Harry Marlow, Author at Dance Gazette

How can an arts organisation be a ‘Good Neighbour’ to its local community?

Being a good neighbour as a cultural institution is about using the skills, assets, knowledge, privileges and partnerships that you have and sharing them with the people closest to you in the community you operate in. It is about being part of a place and investing in it so you contribute to making it better for everyone, not just yourself. It is about being generous, opening a door and letting people in.

In essence, it is about taking on mutual stewardship of an area along with all its other members, supporting a collective and co-created approach to making projects happen that honour everyone together.

What do you hope the RAD can do for the local community in Wandsworth – and how can working with the community enrich the RAD’s work?

I hope the RAD can open the door wide to let people in, sharing what it has with others.

This isn’t so much what the RAD can do by itself, but what everyone can do together! It is about creating models of collective action and setting a shared vision and plan to collectively bring more to the Wandsworth area and ensure that everyone benefits. Working together on projects that investigate and celebrate identity in the area, we can learn from each other and get closer as citizens.

By working with the community and giving energy and support to it, the RAD will create a framework of trust and mutual respect. In return, it will hopefully be seen as an important part of the community’s assets and a place that is open to everyone – a home. Dance (as with many other art forms) can often be seen as not for everyone. But as trust and mutual respect build, people will be more interested in learning more and trying some of the classes and programmes that the RAD has to offer.

This is truly about creating a home for dance that is reflective of the needs of the community.

How do you ensure that this work takes root and continues to develop?

We will establish an Arts Action Group in Wandsworth to make decisions with us around the projects they want to see and how to support them. This ‘asset based community development’ model of working honours local people as experts. The group’s members could include leaders of tenant and resident groups, the head teacher at the local school, someone who has run the corner shop for 30 years, the lollipop person – community leaders.

Together we will commission projects: some quick and light, some longer and deeper that allow us to collectively co-create and co-produce work and forge stronger partnerships through doing so. It will allow the RAD to get to know its new neighbours and partners and for everyone to learn how to work together: how to fundraise, commission and produce community projects for everyone. As the group continues to create together, ambitions will rise and projects will get deeper and more risk taking.

Key to the commitment to the Good Neighbour Programme is the fact that the RAD will hire a new team member in to support the work so there is one representative from RAD at the table for all community-facing work – ensuring that the partnerships, knowledge and networks are continually kept and held.

What led you to found Take A Part?

I started out on a project in a community in Plymouth called Efford. They were going through a regeneration process and wanted to bring in some creative projects to support engagement. Through a huge amount of trial and error, some tears and a few arguments, I came to understand that more people engage in and have ownership over projects if they asked for them. So I started asking. That was in 2009 and I haven’t looked back since!

Have you ever taken dance classes?

You know, I never have. Maybe this is my time!

RESOURCES

Explore the work of Take A Part

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Dance Gazette RAD Q&A Issue 4 - June 2022

REST OF Issue 4 - June 2022

HRH The Duchess of Cornwall formally opened the new state-of-the-art Royal Academy of Dance global headquarters on 10 March. Created as a new international home for dance, the new building in Battersea will enable the RAD to expand on its 100-year commitment to high-quality dance education and to bring the transformational power of dance to more people, regardless of age, ability, or location.

The Duchess, Vice-Patron of the RAD since 2020, was given a tour of the building by the RAD’s outgoing Chief Executive, Luke Rittner, and its President, Dame Darcey Bussell. ‘As the very proud Vice-Patron of the RAD,’ she said after unveiling a commemorative plaque, ‘I would like to congratulate everybody who has made this wonderful new building possible. Having had a very short tour of it, seeing its complete magnificence, it’s just doing so much for so many young people – and old people like me. As a Silver Swan myself, I was inspired by my first visit here to try it out and I have been doing it ever since.’

After meeting RAD students training to become dance teachers, the Duchess continued onto a Silver Swans ballet class for learners aged over 55, delivered by her own teacher and Silver Swans Licensee, Sarah Platt. They were joined remotely by a class in Perth, Australia led by Jamelia Gubgub. The Duchess is herself a ‘swan’, as part of her ongoing commitment to championing active aging. She also met participants from the RADiate programme, which provides subsidised inclusive dance classes designed to develop the physicality and boost the self-esteem of children and young people with additional learning needs.

