5 months… it’s the longest break from live performance I have ever had in my life! It was quite pleasant for a few weeks in March to have some ‘time off’ of theatre attending, Following a busy work year I convinced myself it was ‘OK’ that the arts industry was shut down.  In the way you convince yourself you won’t miss chocolate when you go on a crash diet. This began to wear thin by summer and I found myself craving theatre even more than a chocoholic on health retreat!            After a cultural wasteland of a summer I was overjoyed

Mark Pearce grew up on Orchard Park Estate in Hull and after training at Northern School of Contemporary Dance (NSCD) in Leeds and performing as part of Laban’s graduate company Transitions he toured nationally and internationally with Matthew Bourne’s highly acclaimed adaptation of Swan Lake, (the one with the all-male cast).  He eventually found his way back to Hull, and in our conversation remembered fondly how he joined LEAP Dance as Company Leader, dancer and choreographer.  LEAP Dance Company was a partnership between Wyke College and Northern Theatre.  Mark reminded me what a great model it was offering apprenticeships to

Inside my head I am a dancer, on the outside, more of an enthusiastic student, with dodgy knees, a modicum of rhythm and a desire to express myself physically. My busy life does not seem to afford much time for the things I love although I squeeze in as much as I can. I was lucky enough to get involved in “Smudge” (a project with Hull Dance as part of Transgressions2019) so I was familiar with Yael Flexer’s work. I really love Yael’s teaching style, her inclusive approach and her enthusiasm for why we move. She focuses on the feelings

Whist studying contemporary dance training at The Place, I fell in love with yoga practise as it was a not competitive way to work both my body and mind. At that time in my life I needed some grounding from the business of London life and the pressures I was feeling from Dance school. I found yoga centred me and allowed me to focus on my breath and the present moment rather than being carried away with my mind and the distractions I was constantly presented with in London. It also helped to restore my body and get rid of

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peDHpHCn2Vs&t=10s Life for dancers, and other artists, changed abruptly in the third week of March. Lockdown meant that not only were all performances cancelled but it was no longer possible to create work, lead workshops or hold regular classes in studios or community venues.  The solution was to move everything on-line, but how easy is this to do?  Tara, Assistant Producer with Hull Dance and owner of the Mckeown Irish Dance Academy reflects on how she and her students have explored zoom together.

I still can’t quite believe how quickly lockdown happened and our normal routines and support structures simple disappeared. I find it even more amazing that within a few weeks people started to find ways to stay connected and, for most of the time at least, look forward and try to find the positive in this moment of history. We know some people have suffered huge anxiety as loved ones became very ill and many suffered bereavement either directly or indirectly from covid-19.  Our thoughts are with you all, grief is a lonely place even when we have support, social distancing