<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
    xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
    xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
    xmlns:admin="http://webns.net/mvcb/"
    xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#"
    xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/">

    <channel>
    
    <title>Retina Dance Company News</title>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[]]></content:encoded>
    <link>http://www.retinadance.com/index.php</link>
    <description></description>
    <dc:language>en</dc:language>
    <dc:creator>erwin.heiser@gmail.com</dc:creator>
    <dc:rights>Copyright 2011</dc:rights>
    <dc:date>2011-11-11T22:16:26+00:00</dc:date>
    <admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.pmachine.com/" />
    

    <item>
      <title>Join the team at Retina</title>
      <link>http://www.retinadance.com/index.php/news/join_the_team_at_retina/</link>
      <guid>http://www.retinadance.com/index.php/news/join_the_team_at_retina/#When:22:16:26Z</guid>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Retina is currently seeking two people to join the team in the UK:</p>

<h3>Administrator (maternity cover) </h3>

<p>Duties include the responsibility for activity schedules and day-to-day liaison with dancers and collaborators, project logistics (booking travel, accommodation and preparing schedules), collecting and analysing performance data for the purposes of evaluation and monitoring, liaising with venues and project hosts and maintaining and developing databases.</p>

<ul>
<li><a href="/documents/AdministratorJD2011.pdf">Download job description <em>(PDF)</em></a></li>
<li><a href="/documents/Administrator_ApplicationForm.doc">Download application form <em>(DOC)</em></a></li>
</ul>

<p>It is envisaged that the post will commence in December/January.<br />
Closing date is 5pm on Monday 21 November.<br />
Interviews for the Admin post are scheduled to take at Retina’s base in Nottingham in early December – <strong>exact dates to be confirmed</strong>.</p>

<h3>Teacher (Retina Youth Dance Company) </h3>

<p>You will be responsible for teaching the RYDC weekly technique class, leading workshops and rehearsing performance pieces created by Retina’s Artistic Director Filip Van Huffel. You’ll also communicate with the group via email and Facebook, organise performance events, take weekly registers and liaise with Retina’s Manager and Administrator.</p>

<ul>
<li><a href="/documents/RYDCTeacherJD2011.pdf">Download job description <em>(PDF)</em></a></li>
<li><a href="/documents/RYDCTeacher_ApplicationForm.doc">Download application form <em>(DOC)</em></a></li>
</ul>

<p>It is envisaged that the post will commence in January.<br />
Closing date is 5pm on Monday 21 November.<br />
Interviews for the RYDC Teacher post are scheduled for <strong>Friday 25 November in Nottingham</strong>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
      <dc:date>2011-11-11T22:16:26+00:00</dc:date>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title>Put on your dancing shoes</title>
      <link>http://www.retinadance.com/index.php/news/put_on_your_dancing_shoes/</link>
      <guid>http://www.retinadance.com/index.php/news/put_on_your_dancing_shoes/#When:16:19:49Z</guid>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Retina is looking for professional and non-professional dancers of all ages and abilities either based in, or with a strong link to, the East Midlands to join them in the East Midlands premiere of their latest work, <em>Layers of Skin</em>.</p>

<p>This is unpaid professional development and the opportunity to gain experience and training.  Plus the chance to perform in the East Midlands premiere of Retina's latest work, <em>Layers of Skin</em> when it comes to Nottingham Playhouse next January.</p>

<p>You don’t need specialist dance skills to get involved, just enthusiasm and a willingness to take part. The informal auditions will involve meeting the Retina’s Artistic Director, talking through the themes of <em>Layers of Skin</em> and then getting on with some movement work. There’ll be no stage, no row of judges and no audience to perform in front of and everyone aged 12 to 112 with an interest in dance performance is welcome.</p>

<p>Retina Dance Company, in collaboration with Dance4, is holding the <em>Layers of Skin</em> <strong>auditions on Saturday 26 November at College Street Centre</strong>, just off Derby Road in Nottingham. Auditions take place between 10am and 1pm. </p>

<p>To register your interest in attending please email <a href="mailto:suzy@retinadance.com?subject=Audition">suzy@retinadance.com</a> or call 0115 947 6202 ext 224.</p>

<p>The people who are successful at the auditions will need to attend a series of early evening rehearsals in the run-up to the performance. These rehearsals will take place between Saturday 21 and Wednesday 25 January. All dancers will be required two hours prior to the performance on Thursday 26 January. Taking part in the rehearsals and the final performance costs £60 per person. Final details will be confirmed if you are successful in the auditions.</p>

