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28th October 2019

CDD

Conservatoire for Dance and Drama elects Caragh Merrick as new Chair to the Board of Governors

The Conservatoire for Dance and Drama, a higher education provider of world-leading performing arts training, is approaching its 20th anniversary. As we look to the future, we are delighted to announce the election of Caragh Merrick as our new Chair to the Board of Governors. Caragh will take up the post in November 2019 and succeeds the current chair James Smith, who has reached his maximum term limit after serving since 2010. Caragh joins the Conservatoire as we embark upon an ambitious new strategic plan, building upon the organisation’s legacy and strengths: internationally renowned conservatoire training underpinned by dynamic relationships with the performing arts industries, and a national presence across three leading centres of culture. She will work in close partnership with the Conservatoire’s Chief Executive Officer David Ruebain and the Principals of the six member schools.

David Ruebain, Chief Executive Officer, says of the appointment:

“Caragh brings a wealth of executive and board experience to the Conservatoire. She has a thorough understanding of both the higher education and performing arts sectors, and her previous work with membership organisations and her passion for collaboration make her the ideal person to realize the myriad opportunities of the Conservatoire partnership. She is the perfect successor to James, to whom we are immensely grateful for his caring stewardship during the past nine years. Caragh impressed us all with her leadership skills, style, and dedication to the performing arts, and I am excited to work with her in leading the organisation into its next evolution.”

Caragh was a senior audit partner in PricewaterhouseCoopers from 1990 to 2002, during which time she also fulfilled a number of practice leadership roles, including membership of the UK Assurance Board with specific responsibility for HR strategy development and implementation. On retiring from PWC, she worked with Chairmen and Chief Executives, principally in the public sector, to develop effective board leadership and corporate governance.

She has held Trustee and Chair roles for a diverse range of organisations including the National Theatre, the National Foundation for Youth Music, Help Musicians UK, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, and UCAS, and remains a Trustee of the University of Birmingham and the Royal College of Art.

Caragh Merrick says,

“I believe strongly in the work of the Conservatoire and in the vital contribution of the performing arts to our cultural life and to our society as a whole. I am greatly looking forward to working with David and the Principals. The individual members of the Conservatoire are leading schools internationally in their chosen fields; together we can harness the considerable potential of the collective to achieve something very special in the coming years.”

Press contact: Emma Swift at Conservatoire for Dance and Drama, emma.swift@cdd.ac.uk / 020 8150 5511.

Notes to editors:

The Conservatoire is a formal collaboration among six member schools who are committed to the delivery of world-leading education and specialist vocational training in the performing arts. We train the performing artists and production professionals of the future: actors, circus artists, dancers, stage managers, technical theatre practitioners, choreographers and directors.

Located at the heart of three vibrant cultural centres in London, Bristol and Leeds, the Conservatoire schools are: Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Central School of Ballet, London Contemporary Dance School, National Centre for Circus Arts, Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Rambert School.

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9th September 2019

Central School of Ballet | Dance

Central alumni perform on BBC One’s Peaky Blinders

On Sunday evening, two Central alumni appeared in the new episode of Peaky Blinders on BBC One. 2008 graduate Brenda Lee Grech and 2012 graduate Jacob Wye, both now company members at Rambert dance company, performed Swan Lake choreographed by Rambert artistic director Benoit Swan Pouffer. You can watch the episode now on BBC iPlayer […]

1st September 2019

Alumni round up – September 2019

The Place presents Touch Wood, a platform for Choreodrome artists to present a sketch of work which is in its conception, from 3 – 6 September. The programme includes new work by graduates: Space Invaders (working title) by Ruby Portus (LCDS & NSCD) on 3 September Gay Gardens by Thick and Tight, with dancers Daniel […]

The Place presents Touch Wood, a platform for Choreodrome artists to present a sketch of work which is in its conception, from 3 – 6 September. The programme includes new work by graduates:

Space Invaders (working title) by Ruby Portus (LCDS & NSCD) on 3 September
Gay Gardens by Thick and Tight, with dancers Daniel Hay-Gordon and Eleanor Perry (Rambert), on 5 September
Well Lit by Duckworth & Persson, with dancer and choreographer Anders Duckworth (LCDS), on 6 September
IONCEWAS, choreographed by Eva Recacha and Lauren Potter (LCDS) and performed by Lauren Potter, on 6 September.

