Ten glorious years of Princess Margaret Awards at Francis Holland School, London SW1

Rimbaud Patron and Mami Fuji
 danced the Pas de Deux
 from Raymonda by kind permission
 of the Directors, 
English National Ballet School.Photo:David Neville.

Val Hitchen has taught at this prestigious Chelsea school for 46 years! In fact since leaving the Royal Ballet School where she was the first student enrolled on de Valois’s newly formed Craftsman’s Course for Teaching. 

Princess Margaret who at the time was Patron of both the Company and the school sent her daughter, the now Lady Sarah Chatto, to Francis Holland School. HRH was extremely supportive of the ballet at school throughout Sarah’s years and beyond. Sarah took all of her RAD Grades with Val and was also accepted onto the Associate programme of the Royal Ballet School. It is not surprising therefore that shortly before she died, she generously gave her name to this unique and very special competition which is now an eagerly awaited for annual summer event at the school. 

The silver rose bowl with the ‘princess’ figurines at the rim was made in Birmingham and dates back to 1910 but perhaps even more special are the two awards which were especially commissioned by parents at the school and made at the David Linley work-rooms. Lord Linley is the son of Princess Margaret. 

The Coronet and the Obelisk both bear the initial ‘M’ in the style used by HRH and the dancers on the Obelisk are taken from photographs of Fonteyn by Jennie Walton. A separate award is named after Dame Antoinette Sibley whose daughter, Eloise, also attended Francis Holland School. 

For ten years both the Royal Ballet School and English National Ballet School have sent students to dance at the Awards Day and this is only made possible by British Harlequin who provide the Harlequin Cacsade dance floor that is laid in the school hall. 

Usually about 24 children are chosen from all those who compete in classes earlier in the year. Once the finalists have been chosen they have to commit to 2 week-ends of new work to be shown on the Awards day. Ages generally range from 4 years to 16 years. 

Over the years the competitors have danced for very special Guests of Honour: Lady Sarah Chatto, Dame Antoinette Sibley, Lady Anya Sainsbury CBE, Sir Peter Wright CBE, Miss Doreen Wells, Miss Lesley Collier, Mr Will Kemp. 

"The surface on which we create our art"

Rafael Bonachela

"We chose Harlequin floors for our studios because we had to have the best," said choreographer and Artistic Director of Sydney Dance Company, Rafael Bonachela in a newly published video interview on the Harlequin Floors website. 

"We approached the purchase of the floor for our four studios with great care and consideration. The floor is a great asset for our daily working lives, it is the surface on which we make our art, so yes, we could only have the best". 

Harlequin Australasia recently installed Harlequin Cascade™ and Harlequin Studio™ for the Sydney Dance Company, working over night to avoid disrupting a busy rehearsal schedule. Rafael Bonachela explained, "the technicians came and laid the floor. We came in the morning after and it was all done, to the 100% perfection we expected, flawless and like magic! "

"When someone says to me Harlequin first of all I feel relaxed, I know I can trust it and I know its going to be a very, very professional surface and that we are going to be able to work very confidently – it’s the best we can have! " 

Rafael Bonachela concluded, "The dancers love the new floor, they are enjoying dancing on it because it’s not slippery and doesn't prevent you from turning or anything like that. Also in contemporary dance there is also very rigorous floor work that we do, that’s why it’s so important we have a great floor. " 

Sprung floors reduce impact injuries at new training centre

"When you are the market leader in Dance Floors, it’s fair to say the one call you don’t expect is from the Australian Commandos!” said Guenther Goetz of Harlequin Australasia recently “…whilst I was still coming to terms with who I was talking to, they casually dropped into the conversation ‘by the way, can your floors be mounted to the wall?’ ” 

Paul Cale, who works for the Integrated Combat Centre at Holsworthy Barracks, NSW and is President of the service’s Integrated Combat Club explained why. “We are increasing our work rate in close quarter training from something that we do a couple of times a year to something we are doing every week. We needed to reduce the rate of injury to achieve that and decided we needed a sprung floor. We needed a floor that didn’t produce a trampoline [effect] but reduced impact without destabalising the members using the facility.” 

The products the Commandos chose were Harlequin Liberty™ sprung floor panels with Harlequin Cascade™ vinyl surface. Technical support on wall-mounting the floor came from Harlequin engineers in the UK and the installation was carried out by Harlequin’s Australian installation team, described by Paul in typical military fashion as “quick and efficient”. 

When asked about the finished result Paul said “It’s something that has very much impressed people that have come to see the centre, particularly when they realise how much effort we have put in to reducing risk and creating a world class facility. Now Commandos can train at full power and full impact…and not sustain an injury.” 

The way that Harlequin Liberty™ sprung floor panels create an even return of energy rather than a bouncy, trampoline degree of spring is exactly why dancers appreciate the impact absorbing properties of the floor. Research continues to demonstrate that a sprung floor of this type can help reduce injuries that dancers receive. Now it seems these properties are also helping Australian Commandos reduce injuries in training. 