<p>The East Midlands premiere performance of <em>Layers of Skin</em> will take place at <strong>Nottingham Playhouse on Thursday 26 January</strong> with a special schools matinee at 2pm before the main performance at 8pm. To book tickets for the <em>Layers of Skin</em> performance contact Nottingham Playhouse on 0115 941 9419.</p>]]></content:encoded>
      <dc:date>2011-11-08T16:19:49+00:00</dc:date>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title>Inside the studio: Week Twelve Layers of Skin</title>
      <link>http://www.retinadance.com/index.php/news/inside_the_studio_week_twelve_layers_of_skin/</link>
      <guid>http://www.retinadance.com/index.php/news/inside_the_studio_week_twelve_layers_of_skin/#When:21:15:10Z</guid>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The Premiere - by Filip Van Huffel</p>

<p>It’s been just over 2 weeks since we premiered Layers of Skin at Cultuurcentrum Berchem in Antwerp. 3 amazing performances all followed by ecstatic standing ovations from full houses made me feel very proud of all the (33) performers and gave me an overwhelming sense of achievement to pull off a production that seemed larger than life, certainly larger than anything I had ever been involved in before.</p>

<p>Making a new production is always a careful search for the unknown. 2 years before a creation starts, we write ideas, concepts, funding applications and talk to possible collaborators and partners. As we get closer I work on theme’s for improvisations, visual ideas and movement content. So there are a lot of known entities to a production, but it is not until I am actually in the studio with the dancers and start creating the work together, that I get a real sense of what it is that I am about to create. With Layers of Skin I began to understand what I had created after the 3rd performance, and still now I feel that the work can evolve and change into unlimited directions. This is all to do with the 33 performers that took part in this first edition of LOS and the different options available for the future of this show. </p>

<p>Layers of Skin is certainly the biggest and most ambitious work I have created to date. For 12 weeks I enjoyed working with 6 amazing Retina dancers. They all gave everything they have during the creative process and performances. They all are great individuals with their own specific strengths and qualities. I have worked with some of them for several years and others since the beginning of LOS but they gelled as if they had been working together for years. I feel that we have become a small family and now, 2 weeks into the summer break and I am starting to miss them! It was great to feel supported by the group and to see how they got excited by new ideas, phrases, tasks, and structures and also how they tried to delve into my movement quality, a style that makes the work typically Retina. I focus my movement vocabulary on efficient full-bodied movements that are extremely physical and challenging, but without using tension, and forming this into an abstract language that is full of intensity.  One of the hardest things about the work is the speed and intricacy of the material and because of the technical nature of the work, many dancers approach it with force. The Retina dancers have worked hard to try and find efficiency in the movement and already look brilliant but with the commitment that they are putting into the material, I think they will grow and grow and grow!</p>

<p>The extra layers of dancers were also fabulous and made the project very special. We worked with 8 local Antwerp professional dancers and they were really committed and great to work with. For 2 weeks we did class, taught material and created a structure that integrated them into the whole. They did a great job with professionalism. Then in the final week we also integrated 12 local community dancers into the performance and these people were really inspiring individuals, all with their own story to tell. Young ambitious individuals, mums, dads, grandparents altogether to create their own unique contribution to LOS. Everyone was prepared to work hard but in a fun environment, and the presence of the 20 extra dancers in the performance made LOS into the dream that I envisaged 2 years ago. 26 dancers, encompassing old, young, fantastic technique, inspiring enthusiasm, individuality and personality…..perfect!! Then to add the 7 brilliant musicians from Aranis into the mix, just brought the whole thing to life with energy, drive and passion! </p>

<p>I am a choreographer who LOVES MOVEMENT. I think this is important to say because sometimes I feel like I need to apologise for this and convince people (other choreographers, programmers and members of funding commissions) that this is allowed. My approach for this work started very much from a physical, dancing, moving body approach and therefore became a celebration of physicality with different people from different backgrounds. This is what satisfies me as an choreographer and from the reaction of the audience also satisfies them!</p>

<p>LOS will be different everywhere we perform depending on who will be joining us but the core of the production will remain constant. During the first 3 performances I was glad to see that the basic concept and structure works and that the dynamic movement content and great dancers in combination with the live music by Aranis drives the performance to physical levels I rarely see. </p>

<p>So, I am very excited to go on tour and let this work grow, but am equally excited to give lots of different people around Europe the opportunity to join us on stage and meet those unique personalities as well as play my part in nurturing contemporary dance audiences with the physicality and power that dance can provide.
</br></p>

<p><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/26136009?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0&amp;autoplay=0" width="398" height="224" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>

