Looking back on the Big Day

Dance For Japan was just one week ago today, and what a day it was! Looking back on it now, it all seems like a blur – such was the energy and enthusiasm and success of the occasion. With over 200 participants, plus teachers, performers and helpers in and out of the building all day, it is hard to believe how smoothly everything went, and a real credit to my fantastic team of volunteers. I feel so blessed: the classes were full, the performances divine and I have had so much glowing feedback from people who thoroughly enjoyed the day. God gave me the strength and courage to take this project on, and He has provided the answers and the people to counter each and every setback.

I would like express my sincere gratitude to Central School of Ballet, to all those who generously gave their time to teach or perform, to my team of volunteers who ensured the dream-like running of the day, and to all those who donated prizes for our exciting raffle. I would like to give a special thanks to Alice for her wonderful designs and tireless enthusiasm; to Richard, for his beautiful choreography and attention to detail; and to my family for their unwavering dedication to the cause. Thanks to these and many, many more people, we raised over £5500 for the Red Cross towards aid in Japan.

It is not too late to donate! If you would like to contribute towards the relief of people suffering in Japan, you can do so at www.justgiving.com/julia-davies86

Thanks to everyone 🙂

Performance Schedule for Dance For Japan!

To Perform at 1.30

David Paul Kierce and Keiko Amemori – ‘As Time Goes By,’ by David Nixon

Springs Dance Company – Excerpts From ‘Bread of Life,’ by Suzannah McCreight. Danced by Charlotte Brown, Naomi Cook, Claire Talbot, Corey Baker and David Willdridge

 

To Perform at 5.30

Emma Lister and Lorien Slaughter – Excerpt from Giselle, Act Two. By kind permission of English Youth Ballet

‘In Her Eyes,’ by Katherine Hollinson. Music by Kings of Leon, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Band of Horses. Danced by Charlotte Brown

Ballet Black in ‘Pendulum,’ by Martin Lawrence. Danced by Jazmon Voss and Cira Robinson

 

To Perform at 8.30

Jonathan Oliver and Domonic North in a duet from Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake

Ballet Black in ‘Indigo Children,’ by Liam Scarlett. Danced by Kanika Carr, Jade Hale-Christofi, Samuel Chung, Damien Johnson, Sarah Kundi and Cira Robinson

Excerpt from ‘Virus’ by Richard Bermange. Danced by Vasiliki Stasinaki, Lucy Lowndes and Corey Baker

Ayako Y Beagley and Damien Johnson – White Swan Pas de Deux, Swan Lake

Kinisi Dance Company in ‘Digital Whispers’ by Charlene Dinger. Music by Charlie Smith. Danced by Charlene Dinger, Rachel Perry, Kelly Manning, Simona Moramarco, Marina Guarnieri and Lindsay McAllister

 ‘Summertime,’ from Strictly Gershwin, by Derek Deane. Danced by Ksenia Ovsyanick and Junor de Olivera. By kind permission of English National Ballet.

‘11311’ by Milo Miles. Music by Alex J Steed. Danced by Chiara Castania, Hannah Frost, Olivia Mellodey, Ildy Minardi and Claire Phillips. Created for Dance For Japan

‘Candid’ by Richard Bermange. Danced by Nandita Shankardass and Nathan Young. Created for Dance For Japan

Yat-Sen Chang and Crystal Costa – Black Swan Pas de Deux, Swan Lake. By kind permission of English National Ballet

One Week To Go!

So here we are, with one week to go until Dance For Japan! After over two months of preparation, it is now just around the corner, and I don’t know what I feel more: excitement, nerves, impatience, or panic!

It has been a wonderful journey so far, along which I have learnt to use Twitter (!), met people whose generosity astounds me, and begun to irritate even myself with my constant ‘Dance For Japan’ plugging! The support and enthusiasm from teachers, performers, friends and dancers has been overwhelming. It is a wonderful tribute to all the beautiful Japanese dancers in our world, that everyone is so keen to help the people of Japan at this time, and what has struck me is the incredible willingness of people to donate time, money and effort to show their support.

The timetable is finished, the performances are prepared and the dancers are getting warmed up for a Dance Marathon to remember. I am praying that all will go well on the day, and that we can make this day a real success: a time for the dance community to come together for a good cause, and have a wonderful time too!

It is not too late to be a part of Dance For Japan. To attend, simply donate £15 at www.justgiving.com/julia-davies86 and leaving your full name and the fact that you are registering to attend. To sponsor the event, or an individual, you can donate at the same address, stating who you are sponsoring by name. Please spread the word; please give generously, and I hope to see you all there (in DFJ T-shirts!) on Saturday 28th May: Central School of Ballet: 10am-10pm

Timetable!

