Ballet Central Diary

Take a bow...

So...its all over. The last three days have been an incredible mix of emotions, a mixture of deep sadness but incredible excitement, it truly is the end of an era. The final week was School show week so tuesday and wednesday were spent in the Unicorn Theatre doing dress rehearsals. Ballet Central only performed 4 pieces each show and so for the Gala I did Steps to Bach and of course the Cinderella Fireside pas de deux for the final time. I would like to say it has been a pleasure to dance all the rep this year but Cinderella was without question my highlight. Massive thank you to the Qeen Bee Mrs Gable for giving me the opportunity to dance it every night, it has been an absolute dream. The shows went well and it was nice to join up with the rest of the school, the staff seemed pleased and thats quite a rarity.

The weekend came very quickly and it turned out to be one of the most amazing couple of days I have ever experienced, it all started to get a bit emotional with tears here, there and everywhere. We did our final class at Central on Saturday morning and then our final Ballet Central show that night. I danced the same pieces I had done for most of the tour (Cygnets, Arabian, Steps to Bach, Do you want to...? and Cinderlla) which was nice because I was able to give them all one last shot. It was quite difficult to concentrate I have to be honest, it was a very special show and looking up into Ryms tear filled eyes all the way through Cinderella made it all the more difficult. Similarly at the end of Do you want to...? as I walked slowly towards Laurel, I could see the tears streaming down her face. We all went on for our final curtain call and the audience gave us an incredible applause cheering and clapping for what seemed like eternity.

There was, of course, the small matter of graduation and Sunday was the highlight of my time at the school. First of all we did our final class together at the theatre and then we were assessed on our solos. I danced Matthew Bourne's Swan Solo from Swan Lake and I was relatively chuffed with how it had gone. That evening we did them all again for a packed out auditorium full of friends and family and I was also told to do a speech on behalf of all the students. Standing in the wings waiting to do my solo was a pretty strange feeling, three years of intense training came down to this in a way and I was just thinking about advice that Simon Cooper (who taught and coached me on the solo) had given me and that was to grab the audience straight away with the way I walked on. The dance itself was a bit of a blur but as I finished and ran off stage the auditorium errupted, it was the most incredible feeling. To be honest it was full of friends and family and if i had fallen straight onto my nose I would probably have been given the same reception but it was completely unexpected and thanks so much to all my mates, my mum and dad and my little sister for the response....wow! After all that we went and got changed into our classy little outfits for the ceremony which was great. Me and Sophie still had to do our speech and I had a lot of fun thanking everyone and of course taking the micky a bit out of the staff, I did forget a few people, as i always knew i would, but we got a fair few laughs which was what it's all about really.

Finally, and i do apologise for by far the longest entry I have ever done (eat your heart out Rym), was our graduation party!!!! We had hired out a bar by school and we had a fantastic night. Me and Ruan had organised a few awards of our own and a couple of days before had given all members of the Company voting slips. We had a laugh seeing who everyone had voted for and we announced all the winners at the party to raptuous applause. Unfortunately some of them are a bit (ahem) innappropriate to announce over the internet but here are the winners of a few of them, some are obvious while others we will leave to the imagination. Chelsea won best smile, Sophie best legs, Clementine best bum, Nick the superhero award, Amy won the F.I.S.H award, the snake award and the 'Tom 'n' Ruan Award', Rym won the Fashion Victim Award, Jen won the Big Brother award and I won the Dancer of the Year Award (believe me it certainly wasn't an award for the best dancer). It was a great night which we all eventually finished at half six in the morning in a swimming pool, what a laugh.

Finally then I must sign off for the last time. It has been an amazing three years and to have the opportunity to tour the country with 26 of your mates doing shows is a truly sensational experience. Thanks for reading and I will do my best to make sure it is not the last you all hear of me fingers crossed ay. It has been a pleasure to write these blogs and if any of the guys are reading, it has been a pleasure to share a stage with you all.