New English Ballet Theatre perform at Sadler’s Wells from 4 – 6 September. The company features dancers Marianne Allen and Aitor Viscarolasaga Lopez (Central).

Charlie Cox (BOVTS) makes his Broadway debut in Betrayal at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, playing from 5 September.

Northern Ballet present Three Short Ballets at the Stanley and Audrey Burton Theatre 5 -7 September and Doncaster Cast 10 & 11 September. The company features dancers Rachael Gillespie, Ashley Dixon, Hannah Bateman, Harriet Marden, Harris Beattie, Ayca Anil, Matthew Morrell, and Julie Nunes (Central).

Jonzi D (LCDS), Artistic Director of Breakin’ Convention, presents Open Art Surgery at Sadler’s Wells on 7 September and Breakin’ Convention Presents on 27 – 28 September.

Gracefool Collective (NSCD) present This Is Not A Wedding at the Gala Theatre, Durham, on 11 – 12 September.

Stuart Waters (NSCD) presents ROCKBOTTOM at The Place on 12 September.

Dilek Rose (BOVTS) features in Reasons to Stay Alive at Sheffield Theatres Studio Theatre, from 13 – 28 September.

Eliot Smith (LCDS) presents Portraits of Courage at Saint Mary’s Cathedral, Newcastle, on 18 September. The company features dancers Gemma Paganelli, Giacomo Pini (LCDS), Adam Davies (Central), Victoria Winter (NSCD) and Niall Tyzack-Carlin (Rambert).

Christopher Schutt (BOVTS) is Sound Designer for Glass. Kill. Bluebeard. Imp at the Royal Court, 18 September – 12 October.

English National Ballet perform at Sadler’s Wells on 18 – 28 September. The company features dancer Sarah Kundi (Central).

Candoco present Double Bill at Sick Festival at The Lowry, Salford, on 18 & 19 September. The company features dancers Toke Strandby and Fabian Jackson (NSCD).

Pedro Leandro (BOVTS) features in A View from the Bridge at York Theatre Royal, playing 20 September – 12 October.

James Wilton (LCDS) presents The Storm, touring this month to Birmingham MAC and Hurst Festival. The company features dancers Sarah Jane Taylor, Sean Monroe (LCDS) and Jacob Lang (Rambert).

Artistic Director and choreographer Paul Chantry (Central) presents Alice – Wonderland Through The Looking Glass, touring this month to Guildhall Arts Centre, The Swan Theatre, and Waterside Arts Centre.

Fantasia by Artistic Director and choreographer Rosie Kay (LCDS) opens at Birmingham Hippodrome, 25 – 26 September. The cast features dancer Carina Howard (Rambert).

Amy Bell (LCDS) presents The Forecast at The Place on 26 September.

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19th August 2019

National Centre for Circus Arts | NSCD | Circus Arts | Dance

NSCD and National Centre for Circus Arts graduates shortlisted for Total Theatre Awards

Total Theatre Awards have announced the shortlist for 2019, with graduates from National Centre for Circus Arts and Northern School of Contemporary Dance among the nominees. Nikki & JD (National Centre for Circus Arts graduate Jean-Daniel Broussé) are shortlisted for Knot for the Total Theatre & Jackson Lane Award for Circus. Knot uses hand-to-hand circus […]

1st August 2019

Alumni round up – August 2019

This August, many of our graduates will be presenting an array of dance, drama, circus arts and comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Check out where to see them here. In cinemas now, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School alumna Harry Wootliff directs new drama Only You, starring fellow BOVTS graduate Josh O’Connor. Ira Mandela Siobhan (NSCD) […]

This August, many of our graduates will be presenting an array of dance, drama, circus arts and comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Check out where to see them here.

