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Our Pro Dancer News reflects on the major dance events of the last few weeks.

Wicked movie confirms earlier release date.

Wicked Part One has announced an earlier release date than previously shared.
The movie is based on the hit Broadway musical of the same name and stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo respectively as Glinda the Good Witch and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West.
Universal Pictures has confirmed that the film will now debut in UK and US cinemas on November 22 – a week earlier than its original November 27 release date.

VIEW THE TRAILER

The big-screen adaptation of Wicked is being split into two movies, with part one dropping this year and part two currently scheduled to follow in November 2025.
The full trailer for Wicked: Part One dropped in May, showing Grande and Erivo in the land of Oz. It also featured supporting cast members Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum and Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey.
Bailey plays Glinda and Elphaba’s classmate Fiyero, who finds himself the object of both witches’ affection. Meanwhile, Yeoh portrays professor Madame Morrible and Goldblum appears as the all-powerful Wizard of Oz.

The trailer also teases Erivo and Grande’s take on the fan-favourite musical songs ‘Popular’ and ‘Defying Gravity’, re-recorded for the film’s soundtrack.
Wicked centres on the relationship between witches Glinda and Elphaba, beginning as young pupils (and initial enemies) at the prestigious Shiz University.
They go on to become firm friends who face off against the admired and all-powerful Wizard of Oz and his corrupt governmental activities.
The 2003 musical was developed by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, loosely based on the 1995 book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.
The novel reimagines the witch and wizard characters from L Frank Baum’s classic novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Wicked: Part One will now be released in UK and US cinemas on Friday, November 22.

UK premiere For Scissorhandz musical, featuring songs from Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Alanis Morissette.

    

Scissorhandz: A Musical Reinvented will have its European premiere at Southwark Playhouse Elephant.

The musical is a reinterpretation of Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands, presenting it as a pop-musical parody that explores themes of individuality and self-expression.

With a soundtrack featuring popular songs by artists such as Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, and Alanis Morissette, the production previously enjoyed a sold-out run in Hollywood.

It is produced by Bradley Bredeweg (who is also the writer and director), Kelley Parker and Brian Pendleton, along with co-producers Lance Bass and Michelle Visage.

Visage described the show as a “celebration of life and individuality,” adding: “We’re not just creating a show, we’re creating a movement. You know I’ll be throwing some fabulous parties during the run—I mean, what’s a Michelle Visage production without a little sparkle and sass? Get ready, because it’s going to be an unforgettable ride!”

Bredeweg explained his inspiration for the show, saying: “As a lonely quirky gay kid growing up in the 80s and 90s, this film meant the world to me because it spoke to anyone who felt like they didn’t quite fit in. That spirit of celebrating the weird and wonderful is at the core of Scissorhandz — a tribute musical and a parody all rolled into one.”

The show has choreography by Alexzandra Sarmiento, musical direction by Gregory Nabours, set design by James Pearse Connelly, costume design by Abby Clarke, lighting design by Adam King, sound design by Yvonne Gilbert, casting by Harry Blumenau Casting, production management by James Anderton and general management by Wildpark Entertainment.

The show’s team features co-producers Lance Bass and Michelle Visage

It will run from 23 January to 29 March 2025.

No bailout for theatres in ‘difficult’ budget.

The Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre’s appeal to the government for an urgent pot of funding to stave off venue closures has been frustrated, with no additional funding for the arts allocated by chancellor Rachel Reeves in her autumn Budget.

In a submission to the Treasury ahead of the Budget, SOLT and UK Theatre warned that without significant capital investment over the next five years, nearly 40% of venues will be in danger of closing and 40% will become too unsafe to use.

The industry bodies’ plea for an urgent funding pot of £30 million for crucial repairs was snubbed in the Budget, which also did not address their call on the government to endorse the Theatre for Every Child campaign by pledging that all children would have the chance to attend the theatre by the time they leave school – a move that would have cost an estimated £34 million per year.

The previous Conservative government’s spring Budget saw Wales’ Theatr Clwyd and London’s National Theatre receive dedicated pots of funding for upgrades to their facilities.
Yet despite individual appeals for tens of millions of pounds from venues including Theatre Royal Plymouth and Salford’s Lowry, no dedicated pots were allocated to individual venues in today’s Budget.
A lack of capital for theatres was hinted at by Arts Council England boss Darren Henley last week, who advised the creative industries to be “realistic” about the Budget and anticipated a “very tough couple of years” for arts funding.

Faced with an estimated £100 billion “black hole” in public finances over the next five years, Labour leadership also appeared braced for a challenging Budget, with prime minister Keir Starmer warning it would be “painful” and Reeves adding that the shortfall necessitated “difficult decisions”. However Labour MP Marsha de Cordova wrote to Reeves the day before the budget urging her to bail out arts centres, which she called vital “pillars of our communities”.