All the best

Tom Conlan x

The end of an era

So this is it. Three years of hard work, laughter and tears, of dreams and disappointments, all come to a close.
We graduated from Central School of Ballet last Sunday, and it was an amazing day. The whole weekend was surreal actually, last Saturday night was our final Ballet Central show, and it was incredibly emotional. We were all very tired because there had been a very busy rehearsal and performance schedule at the Unicorn theatre that week with all the school shows, so by the time it came to Saturday, all the chips were down and it was hard to deal with.
I was a wreck. I couldn't stop crying, and for about two hours before I went on, I didn't really talk to anyone (extremely unusual for me!) I did Cinderella and the second movement of Steps to Bach, and as I knelt on the floor looking at Tom for the last time, I just couldn't control myself and there were tears running down my face. After coming off from steps, Amy and I hugged each other in a kind of daze- the last time we would ever do that piece and the last time on stage as Ballet Central. The whole company went on at the end for one last curtain call, and some first and second years threw flowers at us. The curtain came down, and everyone turned to each other, and the full weight of what had ended and what was just beginning really hit us. It wasn't exactly sad, but very poignant and I ended up totally drained.
On Sunday, the mood was very different. More celebration, more hope for the future and of course, excitement about having a summer holiday! We did our solos for the assessors, which went ok, but felt very much like an assessment. Then we performed them for the audience of friends and family, and it was great. The audience were really appreciative, and I thought my solo went really well. It wasn't very sad that day. Sometimes when I do it I feel such a sense of loss and sadness that I almost end up crying at the end of it even in the studio, but on Sunday it felt more like an expression of hope and longing, probably because that was more my overriding mood that day. After I came off, I joined the mayhem backstage of girls flying around to get ready in posh frocks in a quarter of the time we would normally take to get ready for a normal day. Everyone had lovely dresses (they had been a favorite topic of conversation for a while!) In a record amount of time, we were all ready and standing on stage ready to receive our diplomas and listen to the speeches.
It was incredibly moving. I have been to the past years ceremonies, and nothing prepares you for the fact that one day, you will be standing there, about to go out into the big wide world too. there was prize giving, and i was completely astonished to win the prize for the dissertation, the outstanding performance one, and the musicality award. It was the strangest but best feeling!
There followed a reception, in which we said goodbye to all the teachers, surprisingly without too many tears, and then headed off for a lovely meal with our families before displaying true stamina and making my way to our party.
As I was one of the organisers, I was a little bit worried how it would turn out. Would people enjoy themselves? Would it all go well? As it turned out, Beth and I had done a great job, it was a really good party with excellent music in a great venue, and I hope everyone enjoyed the last central party of the year!
I spent most of yesterday in bed. sleep hasn't been high on my list of priorities for the past four months, so i was catching up! I now have a few days before i head up to Leeds, and begin my new life- working so hard, learning like a sponge and really pushing myself as far as I can.
Its been great writing about all my experiences in this pivotal year of my life for ballet.co. I have always truly enjoyed it, and I hope you have enjoyed reading them as well, despite their lengthy nature sometimes! Its been a pleasure!!!

rym

Final Lap...

I am writing this weblog having just finished a run-through of the School Show which happens in the last week of every year, it is really starting to hit home now...the end is nigh. Since my last entry we have performed in Hertford, Bury St Edmunds, Wakefield, Hexham and Ludlow with just Hextable and a few dates at the Unicorn Theatre in London before we all make our venture into the big wide world.

Hertford and Bury St Edmunds were day trips so it was nice to get the whole company together again as only sixteen of us do the over night shows. I performed in Cinderella, Arabian, Cygnets, Do you want to...?, and for the first time 'Steps to Bach'. As always I was partnered with my trusty sidekick Rym therefore bringing our grand total of pas de deux's to three a show. She does not always appreciate being told that she is the less accomplished half although I have well and truly added her to the list of Robin, Sweep and Dr Watson who are often overshadowed by their more illustrious co-stars.

Next was a tour to Wakefield and two dates in Hexham. Wakefield was a beautiful auditorium but it was a little tricky as the stage was raked, making pirouettes very difficult and promenading Rym a bit of an uphill task. I did the same pieces as the previous two shows and considering the trouble with the stage I was actually quite pleased with how the show went for me personally although apparently 'Silver Light on Water' was not the best it had ever been done. In the dress rehearsal we actually failed to make the last lift in Cinderella which was the first time that had ever happened so I was a little nervous as I saw Rym hurtling towards me, however as it happened, after a few little tips from the Boss on how to lift on a rake, I did manage to get her up there. Hexham was a nice theatre as well and the first performance was good in my opinion. Personally though I was a little disappointed with the performance the next afternoon. When doing a show in the evening we are given the luxury of a dress rehearsal beforehand, however as we were dancing earlier we did not have one and I was perhaps a little underprepared mentally. I felt that the second half went a lot better than the first but Cygnets and Cinderella did not quite feel right, nothing went drastically wrong but they did not feel fresh and sometimes that can show to an audience.

Our latest venture was to Ludlow, a pretty little town on the border of Wales. For the first time we left our wonderful tour bus and had to make our way up on the train, a mistake which would not become apparent until two days later as sixteen dancers stood shivering outside the station waiting for a replacement 'bus' service that turned up an hour late and was actually a taxi....which none of us blagged our way into. Blissfully unaware of our tragic destiny, our first evening in Ludlow was very enjoyable. We all grabbed some food and sat at the top of a hill to eat it, a nice bit of team bonding I pointed out. We then thought it would be nice to nip to the local pub for the 'live jazz', lets just say Louis Armstrong would have turning in his grave. If your idea of Jazz was two drunk men in cowboy hats playing the theme tune to Rawhide then you would not have been disappointed, as it happened we were and decided against the idea. The show itself went very well, again I performed the same pieces and everyone was pleased with how it went rite up until 5 o clock the next day when our 9 hour journey was complete.

