DanceEast Rural Retreat 2010: Dance Leaders start the New Year inspired

DanceEast's 5th Rural Retreat took place on the 9 & 10 January despite the big freeze which was gripping the country. Aspiring leaders from around the globe came together at the Jerwood DanceHouse with host mentors to share the experiences of their international placements, and to discuss the realities of leadership and the role of placements in the development of future leaders.

Writer and broadcaster, and now social philosopher, Charles Handy, stepped in at the last minute to talk about time management, values and self reflection through a very frank and open discussion.

Participants in this intensive think tank included Royal Ballet Principal Dancer Tamara Rojo and dancer Ernst Meisner; freelance choreographer André Gingras who has just been appointed Artistic Director of Dance Works Rotterdam; Polish dancer-choreographer and director of the Centre for Choreographer in Warsaw, Karol Urbanski, and Director of Dancemakers and the Centre for Creation in Toronto, Michael Trent. They were joined by placement hosts, The Royal Ballet's Jeanetta Laurence and Place Theatre Director Eddie Nixon.  With funding support from the Cultural Leadership Programme, these individuals have completed placements shadowing artistic leaders in dance organisations around the globe.

DanceEast conceived the now internationally recognised Rural Retreats - international think tanks looking at the future of ballet and dance in 2003. These facilitated sessions have brought guest speakers from the worlds of business, sport and the arts to interface with existing and future dance leaders to share experiences and allow opportunities to think 'out of the box' about the place of dance in today's society and the development of dance leadership. Guest speakers have included ex England football manager Graham Taylor,  writer Charles Handy, Random House's Gail Rebuck, and artistic directors David Lan (Young Vic), Nick Hytner (Royal National Theatre), to name but a few.

Battersea Arts Centre Co-Artistic Director David Micklem spoke about New Models for Artistic Leadership and Partnership based on his own experiences as a respected Producer and his work at Battersea with David Jubb.  TV chef and cookery writer Valentina Harris led the participants through a 4 hour preparation of a gourmet Italian meal and fed back on leadership styles in the kitchen. The Retreat was facilitated by Siân Prime.

Since setting up the first Rural Retreat in 2003, DanceEast Artistic Director and Chief Executive Assis Carreiro, has brought together leading directors from major ballet and dance companies and schools from all over the world and the Rural Retreat think tanks have become internationally recognised as an invaluable forum for sharing ideas and discussing the future of dance in the 21st century and developing dance leaders for the future.

Assis Carreiro said: 'The Rural Retreats have allowed DanceEast to reach out internationally and fill a much needed gap in professional development at the highest levels of dance and provided existing and future leaders an opportunity to come together and opening and honestly share experiences. This Retreat has brought together a small group of highly motivated and intelligent individuals who shared their experiences on placmenet and more importantly had an intensive period of self-reflection. If dance is in their hands, we have a bright and robust future.'


Notes to Editors

Marc Brew - Performer, Choreographer and Teacher  
Placement with Janet Smith, Artistic Director, Scottish Dance Theatre    

Marc Brew has been working in the UK and internationally for the past 11 years as a dancer, choreographer and teacher, with the Australian Ballet Company, the State Theatre Ballet Company of South African, Infinity Dance Theatre in New York and, for five years until early 2008, with CandoCo Dance Company. Since 2001 he has dedicated time to choreography with Marc Brew Company, and is currently involved as performer for the London Handover Ceremony for the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games Closing Ceremony. Marc has won numerous awards including a Centenary Medal of Australia for Outstanding Service as a Dancer and Choreographer, and was listed as critics' choice in Time Out magazine's best of the new breed of London's Rising Dance Talent. As a result of his placement, Marc has been appointed Associate Director Fellow of Scottish Dance Theatre.

Jeff Edwards -Associate Artistic Director& Ballet Master,  Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company
Placements with Gailene Stock, Director, The Royal Ballet School, and Dame Monica Mason OBE, Director, The Royal Ballet, Covent Garden

Jeff Edwards has over twenty years experience as a professional dancer, educator and administrator. Having studied at the School of American Ballet, he went on to have an illustrious career with New York City Ballet. Since retiring from the stage, Jeff has worked as Director of Education with Twyla Tharp, graduated Magma Cum Laude from Brown University and studied and worked as a Fellow at the John F Kennedy Centre for Performing Arts. Working as guest teacher for various ballet companies and for the Robbins Rights Trust and the George Balanchine Trust, Jeff was appointed Associate Artistic Director of Washington Ballet in 2003 and was with the company until summer 2008.

André Gingras- Freelance Choreographer
Placement with Reid Anderson, Artistic Director, Stuttgart Ballet     

Based in the Netherlands, André Gingras studied in Toronto, Montreal and New York, encompassing theatre, English literature and contemporary dance. He received a Canada Council Arts Award to pursue his dance education in New York. His extensive career in dance and theatre began in Holland in 1999, with his first stage work receiving critical acclaim, a world tour and the Encouragement Prize by the Amsterdam Art Fund. Recent creations include an evening length ballet for Nurnberg Staatsheater, and new works for Netherlands Dance Theater 1, Iceland Dance Company, Rambert Dance Company  and the Holland Dance Festival.

Ernst Meisner - Dancer, The Royal Ballet
Placement with Ted Brandsen, Artistic Director, Dutch National Ballet  

Ernst Meisner trained at the School of Dutch National Ballet, with summer school scholarships to The Royal Ballet School and the National Ballet School in Toronto.   Representing The Netherlands in the finals of the Eurovision Grand Prix for Young Dancers in Lyon, he was offered a scholarship to the Royal Ballet School and awarded a prize for Best Newcomer by the Alexandria Radius Fonds in Holland. After two years at the Royal Ballet, he was promoted to First Artist, and toured extensively all over the world.  His experience includes production and direction, choreography and teaching. He has worked on several projects for the Royal Opera House Education Department and on workshops for children with Kent County Council.

