Boy Blue Entertainment - The Five & the Prophecy of Prana

Tonight was the press night of Boy Blue's latest work "The Five & the Prophecy of Prana" at the Barbican. My first experience of Boy Blue was for the Pied Piper. It was one of my first experiences of seeing 'hip hop' within a theatre context and I remembered the performance in a positive light and wondered whether tonight would live up my original experience. 

The Five & the Prophecy of Prana advert was a cartoon sketch and this perfectly set the tone for the night. The performance was created as a comic book with animation being an integral part of the performance. There was a direct interaction between what was being projected and the dancing on stage. In fact, all of the design elements were carefully working together with the music supporting the dancing, rather than just being something to dance to. 

The dancing was phenomenal! I am no 'hip hop' expert, but as a member of the general public the standard of dancing was exceptional. All of the dancers clearly were talented and could perform alone, but also in sections of tight unison proved their ability to deliver choreography with precision. The audience were clearly enjoying the performance with clapping after every section, as well as cheering whenever they were wowed. 

The weakest element for me was the voiceovers. At times they were effective, but especially in the first half the sections seemed to drag on and create a slow feel. However, in the second half the performance picked up and the show was over and I wasn't quite ready for it. 

Overall, Boy Blue Entertainment have managed to create a work that met my expectations and I would definitely recommend. 

Swan Lake Reloaded

You can tell from the advertising that Swan Lake Reloaded was no normally Swan Lake. It was virtually a year to the day since I had seen English National Ballet's Swan Lake and I was back The Coliseum to see Fredrik Rydman's version.

In this version the Swans are prostitues and Rothbart is their pimp. The performance mixed hip-hop and contemporary dance to create a fusion that worked at times but not at others. The contemporary elements wasn't anything spectacular, but the use of isolation was interesting and in true hip-hop style there was some nice tricks. It was interesting to see a headspin replacing the infamous 32 fouettes.

One aspect I throughly enjoyed was the music. There was elements of the traditional Tchaikovsky score and then mixed with electro sounds. The choreography complimented the music throughout and it was interesting to see choreography that really worked with the drama of the music.

Swan Lake reloaded may not be everyone's cup of tea, but for those who are open to seeing performance in its the general sense - go see! Definitely one of the most enjoyable performance I have seen in a while.

One day women will rule the world

This week I was delighted when English National Ballet announced that their new Chief Executive was Karen Napier. With a strong history in the arts industry, working for Rambert Dance Company, English National Opera and the Southbank Centre Hayward Gallery, Karen had spent the last 4 years as Associate Dean, Advancement at London Business School. 

Having a female Chief Executive has filled me with joy. I still remember the day I asked Alistair Spalding how he felt about being a male Chief Exec with a workforce that was heavily female dominated. I'm not a feminist that is stating that every company should have a female Chief Exec, but it just alarms in that in the arts, where work forces are largely female, there is still a heavy male presence at the top. Name a few of the most influence London arts organisations and their Chief Executive or Managing Director.

Barbican - Sir Nicholas KenyonSadler's Wells - Alistair SpaldingTate Modern - Sir Nicholas SerotaRoyal Ballet - Kevin O’Hare

Male, male, male and male! 

Well I can't wait for February the 1st and I am looking forward to having the opportunity to work at with Karen and hopefully picking up some tips for how to be a successful business woman. 

A new season

Shiora Kase, Tamara Rojo & Yonah Acosta 

Yesterday I had the lovely opportunity to be apart of ENB's press launch. Tamara Rojo ex-Royal Ballet principal became the Artistic Director in August and yesterday she announced her vision for the company and the upcoming season. Over 200 people turned up at the Corinthia Hotel to hear Tamara's announcement. In addition to explaining her vision and the upcoming productions, the guests were treated to a pas de deux from The Sleeping Beauty and having the opportunity to question Tamara directly. 

The launch went extremely well, so now my challenge is to sell tickets (and work out how to get to spend a night at the Corinthia hotel). 

2012 season includes: Emerging Dancer, My First Cinderella, Ecstasy and Death, and A Tribute to Rudolf Nureyev. 

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.