<p></br></p>
]]></content:encoded>
      <dc:date>2011-07-12T21:15:10+00:00</dc:date>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title>RYDC teacher wanted</title>
      <link>http://www.retinadance.com/index.php/news/rydc_teacher_wanted/</link>
      <guid>http://www.retinadance.com/index.php/news/rydc_teacher_wanted/#When:19:08:30Z</guid>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Retina Youth Dance Company is looking for a teacher!</p>

<p>Retina Dance Company is looking for a teacher for their outstanding Retina Youth Dance Company (RYDC).</p>

<p>The teacher will be responsible for teaching the RYDC weekly technique class, leading workshops and rehearsing performance pieces created by Retina’s Artistic Director Filip Van Huffel. The teacher will also be responsible for communication with the group via email and facebook, organising performance events, taking weekly registers and liaising with Retina’s Manager and administrator.</p>

<p>The teacher will have excellent skills in teaching technique classes with energy, positive challenges and within a Retina style. They will encourage full-bodied movement with continuous flow that emphasises efficiency in movement as well as teach partnerwork. They will have a professional but fun attitude, and encourage the young people to challenge themselves and improve their skills. They will have excellent communication and motivational skills.</p>

<p>Retina Youth Dance Company has been in existence for 3 years and has become one of the East Midlands finest youth companies, representing the region at national and international events. Retina Dance Company encourage exchange and performance opportunities wherever possible.</p>

<p>To apply for this position you must submit an application form, a CV and a 15-minute extract of you teaching. The film can be submitted as a www.vimeo.com link and should preferably include you teaching a section of a technique class. We are interested in seeing the movement material but also your communication and motivational skills. Those shortlisted will be invited to teach during Retina’s summer school in Nottingham the week of 15th August.</p>

<p>The post will begin in September 2011.</p>

<p>To apply, contact admin@retinadance.com or 
call Joanna Smuga-Lumatz on 0115 947 6202 (225)</p>
]]></content:encoded>
      <dc:date>2011-07-11T19:08:30+00:00</dc:date>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title>Inside the studio: Week Eleven Layers of Skin</title>
      <link>http://www.retinadance.com/index.php/news/inside_the_studio_week_eleven_layers_of_skin/</link>
      <guid>http://www.retinadance.com/index.php/news/inside_the_studio_week_eleven_layers_of_skin/#When:22:33:30Z</guid>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Last week Layers of Skin got its final layer added with a wonderful group of community dancers from Antwerp. 4 outdoor public workshops introduced the style of work, followed by a Saturday workshop for anyone interested in being a part of Layers of Skin. 50 people aged from age 11 to 67 came and after a fantastic session, the company had the challenging task of selecting 12 of them to perform alongside them in the final production. The group selected is full of passion and drive that you don’t see everywhere and they have been brilliant to work with. Below are some of their comments about the week. Reading them makes me realise how lucky we are to be doing this project, and how important it is to make these opportunities happen.</p>

<p>Carmen Lauwers age 23: Working with Retina is a delight! It's been 5 years since I quit dancing, and I can't imagine a more exciting project to get back into it. There are (almost) no words to describe how heart warming the company is. The dancers are very patient while teaching the different moves. You can ask the same question over and over again. It's very inspiring to be a tiny part of this amazing energetic production. The dancers show an enormous physical power and they always keep pushing themselves to the next level. I'm enjoying every rehearsal and go home in admiration of the dancers, and put on the films of the latest rehearsal on the website.  This opportunity makes me remember why I started dancing in the first place and now I keep asking myself, why did I ever quit? Thank you Retina for this amazing experience, thanks to you I found the love of dancing back! Hope this week will last forever. </p>

<p>Ytsje de Boer age 45: It is a unique opportunity to work with the professional dancers of Retina to a real performance. It is a dream that came true for me. It is great to see that the dancers of Retina are a real group of dancers working together, and also like to teach pieces of dance to others. Moreover, it is really inspiring to work in this project with all kinds of people of different ages and background. I would like to end with a quote: 'A man is not old until regrets start taking place of dreams' - Anonymous </p>

<p>Beja Pingnet age 55: I'm very happy with the friendliness, the playfulness and the patience of Filip and the Retina dancers in showing us how to participate in a very dynamic dancing project. It's very special to me that I can contribute to this with my slower dynamism. It's also great that we can be on the stage the whole time and watch the dancing. I really do enjoy it.</p>