As much as I love writing these blogs I am afraid this is where I must finish for the day. My flatmate Goz is looking very angry as he wants to go home and we have just missed the bus.

Speak soon

Tom x

Our final attempt

Tiredness and excitement are the two things that can be seen on everyone’s faces. We only have a few weeks to go and our main conversations at the moment are about the performance at the Unicorn Theater, our graduation solos and the graduation dresses!!!! It has been a year full of challenges and there was never a time when we could relax for a little while and take it easy, from auditions to assessments, choreographers coming in, performances and touring. This has definitely challenged us and put us face to face with what to expect from the life of a professional dancer. Tomorrow we are handing in our last assignment, it is such a relief that now all the written work is handed in.
Some are excited to be leaving and start a new adventure, others speak about how much they will miss everyone and that it might seem a bit scary to move to somewhere else. My next experience is taking me to Scotland as I will be joining the Scottish Ballet Company in a month’s time. I am really excited and thrilled to become part of their company and cannot wait to start!

You will hear from me soon with the last few details.

North and South

am writing this sitting on a train speeding south. One night in my new flat in Leeds turned into two after some catastrophe near Doncaster led to National Rail cancelling all trains going to London on a Sunday night. As you can imagine, there were many unhappy Londoners in Leeds yesterday.
It has been a while since my last entry; time marches on relentlessly and now there is only a month left until graduation. We have done two day trips recently- Hertford and Bury St Edmunds, as well as a visit to the south-west.
The tour to the west country was really fun. A show in Taunton, then two in Bridport (a historic and essential stop on every Ballet Central tour), and then finishing with a show in Frome.
Taunton was characterized by the pub next door to the Travel Lodge, which is always greeted with glee as we alight from the coach because it means a good dinner and a pleasant, sociable evening. There was a slight crisis, because unfortunately, there was a sudden injury the day before we went to Taunton, so the whole programme was changed at the last minute. This meant people had to step in; Becky had to come on tour to do Choice, I had to do Cinderella, and so Amy had to replace me in Steps- nobody minds though- its always sad when someone gets injured, and we all did what we had to do to get the show on.
I will always remember Bridport by the unique challenges that this venue poses- but I had a great time there and would have loved to have stayed. The stage was really small and a funny shape- there was a little alcove at the back. The main problem was the darkness though- it was pitch black on stage and we all felt as though we were dancing with our eyes shut. This meant people were jumping into walls, having problems getting in and out of wings and general havoc ensued in the dress rehearsal. We have a bit of a Thing, as a group, with dress rehearsals. For some reason, they are always really, really bad. Everything that can possibly go wrong normally does, and I think we must sometimes drive Bill to distraction with worry about the mess we could potentially make of the show. But somehow, the show always happens at least, so there is light at the end of the tunnel. As Bill put it after our Bridport dress, 'Ballet Central have been coming here for twenty five years- we want it to be twenty six.'
In the end, the show was good, I think having the dressing rooms backing onto the wings and stage and having to be absolutely silent during the show made us really focus and concentrate.
At this venue, instead of staying in a hotel, we stayed with host families. It was so amazing to see these people so willing to share their homes with us, and it really made this tour an experience. I stayed with Sophie and Chelsea with a couple called Cynthia and Jason and we had a great time. Their house was so lovely (just like the sort of place i want when i grow up!) and they gave us lovely homemade soup after the shows and croissants for breakfast which is surely something that happens in dancer's Valhalla.
On our morning off (!!!!!!) we went to the beach nearby. It wasn't a particularly hot day, and it was a bit of at trek, but when we saw the sea and the sandy dunes, it was completely worth it. The panorama of the sky was very powerful that day, and closer to home, the surrounding countryside is ruggedly beautiful. There is a quality of light peculiar to that part of the world which makes you feel as though the scene is not quite real- as if it could disappear at any moment.
We left Bridport early on Saturday morning, amid sighs of regret from the shopaholics among us- the market was just setting up. The town is packed full of great little shops where a few of us had picked up some vintage bargains, and it would have been worth a browse round the stalls- maybe next time!
Frome was Laurel's home venue, so the audience was really appreciative and the theatre was really nice. I felt that Cinderella went really well at this venue- it is always a lot easier on a big stage because we really have to push it- run further, make everything bigger; and for some reason this really has an effect on me emotionally. There were parts of it that are a bit of a blur, and I think Tom was a bit disconcerted by some of the spontaneous details I added in the passion of the moment. It was far from perfect, but there comes a point when you have to leave those worries and inhibitions somewhere else, to be dealt with tomorrow, and that was the point I reached on stage at Frome.

