INALA offers exciting workshop for dance enthusiasts

INALA

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Liverpool Empire Theatre

INALA are holding an exciting workshop for dance enthusiasts across Merseyside, featuring world-class current and former dancers from The Royal Ballet and Rambert, at the Liverpool Empire Theatre on Friday July 31 and Saturday August 1.

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.

INALA, meaning ‘abundance of goodwill’ in Zulu, delivers a spiritually uplifting live experience, powered by a cultural explosion of music, song and dance. Featuring the aforementioned 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.

Liverpool Empire Theatre are delighted to announce that they will be holding a masterclass dance workshop led by Pietra Mello-Pittman on Saturday July 25 from 10.00-12.00 at Merseyside Dance and Drama Centre, Liverpool.

Pietra Mello-Pittman is the producer of the show and former ballerina with the Royal Ballet. For further information, visit www.pietramellopittman.com.

The workshop is suitable for all ages and levels of experience, and will enable participants to discover more about the show and learn some of the show's world-class repertoire. They will consist of the same work and repertoire at each venue, so if you want to come along you only need to attend one, either in Manchester on July 24 or in Liverpool on July 25.

The workshop costs just £13. Included in the price is a ticket to see INALA at the Liverpool Empire on Friday July 31 at 19.30.

To book your place on the workshop, download an application form by visiting www.atgtickets.com/Liverpool and clicking on the ‘Creative Learning’ tab. Forms need to be completed and returned to the Liverpool Empire by Thursday July 16.

Please return booking applications by email to laurentaylor@theambassadors.com, by post to Creative Learning, Liverpool Empire Theatre, Lime Street, Liverpool, L1 1JE, or drop the forms in to Liverpool Empire Theatre’s Box Office for the attention of Lauren Taylor, Creative Learning.

If you have any queries, please contact Lauren Taylor at laurentaylor@theambassadors.com or on 0151 702 7339.

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.

Final ever tour for The Last Tango

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Liverpool Empire Theatre

Britain’s best-loved dance duo to perform together in theatres for the last time

Fresh from their sell-out hit shows Midnight Tango and Dance ’Til Dawn, Strictly superstars Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace have created their most moving production yet as the pair prepare to dance in their final ever theatre show. The Last Tango opens in September 2015 ahead of a 33 week theatre tour, which visits the Liverpool Empire from Monday April 4-Wednesday April 6 2016.

Twenty years of dancing together has seen them become Strictly Come Dancing favourites, World Argentine Tango Champions, and create and star in their own Olivier Award nominated West End productions – but now, as the nation’s favourite dancers prepare to take on new projects, it is time for Vincent and Flavia to say goodbye to audiences across the UK in a brand new, thrilling live performance.

Flavia said: “We have had such a fantastic time creating and dancing in Midnight Tango and Dance ’Til Dawn. It’s an incredible experience to perform live in front of our wonderful audience night after night, but all good things must come to an end, so we’re creating our final ever theatre show. It’s going to be intimate, intense and full of our award-winning Argentine tango. The Last Tango is going to showcase our best work and most beautiful dance moves before we finally say farewell to theatre.”

Vincent added: “The last few years have been amazing – we’ve loved it. It may be our final theatre tour but we’re going to go out with a bang! This is going to be our best show yet!"

Don’t miss your last ever chance to see this dynamic duo do what they do best live, in an intimate, passionate and explosive experience. It’s time for The Last Tango.

The Last Tango is directed by Olivier Award winning choreographer and director Karen Bruce and produced by Adam Spiegel Productions (The Producers, Dance ‘Til Dawn, Midnight Tango, Love Me Tender).

For further information about The Last Tango, visit www.thelasttangotour.co.uk.

INALA

INALA

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Liverpool Empire Theatre

Grammy Award-winning South African legends Ladysmith Black Mambazo in the UK tour of Inala featuring world-class current and former dancers from The Royal Ballet and Rambert

Tickets on sale now for the Liverpool Empire shows from Friday July 31-Saturday August 1 2015

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: “INALA is influenced by Zulu dancing and South African stories and cultures, creating a new language of dance that respects the traditions of ‘pure’ classical dance training of all our dancers”.

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 our 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”.

INALA runs in the Liverpool Empire Theatre from Friday July 31-Saturday August 1. For ticket information, click here.

You can learn more about INALA by clicking here.

LHK Productions Looking For Talented Dancers To Perform In The Regions Biggest Variety Show

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: LHK Productions

All talented young dancers looking for an opportunity to appear on the Liverpool Epstein Theatre stage should get their dancing shoes on and audition for LHK Productions’ latest production, Tonight’s The Night.

Auditions are set to take place at The Liner Hotel Liverpool on Sunday May 10, and registration is at 12pm. Male and female dancers aged 6-14 and 15-20 are invited to come down and audition. All styles of dance are welcome, so anyone who thinks they have what it takes to represent the region are welcome to apply.

This spectacular night of live entertainment will see the finest up and coming artists from all across the region take to the stage performing show-stopping numbers and confirming the Northwest is bursting with the most talented performers in the UK.

Get ready for a night of top class entertainment as LHK Productions brings you Tonight’s the Night, the region’s No.1 Variety show to the Liverpool Epstein Theatre in November for one night only!

Hosting the night is local legend and star of ITV’s Benidorm and I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here, Liverpool’s TV favourite and comedian Crissy Rock. Crissy will host and provide lots of laughs throughout the night with her stand-up routines.

Be sure to get down to The Liner Hotel for a chance to feature in a display of sparkling new talent from Liverpool’s favourite and freshest production company.

Dancer auditions for Tonight’s The Night, aimed at ages 6-14 and 15-20, will be held on Sunday May 10 at 12.00 at The Liner Hotel, Lord Nelson Street, Liverpool L3 5QB.

Full Cast Confirmed For Lord Of The Dance

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Liverpool Empire Theatre

Full cast details have been confirmed for the multi-date UK tour of Michael Flatley's Lord Of The Dance: Dangerous Games.

The show, which had a sold out run at the London Palladium in 2014, comes to the Liverpool Empire from Tuesday April 28-Saturday May 2.

Morgan Comer will perform as Lord of the Dance when the show comes to Liverpool.

The cast will also star Liverpool local Jennifer Murray who has aspired to be part of Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance since attending the 'Feet of Flames' show in Hyde Park at the age of 8.

Also in the cast will be Ryan Stevenson, Niamh Taylor, Lara Milner, Macaulay Selwood, Andrea Kren, Nikita Cassidy, Tom Cunningham, Zoltan Papp and Megan Kerrigan.

“My dancers are the real stars,” said Michael of his troupe of dancers, some of whom have been with the company for 10 years.  He is immensely proud of their hard work and dedication.

Flatley’s new show Dangerous Games has exciting and ground-breaking new technology, including holographs, dancing robots, world champion acrobats and the greatest team of Irish Dancers in the world.

A new score composed by Gerard Fahy, new costumes and special effects lighting add a breathtaking new dimension to the original masterpiece.

The global phenomenon that is Lord of the Dance is bigger than ever this year, with Dangerous Games on a 200-plus date tour across 15 countries over the next 18 months.

Michael Flatley's Lord Of The Dance: Dangerous Games runs in the Liverpool Empire Theatre from Tuesday April 28-Saturday May 2. For ticket information, click here.

You can learn more about Lord Of The Dance: Dangerous Games by clicking here.