In cinemas now, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School alumna Harry Wootliff directs new drama Only You, starring fellow BOVTS graduate Josh O’Connor.

Ira Mandela Siobhan (NSCD) features in Equus, now transferring to Trafalgar Studios in the West End until 7 September, following a run earlier this year at Theatre Royal Stratford East.

Alexander Mushore (BOVTS) features in the RSC’s Measure for Measure, playing at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford, until 29 August.

Joan Iyiola (BOVTS), Daniella May (NSCD) and Anthony Matsena (LCDS) feature in Tree at the Young Vic, playing until 24 August.

Laura Soper (BOVTS) features in Swallows and Amazons at the York Theatre Royal, playing until 24 August.

National Centre for Circus Arts graduates Simple Cypher – Kieran Warner and Christopher Thomas – present Roll Up Roll Up as part of New Gen @ Underbelly (Underbelly Festival Southbank) on 3 – 4 August.

Company Chameleon (NSCD) present Of Man and Beast at the International Street Arts Festival, Waterford, Ireland on 3 – 4 August, and Amaranthine at The Big Feast, Stoke, on 23 – 24 August.

Scottish Ballet premiere new ballet The Crucible at Edinburgh Playhouse from 3 – 5 August. The company features dancers Aisling Branagan, Thomas Edwards, Jamiel Lawrence, Amy McEntee and Rishan Benjamin (Central).

Motionhouse present Wild at Stockton International Riverside Festival (1 – 2 August), bOing! Festival Canterbury (24 – 25 August) and Freedom Festival Hull (31 August – 1 September). The company will also present Knot at Art in the Park, Leamington Spa (4 August) and Captive at Preston Flag Market (10 August). Currently dancing with Motionhouse are graduates Martina Knight, Alasdair Stewart, Naomi Tadevossian (LCDS), Junior Cunningham, Daniel Massarella, Rebecca Williams, Aaron Watkinson, Joel Pradas, Beth Pattison (NSCD), Chris Knight (NSCD & LCDS) and Shannon Kate Platt (Rambert).

Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet comes to Sadler’s Wells from 7 – 31 August. The title roles will be shared among dancers including graduates Bryony Harrison (Rambert), Andrew Monaghan (Central), and Seren Williams (Central). The main cast features graduates Monique Jonas, Chris Thomas (Rambert), Reece Causton, Kate Lyons, Stephen Murray, Danny Reubens, Mark Samaras (Central), Roisin Whelan (NSCD), Sharon Mackenzie (Rambert & NSCD), Gaby Conn and Hannah Mason (LCDS). Also joining the cast are current students Alexander Fadayiro (Central) and Jana Baldovino (Rambert).

Alex Jennings (BOVTS) stars in Hansard at the National Theatre from 22 August. Christopher Schutt (BOVTS) is Sound Designer for the production.

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25th July 2019

Conservatoire graduates showcase work at Edinburgh Fringe 2019

Taking place over three weeks every August, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the single greatest celebration of arts and culture on the planet. This year Conservatoire school graduates will be joining thousands of performers taking to stages all over the city to present shows for every taste. Check out where to see them below: […]

Taking place over three weeks every August, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the single greatest celebration of arts and culture on the planet.

This year Conservatoire school graduates will be joining thousands of performers taking to stages all over the city to present shows for every taste. Check out where to see them below:

Nikki and JD – Knot

Assembly Roxy, Upstairs

Jul 31, Aug 1-5, 7-12, 14-19, 21-25, 2:45pm

Physically exhilarating and touchingly poignant, Knot is the internationally acclaimed circus and dance work by Nikki Rummer and National Centre for Circus Arts graduate Jean-Daniel Broussé. These talented performers use hand-to-hand circus skills to tell the tale of an impossible choice: how can we be honest with ourselves without hurting those we love?

The development of this show was supported by National Centre for Circus Arts through the Lab:time² programme, and created in collaboration with award-winning choreographer and London Contemporary Dance School alumnus Ben Duke.

