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The Official Web site of
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Classes daily at The Playhouse, The High, Harlow, Essex, CM20 1LS
Taught by professionals for future professionals!
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as Odette
George Hunt as Prince Siegfried |
Swan Lake 2007The Harlow Ballet
The Harlow Ballet consists of two quite separate organisations:
The Harlow Ballet Association, a democratic organisation that "exists to enable the presentation of dance performances in which those appearing shall principally (though not exclusively) be students of the Harlow Ballet School".
*To contact Harlow Ballet Association, please ring 01279 639170 or write to H. B. A., 7, Home Close, Harlow Essex CM20 3PD
Harlow Ballet School, a legally constituted Partnership that teaches children and adults to dance. The Harlow Ballet School has had its home in The Playhouse, Harlow since it opened in 1971.
*To contact Harlow Ballet School, please ring 01279 639170 or write to H. B. S., c/o The Playhouse Harlow Essex CM20 1LS
The Harlow Ballet Association and Harlow Ballet School join forces at the end of the Christmas and summer holidays to provide intensive courses culminating in special Gala performances at The Playhouse.
Please click on the Site Map links above for full details.
Teaching Staff
All of the dance teachers at the Harlow Ballet School have a huge variety of experience in peforming in dance and theatre to pass on.
The School is a partnership bewteen Michael Branwell, Henrietta Branwell and Claire Rees, who all teach Classical Ballet. In addition, Claire teaches Body-Conditioning and Michael and Henrietta jointly teach Double Work and Junior Double Work.
Hayley Burns teaches Jazz and Classical Ballet and Emma Jenkins teaches Contemporary Dance Classes and Pre-Ballet classes.
Musical Stage Dance Classes are taught by Barbara Anne Murray.
With the exception of Henrietta Branwell and Emma Jenkins, all the other teachers are former pupils of Leo Kersley, who, with his wife, Janet Sinclair, founded the Harlow Ballet School in 1959 and the Harlow Ballet Club, the predecessor of the HBA, in 1961.
The Philosophy of the School
Performances by students are held at The Playhouse (through the Harlow Ballet Association) and have always formed an important part of the development of the students from beginners (of any age!) to mature, self-assured dancers, able to take their place on any stage in the world with confidence. Examinations and the pressure that they cause to young dancers play no part in the School's curriculum, but every student has the chance to appear in any of up to three productions a year with the HBA and to choreograph for their peers twice a year.
Dancing is FUN!
A large number of our students just dance for fun. They learn not only the steps and moves but also the self-discipline, confidence, grace and fitness that go with the enjoyment of learning an art form that is as popular today as is was when Janet and Leo Kersley first founded the School. We have now extended that enjoyment to four to six year olds. Our class for adults is full of mums and the occasional dad who are delighted to have found somewhere where the emphasis is on self-expression, not just "how high can you lift your leg?" As dancers progress, they explore more styles of dance and the more that you can do, the more you enjoy it!
To contact Harlow Ballet School, please ring 01279 639170 or write to
Harlow Ballet School, c/o The Playhouse Harlow Essex CM20 1LS
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Dancing
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Every year several students
audition for places at full-time dance colleges including the Royal Ballet
School, English National Ballet School, Central School of Ballet and London Studio Centre. The School
has an extremely high success rate in finding places for those who wish
to continue their study in a concentrated form with a view to a professional
career in dance or dance-related subjects. Harlow Ballet School is accepted
as a "feeder" school by many of the major vocational dance
schools and no fewer than seven dancers obtained places to go on in September 2007 to start their training at professional schools. Former pupils are either studying professionally or will be starting professional training at
Former pupils of the Harlow Ballet School are currently dancing with English National Ballet, Scottish Dance Theatre, and The Royal Danish Ballet in Copenhagen, among other companies, while others have gone on to careers in Musical Stage Dance (HBS currently has ex-pupils in "Billy Elliot" and "The Lion King" in London's West End) or as commercial dancers on TV and on cruise ships.