<p>Patricia Budini age 41: I think it is a dream for anyone who is passionate about dance, to experience what it is to be so close and be part of a real professional dance performance. By participating in the rehearsals this week, I became totally captivated because of the dynamic and enthusiasm of the whole group. I experience what it's like to be part of a whole, each dancer is important and has their contributions. The piece Layers of Skin is really dynamic and breathtaking. </p>

<p>An Baeyens age 38: I guess I wanted to be part of the production, to be on a stage for once, maybe the last time in my life.  I also wanted my children to be able to see me and be proud of me, sort of the other way around as when I go to their gym events and school plays. I didn't really know what contemporary dance was like, especially not the improvising.  It made me feel very uneasy at first, as there are no mirrors when we practise, I felt terribly daft, to be honest. But maybe everyone else thought that too.  It's when you look self-assured, that you don't look daft, I guess. Retina's dancers are nice people. I was amazed at the size of the girls' leg muscles. Impressive! I wonder what it's like for them to live here in Belgium and dance so much of the time. Do they know all the good pubs and restaurants in Antwerp or is there no time or energy for all that?  I could give them a few tips...! </p>

<p>Eddy Merckx age 45: Sometimes by coincidence we meet someone, then you get the chance to step on to a passing bus that can bring you to a higher level in your life. You step on or you don’t, if you don’t it will be gone and maybe, it will never return. I taught myself to take these chances. So to cut a long story short …. I am part of this energetic experience called Layers of Skin, these are the things that dreams are made of and make life so beautiful. Thanks for sharing Retina!</p>

<p>Patricia Ceuppens age 39: A few years ago, I saw RAUW in CC Berchem and I liked the piece so much that I didn’t hesitate a moment to participate to the workshops. So I was really happy to be selected to participate for Layers of Skin! As a lover of dance, I am grateful to have the possibility to dance with professional dancers and to see the process of creating this piece. For me it’s also interesting to learn about another way of life of the dancers in contrast with my own way of life. I also like the relaxed, funny way Filip and the other dancers teach us the phrases, without any stress with 100% of trust in the community dancers! It’s really nice. Learning other ways of movements and techniques (lifting, pulling, pushing, falling, movements on the ground …) are very enriching for me. I experience Retina Dance Company as a cohesive group of sympathetic, nice people, who can work very hard but always with a large dose of fun. The piece itself is GREAT, spectacular and original! I am sure it will be etched in the memory of the public! I admire the dancers for their talent, physically and mentally and the fact they can memorize all the phrases so easily. So, THANK YOU very much for this fantastic experience! I am looking forward next Thursday and the days after….  </p>

<p>Wim Bouchery age 37: - I wanted to be part of Layers of Skin because I love modern dance. It moves me more than anything else. But I have only been a spectator. I wanted to experience what it's like to perform. I wanted to know how a dance piece is 'put together', how dancers work, prepare,... Thanks to Retina and it's wonderfully talented, incredibly patient and just super kind dancers, I've been able to experience all this! There is a very positive, optimistic and ambitious atmosphere at Retina. Everyone works hard towards the same goal, but there's always room for a joke. I must say it's hard work, especially staying focused, because I love the physical side of it. Very often movements or dance phrases that, at first sight, seem very easy to elaborate are a real struggle for an amateur like me. The day before yesterday, when we first saw the whole piece, I was stunned. It looked fantastic and I was watching the dancers with great admiration (and a little bit of jealousy). I'm sure the audience is going to love it! So, thanks to everyone at Retina Dance Company!</p>

<p>Jef Stevens says: I'm 63 now and every time it’s quite a challenge to perform. This time I got the opportunity to enter the active Retina volcano to add my small contribution as community dancer to Layers of Skin. We just finished the first week and I can say I am enjoying it with my older flexibility and motorics in the midst of the powerful dynamics of all these young dancers. In my opinion, it adds to the whole. Filip Van Huffel has what it takes to get out of you what is there already. He invites me with a smile and I go for it every time. And he doesn’t keep that skill to himself, the professional dancers of the Retina team have the same attitude. It's a luxury to be able to work with them. I'm thriving in such a setting. My body flourishes and the whole of me starts dancing. No wonder I feel really well. I'm aware of these energy flows going everywhere and return home every day a happy man. So give me more of these chances. Something in two weeks from now? Next month? I'm getting greedy.
</br></p>

<p><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/25325565?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0&amp;autoplay=0" width="398" height="224" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>

