St Edward's 150 Years - by Nicola Hunter

St Edward’s: 150 Years

Chapter 5 / Doorways and Gateways

Below: Dance Show, February 2012. From left to right:MollyLangman,YasminHass-Sinclair,Jemima Jolley, Charlie Faulkner and Matty Littlehales.

in depth and breadth, other more sophisticated dance events emerged. One of these, the Dance and Music Showcase, ran under the banner of the SES Arts programme in February 2005. The programme consisted of new work choreographed by Susie Crow, a parent and professional choreographer who has been involved in many important productions here, set to 20th-century chamber music, most of which was performed live by St Edward’s musicians. Bruce Marriott, reviewer for the online Ballet Magazine , wrote: ‘So what we had was a night of dance and music that brought the local community together in all its diversity. I sincerely hope Crow and St Edward’s do more shows. The real question is how this is replicated in cities across the land.’ The first St Edward’s pupil to win a Dance Exhibition arrived in 2008, and Lydia Jones-Parry became the first Dance Scholar in 2011. Allanagh Spratling, a Sixth Form Dance

Exhibitioner in 2009, went on to study Musical Theatre Performance at Laine Theatre Arts. I doubt these award holders will even have heard of the following former pupils who blazed a trail for Dance at St Edward’s: Charlotte Berkin, Gemma Berkin, Nadia Pharaon (now a dance teacher), Holly Preston, Charlotte Wright, Juliet Hamilton, Robyn Hamilton and Skye Binning. The Dance Department moved into its new home – the dedicated Dance studio in the North Wall – in 2006, marking the most significant milestone in the Department’s young life. Practically, some of the strain was removed from the School Hall and dancers and teachers now had the space they deserved: no inherited mess, no chairs to move, a permanently installed sound system, a sprung floor, barres, mirrors, curtains and even a space to store costumes, dance shoes and pom- poms. The vast majority of dance classes now take place in the North Wall studio, with the remainder held in The Oxfordshire Health and Racquet Club and only a handful spilling over into the Hall. A Chorus Line (February 2007) was the first show to be launched from the North Wall studio. It was where the auditions took place, where Barney Hughes learnt to tap dance, and where the big routines were hammered out before being transferred onto the big stage. We Will Rock You (March 2009) followed a similar pattern. In all these big shows, including the wonderful Les Misérables in 2005, Lisa came into her own, working miracles with experienced and non- experienced dancers alike. The establishment of Dance at St Edward’s, together with the other significant developments in the Arts during the 2000s, placed the School way ahead of most of its co-educational competitors in these areas. Most still haven’t caught up – and may never do so. Anthony Kerr-Dineen and Neville Creed Past and present Directors of Cultural Activities

Left: Dance Show, February 2011, ballet dancers. Below: Dance Show, February 2012.

DANCE Formal Dance teaching began relatively recently in the history of the School. In the past, Fred Pargeter or Tony Snell might have shown boys how to quick-step or square dance and there were flourishes of enthusiasm for Scottish dancing but – certainly in the 1990s – there was no consistently organised dance activity. Lessons were first offered in 2000 in response to demand once the School became fully co-educational and they were initially given in the Douglas Bader Sports Centre. Outside choreographic help was brought in for productions, and this was how Lisa Elkins (née Brackenbury) first became involved at St Edward’s, working on Malcolm Oxley’s Showboat in 1999; Lisa later became Head of Dance. Together with the dynamic Art and Design Department, Music, Drama and Dance were to become a formidable Performing Arts team. Interest in dance rapidly grew and there are now ten part-time teachers offering 50 classes each week to around 120 pupils. The touch-paper was well and truly lit. Girls in all years were quick to sign up to classes that were squeezed into any available space – the Hall, the Old Library, the Music School, even classrooms. Originally, classes ran in ballet, tap and modern, but the range rapidly expanded to include pointe, cardio, contemporary, musical theatre and street

jazz. Acro, cheerleading, flamenco, breakdance, funk fusion, Latin American and hip-hop have followed to provide a comprehensive range. Dance Shows were launched in February 2002 and these have had an influence on other House and School events, giving pupils the confidence to choreograph and perform their own work. The Dance Show, although it contained tremendous variety, unashamedly lay at the popular end of the entertainment spectrum. As the dance programme grew

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