A dance presentation in the brand-new studio theatre, which moved from ballet to hip-hop, included performances from the Step Into Dance initiative; the Step Hip Hop Company is run in association with ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company and develops technique and choreographic skills in dance styles influenced by hip hop culture.

The Duchess also congratulated the winner of the RAD’s art competition for primary schools in Wandsworth. Young children from across the borough were invited to submit a piece of artwork inspired by how dance makes them feel. The winner, Richard aged 8 from Alderbrook Primary School, presented his work to the Duchess, alongside runners up Indiana and Genevieve.

Before leaving, the Duchess paid tribute to Luke Rittner, ‘who has done such a wonderful job over the years,’ and concluded, ‘I just want to say again how proud I am to be part of it all.’

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Dance Gazette Inside RAD Issue 4 - June 2022

REST OF Issue 4 - June 2022

What sparked your interest in dance?

I’d always loved to dance and been a performer in my house. There was an understanding from my parents that this kid had to have attention! There was a New York City Ballet special on PBS, and I became hooked seeing Albert Evans dancing Ulysses Dove’s Red Angels – I had never seen anything like it. Then I got a gift for Christmas of NYCB in The Nutcracker – and beyond the costumes and amazing dancing, it was the snow scene that was captivating to me. One of the snowflakes was Black – she was really good, and I spent the whole time watching her. She gave me permission to say: I could be up there too.

Was it easy to make the decision to pursue a career in dance?

In retrospect, I didn’t know what it meant to be a dancer. My path to pursuing dance and being here at Houston Ballet has always been a search for community. The dance studio has always been a place where I could turn the volume up to 10 on who I am. It’s equal parts wanting to be the best dancer I can be, but also searching for a place where my identity and who I am can be at maximum.

Harper Watters and Charles-Louis Yoshiyama in *Come In*. Photo: Amitava Sarkar (Houston Ballet)

How did a pair of very high, pink heels and a gym treadmill launch your social media career?

There was a group of openly gay boys in the company at the time – it felt like a golden age, but we were probably so obnoxious! One of the boys was leaving the company and walked into the gym one night with two pairs of giant pink heels. We wondered what would happen if we wore them on the treadmill, and one thing led to another. It was very impromptu – we filmed it, I posted it and turned my phone off. When I reopened my phone there were a lot of likes and comments. It was a wake-up call to the power of social media. I thought, now that I have people watching I want to bring them into my world as a classical dancer.

How have you carried that forward?

One thing I’ve learned through my social media career is that visibility is currency. Not necessarily monetary, but the power to show people that they can do it. What I try to do with my social media is to lean into what makes me happy, and if that inspires other people to take that first step then I feel I’m accomplishing something. The series [about previous dancers of colour for Black History Month in the US] I did on social media is my way of acknowledging the dancers who were doing it first – I feel I owe that to them.

Why does dance matter to you?

I feel I would have answered this differently a few years ago. But right now, dance is about a legacy for me. It’s so important to be confident, unapologetic, authentic, fabulous in what you do. I’m not just doing it for myself but for so many others. Dance matters because I want to continue that legacy. And it’s also really fun to do!

Why Dance Matters

Why Dance Matters is a new podcast from the RAD – a series of conversations with extraordinary people from the world of dance and beyond. We hope these insightful personal conversations – hosted by David Jays, editor of Dance Gazette – will delight and inspire you.

The third season of Why Dance Matters also includes Carlos Acosta, opera star Joyce DiDonato and RAD President Dame Darcey Bussell. Please do listen and subscribe.

RESOURCES

LISTEN: Hear the full interview with Harper Watters on Why Dance Matters, the RAD’s podcast.

