Why Dance Matters

Why Dance Matters is a series of conversations with extraordinary people from the world of dance and beyond. It traces the impact of dance on their lives and asks why dance matters to them – and why it might matter to us all. The RAD inspires the world to dance, and we hope these insightful personal conversations – hosted by David Jays, editor of Dance Gazette, the RAD magazine – will delight and even surprise you. 

Xander Parish tells a story of snatching triumph from the jaws of frustration. After a great start – winning a silver medal in the RAD’s Genée International Ballet Competition (now named The Fonteyn) and joining The Royal Ballet – his career seemed to be going nowhere. Then a coach from St Petersburg visited London, saw Xander’s passion to prove himself, and snapped him up for the Mariinsky Ballet. Xander is now a Principal at one of the world’s great companies, dancing the princes he was born to play. Listen to his rollercoaster ride, described with unfailing honesty and good humour.About Xander ParishXander was born in East Yorkshire, England. He trained at the Royal Ballet School in London and in 2005 joined The Royal Ballet Company with his sister Demelza. In 2009, he was invited to join the Mariinsky Ballet by its director Yuri Fateyev, becoming the company’s first and only British dancer. Now a Principal, his roles include Albrecht in Giselle, Siegfried in Swan Lake, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet and the title role in Apollo, for which he won Best Male Performance (Classical) at the UK’s Critics Circle National Dance Awards. In 2019, he was awarded an OBE. In 2004, Xander won a silver medal in the RAD’s then-named Genée International Ballet Competition.Find out more about the RAD’s flagship event, The Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition: https://bit.ly/2RV9Qb7Follow the RAD on social mediaInstagram- @royalacademyofdanceFacebook- @RoyalAcademyofDanceTwitter- @RADheadquartersYouTube- royalacademyofdanceDavid Jays - @mrdavidjaysSign up to our mailing list: https://bit.ly/3frWPh9RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign: https://bit.ly/3fnxEwm  or make a donation: https://bit.ly/3bxA6z5Xander is launching balletclass.com this summer: leading dancers from the UK and Russia are recording classes which students and fans can follow.

Gurinder Chadha doesn’t make dance films or musicals – but with the slightest nudge, films like Bend It Like Beckham, Bride and Prejudice and Blinded by the Light could easily become full-blown song-and-dance spectaculars. On Why Dance Matters, Gurinder describes how dance formed her own British-Asian identity – from kathak classes to daytimers – and how she encourages her cast and crew to have a bop on set. And, speaking as the UK edges out of lockdown, she explains why live audiences are just as crucial in cinema as in dance. About Gurinder Chadha Gurinder Chadha is one of the UK’s most proven and respected film directors and producers. Her award-winning films include Bhaji on the Beach, Bend It Like Beckham, Bride and Prejudice, Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging and Viceroy’s House. Recently, Gurinder created Beecham House, an epic drama series set in India in 1795 (ITV and Masterpiece/PBS). Her films have received awards and nominations from, among others, the Golden Globes, BAFTA, European Film Academy, and the Writers Guild of America. Find out more about the RAD: https://bit.ly/2T8RkNd Follow the RAD on social media, and join the conversation with host David Jays Instagram @royalacademyofdanceFacebook @RoyalAcademyofDanceTwitter  @RADheadquartersYoutube royalacademydance David Jays @mrdavidjays Sign up to our mailing list: https://bit.ly/3frWPh9 RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign: https://bit.ly/3fnxEwm or make a donation: https://bit.ly/3bxA6z5Gurinder’s websitehttps://www.benditnetworks.com/ Gurinder’s 1989 film I’m British But… is free to view on BFI Playerhttps://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-im-british-but-1989-online Dream Palace season at the BFIhttps://whatson.bfi.org.uk/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=dreampalace&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::context_id= 

