Advice Bureau Archives - Dance Gazette

José Alves, the Brazilian dancer who was formerly a leading artist with Ballet Black, was part of the panel of judges for The Fonteyn 2024. He judged the competition’s semi-finals, which took place at the RAD’s HQ in London.

The best advice I ever received

The best advice I have ever received came from my first dance teacher who told me, ‘dance with your heart, not just your feet.’ This simple yet profound guidance has always reminded me that the true essence of dance goes beyond technical precision. It is about conveying emotion and connecting with the audience on a deeper level.

The advice I would pass on

The advice I would most like to pass on is to embrace the journey, including its challenges. Every setback is an opportunity to grow, and every triumph is a testament to your resilience. Stay curious, stay passionate, and never stop learning. Also never allow people to say that you’re not capable of anything.

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Dance Gazette Advice Bureau Issue 11 - Oct 2024

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Jasmin Vardimon is an Israeli-born choreographer. Founded in 1998, Jasmin Vardimon Company has been a leading force in British dance theatre for over 20 years, noted for its challenging and visually arresting productions.

The best advice I ever received AND the advice I would pass on

• Never restrict your curiosity, and always continue to feed it.

• Explore and learn new territories, abilities, and approaches.

• Find your own independent answers.

Jasmin Vardimon’s *ALiCE*. Photo: Tristram Kenton

Jasmin Vardimon Company took part in Exploring Repertoire: Alice in Wonderland at the RAD in London on 1 and 2 June.

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Dance Gazette Advice Bureau Issue 10 – June 2024

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The best advice I ever received
The truth is like oil. It always comes to the surface.

The advice I would pass on
Patience and humility.

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Germaine Acogny and Malou Airaudo in their duet common ground[s]. Photos: Maarten Vanden Abeele

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Germaine Acogny and Malou Airaudo perform common ground[s] in the Elixir Festival at Sadler’s Wells, London on 10 April

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Dance Gazette Advice Bureau Issue 9 – Feb 2024

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The best advice I ever received
Advice comes in many forms. Some that you immediately respond to and some that impact you throughout your life.

Years ago, during one of the most difficult periods of my life, I felt dance had abandoned me. At that point my maternal grandmother advised me to wear my ghungroos (bells that all Indian classical dancers wear around their ankles) and just ‘be’. Not dance. But go about my daily activities in the house with my ankle bells on.

She said that gradually the resonance of the bells will fill my being… the weight of the bells will ground me… the feet will remember their rhythm… imagination will take flight and dance will re-emerge from within.

How very true she was. I have kept her words close to my heart. Every time dance seems to abandon me, I re-embody my grandmother’s words.

The advice I would pass on
Does the journey itself reward you? Or is it only the goal? For great artistry to blossom it is the process in which we should be completely immersed; with honesty, humility and rigour.

It is only when the journey itself bears fruit, when the journey evokes fragrances, valleys and peaks, that the goal becomes that much more profound and meaningful. Then the dancer in you has actually lived the dance! Don’t wait for the mist to clear, step into the fog – into the forest of dance. If not sight, fragrance will surely guide you.

Aditi Mangaldas in *Forbidden*. Photo: Von Fox Promotions

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A trailer for Aditi Mangaldas’ Forbidden

RESOURCES

Forbidden is on tour at Sadler’s Wells, London (13–14 October) and Northern Stage, Newcastle (20 October)

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Dance Gazette Advice Bureau Issue 8 - October 2023

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The best advice I ever received The thing that probably had the most impact in terms of my happiness and wellbeing was to focus on the things that you can control, rather than the things that are outside of your control.

That’s really important for ballet dancers – or anyone pursuing something at a high level – being able to work out the things that will allow you to get better versus the things that are really out of your control. They can take a lot of time and energy away from the things that you can actually do. I’ve certainly experienced that myself, where you let those things take priority, and then you’re not in the best position to take advantage of potential opportunities.

I also remember my mum putting up a quote in front of my desk. It’s a line from a big speech by Polonius in Hamlet: ‘this above all, to thine own self be true.’ I was a young kid and mum tried to explain it, but I didn’t really get it. But it’s always been there, and as I’ve grown older, I realise that it’s important to be comfortable in your own skin.

You want to make decisions based on who you are and who you want to be. It’s had a huge impact and certainly guides me when I’m making decisions about all sorts of things. It gives me a lot of satisfaction and happiness, being comfortable with who I am rather than what people expect of me

The advice I would pass on It would be that idea about being comfortable with who you are and who you want to be – that can guide you in your decision making. We all come to a point where you’re faced with difficult decisions, so it’s nice to have something guiding you.

Alexander Campbell in *Dances at a Gathering*. Photo: Bill Cooper/Royal Ballet

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The Limit in association with Alexander Campbell Productions is at the Linbury Theatre, Royal Opera House, from 20-28 October

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Dance Gazette Advice Bureau Issue 7 - June 2023

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The best advice I ever received One of the best pieces of advice I received was to focus on the process and not on the result. I know this is classic, perhaps a cliché, but it’s actually very good not to be obsessed by being successful; by being seen. This allowed me to focus on my training, to focus on what’s lacking, and to keep evolving and push myself outside my zone. I went further with my artistic career.

