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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, Emma Jenkins teaches Contemporary Dance Classes and Pre-Ballet classes and Paul Tarling has recently joined the teaching staff to teach Boys' and Barre Classes and to assist with Double Work 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
is Fun!
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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, again, a number of dancers obtained places to go on in September 2008 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 an ex-pupil in "Billy Elliot" 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 - 19.30 | Senior / Adults' Ballet | |
| Thursday | 16.30 - 17.30 | Beginners' Ballet |
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17.30 - 18.00 | Body Conditioning |
| 18.00 - 19.30 | 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 | ||
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| 10.00 - 11.00 | Beginners' Ballet | |
| 11.00 - 12.00 | Boys' Class | |
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12.00 - 13.00 | Junior Jazz (to age 12) |
| 13.00 - 14.00 | Senior Ballet Part One (Barre) | |
| 14.00 - 15.00 | Senior and Adult Jazz | |
| 15.00 - 16.00 | Junior / Intermediate Ballet | |
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16.00 - 17.00 | Senior Ballet Part Two |
| 17.00 - 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 (and will be revived in 2009), 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.
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 members of Independent Ballet Wales gave a special course at half term in May 2008. Other guest teachers have included Hannah Windows, of the Ballet Russe Company, who taught a masterclass in preparation for the company's visit to The Playhouse. Former student Paul Tarling, who has extensive experience of dancing in the West End, has joined the teaching staff to teach Boys' Classes and barre Classes and to assist 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 2009 SUMMER INTENSIVE COURSE
The HBS Summer Course will run from August 16th to 28th 2009 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.
The Summer Course will culminate in three performances (on August 29th and 30th) in The Studio Theatre at The Playhouse, Harlow, featuring dances learned during the course; the twenty-second choreographic competiton and Michael Branwel''s Capriccio Italien
Performances
"The Nutcracker " - Easter 2009
Fine Nutcracker accessible for all
(from The Harlow Star, April 16th 2009)
THE NUTCRACKER - Harlow Ballet, The Playhouse, Harlow
The talented members of Harlow Ballet Association dazzled
with a triumphant Easter adaptation of one of the world’s greatest ballets.
Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker tells the story of a young girl, Clara, who is given a charming wooden nutcracker one Christmas Eve, only for her new toy to transform into a dashing prince and transport her to a magical dream-world.
After saving the prince from the clutches of the evil King Rat, she is taken on a hallucinatory journey to the magical Land of Sweets and Snow, but then wakes from her sleep and realises her fantastical journey had merely been a dream. Impressive soloists wowed the audience with their individual talents while the energetic group dances made such good use of The Playhouse’s intimate thrust. stage that it left the audience often torn as to where to look.
An animated fight scene between the Nutcracker Prince (Paul Tarling) and King Rat (Joel Goodman) showed off both dancers’ impressive skills perfectly and particularly impressed, while the adorable little dolls in the first act - played by budding ballerinas from the age of three upwards - added a cute factor with their infectious smiles.
But it was the Snow Queen (the sublime Terri Cowdery) who really stole the show, and when she completed her impressive routine high on her toes to deafening cheers and whistles it was a fitting reception to a fabulous individual performance.
I left the theatre reflecting on the ignorance of anyone who claims ballet is the preserve of the upper classes. Harlow Ballet Association has once again proved it can be accessible, enjoyable and entertaining for all.
Sophie Warner
Future Performances :
The next performances by ther Harlow Ballet Association will be Coppélia, the charming story of old Doctor Coppélius and his dreams of bringing one of the dolls he has made to life. The beautiful tuneful music of Léo Délibes accompnaies the classical ballet, which is full of beautiful, traditional ballet dancing, classical mime, humour and wit. The ballet will be performed with full period costumes against beautiful and appropriate scenery. This is most definitely a treat for the whole family!
Performances at The Playhouse, Harlow, will be on Wednesday March 31st at 7.30 (Two tickets for the price of one at this performance only), Thursday April 1st at 7.30, Friday April 2nd at 7.30 and Saturday April 3rd at 3 p.m. and 7.30
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. The next AGM of the Harlow Ballet Association will be held at Moot Hall, The Stow, Harlow on June 7th at 2.00 p.m. 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
Activ Harlow
Activ Harlow is the most comprehensive guide to Harlow on the internet. Visit Community Page containing a What's On guide and information on clubs, societies, and organisations including the Harlow Ballet School and Association,
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.