We leave for the next tour tomorrow, going to Wakefield and Hexham. From the rolling hills of the Summerland to the blustery North- traversing the kingdom in Roy the ex-racing driver's coach, with a DVD on the player and the patchwork of fields passing by, has actually turned out to be quite fun.

I am Tired!

The waiting is over, I have finally entered a new weblog. It has been a long time since my last one and since then there has been a whirlwind of activity, so much so that Ryms 5000 word essay couldn't even fit it all in. I do not really know where to start. Since the Linbury we have danced at 10 different venues (Bracknell, RADA, Canterbury, Chipping Norton, Grantham, Shrewsbury, Hereford, Taunton, Bridport and Frome) and 7 of these venues were while on tour. All of the theatres have posed us with different challenges and all have been a rite laugh.

The first, Chipping Norton was a teeny weeny stage but the audience were fantastic. I danced Arabian, Jazz and Cinderella all of which I absolutley love although having read Rym and Brenda's blogs I know they have told you all about the show so I will go into detail on another wonderful aspect of the tour...living in a pub! 2 Snooker tables, great food, loads of games on the itbox (our favourite of which was Caesars palace) and generally a lovely country atmosphere. After losing our last 50 pence on Caesars Palace (Cheers Nick 'theres only 6 ducks in the pond' Peak) and having destroyed Doug (lighting designer) and Chris (Stage manager) at Pool me and Ruan retired to our room to watch Derren Brown, what a night! The shows went very well and we all found a place in our hearts for the little dog that roamed around backstage.

Our next tour was Grantham, Shrewsbury, Hereford which involved no pubs (boo!) but 4 nights in 3 different Travelodges the last of which had a lovely cocktail bar (yay!). The only disappointing thing was the that Hereford did not sell very well, which I believe has been the first time this year, still the theatre was stunning and we had a very good response. I did find it amusing to read Rym talk about the tension on tour, something which I, as always was completely unaware of. The girls often make us lads laugh with their ballet gossip and rivalry so I will certainly be going upstairs in a moment to find out if I missed anything particularly interesting, its a shame it will all be finished with now, they will all be friends again and I will have missd it, dammit!

Our most recent tour was Taunton, Bridport and Frome. In Taunton we stayed In a lovely Premier Inn rite opposite a pub(yay!). It wasn't quite as homely or characterful as the one in Chipping Norton but the deal or no deal and wordsearch games on the itbox kept us occupied for a good few hours. I must apologise to Jamiel, Nick and Ruan for going against their wishes, selecting box number 5 and losing 10 pounds, for some reason the consolation prize of 16 pence was ironically not much of a consolation. As is Ballet Central tradition, in Bridport we stayed with host families. Ruan, Long and I stayed with a lovely couple named Penny and John who on night one cooked us pasta and fed us strawberries, gave us some cereal and a full english in the morning and made a fabulous stew the next night along with numerous glasses of wine, cups of tea and coffee and juice. John even took us for a saturday morning drive around Bridport, at which point we saw Jamiel and Nick walking towards the theatre. Now I am not going to lie to you the thought of ambushing them came into my head probably less than a second after I saw them innocently poking a beatle in the grass. Ruan, not suprisingly, was thinking the same thing and John pulled over and watched as the silent countryside was pierced with one of the girliest squeels imaginable from Nick and a full blown cry of fear from Jamiel which was followed by a leap in the air and a dive to the floor covering his head... quite possibly one of the funniest things I have ever seen.

The theatre in Bridport was by far the strangest we will face this year. The stage was small and with a strange alcove and the lights for the stage perched beautifully....in the dressing rooms. Yes not a word could be said during performance as you were never more than 5 feet away from the wings, it was interesting to say the least. I found the funny side of it, most people understandably didn't yet we got on with it and after probably the worst dress rehearsal in history we actually pulled off a pretty good show. The Jazz particularly went down superbly with whoops and cheers from all angles of the theatre. My Mum and Dad were there again as always and are quickly closing in on the record of most performances seen ever in the history of Ballet Central.
We finished with Frome, which was a lovely theatre and again we had a fantastic audience, before trecking back to London and arriving at one o'clock in the morning. After an eventful cab journey back to my flat (I left my phone in the cab only for Jamiel to sprint back down the road and dive back into the moving vehicle to retrieve it) I finally got in at half past one, woke up my flatmates Goz and Matt(Ballet Central blogger from last year) and watched rubbish tele until half 4 in the morning.

That is undoubtably it for now although I am sure I have left things out and have probably made my traditional spelling mistake. Not quite a match for Rym but I feel like I have been sitting in this chair for eternity. I definately wont leave it as long as last time before i write my next one just for the simple reason that I physically could not write one more word.

Speak soon

Tom