BalletBoyz – Them/Us

Underbelly, Bristo Square – McEwan Hall

Jul 31, Aug 1–15, 1:00pm

Award-winning all-male company makes an explosive Edinburgh debut. Created collaboratively by the BalletBoyz company dancers, Them explores the individuality that resides within each dancer and the versatility of movement which BalletBoyz are renowned for. In Us, Tony and Olivier Award-winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon examines human connections, culminating in the tender duet which premiered in 2017 to public acclaim. The company features graduates Bradley Waller, Edd Arnold, Benjamin Knapper (Rambert), and Liam Riddick (LCDS).

LUNG and The Lowry – Who Cares

Summerhall – Main Hall

Jul 31 Aug 2-11, 13-25, 6:20pm

At school Nicole, Jade and Connor are just like everybody else. But when they get home, things are very different. Adapted from real-life testimonies, award-winning theatre company LUNG examine our failing care system, the impact of austerity and what happens when a child becomes the parent. The cast features BOVTS graduate Jessica Temple.

The Feathers of Daedalus – Tarot

Assembly Rooms – Bijou

Aug 1-7, 9-18, 20-24, 11:10pm

The Feathers of Daedalus Circus conjure up a night of circus, music, improvisation and divination. Live audience tarot and clairvoyant readings guide our performers in this unpredictable tale, where all is possible, and everything unexpected. The show features National Centre for Circus Arts graduates Tessa Blackman, Josh Frazer and Holly Downey.

Barely Methodical Troupe – Bromance

Assembly Rooms, Music Hall

Aug 1-6, 8-11, 13-18, 20-25, 3:00pm

Among the UK’s hottest circus companies, Barely Methodical Troupe are at the forefront of a new kind of physical performance, creating highly entertaining shows that mix the showstopping acrobatics of circus with the emotional punch of theatre. The company’s original show features the three founders and National Centre for Circus Arts graduates Charlie Wheeller, Louis Gift and Beren D’Amico.

Bright Buoy and Hero – The Wonder Jam

Heroes @ Black Medicine – Basement

Aug 1-25, 00:00am

Join the ‘hilarious’ (BroadwayBaby.com) Lorna Rose Treen, the truly funny Belinda Anderson-Hunt, Dougie Baldwin (Netflix’s Disjointed) and many more for a blend of hilarity, mayhem and music, featuring recent BOVTS graduate Jonathan Oldfield.

The Hiccup Project – Lovely Girls

Zoo Southside, Main House

Aug 2-6, 8-11, 13-17, 8:50pm

NSCD graduates Chess Dillon-Reams and Cristina MacKerron a.k.a The Hiccup Project bring their latest show, Lovely Girls to the Fringe. Lovely Girls delves into the contradictions and clichés of being a woman today, using a blend of dance, theatre and comedy to imagine a world where women can be whoever and whatever they want.

Phil Sanger – For Only an Hour

Dance Base, Studio 3

Aug 2-4, 6-11, 13-18, 20-25, 7:35pm

Phil Sanger studied the BA (Hons) at NSCD and later danced with postgraduate company VERVE before returning to the school as a lecturer. His solo show For Only an Hour is a queer manifesto told through dance, song, and spoken word, set to a medley of Angela Lansbury, Delia Smith and Bette Midler.

Slanjayvah Danza – Six Feet, Three Shoes

Dance Base, Studio 3

Aug 2-4, 6-11, 13-18, 4:00pm

Dance company Slanjayvah Danza was founded by NSCD alumna and current MA Dance & Creative Enterprise student Jen Wren. Their latest work 6 Feet, 3 Shoes combines dance, storytelling and foot-stomping rhythms to reimagine traditional arts and celebrate friendship across borders.

Trip Hazards – Progress

ZOO Playground, Playground 2

Aug 2–17, 4:30pm

Recently named one of the Guardian’s Best Emerging Theatre Companies, Trip Hazards presents Progress: a playful and painful exploration of how friendship survives when we win and when we lose. Bristol Old Vic Theatre School MA Directing graduate Nikhil Vyas features in the cast.