 

SAT 28^th MAY 2011

Timetable – Subject to change

 

Studio 2

 

Time	Style	Teacher	Level
10.00-11.00	Warm-up	Wayne Sleep	Gen
11.00-12.15	Ballet	Denzil Bailey	Elem/Int
12.15-13.15	Workshop – contemporary	Springs Dance Company	Gen
13.30-14.00	WATCH . . .	. . . A . . .	. . . PERFORMANCE  !
14.00-15.30	Ballet	David Kierce	Beginner
15.30-16.30	Pilates	Emma Lister	Gen
16.30-17.15	Zumba	Patricia Day	Gen
17.30-18.00	WATCH . . .	. . . A . . .	. . . PERFORMANCE  !
18.00-19.15	Jazz	Milo Miles	Int/Adv
19.15-20.15	Salsa	Richard Atkins	Gen
20.30–22.00	WATCH . . .	. . . A . . .	. . . PERFORMANCE  !

 

Studio 3

Time	Style	Teacher	Level
10.00-11.00	Zumba	Cleo Souza	Gen
11.00-12.00	Hip Hop	Gwen Jno-Baptiste	Gen
12.00-13.30	Ballet	Roland Price	Pro
13.00-14.00	O	O	O
14.00-15.00	Jazz	Leanne King	Gen
15.00-16.00	Street	Dennis Wonder	Gen
16.00-17.30	Workshop – contemporary	Kinisi Dance Company	Gen
17.30-18.00	O	O	O
18.00-19.00	Musical Theatre	Julien Roussel	Gen
19.00-20.30	Ballet	Raymond Chai	Adv
	O	O	O

 

Dance For Japan Latest

It is less than a month since we heard the devastating news of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan, and so much has happened. The tragic developments continue to be reported on our news – stories of people missing, homeless or in mourning and of homes and lives destroyed. Though we very quickly get back to ‘normal,’ living with the aftermath of this tragic event is a daily reality for those in Japan, and our support, both finacial and demonstrated, is crucial at this time.

As far as Dance For Japan goes, all the developments have been good ones! The support from the dance community has been overwhelming, and though I was initially worried about filling up 12 hours of classes and performances, I am now more worried about fitting everyone in! Wayne Sleep will be kicking it off with a Warmup, then I have ballet with Roland Price, Denzil Bailey, Raymond Chai and David Kierce; jazz with Leanne King, Milo Miles and Julien Marc Roussel; Street Dance with ‘Lil J and Dennis Wonder; Salsa with Falleros Dance Company; Contemporary with Springs Dance Company and Kinisi Dance Company, plus Zumba, Fitness and Pilates classes. The finished timetable will be online at the Dance For Japan Facebook page in the next few days. Performance-wise, we are all in for a real treat, with Principles from ENB, EYB and ex NBT, plus Ballet Black, Springs, Kinisi and Falleros. Milo Miles, and Richard Bermange will both be creating new pieces to be performed on the day too!

                                                                

Dance For Japan T-shirts are on sale for £10 each from Freed of London, or you can contact me on julia_davies323@hotmail.co.uk to place an order. ‘Designed by alice’ have created two limited edition ballet skirts which can be bought as part of a pack containing a T-shirt, skirt and headbank for £30. Hoodies are available to order – please contact me.

If you are interested in attending on 28th May, please go to www.justgiving.com/julia-davies86 and donate £15 to the Red Cross. Make sure you leave your contact information, so I can send you the details. The sooner you register, the better, as the money goes to people in desperate need straight away. I look forward to seeing you there – it is set to be a great day. For more info, see the Dance For Japan Facebook page, or contact me, Julia.

Make sure you check out this month’s Dance Europe and The Dancing Times too:)

Dance for Japan: The Launch!

As I walked over Waterloo Bridge on Friday 11th March, I felt completely shattered by the news of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan, that left homes and lives devastated in its wake. The photos and video footage left me dumbstruck, and I hurried to class, worrying about my Japanese friends and their families back in Japan.It was then that I decided not to just stand by, but to do something to help. The dance world is full of wonderful, talented, dedicated Japanese artists, and this is a time that we dancers can stand up and show our support, in the midst of this terrible tradgedy. With this in mind, I am organising ‘Dance for Japan,’ a charity event to be held at Central School of Ballet, on 28th May.         

The event will consist of 12 hours of non-stop classes, workshops and performances, running from 10am til 10pm. Participants will pay £15 to register, and they are welcome to take part in as many classes, and see as many performances as they like. The participants can seek sponsorship from friends and family, raising more money for each extra hour that they dance, or simply as a donation for taking part in this Dance-a-thon. There will also be competitions, suprises and exciting prizes on the day, and some truly special performances.
      So here I find myself, with a venue, a date, and a lot of work to do: 12 hours of program to fill and finalise, a mountain of organisation make sure it all runs smoothly, and the hope that the dance community will come out in force to help the thousands of people in Japan, in desperate need. I urge you all to support this event – let’s raise money, have some fun, and honour all our wonderful Japanese artists at this sad time. 
      Coming soon…Confirmed Perfomers and Teachers – Watch this space!

      For more information, please contact me, Julia Davies on 07765047899, via email on julia_davies323@hotmail.co.uk To register, visit www.justgiving.com/julia-davies86, and donate £15 or check out the Facebook page.