While the Budget made no commitment to increasing arts and culture spending, Reeves pledged to “drive forward” Labour’s 10-year industrial strategy, which pledged to “unlock private investment” in the creative industries as a key part of the government’s economic growth plan.
However, while other “growth-driving sectors” cited in the strategy – including defence and life sciences – received billions in investment, the creative industries went unmentioned beyond additional tax relief for visual effects in TV and film.

Local authorities, which remain the single largest funder of the arts in England, will receive an extra £1.3 billion for essential services, including at least £600 million for social care and £230 million to tackle homelessness.
The money represents a lifeline for councils in England, a quarter of which are at risk of bankruptcy unless they receive emergency bailouts in the next two years, according to a report published last week. Hoped-for financial settlements are set to begin in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands next year.

As the government had previously announced, private schools’ exemption from VAT is set to be removed on January 1, meaning a 20% tax will be imposed upon a number of specialist performing arts schools.
The move, tabled almost immediately after Starmer’s election win, risks “impoverishing the cultural life of the nation” according to principals at leading training institutions including Tring Park School, who have warned that bursaries and scholarships are likely to be hit as organisations try to manage tighter margins.

In addition, despite lobbying from the likes of Royal Ballet and Opera’s Alex Beard and Shakespeare’s Globe’s Stella Kanu, Reeves did not reinstate tax-free shopping for tourists. Previous chancellor Jeremy Hunt also decided not to reinstate it in the spring Budget, but said the Conservative government would “look at it again” in the autumn if it stayed in power.
The decision to leave tourist tax unchanged means Britain is the only country in Europe to tax tourists for shopping – a situation that Beard, Kanu and other business leaders claim is also damaging tourist spending in areas such as the arts and live entertainment, as well as in hospitality and transport.

The budget also saw a widely expected 6% hike in the minimum wage, following the government’s 5% increase of the Real Living Wage last week. Responding to the latter, SOLT and UK Theatre co-chief executive Hannah Essex called on Labour to ensure that “changes to the living wage must give employers the timescales they need for advanced business planning”, adding that “productions and venues set budgets sometimes years in advance and raise investment or apply for funds to support these projected costs”.

Elsewhere, Reeves confirmed an anticipated rise in National Insurance for employers, increasing it by 1.2 percentage points to 15% from April 2025. The hike was been criticised for putting small businesses at risk of closure, however Reeves also increased allowances for small businesses, as well as freezing tax multipliers on them effective next year.
Summing up the Budget, which will raise taxes by £40 billion in order to revive public services “on their knees”, Reeves said: “This government was given a mandate to restore stability to our economy and begin a decade of national renewal. That is our task, and I know we can achieve it.”

Touring dance internationally ‘more difficult since Brexit’ Says Arlene Phillips.

Arlene Phillips has highlighted the difficulty of touring dance worldwide post-Brexit and heralded the inaugural Rose International Dance Prize as “what [dance] deserves”.
The choreographer, who won an Olivier award for her work on Guys and Dolls at London’s Bridge Theatre this year, has been unveiled as among the judges for the new biennial prize, set to be awarded for the first time early next year.

Launched by Sadler’s Wells in 2022, the Rose International Dance Prize aims to elevate the profile of dance from around the world and achieve similar prestige to the Olivier Awards and the Booker Prize.
Speaking to The Stage following the jury announcement, Phillips said: “Sharing dance worldwide is one of the most important things. Before Brexit, there were so many companies working together, particularly in contemporary dance. There wasn’t massive financial support, but companies would work together, so the support would come from various countries making it possible together. Now it’s more difficult.”
She added: “Increasingly we want to see [pieces] that can work anywhere in the world, and be able to share in the talents of choreographers from different countries. It seemed to me that [the Rose Prize] is a big way to move forward.”

The seven nominated pieces for the first Rose International Dance Prize hail from Brazil, Israel, Portugal, Greece, France, Taiwan and the USA. They will be performed at Sadler’s Wells in early 2025 ahead of the inaugural ceremony.
Existing awards that celebrated dance, Phillips continued, did not appreciate the scope of the art form and the variety of styles on display worldwide.
She also emphasised that there was currently no award for dance that “people know the name of”. But she was hopeful that the Rose International prize would fill the gap. “That’s what [dance] deserves”.

Her words echo Sadler’s Wells’ artistic director Alistair Spalding’s observation when launching the award in 2022 that “prizes such as the Booker, Oliviers and Turner have all managed to attract media and public attention, which raise the profile of the art forms they feature, as well as the artists who are shortlisted or win”.
Spalding added: “It is our intention to create a similar prize for dance, which does not currently exist at a scale or stature of these industry-defining prizes.”