| Monday | 17.00 - 18.00 | Junior Double-Work *by special invitation only |
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18.00- 19.30 | Senior Double-Work *by special invitation only |
| Tuesday | 16.30 - 17.30 | Pre-Ballet |
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17.30 - 18.30 | Mixed Ability Ballet |
| 18.30 - 19.30 | Adults' Ballet-cise | |
| Wednesday | 16.30 - 17.30 | Junior / Intermediate Ballet |
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17.30 - 18.30 | Musical Stage Dance |
| 18.30 - 20.00 | Senior / Adults' Ballet | |
| Thursday | 16.30 - 17.30 | Beginners' Ballet |
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17.30 - 18.30 | Body Conditioning |
| 18.30 - 20.00 | Senior / Adults' Ballet | |
| Friday | 16.30 - 17.30 | Junior Ballet |
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17.30 - 18.30 | Intermediate Ballet |
| 18.30 - 19.30 | Contemporary Dance | |
| Saturday | 09.30 - 10.30 | Pre-Ballet |
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| 10.30 - 11.30 | Beginners' Ballet | |
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11.30 - 12.30 | Boys' Ballet |
| 12.30 - 13.30 | Junior Jazz (to age 12) | |
| 13.30 - 14.30 | Senior Ballet Part One (Barre) | |
| 14.30 - 15.30 | Senior and Adult Jazz | |
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15.30 - 16.30 | Junior / Intermediate Ballet |
| 16.30 - 17.30 | Senior Ballet Part Two (Centre) | |
| 17.30 - 18.30 | Pointe Work |
Performances, Special Courses, Workshops and Master Classes
The Harlow Ballet Association organises the performances in the Harlow Playhouse and other venues. Every Easter the Association performs a major production of a Classical Ballet. The first major ballet produced by the Association was The Sleeping Beauty in 2000 and this was revived very successfully in 2006. The Nutcracker was performed in both 2001 and 2005, Coppélia, with scenery hired from English National Ballet and based on Cecchetti's 1894 production, in 2002 and Giselle was performed in 2004 in a version close not only to the original choreography, but also to the original libretto by the Marquis de Saint Georges and Theophile Gautier, also using the scenery kindly hired to HBA by the English National Ballet and used in their 2007 revival of the Mary Skeaping production. The company's first original full length production was Cinderella, to the glorious and little known music of the Waltz King, Johann Strauss, which Michael Branwell choreographed in 2003. The last major triumph for the company was a full length Swan Lake, with the "white acts" closely following the original choreography of Lev Ivanov. A review of the performance is also included on this website.
Taking classes from guest teachers is an important part of the learning process for both dance technique and performance. Our President, Darius James of the Independent Ballet Wales, has taught both Open Classes and Boys' Classes on his visits to Harlow and Hannah Windows of the Ballet Russe Company taught a masterclass in preparation for the company's visit to The Playhouse. (Dancers from the Narlow Ballet Association will be dancing in The Nutcracker both at The Playhouse on November 2nd and at The Broadway Theatre, Barking on November 17th). Former student Paul Tarling, who has extensive experience of dancing in the West End, has recently been both teaching Boys' Classes and assisting with Double Work Classes. while Louise Hudson, Artistic Director of Chelsea Ballet, is a Vice President of the HBA and a regular and very welcome guest teacher.
Every summer (for the last two weeks of the school summer holidays) and winter (for the week after Christmas), special dance courses are held, giving young dancers the chance to spend all day, every day in a professional theatre, learning to dance in a safe and controlled environment. These courses always culminate in performances, at which the Antony Osborne Shield for choreography is keenly contested. This gives pupils the chance to choreograph from a very young age and this opportunity has enabled more than one dancer to decide to study choreography at a higher level. The winter performances also give the very youngest dancers in the School the chance to get used to performing in dances specially choreographed for them.
THE 2008 SUMMER INTENSIVE COURSE
The HBS Summerr Course will run from August 17th - 31st, with daily classes in various dance forms to include some of Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary Dance, Boys' Dance, Pointe Work for Beginners and Musical Stage. Anyone wishing to book a place needs to fill in a form, which will be available from May. Normal Harlow Ballet School classes close on July 26th and re-start on September 2nd.
The Summer Course will culminate in three performances (on August 30th and 31st) in The Main Auditorium at The Playhouse, Harlow, featuring dances learned during the course; the twentieth choreographic competiton and a full scale one-act ballet, still to be decided.
Performances
"Swan Lake" - April 2007
The Harlow Ballet's Swan Lake surpassed all expectations , with six performances in The Playhouse attracting very full houses. The Harlow Star printed the following review, which is reproduced by kind permission of the critic.
"Harlow Ballet Association’s production of Swan Lake arrived at the Playhouse with high expectations. Over a busy Easter weekend these expectations were not only met but far exceeded. A cast of over ninety filled the stage and demonstrated effortlessly how ballet can engage and entertain.
