The Digital Green Room Activity Week 1 – Creating Our Company

Welcome to the first Dance Proms Digital Green Room activity week! This is the first of four online activity weeks in the run up to the Dance Proms performance at the Royal Albert Hall in November. The activity weeks will help you prepare for the big day by giving you the opportunity to get to know each other as well as to learn more about the industry from professionals across the world of dance. Now, as you’re spread around the country it is impossible to get you all together until nearer the performance day, so we are using our online facility to help this happen right now. The first event is all about introductions Click on the video below to learn about this activity week's theme and how to use www.pagetostage.org

Click to watch Dance Proms Patrons Chris Hollins, Matt Flint and Darcey Bussell as they welcome you to the first week of

the Digital Green Room.

What to do this week When dancers come together for a performance, they form a company, get to know one another and work together as a team, which is exactly what we want you to do online this week! So here's your task list for the week:

• Go through the e-book. • Get your username and password from your teacher and log into

www.pagetostage.org. • Create a post on the site to introduce yourself. Then read about

other people and post a comment or a question. Try to find out as much as you can about other company members. Keep the communication going!

As with all online communication, remember to show respect and consideration for the people you are communicating with and only post content that you would be happy to share with your Nan! For more information on net safety, check out www.digizen.org. Have fun!

Masterclass - Forming a Company

Being a good company member involves supporting others, working hard and working as a team. When a company has 'gelled' it means that not only are they working together really well, but they're enjoying each other too. You can always see this shine through during the performance. Watch the Masterclass below, which has Charlie Bruce talking about what it's like to form a company. Last year she appeared as an ensemble member and understudy for Baby in the West End production of 'Dirty Dancing', so she certainly knows how important it is to be a good company member.

Companies aren't just made up of performers. A successful production relies on a number of people working behind the scenes as well. Watch the videos on the next page to meet some of the people who are working hard to make sure your performance in November is a success!

Meet Christopher, the Project Manager, Jo, the Producer and the Marketing Team.

Meet Luke, Chris, Paddy and Keith, who head the RAD, Royal Albert Hall, ISTD and IDTA

Royal Albert Hall The Dance Proms performance will be at the Royal Albert Hall. Over the next few pages, we'll give you a sneak peak of this iconic venue where you will be performing. The Royal Albert Hall is perhaps best known for staging the BBC Proms - the world's largest classical music festival. But this is just one of the wide variety of events which take place in this remarkable building each year. Despite its undoubted heritage the Royal Albert Hall is not a museum. It is a working building that is transformed to meet the needs of each event, day by day, week after week. To get an idea of how the Hall is transformed and what it is like to perform and work there, click the video on the next page. And don't forget to click here to take the virtual tour!

Building the Hall - The Royal Albert Hall was built to fulfil the vision of Prince Albert (Queen Victoria's consort) of a 'Central Hall' that would be used to promote understanding and appreciation of the arts and sciences. The Hall still fulfils Prince Albert’s vision today as a registered charity which offers an extensive education programme as well as many events to support younger artists and audiences. The Hall's design was very innovative for the time and included a glass domed roof which, when it was built, was the largest of its kind in the world. It hangs 135 feet from the floor and is 185 feet wide by 219 feet long. So nervous were the architects about its stability that they evacuated the building before they took away the props from the roof. Luckily it only dropped 5/16ths of an inch before staying in position.

Mushrooms in the Ceiling - It became obvious early on that the acoustics in the Hall were a problem, which for a concert hall of its size was a huge stumbling block. When the Prince of Wales made his opening speech it is said that his words echoed so much that in parts of the Hall they could be heard twice. The solution to the echo came eventually in 1969 when 135 disc shapes like 'mushrooms,' filled with glass fibre wool were hung from the dome. Ironically a similar solution had been suggested 75 years earlier but was never acted upon.

Royal Albert Hall (cont'd) The Queen's Box - Formed when Queen Victoria purchased twenty seats on the grand tier. These seats are the personal property of the monarch and are used by members of the Royal Family when they attend events. On such occasions the appearance is changed - gold silk panels are hung from walls and red plush chairs replace the standard seats. There is also a cloth bearing the Royal coat of arms hung over the front of the box. Members of the Royal Family enter the Hall by a private entrance and staircase that brings them up to the Royal retiring room. Here they entertain and meet stars of the shows and other dignitaries before and after the show. For added convenience there is a private lavatory adjacent to the Royal retiring room. The BBC Proms - The most famous event held at the Royal Albert Hall is probably the annual eight week season of the BBC Proms. The promenade concerts first came to the hall in 1941 when the Queen's Hall in upper Regent Street was destroyed by the blitz. The Proms regularly draw audiences of at least 5,000 people for more than 70 concerts, as well as attracting a huge radio and TV following. 900 'Prommers' stand in the arena and a further 500 in the gallery. Their enthusiasm and eccentricities give the concerts a unique quality. Dance Proms was named after the Proms, but we don't think the audience will have to stand!

The Floor - Perhaps the most versatile part of the whole auditorium. At various times the arena has been flooded to make a water garden for a production of Madam Butterfly, frozen for ice-skating, converted into a boxing ring for fights featuring boxers like Muhammad Ali and Frank Bruno, and converted into an Italian garden for the Shakespeare Ball in 1911. The roof was hung with a blue canopy to give the appearance of a sunny day, the balcony became a sloping lawn covered in flowers and the loggia and grand tier boxes were disguised with yew trees and vines. For Dance Proms, there will be different floors to accomodate the needs of the different dance styles. The Grand Organ - A permanent feature in the auditorium and one of the largest instruments in the world. It is an incredible 70 feet high and 65 feet wide and weighs 150 tons. It has nearly 10,000 pipes, which if put end to end would extend nearly 9 miles!