Phillips will join musician PJ Harvey, poet, dance producer and creator Karthika Naïr and fashion designer and artist Samuel Ross on the Rose International Dance Prize’s jury, which will be chaired by dancer, choreographer and academic Christopher Bannerman.
“Our jury members hold a wealth of experience within dance and informed views from other cultural disciplines, and we are so pleased that they will be bringing this expertise to the awards,” Spalding said.

The inaugural awards ceremony is scheduled for February 8, 2025, with the prize planned to be awarded every other year for the next decade.

General News & Sighting

• Equity is to make larger than inflation increases to its subscription fees next year, with those earning the least hit by an 18.5% rise in monthly costs. (The Stage)
• Shane and Nancy were eliminated from Strictly at the weekend. The Strictly pro Remembrance dance was choreographed by Lizzie Gough. (Lizzie also choreographed Dianne and Chris’s routine with Alberto Faccio). The remaining 8 couples will dance at Blackpool next week.
• Solange Urdang’s Dang Academy is to close after 2 years of operation citing a lack of funding.
• A purpose built 620 seat state of the art theatre is to open in West London next year. The venue will open with a production of “Dirty Dancing”.
• Fashion brand Mugler is to support 7 scholarships in dance and music at London’s Trinity Laban Conservatoire.
• This years Black British Theatre Awards have been revealed. The Best Choreographer award went to Mthuthuzeli November for Ballet Black’s “The Waiting Game”. Ebony Thomas won the award for Best Dance Performer in the same production. Dannika Duffield won the award for Best Teacher.
• Sadler’s Wells announced its programme for 2025. Key highlights include the world premiere of “Specky Clark”, and the UK premiere of Wayne McGregor’s “Deepstaria”.
• Sir Matt Bourne’s “The Midnight Bell” will embark on a new tour in 2025. It will open in Cheltenham on the 15th of May.
• Kilworth House has announced its 2025 season, presenting 2 musicals: “42nd Street” and “Grease”. Both will be directed and choreographed by Lee Proud.
• Sir Matt Bourne’s New Adventures has announced the complete schedule and cast for the 30th Anniversary of “Swan Lake”. The production will visit 19 venues across the UK, opening in Plymouth this evening. The show stars: Harrison Dowzell, Jackson Fisch, Rory Macleod, Ashley Shaw, Nicole Kabera, Katrina Lyndon and Bryony Wood.
• The full cast has been announced for “The Lightning Thief”. It will star Max Harwood and Jessica Lee. The choreography is by Lizzie Gee and Libby Watts.
• “Clueless” has announced the lead casting for its West End premiere at the Trafalgar theatre on the 15th February 2025. Emma Flynn will play Cher and Keelan McAuley will play Josh. The choreography is by Kelly Devine.

Future Dance Events News

• “Scissorhandz: A Musical Reinvented” will have its European premiere at the Southwark Playhouse Elephant on the 23rd of January 2025. The choreography is by Alexzandra Sarmiento.
• “Hercules” will open at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on the 6th of June 2025. It will star Luke Brady and have choreography by Casey Nicholaw and Tanisha Scott.
• “The Great Gatsby” will open in the West End at the London Coliseum on the 11th of April 2025. It has choreography by Dominique Kelley.
• “Titanique” has announced the complete cast for its West End run. It will star Darren Bennett and Lauren Drew and have choreography by Ellenore Scott. The show opens at the Criterion theatre in London on the 9th of December.
• Lead casting has been announced for the UK premiere of “Muriel’s Wedding The Musical”. It will star Megan Ellis and Annabel Marlow. The choreography is by Andrew Hallsworth. The show will run from the 10th of April until the 10th of May 2025 at the Curve theatre in Leicester.
• The full cast has been announced for Sondheim’s final musical “Here We are”. It will star Tracie Bennett and Denis O’ Hare and have choreography by Sam Pinkleton. The show will run at the National Theatre in April 2025.
• “Clueless” is coming to the West End. The show will have choreography by Kelly Devine and will open at the Trafalgar theatre on the 15th of February 2025.
• The world premiere of the new musical “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” will be staged in Bath in the Spring of 2025.
• “The Lightening Thief” is set to open at The Other Palace in London from the 23rd of November until the 2nd of February 2025. It will be directed and choreographed by Lizzie Gee.
• “Bat Out of Hell” has revealed tour dates and venues for its 2025 tour. The show will star Glenn Adamson and Katie Tonkinson and has choreography by Xenia Gusthart. The show will open in Edinburgh on the 6th of January 2025.
• Disney’s animated classic “Hercules” is headed for the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in the Summer of 2025. It will have choreography by Casey Nicholaw and Tanisha Scott.
• The world premiere of “Wild Rose” will run from the 6th of March until the 5th of April 2025 at the Lyceum theatre in Scotland. It has choreography by Steven Hoggett.
• “Calamity Jane” will tour the UK and Ireland before a West End run in 2025. It has choreography by Nick Winston.
• The Leeds Playhouse will host the world premiere of “Coraline – A Musical” from the 11th of April to the 11th of May 2025 before the show embarks on a UK tour. The choreography is by EJ Boyle.
• “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” is set to embark on a world tour in 2025. The new production will launch in the UK while its West End staging will continue its run at the Piccadilly theatre.
• “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat” is set to return for a new tour starring Donny Osmond. It will open at the Edinburgh Playhouse on the 3rd of December. The choreography is by JoAnn M Hunter.
• A stage musical based on Prince’s film and album “Purple Rain” is in the works with producer Orin Wolf.
• “The Wizard of Oz” has confirmed the full cast for its tour of the UK and Ireland. The choreography is by Shay Barclay. The show will open in Liverpool on the 13th of December 2024.
• “Some Like It Hot” is coming to the West End in 2025. It will be directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw.
• Full casting has been revealed for the first UK and Ireland tour of “Aladdin”. Gavin Adams will star with Desmonda Cathabel as Jasmine. Sarah Benbelaid is the Assistant Dance Captain. The show will open in Edinburgh in October.