Breakin' Convention 2012

This year for the third year running I had the pleasure of working at Breakin' Convetion. Under the artistic direction of Jonzi D, Breakin' Convention is an international hip-hop dance theatre festival at Sadler's Wells. The three-day weekend is immense and a highlight of my dancing calendar. It is a jam-packed programme with the main show kicking off at 6pm each day and combining the best of UK and international hip-hop.  

What is I find the most exciting about the programme is the range of work. This year at one end there was Zoonation Youth Dance with a true piece of hip-hop dance theatre that was lyrical and emotional. Whilst at the other there was the breath taking Wagabond Crew from France. Now the French kill it when it comes to hip-hop. I remember back in 2010 watching Pro-Phenomen and being in awe of their sheer power and intensity. They were back this year and on form, but as the closing act of the final night Wagabond Crew proved why they are the current champions of the two most prestigious bboy events - Battle of the Year and Uk Bboy Championships. The Wagabond Crew for what seemed forever threw their bodies across the stage. Moments were breath-taking, some crowd pleasures, but also just solid technique Bboying. 


I also want to mention Storyboard P from Brooklyn, New York. He described his style as mutant. I am guessing this is because he moves his body unlike anything on this earth. Full of charisma, the incredible smooth Storyboard P glided through a range of movement to sweet and sometimes seductive sounds. Storyboard P took charge of the stage and without all of the speed, tricks and strength that is usually seen. Instead, Storyboard P used his body and expression to demand the attention. And all of this in the tightest trousers I have ever seen a 'hip-hop' male wear. 


This year the Breakin' Convention experience was taken to a new level with the final day being streamed live at breakinconvention.com, sadlerswells.com and thespace.org. This was all part of The Space initiative, which has been set up by the Arts Council of England to instigate the production of digitally recorded art. I am guessing with the overall intention being more people will be able to access the artistic products. With a mixture of live interviews, filming around the festivals and recording of the performances it was a crazy hectic day. I ran underneath Sadler's Wells stage too many times but for the final product it was definitely worth it. An amazing festival and a great live stream too and I am sure all of those who watched would agree to. 


If you didn't manage to see the festival don't worry because Breakin' Convention is currently on a UK tour. Check out the tour dates here. If you are not lucky enough to see a touring performance then you can still watch clips, when they become uploaded, on The Space website.

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. 

Being in a music video

I have always loved music videos. I am constantly being told off because I just watch them all the time. I can remember as a teenager watching videos over and over again trying to learn every move and it was my ambition when I moved to London to be in one music video. So when in January this year, I went on a date with a guy who managed music artists and could get me in a video I was very interested. 11 months later my dream finally came true. 


The story starts on a cold Saturday morning in Bermondsey, which wasn't quite as glamorous as I had always imagined. I arrived at studio along with children street dancers and other women models/dancers. We all waited in anticipation for the arrival of the artist King Kash. All morning I waited for us to finally get on set, whilst I froze myself off in the process. By the time I got on set I was starving having not eaten all day and managing to pull enthusiasm and energy from somewhere took some work.


Track on, Lights on, Fan on...it was time for me to work it. It was weird how in a club, at a tube platform, on the pavement I have no problem dancing but in a studio with all eyes on me if was a different story. I was so scared, I could feel my body shaking and my heart pumping out my chest. I was HOT, but not the type I needed to be for the video. The wonderful Videographer Danielle Da Silva encouraged me and after a take I forgot everyone else was in the room and just performed. By the time I was done I didn't want to stop and I really hope I get the chance to be in another video one day.


But the story doesn't end there. Now I have to wait patiently for the footage to be edited to see if I even make the final cut and if I do exactly what sections of me get used. So now I wait in anticipation for King Kash's H.O.T. 

Notting Hill Carnival 2011

Now there is nothing quite like an all day event!  I don’t care whether it is Bognor Beer Race, Gay Pride or Carnival. I just love dressing up and spending the whole day dancing away.

The August Bank Holiday basically marks the end of Summer, but it isn’t all doom and gloom, because before it is all over there is Notting Hill Carnival. For two days the glorious Caribbean comes to England... unfortunately, the Caribbean sunshine is not always part of the deal but you can hear the music, smell the food and see the wonderful costumes in the parade – it is a feast for all the senses.