Harlequin to present floor health matters talk at dance teachers’ conference

Mark Rasmussen, Harlequin Group Marketing Manager will be talking about floors and health matters tomorrow, at the first ever International Dance Teachers’ Conference currently taking place at The Royal Ballet School in London.

Sponsored by Harlequin, the International Dance Teachers’ Conference is described as “four days of inspiration, innovation and imagination.” The conference opened last night with a glittering Gala Evening featuring top calibre performers including Wayne Sleep, Steven McRae, Sarah Lamb, Lizzie Gough and Two and a Half Men. “What an incredible lineup!” commented Mark and “oh yes, they all performed their magic on Harlequin Cascade”.

Addressing the conference Tuesday morning, Mark will turn to the subject of dancers’ health and the importance of a good quality sprung floor in helping reduce the high levels of injury associated with dancing on hard, unyielding floors. His presentation will recognize the outcomes of research studies correlating the contribution of a sprung floor with providing a safer working environment for dancers.

Charity dance event to be staged on Harlequin sprung floor

The Gary Avis & Friends Charity Gala event in aid of The Hunger Project. is due to take place at the Ipswich Regent Theatre on Sunday 11th September. A Harlequin Liberty sprung floor used in conjunction with black Harlequin Reversible dance surface will be installed for the performance.

Gary Avis is a Principal Character Artist and also Ballet Master at the Royal Ballet. Bryony Wells of The Hunger Project explains, “the performance, which will be hosted by Angela Rippon involves 10 Principal Dancers from the Royal Ballet and we therefore need to put in place a good sprung floor.” She continued, “Harlequin provided the floor for an event involving the Royal Ballet last year in Lagrasse, and all the dancers were very happy with this floor. Additionally, Gary Avis teaches at the Wells Summer Schools at which a Harlequin floor is used, and has been very impressed with it.”

Tickets for the event are still available from the box office of the Ipswich Regent Theatre.

Expressions Dance Company scoops Harlequin sponsored award in Australia

Expressions Dance Company won the Harlequin sponsored ‘Outstanding Performance by a Company Award’ for Where the Heart Is, at the 2011 Australian Dance Awards, held in Brisbane.

Natalie Weir, Artistic Director of EDC and choreographer of Where the Heart Is said "EDC was both proud and humbled to be awarded in a category with such amazing artists and companies from around Australia. Where the Heart Is was a joyous journey for the creative team" she added.

Where the Heart Is was nominated by the judges "for the dancers’ beauty and technical excellence in telling a powerful emotional story with great characterisation and intensity".

Taking two further awards on the night were dancer Amy Hollingsworth and choreographer Rafael Bonachela, both from Sydney Dance Company.

‘Outstanding Performance for a Female Dancer’ was awarded to Amy for Irony of Fate for her “outstanding technique articulation, clever variation of dynamics and powerful stage presence; an exceptional artist”.

Rafael Bonachela’s award meanwhile, in the ‘Outstanding Achievement in Choreography’ category, was for 6 Breaths. Cited for "a delicate combination of skill and vision to create an exquisitely crafted beautifully balanced work; for a wonderful collaboration with video artist and musician".

Harlequin Group Marketing Manager, Mark Rasmussen who was on hand to congratulate the winners said "… just a few days earlier I had been in Sydney filming an interview with Rafael about his new Harlequin floors and the next thing I knew I was in Brisbane applauding his win. Congratulations not only to all the winners on the night, but to all the nominees given that the standard of the shortlists were so incredibly high. What a wonderful celebration of Australian dance."

Photos:

Expressions Dance Company's Richard Causer, photo by Justin Nicholas, Atmosphere Photography.

Natalie Weir, Artistic Director of EDC winners of Outstanding Performance by a Company award.

Winners Amy Hollingsworth & Rafeal Bonachela both of Sydney Dance Company with Mark Rasmussen, Group Marketing Manager Harlequin (centre).

"We could only have the best" for Sydney Dance Company

In a soon to be published video interview, choreographer and Artistic Director of Sydney Dance Company, Rafael Bonachela explains the reasons why Harlequin Australasia recently installed Harlequin Cascade™ and Harlequin Studio™ in their four rehearsal studios. "We chose Harlequin floors for our studios because we had to have the best," he said. The interview reveals why Harlequin was chosen, how the installation proceeded and most importantly, what the dancers think of the new floors.

The full interview will be published on the Harlequin YouTube channel next month and streamed through their website.

Rafael Bonachela moved to Sydney in 2009 after many years with the Rambert Dance Company in London. A few days after the interview, Rafael collected the Outstanding Achievement in Choreography award at the 2011 Australian Dance Awards in Brisbane for his work "6 Breaths".

Photos:

Guenther Goetz of Harlequin Australasia with Rafael Bonachela.

Harlequin Group Marketing Manager, Mark Rasmussen with Rafael Bonachela.

Rafael Bonachela being interviewed.