The choreographer Cathy Marston has a rare gift for telling stories in dance. Now a major player in leading ballet companies (including The Royal Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre) that until recently were a boys’ own club, her starting point is often literature or history – in ballets about Jane Eyre or Lolita, Queen Victoria or Jacqueline du Pré. One chapter in the Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Ballet (which is released with a special online launch hosted by the Royal Academy of Dance) peeks inside Cathy’s rehearsal room: Why Dance Matters also asks her how she creates eloquent stories through dance. About Cathy Marston  Cathy Marston is an award-winning choreographer and artistic director. She spent two years at the Royal Ballet School, before launching a successful international career. She was Associate Artist of the Royal Opera House and director of Bern Ballett. In major creations for The Royal Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Northern Ballet and Danish Royal Ballet, she lends new perspectives to old narratives: in Jane Eyre, Lolita, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, or the historically-inspired The Cellist, Victoria and Witch-hunt. She won the South Bank Sky Arts Award for Victoria (Northern Ballet), the UK National Dance Award for The Suit (Ballet Black) and in 2020 the prize for Excellence in International Dance from the International Institute for Dance and Theatre.  Find out more about the launch for the Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Ballet, co-edited by RAD’s Head of Research Dr Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel: https://bit.ly/3wTKvNN Follow the RAD on social media, and join the conversation with host David JaysInstagram @royalacademyofdanceFacebook @RoyalAcademyofDanceTwitter @RADheadquartersYouTube / royalacademydanceDavid Jays @mrdavidjaysSign up to our mailing list: https://bit.ly/3frWPh9RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign: https://bit.ly/3fnxEwm  or make a donation: https://bit.ly/3bxA6z5 Cathy Marston’s website http://www.cathymarston.com/Cathy has co-founded Companie La Ronde, a new Swiss, independent company producing dance-led, theatrical works. https://www.cielaronde.com/Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Ballet https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-oxford-handbook-of-contemporary-ballet-9780190871499

Dance, and especially ballet, can sometimes seem remote from people’s lives. How do you bolt it into the heart of a community?The answer often lies with an RAD Teacher. In this case, Victoria Treviño, who teaches in Mexico City, has used ballet to change the lives of young people facing very challenging circumstances. After the ballet school she taught at was suddenly and unexpectedly forced to shut, leaving 30 young people with nowhere to turn, Victoria offered her home as a makeshift studio. This is surprisingly more common than you might think in Mexico, but it makes her story and passion no less compelling. With the support of the students’ parents, Victoria opened her home to students wishing to learn ballet - little did she know this would become so much more than a ballet school to her local community. Nor that she would face so many obstacles to simply keep them dancing. Here she shares how much of an impact dance can have, far beyond pirouettes and pliés.About Victoria TreviñoVictoria Treviño began studying classical ballet with Patricia Pallmann in Cuernavaca, Morelos Mexico. She later completed her studies with Royal Academy of Dance Syllabus and the Cuban Ballet system under the tutelage of Claudia Trueba and Gustavo Herrera in Mexico City. Dancer of the Neo-classical Company Danzanté (1999-2005). Certified teacher of the Royal Academy of Dance and Diploma of the University of Surrey in Dance Education (2006). Founder of Wimbledon Ballet Club for Children and Youth (2007). In 2010 she founded her school: Ballet Club Mexico and in 2014 the non-profit Civil Association: Ballet Teatro del Olmo Azul, A.C. that focuses on funding studies and opportunities for unpriviliged ballet students. She saw the most success amongst the boys only programme: Ballet para Chavos. Later on, saw the need to create a youth ballet company: Ballet Joven CDMX. She has been hired as a guest teacher / choreographer in: Mexico, United States (2020), Canada (2012-14) and England (2004-06).  The RAD has a network of teachers across the world in 85 countries. Find your local teacher: https://bit.ly/3cs67JAFind out more about the work of the RAD: https://bit.ly/2T8RkNdFollow the RAD on social media, and join the conversation with host David Jays  Instagram @royalacademyofdanceFacebook @RoyalAcademyofDanceTwitter @RADheadquartersYouTube / royalacademydanceDavid Jays @mrdavidjaysSign up to our mailing list: https://bit.ly/3frWPh9RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign: https://bit.ly/3fnxEwm  or make a donation: https://bit.ly/3bxA6z5 Read more about Ballet Joven: https://balletjoven.org/