Short Round Productions – Filament

Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows, The Lafayette

Aug 3-6, 8-11, 13-18, 20-24, 5:00pm

Bursting onto the scene with passion, emotion and talent, Los Angeles’ Short Round Productions presents Filament. Amazing circus skills collide with a story inspired by your favourite 80s teen movies. The show features National Centre for Circus Arts graduate Tom Ball.

A Play, A Pie and A Pint

McSorley’s Irish Bar – McSorley’s Stage

Aug 5-9, 12-16, 19-23

A play, a pie and a pint all included in your ticket price! Contemporary interactive play and great craic, featuring recent BOVTS graduate Jonathan Oldfield.

Take Thou That – The Ruff Guide to Shakespeare

Assembly George Square Studios – Two

Aug 7–17, 11:00am

A glorious celebration of the work of the world’s greatest playwright. Expect silly sketches, toe-tapping songs and dastardly duels as Bristol Old Vic Theatre School student company Take Thou That present children’s show The Ruff Guide to Shakespeare.

Heads Up

Dance Base, Studio 3

Aug 9-10, 1:15pm

NSCD alumna Phoebe Douthwaite features as one of several emerging artists in Heads Up, Dance Base’s iconic and eclectic showcase. Experience a unique programme of fresh works reflecting the diversity and excitement the festival has to offer.

Lost in Translation Circus – Hotel Paradiso

Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows, The Beauty

Aug 13-18, 20-24, 12:10pm

Thrillingly spectacular circus skills, physical comedy, clowning, theatrical storytelling and slapstick combine in this follow up to international hit The Hogwallops from good old fashioned contemporary circus company Lost in Translation Circus. The show features National Centre for Circus Arts graduates Massimiliano Rossetti (cast member and Company Director), Matthew Green and Roisin Morris.

Circumference – Staged

ZOO Southside – Main House

Aug 13-25, 7:00pm

Featuring three performers on an aerial platform as precarious as our perceptions – a single action changes everything, but everything is not always what it seems. The show features National Centre for Circus Arts graduates Matthew Smith, Gemma Palomar, and Pablo Meneu. Development for the show was supported by National Centre for Circus Arts through the Lab:time and Lab:time² programmes.

Genesis!

Greenside @ Nicolson Square – Lime Studio

Aug 19–24, 11:30am

2019 Rambert School graduate Kennedy Junior Muntanga premieres two works with his own company Kennedy Muntanga Dance Theatre: Sonder, a work about the human desire for connection in order to exist, and Genesis, is a reflection on humanity and our unpredictable future.

Scottish Dance Theatre – Ritualia

ZOO Southside – Main House

Aug 19–24, 9:00pm

Scottish Dance Theatre’s Ritualia shakes tradition to its core in this bold re-imagining of Nijinska’s 1920s ballet, Les Noces. An ensemble of other-beings vogue through a wedding ceremony, donning queer wigs in a visual feast of wearable art and lush lighting set to Stravinsky’s original modernist score. The company features graduates Harry Clark, Luigi Nardone (Rambert), James Southward (NSCD) and Apprentices Jessie Roberts-Smith, Giorgia Pirozzi, Molly Danter and Reece Calver (LCDS).

James Wilton Dance – The Storm

Dance Base – Studio 1

Aug 20–25, 2:00pm

Multi award-winning dance company James Wilton Dance present The Storm, a whirlwind of lightning-fast athleticism where acrobatics, break-dancing, martial arts and contact work fuse to form dance that will blow audiences away. Artistic Director James Wilton is a graduate of London Contemporary Dance School and the company features dancers Sarah Jane Taylor, Sean Monroe (LCDS) and Jacob Lang (Rambert).

Lost Dog, presented by The Place – Juliet & Romeo

Dance Base – Studio 3

Aug 21–25, 12:45pm

With Lost Dog’s blend of dance, theatre and comedy, this duet reveals the real story of Romeo and Juliet. It turns out they didn’t die in a tragic misunderstanding, they grew up and lived happily ever after. Well, they lived at least. Both Solene Weinachter and Ben Duke, artistic director of Lost Dog, trained at London Contemporary Dance School.

