After the mince pies, mulled wine and hours spent half-comatose on the sofa watching Jonathan Ross, Brucie and a pick of festive films… you may not feel like starting a new dance regime. But come the January you may start looking for ways to brush off the Christmas cobwebs and kick-start the New Year with fresh optimism and a to-do list of new endeavours. Here are a couple of things for you to do and look forward to.
- Start a dance class
Photo: Tim Cross
A predictable resolution but one which you won’t regret making when you see the host of new dance classes on offer around the region for the new term. Yesterday DanceXchange released their new season schedule with some additions to the already jam-packed programme of classes from bhangra to breakin’. Here’s our pick of the bunch, starting Monday 4 January:
- Kathak – a new trial set of classes running on Friday evenings. 5.30-6.30pm for teens and 6.30-8pm for adults. Taught by West Midlands Kathak guru, Sonia Sabri, this is a chance to learn the ancient north Indian art from the pro in its pure form
- Hip Hop and Funk Styles – Taught by founder of hip hop collective Smash Bro’z, Kashmir Leese is sure to teach you a range of old skool streetdance styles along with a bit of history and the culture of hip hop thrown in too. The classes will run on Mondays 6-7.30pm and Saturdays 5-6.30pm
- Ballet Advanced – For adult dancers who didn’t go professional but want to continue at a high standard there is never much on offer. This new class seeks to fill the void on Wednesdays 7.30-9pm (in addition to Mondays at 7.45-9.15pm) taught by ex-BRB first soloist Jonathan Payn
2. Go to a ballet
While it’s still winter woolies weather there’s no better time to visit Birmingham’s Hippodrome to see the latest dance on offer. If you’re a ballet virgin the easy plotlines and stunning scenery of a ballet classic like Sleeping Beauty in March from our resident Birmingham Royal Ballet will create the perfect introduction to the art form. For those wanting something a little different Matthew Bourne’s all-make take on Swan Lake will not fail to delight and Traces performance in February is a high-energy display of urban acrobatics.
3. Get involved
With International Dance Festival Birmingham 2010 and British Dance Edition 2010 coming up early next year there’s no shortage of dance-related activity going on in the region. They’ve both got blogs and websites detailing the events and information in the lead-up to the festivals and have plenty of ways you can