The story of Prince Siegfried’s love for Odette, cruelly transformed into a swan by the evil Von Rothbart was brought vibrantly to life in Michael Branwell’s meticulous production. Ably assisted by Louise Hudson and Claire Rees the story was told with pace and clarity. No opportunity for theatricality or high drama was missed whether an exploding raven or fainting royalty. And Henrietta Branwell ensured the same attention to detail was applied to the daunting task of costuming this large cast.
The excellently staged palace scenes ensured that the exuberance of the dance matched the exuberance of Tchaikovsky’s music, firstly with the celebration of Siegfried’s coming of age and in Act Three with the efforts of the princesses and their attendants to win his favour in marriage.
By contrast the lakeside scenes were graced by the choreographed precision of the swans and cygnets that play such an integral part in the story and here the corps de ballet excelled.
Outstanding throughout was the sheer professionalism of the young soloists who demonstrated their growing maturity and expertise. They rose to the challenge of the demanding set pieces and drew the audience into the drama with their sensitive characterisations. Amongst such a talented cast special mention is deserved for Joel Goodman as Benno and for Laurel Chambers, Jessica Hardy, Kelly-Ann Lazarus, Cassandra Mason, Leanne Sanders, George Hunt and Robin Pitt who performed so impressively the demanding roles of Odette, Odile and Siegfried.
This was a fine achievement for Harlow Ballet and one of which the Association should feel rightly proud."
The New Year Gala in 2008
Once again, the dancing year in Harlow got under way with a colourful and successful Gala performance, with three sell-out performances in the Studio theatre at The Playhouse. The Harlow Star's review sums up the enthusiasm and spirit of the performances (which reflects the enormous amount of hard work put in by the young dancers). We are grateful for their permission to publish the article : "An army of white faced, robotic figures filled the stage for the start of Harlow Ballet Association’s New Year Dance Gala. Under Hayley Burns’ disciplined and energetic choreography Seven Nation Army proved anything but mechanical and set the tone for a highly entertaining evening. Bright flapper costumes followed as the 1920s provided the inspiration for Barbara Anne Murray’s Won’t You Charleston With Me?, and the youngest dancers of the evening charmed the audience into submission in The Fairy Toyshop, patiently choreographed by Emma Jenkins. Fourteen young choreographers contributed as part of the 19th Choreographic Competition and excelled at showing their flair, imagination and musical sensitivity. From an exceptional array of talent special mention must be made of Forest Fantasies, the graceful work of Lydia Ventre and the sustained inventiveness of Amy Johansen’s darkly lyrical You’re Uninvited. The worthy winner was Terri Cowdery’s Ballerina Girl, a beautifully realised companion piece to her evocative, Father’s Last Dance, both expertly performed by Leanne Sanders and Dave Cowdery. A strikingly effective tribute to Michael Jackson from Rory Prescott and a solo from Swan Lake by Charlotte Wakeling Green took us all too rapidly towards the finale. A foretaste of the association’s Easter production included a confident solo performance of the mazurka from Les Sylphides by George Hunt; excerpts from the graceful and moving Ebbtide, including a sensitive solo from Claire Rees, and the flamboyant Cooks' Dance from The Emperor and the Nightingale. No fixed ballet smiles here, just the broad grins of young people enthralled by their love of dance."
The Emperor and The Nightingale - with full supporting programme
The Harlow Ballet Association's major production of the year is, for the first time since 1999, a "Triple Bill" with three very contrasting dance works on view. The first work will be Thelma Litster's beautiful and romantic version of Les Sylphides, which, co-incidentally, she put on for the very first HBA shows in 1999, after the Association took over the performing part of the Harlow Ballet from the Harlow Ballet Club. The wonderful music of Frédéric Chopin, the beautiful romantic costumes and the sublime choreography guarantee a truly romantic start to the evening. This will be followed by Michael Branwell's The Emperor and the Nightingale, set to music by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Michael has transposed the action from China to Russia - but the story remains the same - a young Emperor hears a Nightingale in the woods and orders it caged to sing for him alone. The caged bird will not sing and is released. The Emperor buys a mechanical nightingale, which soon breaks down ........ Our picture shows Charlotte Wakeling-Green as the Nightingale, George Hunt as the Emperor, Jessica Hardy as the mechanical Nightingale and Claire Rees as the Empress-Mother. The performances will end with a combination of two dances from Barbara-Anne Murray's Ebb Tide combined with Hayley Burns's E-Motive, giving a wonderful modern finale.