<p></br></p>

<p><a href="http://www.ccberchem.be/programma/2659/layers-of-skin/retina-dance-company">Buy Tickets for Layers of Skin premiere at Cultuurcentrum Berchem on June 23, 24 & 25</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
      <dc:date>2011-06-21T22:33:30+00:00</dc:date>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title>Inside the studio: Week Ten Layers of Skin</title>
      <link>http://www.retinadance.com/index.php/news/inside_the_studio_week_ten_layers_of_skin/</link>
      <guid>http://www.retinadance.com/index.php/news/inside_the_studio_week_ten_layers_of_skin/#When:11:16:33Z</guid>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Week 10 was the first week shared with the local Antwerp professional dancers. 8 new people in the studio to share existing movement vocabulary with and create new sections to incorporate into the whole. A whole new challenge, but one that has been worth doing. 8 professional dancers alongside Retina’s 6, makes the stage quite an impressive place, seeing them all in the throws of Retina’s twists, turns, flying squirrels and lifts is quite an exhilarating sight.</p>

<p>A few comments from the Antwerp professionals:
Fenne says: It has been great to throw myself into Retina’s work. The physicality of it is new to me, and after teaching for a while it is very refreshing to have to think about movement again and try to make it my own. Working with Filip and the 6 dancers is relaxed and fun. It has been really hard work, but that’s exactly what I was looking for! </p>

<p>Judith says: I was quite curious about this new production of Retina Dance, so it was nice to get the chance to be involved. I like the physicality and the challenge it brings and the music is very inspiring. I cannot wait to feel what it will be like when the musicians are in the same space, playing live. It also gave me the opportunity to get to know the dancers of Retina a little better, as well as the other dancers from Antwerp. It is a very fun bunch of people. It really is great fun!!!  </p>

<p>Dafne says: Working with Retina is a training of the body and mind. In the first week the focus was especially on the mind, trying to memorise all of these extraordinary movements. Was it in a 5, 6 or 7? Where is this leg, where is my focus.... where is my mind? Hopefully next week the movement will become a part of my body and we can enjoy to dance even more. But most of all, working with Retina makes me so happy in the informal, joyful atmosphere, its really nice working with a group that is as passionate as yourself with dance. What more can a person want…… </p>

<p>Week 10 with Retina and week 1 with the local professionals. Next weeks blog will share the inside story of week 11 of Retina, week 2 of local professionals and week 1 with the local community dancers. Its been a fantastic journey so far, and now just a few days away from the premiere….
</br></p>

<p><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/25106845?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0&amp;autoplay=0" width="398" height="224" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>

<p></br></p>

<p><a href="http://www.ccberchem.be/programma/2659/layers-of-skin/retina-dance-company">Buy Tickets for Layers of Skin premiere at Cultuurcentrum Berchem on June 23, 24 & 25</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
      <dc:date>2011-06-18T11:16:33+00:00</dc:date>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title>Inside the Studio : Week Nine Layers of Skin</title>
      <link>http://www.retinadance.com/index.php/news/inside_the_studio_week_nine_layers_of_skin/</link>
      <guid>http://www.retinadance.com/index.php/news/inside_the_studio_week_nine_layers_of_skin/#When:20:28:23Z</guid>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hi, my name is Marnix, and for two months now I've been working with Retina as a dramaturg and communications officer.</p> 

<p></br></p>

<p>The first job allows me to spend lots of time in the studio, seeing this piece grow day by day. And that's been amazing. I've never worked with a company that can evoke such an energy on stage and in the studio, performing with such intricacy, prepared to push their bodies to the limit and always a bit beyond. In English it may read as a weak wordplay, but its moving!. I'm guessing that only this kind of dedication and energy can fuel a project this ambitious. And as an audience member, it's quite unique to witness just that alone. At the same time its a blessing to work with a choreographer who has his own unique movement language, but on the other hand is open to input and feedback. That makes the sitting, looking and wondering that this dream job is about even nicer. <img src="http://www.retinadance.com/images/smileys/wink.gif" width="19" height="19" alt="wink" style="border:0;" /></p>

<p></br></p>

<p>And that’s where the second job comes in: almost to ensure that I get some movement as well, running around from here to there and back again, spreading the word. Hoping to share this thing with as many other people who may enjoy it. And fortunately we're headed in the right direction: the premiere will be packed with enthusiasts, and the second and the third performance night audience numbers are growing by the day. And they are right to book, because Layers of Skin not only looks exciting, but even kind of risky! Because the scale and the energy of Layers of Skin gets boosted by the day. And the theatre already feels inappropriately small!</p>

