Dance auditions to perform in INALA

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Liverpool Empire Theatre

Do you dream of performing on stage alongside current and former members of The Royal Ballet and Rambert Dance Company?

The producers of the critically acclaimed UK Tour of INALA, which fuses the sound of Ladysmith Black Mambazo with classical and contemporary dance, are offering people the chance to take part in dance auditions in Liverpool. The auditions will lead to one person being given the unique opportunity to perform in the grand finale on stage at the Liverpool Empire on Friday July 31.

The auditions will be held at city centre venues in Liverpool on Sunday June 28, and are open to people aged 17 to 35 with previous dance experience.

The producers of INALA are asking people who would like to attend the audition workshops to pre-register in advance by completing the online application form which can be found at http://inala.co.uk/auditions. Alternatively, forms can be picked up and dropped off at the Liverpool Empire Box Office.

Registration forms must be received by the venue by 17.00 on Wednesday June 24. Successful applicants will be contacted by Friday June 26 and given the details of the workshop venue location in Liverpool and their allocated audition time.

Following a phenomenal 2014 tour and sell-out runs at both the Edinburgh International Festival and London’s Sadler’s Wells, INALA brings together four time Grammy Award-winning South African choral legends, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and multi-award winning chorographer Mark Baldwin, in this unique artistic collaboration for a creatively reworked production that starts a UK tour from June 2015.

INALA, meaning ‘abundance of goodwill’ in Zulu, delivers a spiritually uplifting live experience, powered by a cultural explosion of music, song and dance. Featuring world-class current and former dancers from The Royal Ballet and Rambert, this critically acclaimed production embraces an exhilarating fusion of South African and Western cultures live on stage, to create a unique, immersive experience that reflects both cultures.

INALA’s original score is composed by Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Joseph Shabalala and British composer Ella Spira, who created the concept of INALA with First Artist of the Royal Ballet Pietra Mello-Pittman. Blending the intricate rhythms and infectious harmonies of their native musical roots with live percussion, piano and strings, Mark Baldwin’s choreography unites Zulu traditions with classical ballet and contemporary dance, performed by an exceptional company of 18 dancers and singers.

Pietra Mello-Pittman commented: “We brought many different styles to the table and this wonderful fusion happened as a result of the exchange of ideas from within the company. INALA is very accessible to all ages because it joins so many different elements together, appealing to so many different tastes. For anyone who may be interested in seeing a broad spectrum of ages performing side-by-side equally, then we have an age range from 17 to the mid-60’s, who are all playing to their strengths. Topped with amazing music and dancing, INALA makes for an incredibly feel-good show.”

Ella Spira added: “The group had never annotated its music before, so writing the score for INALA was in itself a challenge, but the passion and culture of Ladysmith soars through and brings the narrative of the ballet to life”.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo were brought to international acclaim through their collaboration with Paul Simon on his 1986 album, ‘Graceland’. They went on to win four Grammy Awards, including their latest in January 2014 for Best World Music Album.

Joseph Shabalala said: “It has always been our mission to spread our South African culture as widespread as possible, so it is very important for us to bring INALA to the UK and the rest of the world. We look forward to giving our audiences a new experience”.

As well as the dancers who have been appointed, Inala has an award-winning creative team who are making their theatre debut with the UK tour.

Sound designer Adrian Rhodes is a BAFTA Film Award winner who has previously worked on The Gruffalo, Skellig, Wallace and Gromit; A Close Shave, A Matter of Loaf and Death and The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Death at a Funeral, The Queen, The Four Feathers, Dirty Pretty Things, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, The Full Monty, The Avengers, Tomorrow Never Dies and The Borrowers.

Set Designer and Story Board Artist Temple Clark has worked as a Storyboard artist and Concept artist on over 100 feature films and television productions over the past 20 years, including Gravity, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Coriolanus, Cold Mountain and The Reader.