The three conrtrasting dance numbers combine to make an interesting and varied Triple Bill, with something for all balletomanes to enjoy! Writing in the Harlow Playhouse Brochure, Councillor Eleanor Macy wrote "(The HBA's) Easter shows are always one of the highlightss of the season and I urge you to come and see what all the fuss is about. Please be urged!
Performances will be at 7.30 on Wednesday April 2nd*, Thursday April 3rd, Friday April 4th and Saturday April 5th 2008
and at 3.00 on Saturday April 5th and Sunday April 6th 2008
Tickets price £10.00 (children £6.00) (* Two tickets for the price of one on Wednesday ONLY)
from The Playhouse Box Office : 01279 431945
Membership. The Harlow
Ballet Association has a thriving membership base. Members receive a regular
newsletter, The Balletomane and advance booking information and
they also have the opportunity to participate in social events. The Annual
General Meeting of the Association is held in April or May each year, after
the major production in the Harlow
Playhouse. The HBA is bound by its Articles of Association (see below)
and exists primarily to put on performances at The Playhouse.
Articles of Association of the HBA. The Harlow
Ballet Association shall exist to enable the presentation of dance performances
in which those appearing shall principally (though not exclusively) be
students of the Harlow Ballet School. The Harlow Ballet Association shall
be a non-profit distributing organisation, from which no teacher working
at the Harlow Ballet School shall take any remuneration. This will not
preclude the Association, at its discretion, from paying fees to professional
Guest Artistes, Choreographers, Designers, Stage Technicians and others
for services rendered. The members of the Harlow Ballet Association shall
be those who pay a subscription as decided from time to time by the Management
Committee. The Harlow Ballet Association shall hold an Annual General
Meeting to elect a Chairman, Vice Chairman, Hon. Secretary, Hon. Treasurer,
Publicity Manager and Technical Manager, who shall, in conjunction with
the Partners in the Partnership running the Harlow Ballet School (if not
elected to the above posts), form the Management Committee to run the
Association. The Management Committee shall appoint an Artistic Director,
whose appointment shall only be terminated by resignation or by a two
thirds majority vote of the Management Committee. The Management Committee
shall have the right to appoint a President and Vice Presidents. These
Articles of Association shall only be altered by a two thirds majority
of those attending and voting at an Annual General Meeting or Special
General Meeting called no sooner than one calendar month after circulation
to all members of the Association.
The Harlow Ballet Association does not discriminate,
directly or indirectly, on grounds of national or ethnic origins, race,
religion, colour, gender, disability, or political persuasion nor, in
the case of adults, sexual orientation, marital status or age, in the
selection and treatment of choreographers and performers.
All classes are held at The Playhouse, Harlow.
For more information please telephone Michael or Henrietta Branwell on 01279 639170 or Claire Rees on 01279 830409.
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The Harlow Ballet Association rehearses
and performs at The Playhouse and all the classes of the Harlow Ballet
School are held in the theatre
A comprehensive site with information,
reviews and news and links to ballet companies and publications
With former Harlow Ballet School pupil Sarah McIlroy, as Principal Dancer
Darius James, Artistic Director, is the
President of the HBA and former Harlow Ballet School pupil, Keir Briody,
is the Principal Dancer
With former Harlow Ballet School pupil James MacGillivray, Rehearsal Director/Dancer
Ballet
Russe (Swansea)
Ballet Mistress Irene Gogolazde was the guest teacher at the 2004 Harlow Ballet summer workshop and has given numerous Master Classes to the HBS
Classifile is a cataloguing program for storing and retrieving details of video, audio and film recordings and is used extensively by the Harlow Ballet.
The Artistic Director of Chelsea Ballet, Louise Hudson, is one of the Vice Presidents of the HBA. The company is based at the Arts Educational School in West London. Michael and Henrietta Branwell will be teaching at the Chelsea Ballet Summer School from August 6th to 10th 2007. Follow the weblink for full details! As "Chelsea Ballet", they perform classical ballets twice a year and a number of other performanes with other amateur dance groups. As "Chelsea Ballet Two", they encourage new choreographers, their most recent success being "The Bracelet", by Ross Chesterton, produced in collaboration with the Bartók Society and Sir Charles Mackerras.
Michael Branwell is "Permanent Guest Teacher" for the company.