Amy Bell, presented by The Place – The Forecast

Dance Base, Studio 1

Aug 21–25, 12:30pm

Amy Bell is a UK based dance artist whose work embraces performing, making, writing, teaching, and curation. Amy read English at Cambridge University and trained at London Contemporary Dance School. Her current critically acclaimed solo show, The Forecast, takes a poetic and ironic look at the cloud-like shiftings of gender and sexual identity.

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17th July 2019

Together, not the same – Sadler’s Wells Young Associates present new work

In February 2018 Sadler’s Wells launched the Young Associates programme, a new initiative supporting talented 18 to 24-year-olds for two years, providing a crucial first step into their career as choreographers. The artists receive a tailored programme of professional development and support, including the opportunity to present their work as part of the Sadler’s Wells […]

16th July 2019

BOVTS | Stage Management & Technical Theatre | Alumni | Awards

BOVTS Theatre Design graduates compete for the Linbury Prize

We are delighted to announce that five Bristol Old Vic Theatre School MA Theatre Design graduates have been selected to participate in The Linbury Prize for Stage Design. The prestigious prize, awarded every other year by The Linbury Trust, recognises excellence in performance design amongst recent graduates. The prize offers twelve finalists of design degree […]

We are delighted to announce that five Bristol Old Vic Theatre School MA Theatre Design graduates have been selected to participate in The Linbury Prize for Stage Design.

The prestigious prize, awarded every other year by The Linbury Trust, recognises excellence in performance design amongst recent graduates. The prize offers twelve finalists of design degree programmes the chance to work with some of the UK’s leading theatre, opera and dance companies.

Competing for the 2019 prize are alumni from the graduating MA Theatre Design classes of 2018 and 2019, including Caitlin Abbott (MA, 2018), Alana Ashley (MA, 2019), Robin Davis (MA, 2019), Emily Leonard (MA, 2018) and Stavri Papa (MA, 2018).

Angela Davies, Head of Theatre Design at the School said today: “I am thrilled that our graduates have been successful in the first round of the Linbury Prize. It is testament to their hard work, determination to succeed and above all else their individual talents. I am incredibly proud of all their achievements.”

As a former winner of the prize, Angela knows only too well the standard of the entries, explaining: “The Linbury Prize is open to graduates from all theatre and performance design courses. As the only graduate prize of its kind in the UK, there is an extremely high level of competition and the judges will see exceptional design skills across the board.”

In the next stages, finalists will present their portfolios to the prize judges and then representatives from commissioning production companies, which this year include Birmingham Royal Ballet, Leeds Playhouse, Nuffield Southampton Theatres and Octagon Theatre, Bolton.

From these rounds, twelve finalists will be selected to work on costume and set designs between August and November 2019, culminating in a design exhibition at the National Theatre. Four winners will be chosen who will receive a commission to realise a production, launching their professional career.

Jenny Stephens, Artistic Director at the School, added “All our graduates are extremely deserving and to have five of them in the competition is not only an indication of their individual skills and talent, but also of the outstanding training they have received under Angela’s guidance.

“We wish all of them the very best of luck and look forward to following their progress in the next stages of the competition”.

For further information about the completion, please see the Linbury Prize website.

Alana Ashley’s 1:25 scale model set design for Let the Right One In

Robin Davis’ 1:50 scale model opera project design for Dido and Aeneas

Main image: Robin Davis’ 1:25 scale model set design for The Dissociation of Shirley Mason.

Photography by Craig Fuller.

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15th July 2019

NSCD | Dance | Alumni | Awards

NSCD awards 2019 Honorary Fellowships

NSCD has announced its 2019 Honorary Fellows, this year both of whom are alumni of the school: renowned choreographer Akram Khan MBE and ACE Dance and Music founder Gail Parmel. The awards were conferred as part of the School’s graduation ceremony on Saturday 6 July. The highest honour the School is able to bestow, the […]

NSCD has announced its 2019 Honorary Fellows, this year both of whom are alumni of the school: renowned choreographer Akram Khan MBE and ACE Dance and Music founder Gail Parmel.

