News and Events

(11/04/12)
Pupils and staff enjoyed 3 days of dance at beautiful Barcombe village hall during the Easter break.

After a good warm-up and stretching session all pupils took part in an hour of Ballet before beginning work on 3 different dance styles - Musical theatre, Contemporary and Charleston. By the third afternoon they had mastered all 3 styles and were able to perform confidently to an appreciative audience. A tuneful rendition of 'singing in the rain' with umbrellas gave us all something to look forward to, then a complex piece of lyrical contemporary and finally an energetic Charleston, which they clearly loved performing and delighted the audience.

Thank you to all who took part - what a lovely few days.

In collaboration with Kaleidoscope Theatre Group, Turning Pointe is putting on a charity performing arts show to raise money for the Patina Moving on Parade in Lewes which celebrates the transition from Primary to Secondary School. The voluntary arts organisation that works with 16 Primary schools in the Lewes area has had its funding cut and is desperately trying to raise money so that this important tradition can continue. To help this worthy cause, on Sunday 20th May at 1.30pm at All Saints Centre in Lewes, dancers from Turning Pointe will be performing Ballet, Modern, Musical Theatre and Street Jazz numbers alongside performances from Kaleidescope and other local performing groups. This event promises to be an outstanding showcase of local talent, and a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon whilst raising money. Tickets cost £5 for under 13s and £7 for ages 13 and over, please contact Lianne Carter for tickets at pink_freak23@hotmail.com or call 07957541057.

Last week was another busy one - Ballet exams on Monday and Tuesday, a school trip to see Martha Gardner in Billy Elliot on Thursday, watching Matthew Keller in the Royal Ballet School show on Saturday as well as Tap exams to round off the week.

On Thursday 5th July a group of 50 from Turning Pointe travelled to London to watch Martha performing on stage at the Victoria Palace Theatre as a Ballet girl in Billy Elliot. The photo above is of some of the students with Martha on the train home. Here are some of the comments made afterwards:
"I thought Martha shone brightly in the show, her star quality was obvious"
"We thought Martha's performance was outstanding"
"What a truly memorable experience the show was for us. Martha shone and was a great credit to you and Turning Pointe. Well done!"

Matthew Keller also took to the stage at the Royal opera house that evening, for the first of 6 performances of the Royal Ballet School's annual performance. Julia Canneaux and some of Matthew's friends from Turning Pointe were delighted to have the priviledge of seeing him perform amongst the stars of the future. He certainly loooked like he belonged on that stage, he was clearly loving every second, his sense of performance, technique and timing were impeccable. SO PROUD!

It was a pleasure to spend a week with such delightful and talented pupils and staff. Classes in ballet, jazz, drama, musical theatre, choreography and national were taken by Lianne Carter, Nisa Davies, James Barton and Julia Canneaux. The weather was kind, so we were able to picnic and play out on the lawns during breaks, but so much was packed in as the pupils absorbed the work, which took them out of their comfort zones, with vigour and enthusiasm.

On Friday a delighted audience were treated to a memorable performance including Musical Theatre and drama pieces from ‘Cats’ and ‘The Sound of Music’, a Highland Reel, a poignant duet for two very talented classical students, 3 pieces beautifully choreographed and performed by senior students, a Morris dance with sticks from 8 junior boys and girls, all rounded off by a rousing Charleston. Much was achieved this week – Congratulations to you all.

Students from Turning Pointe performed in the Patina Performing Arts Festival at All Saints Centre in Lewes, and helped to raise over £1,000 for Patina. The event was completely sold out, and the audience was treated to a spectacular afternoon of entertainment from several local performing arts groups. Turning Pointe students showcased their variety of performance skills and dance styles, including Ballet, Tap, Street Jazz, Musical Theatre, and Charleston. Every single one of the students gave a fantastic performance, and Miss Canneaux and Miss Carter would like to congratulate you on your professionalism both onstage and backstage!

(07/12/11)
On 9th November we were invited to take a group of 20 students to watch the Royal Ballet in class. Students from the Intermediate Foundation classes had a wonderful and exciting day watching 45 dancers, many of them principals and soloists, beginning their day with morning class. A privilege which few get to see - Carlos Acosta, Leanne Benjamin, Tamara Rojo, Sarah Lamb were just 3 feet away as we had front row seats. We were stunned and amazed at the power, strength, flexibility and beauty of each and every dancer and didn’t want the class to end. We then had an Italian lunch and tickets to see a matinee performance of Billy Elliott, so came home that evening energised and inspired. A fantastic day out for students and staff.

On Sunday 10th March Lianne Carter is taking a group of senior Turning Pointe students to dance exhibition 'MOVE IT' 2012 at Olympia, where they will take part in a unique Street class with 'Got to Dance' 2011 winners Chris and Wez and a Contemporary class with 'Got to Dance' finalists Alleviate. This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for the students, who will also get to watch performances from leading dance companies and professional colleges.

Have a great time and dance your socks off!