<p></br></p>

<p>Now we're preparing for the final sprint, because it’s all going to happen. First there was the music by Aranis, a brisk mix of sun-ripened tango, contemporary classical and rock music. Then there is the movement material, varying between subdued poetical statues to explosive group scenes. Last week we started working with 8 local professional dancers, to expand some scenes to the next level and its amazing how massive 14 dancers look on a stage, even on a stage the size of Cultuurcentrum Berchem. Yesterday we did a run with live music, which not only adds 7 musicians, but considerably boosts the atmosphere. And tonight we start working with a group of 12 enthusiastic local community dancers, eager to join us on stage. Add some new mass choreographies, the right lighting and costumes (with a hint of nudity of course, it's contemporary dance we're talking about) and you get something that makes me doubt if Cultuurcentrum Berchem can contain it. But whether the walls will be in the way or not, what you can be sure of, is that the energy will be there, in some amazing music and movement, getting under your skin!</p>

<p></br>
Written by Marnix Rummens, Dramaturg &amp; Belgium Communications
</br></p>

<p><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/24800089?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0&amp;autoplay=0" width="398" height="224" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>

<p><a href="http://www.ccberchem.be/programma/2659/layers-of-skin/retina-dance-company">Buy Tickets for Layers of Skin premiere at Cultuurcentrum Berchem on June 23, 24 & 25</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
      <dc:date>2011-06-14T20:28:23+00:00</dc:date>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title>Summer School opportunities in Nottingham</title>
      <link>http://www.retinadance.com/index.php/news/summer_school_opportunities_in_nottingham/</link>
      <guid>http://www.retinadance.com/index.php/news/summer_school_opportunities_in_nottingham/#When:09:38:25Z</guid>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Retina Dance Company presents...</p>

<p></br></p>

<p><strong>Arts Award Bronze in a Week</strong></p>

<p>Pupils from Nottingham City Schools - you are invited to attend a week-long summer dance programme with Retina Dance Company. You will complete the four parts of your Arts Award Bronze, see The Sound of Music (Theatre Royal, Nottingham), receive an introduction to contemporary dance and work towards a performance at the end of the week.</p>

<p></br></p>

<p>Places are limited and allocated on a first-come first-served basis.</p>

<p>£65 OR book places on both Arts Award in a week & Retina Summer School for a total of £100</p>

<p>July 25 – 29</p>

<p>10am - 4pm at the College Street Centre, Nottingham, NG1 5AQ</p>

<p>More info : frances.howard@nottinghamcity.gov.uk /  07943 835459</p>

<p></br></p>

<p><strong>Retina Summer School</strong></p>

<p>Learn new skills, meet like-minded people and be inspired in challenging Retina style workshops, culminating in a performance. Retina Dance Company will teach 3 full days of technique classes and workshops for 11-17yr olds and professionals 18+.</p>

<p>"…a wonderful experience that has really fired my passion for dance!...my body felt alive with physicality…I have been left feeling more confident and like a dancer than I have before.”
 Zoe Sawane – Scottish School of Contemporary Dance student</p>

<p></br></p>

<p>£45</p>

<p>August 15 – 17</p>

<p>New College Nottingham (ncn), Clarendon, Pelham Avenue, Nottingham NG5 1AL</p>

<p></br></p>

<p><strong>RYDC Audition</strong></p>

<p>Retina Youth Dance Company wants you! Please come along to the audition for your chance to become an RYDC member. RYDC members have weekly dance classes, take part in exchanges with youth companies and perform around the country. Meet current RYDC members and get a taster for the Retina Style at our 3-day Summer School.</p>

<p></br></p>

<p>August 18</p>

<p>New College Nottingham (ncn), Clarendon, Pelham Avenue, Nottingham NG5 1AL</p>

<p></br></p>

<p><strong>To find out more info & to book onto any of these please contact Joanna : admin@retinadance.com / 0115 947 6202 ext 225</strong></p>

<p></br></p>

<p>Retina is supported by Arts Council England, Cultuurcentrum Berchem, Stad Antwerpen, District Berchem, Nottingham City Council</p>
]]></content:encoded>
      <dc:date>2011-06-03T09:38:25+00:00</dc:date>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title>Inside the Studio : Week Eight Layers of Skin</title>
      <link>http://www.retinadance.com/index.php/news/inside_the_studio_week_eight_layers_of_skin/</link>
      <guid>http://www.retinadance.com/index.php/news/inside_the_studio_week_eight_layers_of_skin/#When:11:40:30Z</guid>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hi I’m Ian and I’m Retina’s Education Officer for the East Midlands and this week I have been in Antwerp with the dancers and Filip while they work on <a href="http://www.retinadance.com/index.php/current/layers_of_skin/">Layers of Skin</a>...</p>