Follow Harper Watters on Instagram

Follow Harper Watters on TikTok

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Dance Gazette Why Dance Matters Issue 4 - June 2022

REST OF Issue 4 - June 2022

Dance should be rooted in the art form and not simply its rules or theoretical practice. If dance, as the Britannica defines it, is ‘the movement of the body in a rhythmic way, usually to music, expressing an idea or emotion, releasing energy or simply taking delight in the movement itself’ – then we must always consider how to release and share that expression and delight.

Ballet itself has been developed by numerous people, in multiple countries over time, and is in constant evolution through the participation of many more. Influenced by different hands – almost ‘open sourced’! – and not owned by anyone in particular, it is no wonder opinions on what constitutes ballet can vary so widely.

Of course, within their dance classes RAD teachers should assist students to demonstrate a good, solid ballet technique to facilitate the syllabus. Although ballet depends on secure technique, it must also transcend it. After all, the word ‘technique’ derives from the Greek tekhnē (art), and literally means ‘to do with art or an art.’ So technique, like dance, is an art!

Ballet technique is neither static nor invariable, and is acquired as part of a journey that must consider anatomy, kinaesthetics, physical and mental development and aesthetics amongst others. We develop our technique not just from tradition, but from a grounding in our personal starting point and the incremental steps we take to achieve the refinements we seek. Every individual evolves differently, and our students must also understand the impact of their own involvement beyond simply following instructions.

‘Although ballet depends on secure technique, it must also transcend it. Technique, like dance, is an art!’

Take turnout as an example. It is relative to the body, it is not geographic, and the degree to which it is achieved will vary from dancer to dancer. Although turned out feet are the most obvious external indicator, we know that turnout does not come from the feet. Beyond the concept of rotating the legs, we must consider what other parts of the body are actively involved in that rotation and where tension or strain must be removed to permit it to happen. This is not in the legs alone – turnout depends on complete body placement and core strength.

Turnout is not a static picture, or a gripped position, it must function through all movements. Even if a dancer holds a perfectly placed, turned out first position they must then build on that as they move through successive moves and positions. Understanding how turnout is connected and adapts to all movement is essential – in ballet, nothing happens in isolation.

I look forward to sharing more with you in future issues.

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Dance Gazette Art of the matter Issue 4 - June 2022

REST OF Issue 4 - June 2022

For years, West Side Story was inextricably linked to Jerome Robbins’ choreography. On both stage and screen, the iconic finger clicks, bent knees and flaring skirts created an unmistakable movement language of simmering violence and romantic frustration.

Recent stage productions have allowed new choreographers to tackle this juicy material – including Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker on Broadway and Aletta Collins in Manchester. For Steven Spielberg’s new film, it’s Justin Peck, who as resident choreographer at New York City Ballet has danced in many Robbins’ ballets. ‘I’m standing on the shoulders of giants by taking this on,’ he acknowledges.

His grandfather and father watched the original stage production of West Side Story together, and when years later the young Peck saw the film in San Diego, it hit him, he said ‘like a gut-punch.’ Creating dance for Spielberg’s film he could draw on a cast that included not only Rita Moreno – who played Anita in the original film – but a new generation of vivid dancers. This time, Anita is Broadway star Ariana DeBose, who in 2020 told Dance Gazette about her approach to creating a character. ‘It all starts with movement,’ she said, ‘point blank, end of story. Because body language is everything.’

Watch

West Side Story trailer

RESOURCES

READ: Ariana DeBose in conversation with Noma Dumezweni in Dance Gazette

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Dance Gazette Big Picture Issue 3 - Feb 2022

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1 Von deiner Güt from The Creation by Franz Joseph Haydn

I have been rehearsing a very beautiful pas de deux by Uwe Scholz to this music so I have been listening to it over and over. It is emotional and uplifting, and takes you to another place. The choreography and the music work together so well: the choreography enhances the music and the music enhances the beautiful choreography.

2 Prelude from Cello Suite No 1 in G Major by Johann Sebastian Bach

I chose this piece for a contemporary choreography which I was lucky to perform recently at Die Staatstheater Stuttgart. I love Bach and I love the cello. It is so atmospheric, and it makes me want to dance. This prelude has a great beginning and end and lots of light and shade in between. It is a good length for a solo which made it great to choreograph to, but I really like the whole suite.