Last year Lennisha and I took part in the parade and I loved it. We didn’t wear a crazy costume, but inside those ropes I loved it. So this year a few of my other friends came down to join in. We got our Dominican t-shirts and got to customising – cut off the sleeves, add some beads, tie it up short. Then the standard short shorts to make the outfit complete.

For one day I represented a country I knew nothing about. Of the 5 girls in my group, only one was from Dominica but that didn’t matter. We danced along to all the songs and enjoyed the attention of the crowds. I felt like a celebrity being followed by the paparazzi.They guessed 1 million people had come to line the streets, which such an extensive route across West London it is easily possible.

What makes the day so exciting is that everyone has come to party. This is the purpose of carnivals, to let lose and forget about your normal life. For that day I could have been in any island of the Caribbean, it just didn’t matter. What was important was to let your hair down, shock out and embrace the environment.

So as I type this with my chipped red, yellow and green nails I look forward to next years carnival. It is definitely a highlight of the year and if Summer had to be over at least it went with a bang!

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.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Last week I was lucky enough to leave England and visit Scotland for the first time. As I sat on the 4.5 hour train journey from London to Edinburgh, I couldn't help but question why I was leaving dry London for wet, wet Scotland in the middle of Summer. Even now I am not sure why so many theatrical people would choose to spend the best month of the year in a place that is wetter and colder than England.

I imagine what drives people is that unique experience. Anyone who is anyone is in Edinburgh and although I felt moving to London I was where everything was happening, I was wrong! Everything is happening in Edinburgh. On arriving in one day I watched two of my ex-freshers performing and then an ex-manager. I mean only in Edinburgh would that happen. The numerous theatrical faces I bumped into that I hadn't seen in London for ages. To be honest, it was a little bit freaky.

The amount of stuff to see was overwhelming and if you are not that into reading reviews how do you choose? Well I went for love, bit more love and what I thought would be glitz and glamour. The beauty of Edinburgh was the fact you can see dance, theatre, musicals, live art and comedy... oh yes COMEDY! Now anyone who knows me, knows that I can't be bothered with comedy and Edinburgh is full of it, with every second someone giving you a flyer for a 2 for 1 on a comedy night. I couldn't think of anything worse.

Leaving Edinburgh after four days I was exhausted and I don't think I even pushed myself that hard. I was left with a sense of sadness, because it was so lovely to be surrounded by so many people who are passionate about performing. They save every penny they have to get on a bike, coach, back of a van and perform for as many days as they can possibly afford. It's beautiful to see, much like the hills of Edinburgh too.

Will I be back? Yes! 2013 with a show... you heard it here first.

Breakin' Convention 2010

Breakin’ Convention is a hip hop dance theatre festival, conceived by the genius Jonzi D and happens at the renown home of dance, Sadler’s Wells. Now Hip Hop isn’t really my thing. As shocking as this may seem when I love walking around in trainers, joggers and my frizzy hair i.e. I can easily pull the look off. However, I decided to volunteer (my favourite pass time, now favourite main time) for Breakin’ Convention .

For one weekend Sadler’s Wells is transformed. Forget the white walls and the politeness of lots of people standing musing over what they just saw. Now, the walls are covered in graffiti and there is music blasting through the levels. The energy is amazing. Everywhere you look people are forming circles and watching people busting a move and then there are the people jamming to the music even though no one is watching. 

Inside the theatre the front rows had been removed and instead people stood. It brought that touch of musical festival feel and just made you feel engaged and engaged people were. Now coming from a ‘dance theatre’ background where you politely watch and clap to show your appreciation I absolutely LOVED the audiences’ responses. If there was a move you liked you would react there and then with claps, gasps, woops and taking your hat off.  

Breakin’ Convention may seem artificial. Some feel hip hop is for the streets or the dance floor. Breakin’ Convention is hip hop dance theatre with some of the acts really pushing the dance theatre boundary. However, from freestyle circles, the music, the main stage and the after party there was something for everyone. The standard was amazing with international act as well as UK acts showing how its done. My favourite act was the closing act of the festival Pro-Phenomen from France who were phenomenal. Now I am looking forward to the challenge of learning my breakin’, poppin’ and lockin’ and rocking up to Breakin’ Convention 2011 in my Nike ID’s and ready to show my skills.