Tamara Rojo - Principal Dancer, The Royal Ballet, Covent Garden            
Placement with Karen Kain, Artistic Director, National Ballet of Canada

Ballerina Tamara Rojo studied in her native Spain and at the age of 16 joined the Ballet Victor Ullate. After winning the Paris Grand Prix, she was invited as Guest Principal with the Scottish Ballet, following which she joined English National Ballet, and then The Royal Ballet as Principal Dancer since 2000.  Today she is one of the most acclaimed interpreters of the ballets of Kenneth MacMillan, and has performed leading roles in the classical repertoire as well as contemporary works. A multi-award winner, Tamara has performed as Guest Artist with dance companies across the globe and participated in numerous international galas.

Michael Trent - Artistic Director and Resident Choreographer, Dancemakers & the Centre for Creation, Toronto
Placement with choreographer Maguy Marin, Centre Chorégraphique National, Lyon and with Carla Peterson, Dance Theatre Workshop, New York

Michael Trent graduated from the University of Toronto with a BSc in Physiology and Bioethics in 1985. Since then, he has garnered national recognition in Canada as a choreographer, dancer, teacher and producer and was co-recipient of the 2004 K.M. Hunter Award in dance.  Michael founded the empty collective in 2000, and has created over 30 works, including the award-winning solo Acts of Light. He has worked as a performer with some of Canada's most respected creators, and has been guest teacher with various dance companies and Artist-in-residence at Canadian Children's Dance Theatre.

Karol Urbanski - Founder, The Centre for Contemporary Dance, Warsaw
Placement with John Ashford, Theatre Director, The Place             
                     
Born in Lodz, Poland, Karol Urbanski studied at the State Ballet School in Lodz and later studied philosophy at Warsaw University.  His dance career began at the ballet company at the Grand Theatre in Lodz, following which he joined the National Opera in Warsaw and then the Norwegian National Ballet.  He then returned to Warsaw where he is still based.  As a choreographer, he has created works in Poland and Norway, and has taught for the State Ballet School in Lodz and the Ballet School in Warsaw.  In 2006, Karol co-founded the Centre for Contemporary Dance in Warsaw, of which he is still actively involved.

David Micklem - Co-Artistic Director, Battersea Arts Centre

David Micklem was appointed Joint Artistic Director of BAC in April 2008, working alongside David Jubb to enable the organisation to build capacity to achieve ambitious growth plans. David brought six years experience as Theatre Strategy Officer at Arts Council England, where he managed large scale projects and budgets including taking on the project based role of Associate Producer for Artichoke on The Sultan's Elephant; leading an international debate on the role of contemporary circus arts; and working closely with foreign governments on theatre investment strategies, establishing an international artists fellowship programme across Europe and Australia. David also commissioned The Producers: Alchemists of the Impossible in collaboration with The Jerwood Foundation - a publication which looked at the work of the UK's leading creative producers including David Jubb, David Lan and Farooq Chaudhry.

Before his time at the Arts Council, David spent five years as the General Manager of the Chelsea Theatre, leading the theatre through a capital fundraising campaign and refurbishment programme, positioning the venue as a centre for new writing and overseeing a period of intense growth and development, trebling audiences and doubling turnover.

David has a strong track record of producing new theatre projects including critically acclaimed new plays from Tony Kushner (Home Body / Kabul), Sarah Kane (Crave), Abi Morgan (Skinned), Pete Lawson (Burning Houses), Paul Tucker (Room to Let and The Last Yellow) and Amy Rosenthal (Sitting Pretty).


Charles Handy
 
Charles Handy is a writer, broadcaster and lecturer. His books on the changing shape of work and its effects on our lives and organizations have sold two million copies around the world. His latest books include his memoir Myself and Other More Important Matters and The New Philanthropists: Making a Difference with photographs by his wife, a professional photographer. This is a sequel to their earlier book The New Alchemists profiling successful entrepreneurs in all walks of life.
 
He has, in his career, been an oil executive with Shell, a business economist, a professor at the London Business School, the Warden of St. George's House in Windsor Castle (a study centre for social and ethical issues) and the Chairman of the Royal Society of Arts.  He is also known in Britain for his Thoughts for Today on the BBC radio breakfast show 'Today'.   He is Irish and grew up in Kildare, but now lives in London.

Valentina Harris - Guest Chef

Valentina Harris is the noted authority on Italian food and food culture and a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals.  Valentina is bright and passionate and appeals to people far beyond her chosen subject. Being a prolific author as well as doing many TV appearances, she is always in demand to appear at top food events. She has given innumerable live cookery demonstrations and lectures extensively across Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Africa. Valentina's first cookery book, Perfect Pasta, has been translated into six languages.

Seven other books followed on from the success of Perfect Pasta culminating in the BBC six-part television series - Italian Regional Cookery. Valentina is the author of over twenty books on Italian cookery and has also contributed to The Sunday Times Cooks Companion and Insight Guide to Tuscany amongst others. Valentina is now established as a prolific writer on Italian food and cuisine and regularly features on television and radio and contributes to many leading national newspapers and magazines.

Valentina has worked as a consultant to Tesco, Waitrose and other supermarkets as well as food manufacturers. Her skills are also sought by food appliance companies, hotel and restaurant groups for marketing, promotions, product, recipe and menu development, through to lecturing and training. Valentina has an ability to put across her deep knowledge of Italian food culture and history in a most entertaining and accessible way which makes her in demand as an after dinner speaker as well as making her demonstrations uniquely fulfilling for those taking part.

For images and interviews please contact Emma Brightmore at DanceEast on 01473 295230 or emma.brightmore@danceeast.co.uk