The awards were conferred as part of the School’s graduation ceremony on Saturday 6 July.

The highest honour the School is able to bestow, the fellowships are awarded each year to individuals who have made an exceptional contribution to the School, contemporary dance and the wider cultural ecology. Since 2017 Honorary Fellowships have gone to alumna Sharon Watson, Artistic Director of Phoenix Dance Theatre, Miranda Tufnell, author of Body, Space, Image: Notes Towards Improvisation, Wayne McGregor, and alumnus Gary Clarke. See the full list here.

Upon presenting the awards, NSCD Principal Janet Smith said:

“We are proud of the enormous achievement of our new Honorary Fellows, and also that they are our alumni. Each in their unique way, whether drawing from traditional Indian Kathak dance or traditionally rooted African and Caribbean Contemporary dance, has made an outstanding contribution to expanding our understanding of what contemporary dance is and can be in the 21st century and the voices and stories we can hear.”

After leaving NSCD in 1998, Akram Khan created Akram Khan Company, known for provocative and ambitious productions and now regarded as one of the world’s leading innovative dance companies. As well as a range of outreach and collaborative work, the company enjoys tours that reach out to numerous cultures and people across the globe. Akram has received various accolades including two Olivier Awards – Best New Dance Production for DESH in 2012 and Outstanding Achievement in Dance for XENOS in 2019 – and was invited to choreograph a section of the 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.

Akram Khan, working overseas at the time of the ceremony, sent the following message:

“I feel honoured and grateful to accept this award. The Northern School of Contemporary Dance means a great deal to me. My time at the School shaped the way I create work, the way I conduct myself with others, and the way I practice. My time at NSCD truly created the foundation on which I now stand – and occasionally still dance.”

Gail Parmel is the co-founder of ACE Dance and Music, one of the UK’s most eclectic and resilient dance companies. She grew up in Chapeltown and graduated from NSCD in 1996, then danced with Kokuma Dance Company before co-founding ACE with her husband, musician Ian Parmel. The company remains firmly rooted in its home city of Birmingham, but is globally recognised as a leader in Contemporary African and Caribbean dance. ACE’s reputation has thrived thanks to a wide range of productions, classes, carnival presentations, and outreach programmes. Gail’s choreography career spans two decades, and she has created 10 successful touring productions to date.

Upon receiving the award, Gail Parmel said:

“I am so proud and humbled to be awarded this Honorary Fellowship. To be given the highest award that this school can bestow is something that I could only have dreamed of when I started my training here, back in 1987. Gaining a place at NSCD fundamentally changed the course of my life. I owe so much to the inspirational teachers who have contributed to me being here tonight, who identified and nurtured my talent and gave me the confidence to believe that a career in dance was not only possible, but achievable. As one of the first cohorts of students here, I still feel extremely connected to this school. It will always be a very special place for me.”

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12th July 2019

LCDS | Circus Arts | Dance | Performances and Exhibitions

Resolution Applications are OPEN!

Resolution is The Place’s annual festival of new choreography and performance works by emerging artists. Resolution exists to support and celebrate work by UK emerging artists. Every year The Place, home to London Contemporary Dance School, welcomes over 70 UK based artists to create original work for one of the most exciting and established London […]

Conservatoire for Dance and Drama elects Caragh Merrick as new Chair to the Board of Governors

Central alumni perform on BBC One’s Peaky Blinders

Alumni round up – September 2019

NSCD and National Centre for Circus Arts graduates shortlisted for Total Theatre Awards

Alumni round up – August 2019

Conservatoire graduates showcase work at Edinburgh Fringe 2019

Together, not the same – Sadler’s Wells Young Associates present new work

BOVTS Theatre Design graduates compete for the Linbury Prize

NSCD awards 2019 Honorary Fellowships

Resolution Applications are OPEN!

Conservatoire in Action