Tag: show

Edinburgh dancers fly the flag for Scotland at Dance World Cup

Performers unveil new kit ahead of international competition

A group of polished performers from Edinburgh Dance Academy (EDA) will represent Team Scotland at the Dance World Cup which kicks off in Portugal this week.

The award-winning dance school, founded by its Principal Julie Mitchell, is bringing a team of 72 pupils to the event, the largest contingent from Scotland.

The team will be among 7500 dancers from all parts of the globe taking part in the week-long competition being staged in Braga from 30 June – 8 July.

The EDA delegation will be comprised of dancers from its Performance Group, aged between seven and 18.

The performers will take part in the Jazz, Ballet, Contemporary, Show and Commercial sections with EDA teacher Hannah Boyle also competing for Scotland in the Over-18 section performing a solo dance.

In total, the group will take part in over 100 acts where they hope to emulate the school’s gold medal-winning success when it last travelled abroad to compete at the 2018 Dance World Cup in Spain. 

The dances have been choreographed by Hannah Boyle, Megan Ireland, Millie Thomas, Ellen West and Jenni Inglis, who was named the UK’s most inspirational choreographer at the British Isles competition held earlier this year in Blackpool.

Some of the EDA competitors taking part in the Dance World Cup took a break from rehearsals today to unveil their new Scotland track suits which the team will proudly wear at this summer’s event. 

New show: Cauleen Smith

Exhibition

22.01.22 – 01.05.22

Open Thursday – Sunday, 10am – 4pm

Free

COLLECTIVE are delighted to launch our 2022 programme with a presentation of Cauleen Smith’s film H-E-L-L-O, which brings together themes of historic erasure, presence and loss.

H-E-L-L-O takes John Williams’ famous five-note musical motif from Stephen Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, translating it into a greeting for sites across post-hurricane Katrina New Orleans.

The various interpretations of the sequence speak to the enduring spirit of the city. Although situated in the geography of New Orleans, Smith’s film allows us to contemplate Edinburgh’s relationship to its own landscape, inhabitants and history in a time of turbulence and change.

Cauleen Smith is an American born filmmaker and multimedia artist, best known for experimental works that address African-American identities. Smith currently teaches at the California Institute of the Arts.

H-E-L-L-O will be screened on loop in the City Dome from 22 January – 1 May. Entry is free and there is no need to pre-book, but some social distancing measures will be in place.

Collective is currently open Thu-Sun, 10am-4pm (Tue-Sun, 10am-5pm from April 2022). 

Showcase: Raising the roof to support cancer charity

Showcase25 Launches!

Classic Rock

Last week saw the launch of Showcase25, with the cast of a hundred finding out what is going to be in the 25th anniversary celebration of Showcase on 29 and 30 May in the King’s Theatre.

Showcase is a musical theatre company which has performed annually since 1990 to raise money for charity using the musical skills and talents of some of the best ‘non-professional’ performers in Edinburgh and the surrounding area. Their aim is to produce a highly entertaining and professional show incorporating a wide variety of musical styles.

Cast member Amanda Hendrie, said: “Showcase25 will be my ninth show performing with Showcase and I cannot wait to perform on the King’s Theatre stage in May! The programme for this show is very strong and I am excited to be getting into rehearsals and putting it all together.”

Showcase25 will be a musical extravaganza paying tribute to Showcase past, present and future. It will feature a selection of the very best of Showcase including songs by Queen and Adele, as well as musical numbers from Les Miserables and Wicked.

80s Scotland MedleyDirector, Andy Johnston, said: “It has been very difficult compiling a show that accurately represents 25 years worth of Showcase hits – our first draft programme would have run for nearly four hours! – but we feel this show will be an accurate representation of where Showcase came from, and of where we are now.” 

While everyone involved performs in Showcase because of their love of the theatre, there is also a very serious side. Showcase is an important fundraiser for Macmillan Cancer Support in Scotland, having raised over £220,000 to date.

Andy Johnston added: “Each and every one of our cast gives so freely of their talents and time all to benefit Macmillan Cancer Support – I often remind the cast that as a company, we are in a very special position that we have a hobby than can genuinely change someone else’s life – and what can be more important than that?’

2013With 310,000 people diagnosed with cancer in the UK every year, many of the cast and supporters of Showcase have been affected by cancer and have first-hand experience of the support Macmillan gives. 

Jayne Forbes, Macmillan Cancer Support Fundraising Manager, Edinburgh said: “We are extremely grateful to Showcase for their considerable support to date. They have raised an incredible amount of money which has helped us make a real difference to the lives of people affected by cancer.

“We help people in many ways, from specialist nurses and doctors, to help and advice for people who have financial worries as a result of their cancer diagnosis.

“In Edinburgh there are 53 specialist Macmillan nurses and health care professionals, helping people living with cancer and their families receive essential medical, practical and emotional support.

“None of this would be possible without supporters like Showcase. 98% of our funding comes from public donations. Quite simply, we couldn’t provide our services with support of local people.”

With over 100 voices singing in glorious harmony, it is bound to raise the roof of the King’s Theatre. Tickets are from £15 and are available at www.edtheatres.com/showcase.