Phil Chan is a dancer, arts advocate and activist born in Hong Kong and now based in New York. With Georgina Pazcogin of New York City Ballet, he co-founded Final Bow For Yellowface in 2017. Provoked by stereotypes of Asian characters and culture in classic ballets – mostly notably in The Nutcracker – their campaign has already had impact in the US and beyond, offering resources for companies striving for change. As the dance world examines its entrenched culture and its historic and current abuses, Phil’s is an eloquent voice leading difficult conversations. He explains what meaningful change looks like – and how we make it happen. About Phil ChanPhil Chan is a co-founder of Final Bow for Yellowface, and most recently served as Director of Programming for IVY, a networking organisation for young professionals. He is a graduate of Carleton College and an alumnus of the Ailey School. As a writer, he was Executive Editor for FLATT magazine and contributed to Dance Europe, Dance and the Huffington Post. He was founding General Manager of the Buck Hill Skytop Music Festival, and General Manager for Armitage Gone! Dance. He is the author of Final Bow for Yellowface: Dancing between Intention and Impact, and was a 2020 New York Public Library Dance Research Fellow. The RAD hosts an interactive webinar with Phil Chan as part of Making Connections: A Symposium for Dance Teachers. Find out more and book here: https://bit.ly/3vtNkEaFollow the RAD on social media, and join the conversation with host David JaysInstagram @royalacademyofdanceFacebook @RoyalAcademyofDanceTwitter @RADheadquartersYouTube / royalacademydanceDavid Jays @mrdavidjaysSign up to our mailing list: https://bit.ly/3frWPh9RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign: https://bit.ly/3fnxEwm  or make a donation: https://bit.ly/3bxA6z5Find out more about Final Bow for Yellowface: https://www.yellowface.org/Teachers seeking resources to make their classes more inclusive can contact Phil at https://www.yellowface.org/contact

Dance touches lives beyond performers, so the guests on Why Dance Matters aren’t only professional dancers. Guddi Singh is a paediatrician and BBC broadcaster, and eloquent on the important part the arts can play in healthcare. In a warmly reflective conversation, she explains how, earlier in her career, a Bollywood dance class helped restore joy and purpose to the extreme pressures of a hospital career. She went on to introduce a pioneering dance programme on the children’s ward where she was working, and describes the remarkable effect it had on patients, staff, and on Guddi herself. About Guddi SinghGuddi is a paediatric doctor, health campaigner and TV broadcaster based in London. Passionate about social justice and health equity, Guddi has worked around the world, including with the World Health Organization and Health Education England and in resource-poor settings. She is the Secretary for the Paediatrics and Child Health Section of the Royal Society of Medicine and Advocacy Lead for the British Association for Child and Adolescent Health. She is keen to humanise healthcare and experiment with the arts and humanities – including dance – to make this happen. As a broadcaster, Guddi has appeared on BBC2, Channel 4, ITV, Al-Jazeera and Sky News.Find out more about RAD’s programmes and upcoming activities which aim to widen access to dance for all, and promote health and wellbeing:Silver Swans for over 55s: https://bit.ly/3j3AWbKSilver Swans workshop: https://bit.ly/3d3bZJyRADiate, inclusive dance classes for primary school children with additional learning needs: https://bit.ly/3xIAP9rRADiate inclusive dance workshop: https://bit.ly/2UsxbClStep into Dance, inclusive secondary school dance programme: https://bit.ly/3xzL9R8Dance for Lifelong Wellbeing: https://bit.ly/3j3CaDSFollow the RAD on social media, and join the conversation with host David JaysInstagram @royalacademyofdanceFacebook @RoyalAcademyofDanceTwitter @RADheadquartersYouTube / royalacademydanceDavid Jays @mrdavidjaysSign up to our mailing list: https://bit.ly/3frWPh9RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign: https://bit.ly/3fnxEwm or make a donation: https://bit.ly/3bxA6z5Content warning: discussion of mental illness.Please call the Samaritans on 116 123 or contact jo@samaritans.org if you are in distress or need help with any of the issues discussed.