3 Rain, In Your Black Eyes by Ezio Bosso

I like the rhythm and builds in Ezio Bosso’s music and I used this for my Dancer’s Own solo in The Fonteyn.

4 All She Wrote by Six60

Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom had a big impact on me growing up. I saw myself in it in many ways. I would make up dances to this track over and over and pretend to be Scott from the movie. I went on to direct and choreograph the stage adaptation as my West End debut, which was a very special full-circle moment for me. I like listening to New Zealand music when relaxing as it reminds me of home and it is really good. Six60 is great (I’m also a big fan of Lorde).

5 Easy On Me by Adele

This is number one at the moment. Epic singer and epic song.

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Dance Gazette Playlist Issue 3 - Feb 2022

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The best advice I ever received It’s short and sweet: you are enough. I don’t think we reflect on that enough. Everything I feel I have experienced on my journey, I have very much looked outside myself. But sometimes ‘you are enough’ penetrates deeper than something I’m looking for externally. It makes me go back and forward in time – it makes me reflect in time, look at where I’ve come and the people I’ve met, and look at where I want to go. When I piece it all together, I realise that where I’m at is the best place – I’m present, I’ve made and created something. When it resonates for me is when I tell it to myself.

The advice I would pass on Patience. Sometimes, especially in the time we’re in now, we realise we’ve been over-working ourselves. Sometimes it’s about waiting and making the mountain come to you rather than going and climbing the mountain. I turn 36 this year, and there are many times I didn’t feel patient. But when I’ve sat into myself I realise that’s when I become the manifester and magician, and that there’s a level of flow that comes to me.

Hip hop dance, my world, is very much a young person’s game. A lot of the younger creators are feeling like they haven’t hit that moment yet. Even for me, it feels like it only just starts now. Before I was prepping myself, and now it starts. So it’s very much about patience. Sit into ourselves and be patient with ourselves, and understanding and knowledge will come.

Ivan Michael Blackstock’s *Traplord*. Photo: Glodi Miessi

RESOURCES

Ivan Michael Blackstock’s TRAPLORD is at 180 Studios, London WC2 from 26 March–16 April

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Dance Gazette Advice Bureau Issue 3 - Feb 2022

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Has ballet always been part of your life?

It’s really funny – I was into the scouts and running around outside. I cried at ballet class – I never wanted to be there. Then my grandma thought ballet was wonderful and would give me so much. I wasn’t convinced. I didn’t like it – it was a lot of structure. My teacher was old-school, Russian-style, very firm. I was having some issues with my behaviour, but sweet grandma said, ‘Ballet will do the trick.’ And I remember feeling – I am not going to cry anymore, I am not going to let this win over me.

Nowadays, how do you approach students who are as rebellious as you once were?

I trick them. I do not present any structure at the beginning. First of all, I make them fall in love and be curious about it. I use a lot of slang in my class – and once they’re hooked, that’s it! I know the benefits of dance and ballet, so I can’t let anybody go.

How did you come to teach dance classes in your own home?

The school where I taught was kicked out of the place they were renting. My house was about four blocks away, so I said let’s all go together and do our ballet class. That’s the way it started. I remember a special moment when I looked at my class and saw more boys than girls and thought – oh, that is unusual. I always look at their eyes and I could see them believing me. I realised, I’m responsible for these kids because they trust me.

How do you make ballet attractive to boys?

We’ve created a generation of boys. In 2020, five of our students qualified for The Fonteyn, I’m so proud. A few years ago I was invited to teach a class in a local school and thought, I’m going to trick them into rhythm and movement. I put on music they related to and we started with claps and syncopation steps and then a simple turn. At the end of the class I said, ‘Guess what guys. I’m a ballet teacher and what you were just doing is called a promenade. This is ballet.’

What have you learned through teaching dance?

Passion is something that you build. I’m passionate about my work because I had to really fight for it. Dance can change people – not just you, but your friends, family and community.

