Congratulations
to Phoebe Spencer Hall who has landed herself a part
in this years Panto at The Opera House, Manchester. Snow White
will star Tina O’Brien, of Coronation Street fame and
Strictly Come Dancing! A huge well done to Phoebe who is one
of only 20 chorus members. 400 children auditioned for the Panto
which runs throughout December.
ZUMBA
FITNESS CRAZE HITS ROSSENDALE!
Rossendale Dance & Drama Centre (RDDC), based in Waterfoot
and Ramsbottom, are delighted to announce the introduction
of Zumba to the array of adult classes they offer
Founded by Beto Perez, a Colombian aerobics instructor, Zumba
has exploded onto the dance and fitness scene and is now regarded
as the single most influential program in the fitness industry.
These exciting, 1 hour classes, burn calories and energize
the body. You don’t need to know how to dance, just
come along, ditch the workout and join the party!
Zumba is a sizzling dance and fitness workout which uses basic
steps to fast and slow hypnotic Latin and European rhythms.
Along with resistance training this combines to tone the body
and burn fat. Perfect!
Jemma Chrimes, RDDC’s Zumba co-ordinator said, “
Healthy, rewarding and beneficial Zumba will leave you not
only feeling good but looking fantastic! Anyone can take part,
no partner required, just plenty of enthusiasm and a sense
of humour!!”
Classes, held daytime and evening, at both Ramsbottom and
Waterfoot centres. For more information on Zumba or any other
classes we offer please phone 01706 211161 email info@rddc.co.uk
or visit our website www.rddc.co.uk
Waterloo Road
Look out for more RDDC pupils on the next series of Waterloo
Road. Lots of our RDDC Management Agency teenagers are currently
filming scenes for the hit series. Well done to you all. Keep
up the good work!
Farewell
RDDC recently said goodbye to Olivia Atkinson who has left
RDDC to study Performing Arts in Cumbria. A talented, valuable
and much loved member of the Senior team she will be sorely
missed. A huge good luck to Olivia from all at RDDC.
Oliver! performance at Nutters Restaurant
Rossendale Dance & Drama Centre recently took their
talent to Andrew Nutters restaurant, "Nutters!" The
specially themed weekend, "Food Glorious Food" featured
some of our talented drama and musical theatre pupils who performed
renditions from the ever popular musical, Oliver! to a packed
restaurant. Take a look at our pictures!
Ramsbottom Annual Show 2010
Steffi Armor, 9 years, recently scooped first
place at the Royal Academy of Dance Scholarship Day, held at
the Lowry Theatre, Salford. This was the first time RDDC have
attended this event and we were delighted to see Steffi win
her class. Another young lady to watch out for! Well done Steffi.
Curtis Blanchard Lewis, 10 years, has been
accepted onto the Hammond schools prestigious Junior Associate
course. He will attend specilality dance classes every fortnight,
training with the vocational team at Hammond. Super news for
Curtis and the RDDC Team.
Ross Entwistle, 11 years, has been selected
from scores of other talented boys to attend Saturday workshops
in London's West End. He successfully auditioned for a the opportunity
to work with the director and cast from Andrew Lloyd Webbers
hit new musical 'Love Never Dies'! Ross will study the part
of Gustave and sing alongside the Phantom himself! Wow! Fantastic
stuff - watch this space!!
Our Group of the Year Teams enjoyed success at the
UKA's popular event at Middleton Arena. Our Upper Junior Team
scooped 1st place in Jazz and 4th in Ballet ahead of 15 other
teams. The Senior Team claimed 1st place inSong & Dance
and 2nd in Ballet. A fabulous result - well done to all concerned!
March 31st 2010 Congratulations to the folloing
pupils:
Lorna
Savory, Phoebe Spencer Hall, Steffi Armor, Curtis Blanchard
Lewis & Sophie Duncan who recently starred in a full scale
production of Giselle for English Youth Ballet.
English Youth Ballet produce full length classical ballets
in regional theatres all over the Uk in order to give young
dancers outside London the opportunity to perform within a
professional setting. Professional dancers perfrom the lead
roles accompanied by the cast of young dancers. RDDC are very
proud to have had 5 students cast in roles in this production.
It is very rare for so many dancers from
the same centre to be cast from the hundreds that originally
audition.
Lorna Savory age 15 was cast as a soloist (very prestigious!)
in the part of Giselles friend in Act 1 then the choreographers
were so impressed with her that they cast her in a second
role (very rare!) for Act 2 as a 'Willis' who is a young woman
jilted in love who rises from her grave to take revenge on
any man who crosses her path! You have been warned!
Steffi Armor, Sophie Duncan are cast in the role of parlour
maids (high profile roles for their age and experience); Curtis
Blanchard Lewis as one of the children and Phoebe Spencer
Hall as a villager. All 5 have train at RDDC in Ballet, Tap,
Jazz, Street, Musical Theatre and Acting and have done so
from an early age! Well done girls & boys we are all very
proud of you.
News just in! Sophie Duncan has recently been
successful at English Youth Ballets Nottingham auditions for
the Senior cast Fantastic news for all concerned! Look out
for more details on Sophies' blosssoming ballet career coming
soon!