<p></br></p>

<p>Anyone who doubts the healing power of the arts needs to spend a week with a dance company! (or maybe just this dance company). I stepped off the Eurostar in Belgium at 9am Monday morning with a head-cold, blocked nose, a spine that sounded like a skeleton playing maracas while tap-dancing and a brain made fuzzy from sleep deprivation. By midday Tuesday my cold had cleared up and my fuzzy head was freshly laundered and busy being filled with lots and lots (and lots) of Filip’s new material. As the week progressed I began to feel my body unlocking again, with a liquid spine and (as every dancer knows) that lovely ‘it hurts like hell but it’s totally worth it’ all over achy feeling - as only a week with Filip can deliver.</p> 

<p></br></p>

<p>However, the enjoyment of all the lovely classes (especially an amazing Thursday massage session) was short-lived, because as soon as class was over the dancers produced a massive mental crowbar and began to shoehorn tonnes of material into my tiny squealing brain. There was so little time to grab it all but Louisa (the company apprentice) was fab (Grazi Louisa Grazi!) and went through things until I felt as if my head was full and all the complicated intricate and exhilarating choreography was pouring out my ears.</p>

<p></br></p>

<p>The boys let me crash in a spare room of the ccBe apartment - a purpose built top floor flat with a lovely sunny roof terrace and a Nintendo Wii (which is a fantastic idea for visiting dance companies – British venues take note). Oh, and about (at a conservative estimate) ten hundred million mosquitoes. (Thanks to Kristina and Dave for hooking me up with various pre and post insect attack chemicals btw). In the evenings we sat outside in one of the little café’s and drank delicious Belgian beer and played duck and cover with wave after wave of bloodthirsty flying insects. The other great thing about staying in ccBe is that it’s possible to roll out of bed at 9.20am, jump in the shower and be fresh as a daisy, smelling delightful and ready to sweat loads for class.</p> 

<p></br></p>

<p>On Tuesday I cooked for the guys and made a stir fry, (Note to self for future – Less rice and more stir fry) fortunately Matt was on hand to save me with a few more veggies!. On Wednesday we went over to Nat and Filip’s where Nat put me to shame with an amazing meal with lots of wine and conversation, then settled down to berate the many failings of this year’s BBC batch of apprentice candidates. So if nothing else this week, I have been well fed, stuffed full of choreography and introduced to the wonderful world of Alan Sugars creepy finger pointing (YOU’RE FIRED!)</p>

<p></br></p>

<p><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/24437944?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0&amp;autoplay=0" width="398" height="224" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>

<p></br></p>

<p>But enough rambling, let’s talk about Layers of Skin. It looks, AMAZING!!! On Friday I watched a full run (all 1 hour and 4 seconds and there might be even more to come) and it literally makes my heart stop. There are so many things that stand out… Especially the duet’s and trio’s! Dave and Kristina’s amazing speedy gonzalez duet, Steven and Pauline’s solo’s, Matt and Pauline’s duet, the boys trio, the accumulation sections... I could go on and on! Filip tried out a new layering and structure for the end and the guys finished the full run (first one ever) covered in sweat and smiles! I think the achy arms, necks, backs, thighs and eyebrows (David) are definitely worth! And I say that of course with someone with only slightly achy arms, neck, back and thighs.</p>

<p></br></p>

<p>So much happened this week and I’ve learnt so much its difficult to take it all in. I’ve learnt about a third of the piece and am super motivated about all the possibilities for workshops and teaching for the education packages back home! East Midlands watch out!</p>

<p></br></p>

<p>So my potted summary of 7 days in Antwerp…..</p>

<p>Best things: Dance Dance Dance!!! Meeting all the lovely new Retina Dancers, playing with Mika and Kobi in the studio, amazing Belgium beer, brilliant local food, lots and lots of support for the arts by a supportive open minded and enlightened population (Hint Hint) and nailing a section of rep down cold!</p>

<p>Worst things: Having to leave, mosquitoes, not having a photographic memory, mosquitoes, losing on the Nintendo Wii, mosquitoes, the early morning achy body feeling and mosquitoes.</p>

<p>Thing you’re most likely to hear me say: So wait, what comes after this?</p>

<p>Things you’re least likely to hear me say: Ah, fantastic, more mosquitoes!</p>

