Charelle - the Hip Hop Honey!

Yes, that's right my moment has finally come. I came to London to live the life, work in the creative industries and dreamt that I would get my three minutes of fame. Well, last November, which seems a lifetime ago now I went on set for King Kash's H.O.T. - King Kash is an unsigned rap/hip hop artist, who on Monday released his EP 'Worth The Wait', which features H.O.T. So on a cold morning I dragged myself to a warehouse in Bermondsey (for those of you are not from London. There is NOTHING glamorous about Bermondsey) and met with my good friend Lennisha who was going to join me to dance for the day. Arriving on set there was lots of children 'street' dancers and I wondered whether I was at the right place. Then it was revealed that there would be the children dancing, alongside shots of Kash with the more mature lady, Kash with the guys and Kash doing his thing and then the girls alone. It was a long day and the girls would be the last to be shoot. The day was long, I was cold and hungry and realised quickly that I am glad I gave up the dream of being a dancer when I left University. 

Then it was finally my moment. First all of the girls danced together and then the videographer decided she wanted us to dance alone. I wasn't prepared to dance alone and the thought of everyone looking at me made me nervous. Now normally I am not shy about dancing. Anyone who has ever seen me on a night out will know that you stick a Beyonce track and I am shocking out in the middle of the floor and I just don't care. However, with everyone looking at you on set it is scary. It is artificial. You are not having a great time with your girls on a Saturday night in a sweatbox. In fact, you are in a freezing warehouse with a videographer telling you to look this way, touch your hair, touch your body.  There are lights on you and a windmachine! Well, I can't lie that I didn't enjoy that bit. Seriously, if it was up to me I would have a windmachine follow me around 24/7! But other than that I found it a bit too much to cope with. But then something clicked I forgot about everything around me and for the last take I was just Charelle, dancing to a H.O.T. tune. 

The scariest thing about being in a video is the wait. I have spent the last 9 months thinking it will be the moment that I forgot everyone was watching that will be on the video. I was so scared it would be cringe-worthy and then I would have to go on set again to get my evidence that I was proud to show of me as a hip hop honey. Well, the video is here and I am happy to say I am happy with it. It is more like 3 seconds, than 3 minutes of fame but I can say I did it. I am a video girl!! Charelle is a hip hop honey! I will have my body on YouTube for the whole of eternity. So check out King Kash's H.O.T and remember, don't blink otherwise you will miss me.

Dance Means

As part of the Cultural Olympiad, last week was Big Dance 2012.

One of the many events taking part from the 7th - 15th July was Dance Means. Dance Means was an exhibition in Spa Green (opposite Sadlers Wells), which was curated by Hannah Anderson-Ricketts. Throughout the park there were quotes from individuals about what dance means to them. I was fortunate enough to have my words amongst other quotes. In addition to the quotes, there were stunning pictures by Irven Lewis. Whilst the photographs weren't the most striking I have ever seen, Lewis had carefully chosen the location of the photographs. Each photograph was taking in a truly stunning landscape.

My favourite quote of the exhibition was by Yolanda Mercy, who wrote that "Dance to me is a way of expressing my inner emotions without actually vocalising it". For me this truly summarises the beauty of dance. It is the universal art form. It allows a person to express themselves where words just don't exist.

I LOVE DANCE and Britain makes great dance.

BDE is the UK dance industry's leading showcase event, profiling the very best of british dance to visitors from across the globe. The event happens every two years in a different UK city and for 2012 it fittingly took place in London with the fantastic Project Manager, Kate Scanlan. 

Having worked with Kate before on Breakin' Convention I decided that I would love to spend four days as an assistant running around doing 101 things. There is nothing like working on a festival. You get to meet so many people and there is so much going on. I love the variety of work you get to do and just the buzz of a festival. I think my highlight of the festival was leading 300 delegates from The Place to the Royal Opera House is a bright blue mac and holding a bright blue umbrella. Luckily, I think I wear blue well. 

BDE was a mammoth event involving 8 partners: Sadler's Wells, East London Dance, Southbank Centre, Trinity Laban, Greenwich Dance, Royal Opera House, Dance Umbrella and The Place. Over the four days so many works were shown I lost count. I was fortunate enough to get to watch some of the work. The highlights for me where Claire Cunningham's Evolution, Travelling Light Theatre Company's Boing! and Nic Sandiland's Gravity Shift. 

Nothing could stop the excitement and on Saturday as the 300 delegates partied at the Southbank Centre the snow fell. Before BDE came to London I had no idea what it was. However, I now only understand how important it is for the industry, but I just thought it was amazing to see the wealth and diversity of the dance we create in Britain. 

Well done BDE London it was amazing and now I look forward to BDE 2014, which will take place in Scotland. 

Robbed - 3rd place in Dance Marathon

Last week I was let out of the ATC office and after 4.5 hours of what can only be described as train torture I arrived in Edinburgh. It was my first time in Scotland, first time in Edinburgh and first time at the Festival Fringe. Friday night comes around and the opportunities are endless but I decide to embark on a four-hour endurance extravaganza Dance Marathon.Created by the Canadian company bluemouth inc, Dance Marathon is advertised as a ‘new duration-based performance event which has been taking the world by storm’.

On arrival at the Traverse Theatre I was given a number to wear and a questionnaire to fill in with questions such as do you have any special skills? What are you waiting for? What have you lost? Once everyone was ready, numbers on chests, we were walked over to a secret location, which could only be described as a broken down gym hall. It was perfect though and I felt like I had been transported to America for a High School dance that I have always dreamed of.

We were instructed to find our feet (the number on our chest corresponded to a number in a pair of feet on the floor). I found my 85, and met my partner for the night 86, otherwise known as Adam Palolozza. Then for the next four hours I was transported into a whirlwind of dance styles crossing genres alongside music from the last 100 years.

Through sheer determination and talent I made it through to the semi-final where 6 couples got to slow dance under the watching eyes of failed contestants. As I was led around the dance floor, twirling like a Princess, I didn’t want it to end. I felt like Cinderella and knew soon it would strike midnight and I would have to return to reality.

Only one thing stood in between me and the final – dancing the hula. For a second I thought I could make it through to the final. I picked up the dance quick and ‘shaking it’ was what I was born to do. Only two couples would go through to the final and three faced the judges ‘hulaing’ for their lives. Then the dreaded moment came when the judges walked over to me and tapped my shoulder. In a furious rage my partner and I ripped off our numbers and chucked them to the ground.  We’ve been robbed we proclaimed!

However, all was not lost as numerous spectators came forth and informed us that we were the best and that we had been robbed. Even the Referee said he has been routing for us. Sometimes in life the best don’t win, but Dance Marathon wasn’t about winning the trophy it was about the experience. As I left that sweaty, sweaty hall I felt a sense of achievement. Everyone in the room had been apart of something special and I had the chance to ‘dance under the stars’ and be a dancer one more time.