Waterloo Road
Many teenage members of RDDC Management Agency recently had
the opportunity to film with the cast from BBC 1 hit school
drama Waterloo Road. Everyone had a fabulous time and had
the chance to meet some famous faces from the hit show. Ben
Davies who plays new character Ronan and Lucien Laviscount
formerly of Coronation Street proved extremely popular! Everyone
is now looking forward to when the programme restarts at the
end of the month to capture a glimpse of what it is like to
be on television. This is great news for everyone at RDDC
Management Agency and no doubt will be the start of many television
performances for many of our young actors. If you want to
know more about how to join our blossoming ageny just give
us a call on 01706 211161 or email rddc@btinternet.com
Festival
Students from Rossendale Dance and Drama Centre competed at
Burnley Speech and Drama Festival and were extremely successful
being placed in many classes, such as solo drama, improvisation,
verse, prose reading, bible reading, mime and group drama.
Jemma Chrimes teacher at RDDC commented, “The children
were fantastic and really enjoyed the day.” All 31 competitors
from Rossendale Dance and Drama Centre in Waterfoot and at
Ramsbottom train on a weekly bases to improve skills such
as confidence, speech, and public speaking. For more information
on these events and classes that we have ongoing throughout
the year RDDC just give us a call on 01706 211161
or email rddc@btinternet.com
August 2009
Congratulations to the following dance pupils:
Phoebe Spencer - Hall and Lorna Savory both won coveted places
in EYB’s production of The Nutcracker performed in Halifax
in July. This was Lorna’s fourth successive year with
the company whose lead roles are danced by professionals.
Phoebe, 9, was dancing in her first production with EYB -
a superb achievement for one so young. Previous productions
have been Swan Lake and Coppelia.
Helen Mitchell
Helen successfully auditioned for the renowned Hammond School,
Chester. She will begin her further 3 year training for a
Diploma in Professional Dance and Musical Theatre in September
2009.
Hammond, founded in 1917, is one of only 9 schools in the
country to receive bursary funding for talented children,
regardless of background. Helen is one of these children.
So impressed were the panel that they offered her a bursary
to train with the school full time. She will join a thriving
centre of excellence which has recently opened a new Performing
Art Centre housing dance and drama studios as well as a 400
seat theatre.
Helen, 16, an RDDC pupil of just twelve months, studies a
wide range of dance and musical theatre at the Ramsbottom
Centre. Her success has been particularly special as she has
risen to the challenge of preparing herself for audition in
a relatively short space of time . Alison Marlow her teacher
commented, “Helen is a very talented performer. She
has achieved so much in the last twelve months. She has developed
her singing, dance and drama skills beyond recognition and
we are all extremely proud of her achievement. We all wish
her every success.”
Group of the Year Teams
Well done to all 3 of our GOTY teams at this years' National
Theatre Group of the Year competition. Each team enjoyed success
in this event and RDDC was pleased (although a little disappointed)
to be placed 2nd! A huge thank you to dedicated staff, team
members and extremely supportive parents!
Louise Hocking
Louise recently appeared in Birmingham Royal Ballets' production
of Petrushka at The Lowry, Salford. This was a superb opportunity
for her to dance with a well known and highly regarded professional
company on one of the largest stages in the North West. Louise
was also placed as a finalist in the UKA's National Theatre
Scholarships 2008. Truly an outstanding year for her!
National Youth Theatre
Well done to Thomas Kelly who successfully auditioned for
the National Youth Theatre. Every year thousands of young
actors audition for a place at the NYT and the overwhelming
majority are disappointed. But not Thomas Kelly, who, at the
first attempt, impressed NYT and joins the ranks of other
RDDC pupils - Danny Gray, Beth Zarkhosh and Alex Marlow -
as NYT members. Thomas will continue to train at RDDC, but
will spend 2 weeks at the NYT Easter 2010 school in London.
Well done.
The Sound of Music
Chris Marlow is to join the UK Tour of The Sound of Music,
starring Connie Fisher. Do you remember the hit BBC programme
How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? which searched for
a new Maria to star in the Andrew Lloyd Webber production
of The Sound of Music at the London Palladium? After a sell
- out London run the show is now on a UK tour and Chris will
be joining it for the northern dates, a month each in Bradford
(Alhambra Theatre, September 2009) and Manchester (Palace
Theatre, December 2009/January 2010) as the children's cast
tutor.
Chris will work with the 3 teams of children who alternate
to play the Von Trapp children in this hit musical and commented,
"I'm delighted to be joining the show which has an outstanding
team of performers and technicians. Come along and see it
while you can!"
RDDC Management
July 2009 saw the opening of another exciting phase in RDDC's
history - welcome to RDDC Management, the newly created agency
department set up to represent our talented RDDC performers.
Every week we receive casting briefs for television, film
and theatre roles which could be suitable for you. If you
are interested in joining RDDC Management and would like more
details please click
here.
BRITAINS’ GOT TALENT
Did you see our tap team, Instinct, on Britain’s Got
Talent, the top ITV Talent Show? We battled through 2 regional
auditions in Manchester with the judging panel of Amanda Holden,
Piers Morgan and Simon Cowell and then travelled to London’s
Café Royal and Shaftesbury Theatre, for the boot camp
to select the final contenders for the televised shows.
Alas, we did not make it to the televised final but we were
popular enough to be given plenty of air time!
Over 20,000 acts auditioned for BGT and we reached the final
177. The dancers can be justifiably proud of their achievements.
Well done girls!