<p></br></p>

<p>Written by Ian Dolan, Retina Dance Company Education Officer</p>

<p></br>
<p><a href="http://www.ccberchem.be/programma/2659/layers-of-skin/retina-dance-company">Buy Tickets for Layers of Skin premiere at Cultuurcentrum Berchem on June 23, 24 &amp; 25</a></p></br></p>
]]></content:encoded>
      <dc:date>2011-05-31T11:40:30+00:00</dc:date>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title>Inside the Studio : Week Seven Layers of Skin</title>
      <link>http://www.retinadance.com/index.php/news/inside_the_studio_week_seven_layers_of_skin/</link>
      <guid>http://www.retinadance.com/index.php/news/inside_the_studio_week_seven_layers_of_skin/#When:07:03:23Z</guid>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Well Hello there, its Steven here, I am the last of the company to write the blog for the <a href="http://www.retinadance.com/index.php/current/layers_of_skin/">Layers of Skin</a> creation and as predicted I am handing it in late….whoopsies!!! Oh well, I better get on with it then!!!</p>

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/24193532?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0" width="398" height="224" frameborder="0"></iframe>

<p>Monday kicked off with a rehearsal of <em>La Lutte</em> (amazing way to start the week off…literally with a bang), poor Matt had again been stranded in Amsterdam the night before and had just arrived in Antwerp that morning but even though we were both a tad on the sleepy side the run of the piece went great and we managed to get all the way to the end which, with <em>La Lutte</em>, is half the battle!  However, I did manage to scratch Mister Slater on the forehead somehow…Sorry Matt! I love coming back to <em>La Lutte</em> after a break from it, as it always seems to develop and change. It’s a very exciting piece to perform, even if it is just a run in the studio. After we had finished rehearsing <em>La Lutte</em> we all came back together and got back to Layers of Skin. Filip began working on two duets in the piece (Erin and Kristina, Pauline and Dave), the emphasis on the rehearsal was the intention of the movement they were creating and the tone it set at their different points in the piece. We also put a section called ‘the 7’s’ into a clear spatial structure, which I’m sure I’ll get right before the premiere … erm, fingers-crossed! In the evening we performed as part of a celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the Cultuurcentrum Berchem (this is where we rehearse in Antwerp, for all you non-Belgian followers out there). </p>

<p>On Tuesday we revisited a Quintet that was created a few weeks ago. Filip played about with the material, creating a gestural version and adding it into the structure of the section. We finished the day with a run of 45 minutes of <em>Layers of Skin</em>. It feels that each time we run the piece it is getting stronger and everything is beginning to settle and make sense…it is very exciting! It’s also nice to see everyone getting more confident in the work. All of the company are so different it is so nice to watch them all and what they bring to the piece…you guy’s rock! Can’t wait for June!!</p>

<p>As Matt and I were performing <em>La Lutte</em> in Gent on Sunday 22nd as part of Rêverie 2011 Dance Festival the company rehearsed in Gent from Wednesday to Friday and did open class and rehearsal there. Wednesday’s rehearsal focused on the music for the first section of the piece. It was useful to listen to the music together and make sure we were all on the same page. Thursday approached with another run of <em>La Lutte</em>, the final rehearsal before the show on Sunday and a Layers of Skin creative task. We had to come up with a short gestural phrase with the idea of exploring your own skin. We were then put in groups so we could observe each other’s movement and take out unnecessary dance steps so you could only see the original intention without embellishment. I then had to give my short phrase its own distinct rhythm, this involved having a metronome constantly ticking in the background for the rest of the day…having a tooth removed without anaesthetic is less painful. I was then teamed up with Matt to mix up our phrases to create one. This was continued on Friday (as was the metronome☹) and then the day was finished up with a run of the piece.</p>

<p>Sunday came along and it was indeed no day of rest for the wicked…erm, I mean me. Filip and I hopped on a train to Gent and began to get ready for the <em>La Lutte</em> performance…well actually, Filip and the technician set up the lights while Matt and I had a snooze in another room until it was tech time! It’s a tough life! The performance was well received by a warm audience and it was a great way to end the week…oh, except I did end up scratching Matt’s face again…Sorry Slater!</p>

<p>Written by Steven Martin, Retina Dance Company
<p><a href="http://www.ccberchem.be/programma/2659/layers-of-skin/retina-dance-company">Buy Tickets for Layers of Skin premiere at Cultuurcentrum Berchem on June 23, 24 &amp; 25</a></p></br></p>

<p><a href="http://www.retinadance.com/index.php/news/retina_presents_open_dance_workshops_for_all/">Want to dance in Layers of Skin premiere? Aged 12-112 and enjoy movement? Come to our open workshop 28 May</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
      <dc:date>2011-05-25T07:03:23+00:00</dc:date>
    </item>
   
    </channel>
</rss>