Céline Gittens first made her name as a teenager, winning both a gold medal and the Audience Choice Award at Sadler’s Wells in London, in the RAD’s Genée International Ballet Competition (now named The Fonteyn). Her serenity and clarity marked her out as something special. Born in Trinidad and later moving to Canada, she is now a Principal at Birmingham Royal Ballet, where in 2012 she became the first woman of colour in the UK to dance the leading role in Swan Lake. On Why Dance Matters, Céline discusses this landmark, and also learning ballet with her mother, an RAD teacher; dancing during lockdown; and sharing her passion for dance through her own coaching, including for this year’s inaugural Fonteyn competition.About Céline GittensCéline Gittens was born in Trinidad and grew up in Vancouver, Canada. She trained with her mother, Janet Gittens, and at Vancouver’s Goh Ballet Academy. In 2005 Céline was awarded a gold medal and Audience Award at the RAD’s Genée International Ballet Competition. Joining Birmingham Royal Ballet in 2006, she was promoted to Principal in 2016. Notable roles include Juliet, Odette/Odile, Aurora and Giselle. She gained a Master of Philosophy from the University of Birmingham. Céline has taught and coached with Elmhurst Summer School and BRB. For the RAD, she was an Artistic Examiner for the Solo Seal 2019, and coached dancers for The Fonteyn 2021. Find out more about the RAD’s Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition: https://bit.ly/3joH3HJThe RAD has a network of teachers located around the world. Find your local RAD teacher: https://bit.ly/3hgHPnxFollow the RAD on social media, and join the conversation with host David JaysInstagram @royalacademyofdanceFacebook @RoyalAcademyofDanceTwitter @RADheadquartersYouTube / royalacademydanceDavid Jays @mrdavidjaysSign up to our mailing list: https://bit.ly/3frWPh9RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign: https://bit.ly/3fnxEwm or make a donation: https://bit.ly/3bxA6z5

Even for non-dancers, dance gets to the heart of things which matter to them the most. This week, for the final instalment of series 1 of Why Dance Matters, we go into the RAD itself and meet Chief Executive, Luke Rittner. Luke has led the RAD since 1999 and overseen substantial change at the RAD, culminating in a move to a new purpose built global headquarters for the RAD in London’s Battersea later this year. Whilst Luke has weathered many storms at the helm of a number of arts organisations, he, along with other arts leaders, could not have predicted how a pandemic and its fallout would hit the industry. How has this time made Luke reflect upon dance, dance teaching and its place in all our lives? And how does Luke see the RAD’s new home for dance as a catalyst for change for the organisation at large and an opportunity to strengthen ties with its local communities? We find out in this episode. About Luke Rittner Luke Rittner has been Chief Executive of the RAD since 1999. Previously he was Secretary General of the Arts Council of Great Britain, Communications Director for Sotheby’s Europe, and ran the Bath Festival. He was also Founder-Director of the Association for Business Sponsorship of the Arts (now Arts & Business). Luke has served on many arts boards, including the Victoria & Albert Museum and the British Council, and was Chairman of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). He holds honorary doctorates from the Universities of Bath and Durham, and in 2017 was awarded a CBE for services to the arts, particularly dance.Find out more about RAD’s new home for dance: https://bit.ly/3wfVnoNFollow the RAD on social media, and join the conversation with host David JaysInstagram @royalacademyofdanceFacebook @RoyalAcademyofDanceTwitter @RADheadquartersYouTube / royalacademydanceDavid Jays @mrdavidjaysSign up to our mailing list: https://bit.ly/3frWPh9RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign:  https://bit.ly/3fnxEwm or make a donation: https://bit.ly/3bxA6z5