Manifesto' highlights and fights for those things considered important to safeguard and develop the future of he dance world. Amongst other things it says that dance should be available to all people and be part of every child's education. It also asks that dance be supported and developed as an art form.
Darcey Bussell said: "The creation of the Dance Manifesto is an important step forward in the development of dance in this country and I am proud to have been able to present it to the government on behalf of the British dance industry."
Arlene Phillips commented: "As we have seen with the massive viewer numbers that enjoyed Strictly Come Dancing and Strictly Dance Fever, the popularity of dance is on a real roll at the moment. The Dance Manifesto is a very positive move to help even more people to experience and enjoy this most brilliant of art forms."
We are pleased to say that Counterpoint has written in support of the 'manifesto' to include our name on the list of supporting organisations. The administrator for Dance UK, Francesca McCoid has emailed to thank us for our support. Counterpoint is playing a part in changing the future of dance!
Recent Events
On the 17th and 18th August Counterpoint students took part in a dance workshop with Tim Noble, choreographer from Star Productions and choreographer for kylie Minogue for 5 years. We rang student Sarah Rees to see how she enjoyed it...
Telephone Interview with Sarah Rees on 18th August at 9.15pm
Hi Sarah can you tell us about it the workshop. How many teachers were there? There were 2, Tim was really nice, funny and bubbly. He made us work really hard and said he only gave us corrections to better ourselves. There was also a lady called Sarah - also a dancer. She taught us a hip hop routine. We did Grease lightning with everyone all together then we split into two groups. It was really good fun!
How many students took part? There were about 60 students I think, they were all different standards. Some people struggled I think because they weren't use to being so technical.
So what else did you do? We had cat walk tuition, where we had to make entrances and exits as dancers. It's about making the most of yourself when you are on stage, and getting yourself noticed.
It seems it was a long day... was it tiring? It wasn't too bad! We had lots of breaks and an hour for lunch. I also got chatting to loads of girls from other schools which was nice.
Did the parents watch? They watched a 20 minute piece. They thought it was really good and were surprised we learnt the hip hop routine in 2 hours!
How much did it cost? £75
So Sarah, do you think it was value for money? Yes, definitely. It was really good because we could see how we compared to other schools and it was interesting to see different standards. I think Counterpoint students had quite a high standard and we found it easy to pick to up the routines.
Well, thanks for your time Sarah!!
Health Fact
How many times, when your friend is offering you another one of their sweets, or when faced with the temptation of that large slice of chocolate cake in the school canteen, do you stop to think about the effect that your diet choices might have on your body??
'You are what you eat' the old saying goes; but nutritionists realise now more than ever the vast effects our food habits can have upon everything from our skin health and immune system function to our energy and fitness levels, and our ability to focus and concentrate on even the most basic of tasks. Of course, as dancers and performers, we need not only to look healthy and well, but also be of good general composition so that our bodies and minds can handle the pressure we might put them under.
The World Health Organisation, based upon international and national experts and reviews of the current scientific evidence, states that as well as being physically active on a regular basis, we must drastically increase our consumption of;
- Fresh fruits and vegetables (at least five portions of either per day)
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Legumes and beans
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Wholegrains and nuts
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Healthy UN-saturated fats and Oils (known as Omega 3, 6 and 9 - These lubricate the body, organs and joints, and far from the common belief - actually help to keep us slim!)
As well as this, we must restrict or eliminate our intake of;
- Unhealthy saturated and hydrogenated fats, and 'trans-fatty acids'
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Sugar (in it's many forms)
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Salt
(these are all found in abundance in 'artificial' foods like sweets, cakes and processed foods too)
We must understand that the 'old wives tale' that a little bit of everything is good for us couldn't be further from the truth - even by the standards of today's most traditional nutritionists!
If we stick to the above guidelines, we do well to ensure we remain free from illness, and strong, healthy and fit enough in our bodies and minds to do all that we hope to in life!
(Source: http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/diet/en/index.html)
Watch this space for info on any upcoming theatre trips!
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