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St Edward’s:
150 Years
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Chapter 5 / Doorways and Gateways
in depth and breadth, other more sophisticated dance events
emerged. One of these, the Dance and Music Showcase, ran
under the banner of the SES Arts programme in February
2005. The programme consisted of new work choreographed
by Susie Crow, a parent and professional choreographer who
has been involved in many important productions here, set to
20th-century chamber music, most of which was performed
live by St Edward’s musicians. Bruce Marriott, reviewer for the
online
Ballet Magazine
, wrote: ‘So what we had was a night
of dance and music that brought the local community together
in all its diversity. I sincerely hope Crow and St Edward’s do
more shows. The real question is how this is replicated in cities
across the land.’
The first St Edward’s pupil to win a Dance Exhibition
arrived in 2008, and Lydia Jones-Parry became the first Dance
Scholar in 2011. Allanagh Spratling, a Sixth Form Dance
Exhibitioner in 2009, went on to study Musical Theatre
Performance at Laine Theatre Arts. I doubt these award
holders will even have heard of the following former pupils
who blazed a trail for Dance at St Edward’s: Charlotte Berkin,
Gemma Berkin, Nadia Pharaon (now a dance teacher), Holly
Preston, Charlotte Wright, Juliet Hamilton, Robyn Hamilton and
Skye Binning.
The Dance Department moved into its new home – the
dedicated Dance studio in the North Wall – in 2006, marking
the most significant milestone in the Department’s young
life. Practically, some of the strain was removed from the
School Hall and dancers and teachers now had the space they
deserved: no inherited mess, no chairs to move, a permanently
installed sound system, a sprung floor, barres, mirrors, curtains
and even a space to store costumes, dance shoes and pom-
poms. The vast majority of dance classes now take place in the
North Wall studio, with the remainder held in The Oxfordshire
Health and Racquet Club and only a handful spilling over into
the Hall.
A Chorus Line
(February 2007) was the first show to
be launched from the North Wall studio. It was where the
auditions took place, where Barney Hughes learnt to tap
dance, and where the big routines were hammered out before
being transferred onto the big stage.
We Will Rock You
(March
2009) followed a similar pattern. In all these big shows,
including the wonderful
Les Misérables
in 2005, Lisa came
into her own, working miracles with experienced and non-
experienced dancers alike.
The establishment of Dance at St Edward’s, together with
the other significant developments in the Arts during the 2000s,
placed the School way ahead of most of its co-educational
competitors in these areas. Most still haven’t caught up – and
may never do so.
Anthony Kerr-Dineen and Neville Creed
Past and present Directors of Cultural Activities
DANCE
Formal Dance teaching began relatively recently in the history
of the School. In the past, Fred Pargeter or Tony Snell might
have shown boys how to quick-step or square dance and
there were flourishes of enthusiasm for Scottish dancing but
– certainly in the 1990s – there was no consistently organised
dance activity. Lessons were first offered in 2000 in response
to demand once the School became fully co-educational and
they were initially given in the Douglas Bader Sports Centre.
Outside choreographic help was brought in for productions,
and this was how Lisa Elkins (née Brackenbury) first became
involved at St Edward’s, working on Malcolm Oxley’s
Showboat
in 1999; Lisa later became Head of Dance. Together with the
dynamic Art and Design Department, Music, Drama and Dance
were to become a formidable Performing Arts team. Interest in
dance rapidly grew and there are now ten part-time teachers
offering 50 classes each week to around 120 pupils.
The touch-paper was well and truly lit. Girls in all years
were quick to sign up to classes that were squeezed into
any available space – the Hall, the Old Library, the Music
School, even classrooms. Originally, classes ran in ballet,
tap and modern, but the range rapidly expanded to include
pointe, cardio, contemporary, musical theatre and street
jazz. Acro, cheerleading, flamenco, breakdance, funk fusion,
Latin American and hip-hop have followed to provide a
comprehensive range.
Dance Shows were launched in February 2002 and these
have had an influence on other House and School events,
giving pupils the confidence to choreograph and perform
their own work. The Dance Show, although it contained
tremendous variety, unashamedly lay at the popular end of
the entertainment spectrum. As the dance programme grew
Left: Dance Show, February 2011,
ballet dancers.
Below: Dance Show, February 2012.
Below: Dance Show, February 2012. From left to
right:MollyLangman,YasminHass-Sinclair,Jemima
Jolley, Charlie Faulkner and Matty Littlehales.