RESOURCES

Explore the work of Take A Part

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Dance Gazette RAD Q&A Issue 3 - Feb 2022

REST OF Issue 3 - Feb 2022

The RAD is delighted to announce that Tim Arthur will succeed Luke Rittner as Chief Executive of the Academy.

Tim Arthur started his career as a drama teacher with his own drama school in Tunbridge Wells. He went on to become a successful theatre director and playwright. He was CEO/Artistic Director of Trinity Theatre in Tunbridge Wells and won several awards for his work as Artistic Director of the Derby Playhouse’s internationally renowned Community Theatre. He was also the CEO of Cardboard Citizens, a multi-award-winning charity creating theatre working with and for homeless people. He is also a published author and a former presenter on BBC Radio London.

‘I am incredibly excited and honoured to be given the opportunity to lead this wonderful organisation,’ says Arthur, who will take up the post in March. ‘Over the last 100 years, the RAD has helped to change tens of thousands of lives around the world by introducing them to the transformative power and sheer joy of dance. The RAD has been a beacon of excellence, creativity, passion and inclusivity and my aim is to ensure that this continues long in to the future.’

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Dance Gazette Inside RAD Issue 3 - Feb 2022

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I started dancing when I was two. Mum took me along to ballet class and I did tap, ballet and modern for about 10 years. I loved it. I didn’t experience competition until I was at primary school, and was quite shy and was never confident. But I loved sports day and the fact that you could win or lose – I enjoyed that element of competition. It was how I got more involved in athletics – it was black or white, no grey areas.

How do you deal with winning and losing?

Even when I win, I’m very critical of myself. It’s part of being of an athlete, you’re always looking to do better. I’ve always been prepared to fail, but we don’t really prepare athletes for success. At Rio in 2016, I became a double paralympic champion, I was a world record holder, it should have been the happiest time of my life. I felt relief that I’d actually done it, but didn’t enjoy it. It felt good for five minutes, but I then felt very unfulfilled. I’d always felt like a mentally very strong and resilient person, but was suddenly spiralling into having mental health issues. It completely took me by surprise. People think, when you’ve achieved something you’ve dreamt of your whole life, that you should be happy and grateful. I felt very isolated. I completely lost myself and it took 18 months for me to become even a shadow of myself again. Even now, I’m not the same person.

How did you enjoy Dancing on Ice?

For me, ice skating is ballet on ice. When I did Dancing on Ice it was so good for me. I was terrible – but had a new-found appreciation for dance. The ice dancers are incredible. You’ve got the logical structure of training and preparation, but you’ve also got the whole artistic and performance side. Since starting athletics I’d never gone back to dance, so it was awe-inspiring. Blind people don’t necessarily have good spatial awareness, and I’m no good at facial expressions, so I knew [professional ice dancer] Mark Hanretty was nervous about working with me. We had a really good conversation: I said, I’m an athlete, I’m very coachable. We absolutely clicked, I completely trusted him and I wasn’t going to let anything get in my way.

What difference has your guide dog, Hatti, made to you?

It took me a while to decide to get a guide dog. I was getting very bored with explaining to everybody that I couldn’t see very well and asking if they could help me. I hated using a cane. Hatti gives me confidence: that I can go anywhere and not be judged, because all people want to do is stroke her. Disability can be awkward for other people – having Hatti there makes people more comfortable and feel that they can ask me any questions they want. Hatti’s an amazing dog, she’s been there through a lot of ups and downs.

Why does dance matter to you?

Dance is an expression of yourself, it gives you a sense of freedom. I’m terrible at dancing – but I do like to have a little dance in the kitchen!

Why Dance Matters

Why Dance Matters is a new podcast from the RAD – a series of conversations with extraordinary people from the world of dance and beyond. We hope these insightful personal conversations – hosted by David Jays, editor of Dance Gazette – will delight and inspire you.

Our new season includes Carlos Acosta, American opera star Joyce DiDonato and RAD teacher Barbara Peters. Please listen and subscribe to Why Dance Matters.

RESOURCES

Read Libby’s book, My Life With Hatti: Six Years with a Dog Who Does Everything

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Dance Gazette Why Dance Matters Issue 3 - Feb 2022