Dance Styles We would like to introduce you to an A-Z of the many dance styles you will see performed at Dance Proms 2012 at the Royal Albert Hall. There are dozens of different dance styles you can learn – read more about some of these below. We would love to hear what you think of these different styles – Have you tried them all? Which is your favourite? Start a conversation in the Digital Green Room and compare notes with your fellow company members.

Ballet - Ballet is a classical style of expressive movement that dates back to the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century and the conventional steps, grace and fluidity of movement are still found in ballet today. Classical ballet has a technique which incorporates the foundational techniques for many other styles of dance. It is best known in the form of Romantic ballet or Ballet Blanc, which preoccupies itself with the female dancer, focusing on pointe work and flowing, precise movements, and often presenting the dancers in the conventional short white French tutu. One of the most celebrated ballerinas of the Romantic ballet, Marie Taglioni, is famed for having introduced dancing ‘en pointe’ to ballet in the early 19th century. Ballet comes in different methods – Cecchetti, Imperial Ballet and RAD Ballet being just some of the more popular techniques taught in the UK.

Ballroom -The term 'ballroom dancing' is derived from the word ball, which in turn originates from the Latin word ballare which means 'to dance' (a ballroom being a large room specially designed for such dances). Ballroom includes several techniques such as the Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep and Tango, all social dances which were seen throughout Western society from around the beginning of the 20th century. They vary in style but are all partner dances; today they are most commonly seen at competitions, on stage and on television in programmes such as Strictly Come Dancing.

Cheerleading - Cheerleading began in America in the early 1880s with an enthusiastic young man shouting support for his team. The positive effect on the team was noticed by the school and sports officials. Cheerleading evolved two identities: the traditional cheering squads at high schools and universities developed stunting, tumbling, lifts and jumps associated with cheers and chants, and in the late 1970s competitive cheerleading events developed. Cheerleading is popular in many countries around the world with groups at all age levels. It developed in the UK with the introduction of American football to Britain in the 1980s and the British Cheerleading Association was formed in 1991.

Contemporary - Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide free movement. It uses dance techniques and methods found in ballet and modern dance, and it also draws from other philosophies of movement that are outside the realm of classical dance technique. Unlike classical ballet, contemporary often utilizes ground work and dancers often perform in bare feet. Pioneers of contemporary dance include Isadora Duncan, Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham, Paul Taylor, Rudolph von Laban and Marie Rambert.

Freestyle - Freestyle evolved from the natural reaction of the general public wishing to dance in an uninhibited and unrestricted way to popular music. This took the form of rhythmic actions to the repetitive beat of the music, starting from the centre of the body and developing into leg and foot, shoulder, arm, hand, ear and neck actions. Freestyle can apply to numerous dance types and, even though freestyle dancing implies freedom, most dancers still keep themselves within a particular style of dance such as disco or hip hop. Often dancers may plan to include some moves, and then fill the dance with other appropriate and impressive moves. This way, their work represents part freestyle dancing and part choreography.

Latin American - The easy-going, vibrant energy that Latin rhythms inspire make Latin American dance as popular today as when it was first brought to this country in the 1930s. It was a young Frenchman, Monsieur Pierre, who introduced this style to the English dance scene. Pierre was an accomplished dancer and teacher, with a special love and flair for Latin American dance. The Rumba, Samba, Paso Doble, Salsa and Cha Cha Cha were to become established favourites. Latin American dances are performed in competitions, similar to ballroom, as well as being hugely popular in dance clubs and festivals. They are generally known for their fast pace and expressive rhythm.

Modern Theatre/Jazz - Modern theatre is a highly energetic and rhythmic dance style which originated in America before travelling to the rest of the world. It is often seen on the stages of musical productions and is known for its theatrical qualities. The style uses travelling steps, high kicks, leaps and turns which all need strength and flexibility.

Musical Theatre - Musical theatre is a form of theatre developed from modern jazz, combining dance with songs and spoken dialogue which, in Europe, dates back to the theatre of the ancient Greeks, who included music and dance in their stage comedies and tragedies in the 5th century BC. Moments of greatest dramatic intensity are often performed in song, proverbially, "when the emotion becomes too strong for speech you sing; when it becomes too strong for song, you dance." Since the early 20th century, musical theatre stage works have simply been called ‘musicals’, and is a thriving industry, most notoriously, in the West End of London and on Broadway in New York.

Street - Owing to the ever-increasing presence of street dance and hip hop in the media, more young people in particular have taken to this genre than ever before. The standard of ability and creativity is high with an ever increasing number of street dancers and crews taking part in competitions, battles, talent shows and performances. As with all forms of modern popular dance, the evolvement and developments of styles are largely influenced by current music trends and promos/videos. Street dance has moved a long way since the birth of hip hop in the early 1980s with many different styles now falling under the banner. The original funk and hip hop styles are now classified as ‘Old School’ with the newer street styles having a distinction in their own right – these include locking, popping, breaking, vogueing, waacking and house.

Tap - Tap dance has evolved as an American dance form, popularised throughout the world, with debate about its origins coming from African dance, Irish dance and/or clog dancing. The dancer uses their feet to strike the floor, beating out different rhythms, while wearing tap shoes which have metal plates on the toe and heel to give the distinctive sound. Two major variations on tap dance exist, rhythm (Jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses more on the dance side, and is widely performed as a part of musical theatre. Rhythm tap focuses instead on the musical side, and practitioners consider themselves to be a part of the Jazz tradition. Tap dance is a popular theatrical art form often seen on stage and in film musicals, with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly being amongst the most well-known tap dancers on screen.

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