DANCING REVELATIONS

On Friday, AS and A2 Dance students were treated to a very unique masterclass in the Doris Robinson Theatre, as staff and students from William Morris Sixth Form College joined the class to choreograph a dance piece.

Nicola Gibbons is Head of Performing Arts at William Morris Sixth Form College in London, a college that has achieved ‘OUTSTANDING’ in all areas of their recent OFsted report.

Richard O’Brien successfully gained promotion to Head of Performing Arts at the Sixth Form College in September 2009. Since taking on this new post, Richard has endeavoured to raise the achievement and aspirations of the department and enhance the learning experience by giving his students unique experiences. Keen to develop links with a Sixth Form in order to share best practice, Richard decided to make contact with the college following a suggestion in the ‘Aspiring Middle Managers’ course that he has just successfully completed.

Nicola brought two of her best A Level Dance students Danielle and Marvin to Stoke on Trent, to help teach our students a dance piece called ‘ Dancing Revelations’ .

The background of Dancing Revelations

In the early 1960s, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre was a small, multi-racial company of dancers that performed the works of its founding choreographer and other emerging artists. By the late 1960s, the company had become a well-known African American artistic group closely tied to the Civil Rights struggle. In Dancing Revelations , Thomas DeFrantz chronicles the troupe's journey from a small modern dance company to one of the premier institutions of African American culture.

Students from William Morris Sixth Form College are very familiar with exploring this piece and the themes that surround it, however it was a brand new experience for many of our students.

“It was such a fun experience, the whole day just flew by and I feel I have learnt so much from the two students and from having a different dance choreographer for the day.”

A Level Dance Student Amy Jackson, formerly of Wolstanton High School

“All dance styles are influenced by different cultures and times. During the day we learned more about choreography styles in the 1960’s and Black African dancing. This will give us all ideas for our own personal choreography.”

A Level Dance Student Joshua Mosiuk, formerly of Trentham High School

“It was a really inspiring day for both the staff and the students involved. It was an excellent opportunity to share best practise and have a lot of fun in the process. We are hoping to retain this relationship and are looking to reciprocate with a visit to their college in the summer term. ”

Commented Richard O’Brien, Head of Performing Arts at the Sixth Form College.