Another piece of incredible advice I received was to trust my gut and instincts. People want to be normalised: maybe that is changing slowly, but at the time I was obsessed with being accepted and I’m very happy that I listened to my unique voice and understood that the way I move is my own. I think artists need to find the flow, find their way – and I think that the more different you are, the better you are seen in any room.

The advice I would pass on The advice I will give to the next generation is to stay curious and stay inspired by going to museums, theatres and movies. I think it’s the best way to refresh our vision about what’s already happening in the industry. There are a lot of things that repeat themselves, but I think there are many stories to be told and many stories to be believed. Go outside of your zone and discover what has not been touched yet.

WATCH

Marie-Astrid Mence in a teaser for Oklahoma!

RESOURCES

Oklahoma! is at Wyndhams Theatre, London from 16 February.

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Dance Gazette Advice Bureau Issue 6 - Feb 2023

REST OF Issue 6 - Feb 2023

The best advice I ever received Learning to say NO with the same conviction as YES is moving forward.

The advice I would pass on When you ask for advice, you are in a collaboration that informs your instinct.

*Show Of Hands* by Freddie Opoku-Addaie. Photo: Benedict Johnson

*The Big Pink Ball* at Shoreditch Town Hall in in Dance Umbrella, 2019. Photo: Leila Jones

RESOURCES

Oklahoma! is at Wyndhams Theatre, London from 16 February.

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Dance Gazette Advice Bureau Issue 5 - Oct 2022

REST OF Issue 5 - Oct 2022

The best advice I ever received Something an aged dancer once told me, ‘I have nothing to teach you. Continue with me for at least five years.’ I made a decision. I realised that dance was something that you don’t learn from someone, but study, and I never went there again. After that I started to research and study by myself. It was clear to me that time was yours, and you had to make your future by yourself. And with that determination, everything in front of me seemed to open up.

The advice I would pass on I would pass on these very simple words: ‘It is a good thing not to know. Feel reassured and continue, with patience.’

Teshigawara and Rihoko Sato in *Tristan and Isolde*. Photo: Akhito Abe

*Tristan and Isolde*. Photo: Ketaro Nemato

*Tristan and Isolde*. Photo: Mariko Miura

RESOURCES

Oklahoma! is at Wyndhams Theatre, London from 16 February.

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Dance Gazette Advice Bureau Issue 4 - June 2022

REST OF Issue 4 - June 2022

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

Oklahoma! is at Wyndhams Theatre, London from 16 February.

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Dance Gazette Advice Bureau Issue 3 - Feb 2022

REST OF Issue 3 - Feb 2022

The best advice I ever received I am continually inspired by Peter Brook’s seminal book about theatre, The Empty Space. It really made an impact on how I approach a new creation and whenever I start a new work, I tell myself ‘don’t be afraid of silence and emptiness’. For a choreographer like me who works with movement it is tempting to fill the space with lots of movement and hugely challenging to strip away and leave the essentials and find silence and emptiness.

I try and don’t always succeed, which is another bit of advice I was given by Brendan Keaney, Artistic Director and CEO of Ipswich DanceEast. During a Future Leadership course Brendan was running, he said ‘feed your hinterland,’ and those words often ring in my ears and make me smile. They remind me to make sure I find time to feed and nourish my own curiosity, which is essential for someone who creates work.

The advice I would pass on While creating The Happiness Project, the first production for my company Humanoove, I delved into what happiness means and learned an enormous amount about it through discussions with my dancers and collaborators. I believe you are indeed in control of your own happiness, that it is a state of mind. I’m not saying it is easy to achieve but wonderful when you can recognise those moments of bliss!

Dream and chase your dreams; it’s vital to do the things you believe in. It will give you energy for life! People often ask: didn’t you have to give up a lot of things when you were young to become a professional dancer? When I was training it never crossed my mind. I woke up at 6am, travelled 100 minutes to school on public transport, trained, got back home around 8.30pm, had dinner and went to bed – and I thoroughly enjoyed it and never felt I missed out on anything. I felt privileged, to be honest.

When your body tells you it is in pain, listen to it and rest. As a young dancer you believe you are invincible and can push through pains and fatigue to become the best you can be. As time goes by you realise there are limitations to how much you can take. So be careful with your body and mind – there is life after your career as a dancer, and you want to enjoy all of it.

Stay down to earth, be open, honest and generous towards yourself and others, respect your fellow dancers, choreographers, directors and teachers. Never say never, hold on to dear friends, love to the fullest, cry when you need to, be curious. Laugh, share, inspire yourself and others, go camping and be at one with nature – even if you hate camping. Stand up for what you believe in, allow yourself to be wrong, don’t try to be perfect, work hard, learn and never forget to enjoy the journey.

WATCH A trailer for @HOME

RESOURCES

Oklahoma! is at Wyndhams Theatre, London from 16 February.

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Dance Gazette Advice Bureau Issue 2 – Oct 2021

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WATCH A trailer for @HOME

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