Auditions & Vacancies

• Luke Field-Wright and Crystal Hantig are looking for Dance Teachers to join Industry Warehouse in London. You can DM either Crystal or Luke.
• Black Skull Productions (Jay Revell) has an audition for the Joy Awards on the 17th of November from 10.00 am – 6.00 pm. For more information contact: info@blackskulltalent.com
• Cabaret Rouge is looking for dancers for the period of the 12th of December until the 26th of February 2025. For more information contact: casting.drp@gmail.com
• Artistic Talent Agency is looking for female dancers in Nottingham for a regular weekly gig. Contact: info@artistictalentagency.com
• BPA Camden is looking for a Contemporary and Street dance teacher to join the team on Saturdays. For more information, email: bpacamden@gmail.com
• CAPA College is looking for a Commercial / Jazz dance teacher and a Classical dance teacher. Look at the website for more details.
• Scottish Ballet is looking for 2 female and 2 male dancers. Look at the website for details.

Dance Classes

• Ashley Shaw and Leanne Cope have a Masterclass on the 2nd of February at Sadler’s Wells in London. You can book via: @intballetintensives
• Jacqui Jameson has a Broadway Jazz class on Thursdays from 11.30 am – 1.00 pm at the Pineapple Dance Studios.
• Josie Lee and Gaz Davis have a Christmas Intensive on the 30th of December at the Base Dance Studios from 12.00 am – 4.00 pm.
• Sophie Ferrero has a Beginners Commercial class at Pineapple Studios on Thursdays from 7.30 – 8.30 pm.
• Katie Deacon has a Ballet for Musical Theatre Intermediate class at the Manor in London on Mondays at 1.30 pm.
• Chris Marney and Kate Lyons have a weekly Open Ballet class on Mondays and Wednesdays from 11.00 am – 12.30 pm at London City Ballet.
• Gaz Davis and Josie Lee have a Christmas Intensive at Base Studios in London on the 30th of December from 12.00 – 4.00 pm. Email to book.
• Christina Mittelmaier has started Ballet classes at Pineapple Studios in London every Thursday.
• Victoria Martin and Vincent Simone have a weekend of Argentine Tango and Latin Dance at the Dunadry Hotel in Templepatrick from the 24th to the 27th of January. You can book on: Home | NI Dancesport | Northern Ireland UK
• Chelsie Fitzharris has a Dance Fit class every Tuesday from 6.30 – 7.15 pm at the Measham Leisure Centre.
• Emily Rose has a Commercial class on the 8th of December at 2.30 pm at the Manor studios in London.
• Serena McCall is doing a Contemporary Fusion workshop in Krakow, Poland, on the 7th & 8th of December.
• Tyra Roberts is doing a Commercial Choreography dance class at John Reed Fitness in London every Tuesday at 6.30 pm.
• Amy Ireland has weekly classes on Fridays at 10.00 am at the Pineapple Dance Studios in London.
• Keith and Judy Clifton have a new beginners class on Thursdays at the Grimsby Town Hall from 7.30 – 8.30 pm. Contact: keith.clifton@icloud.com
• Lizzie McConachie has a commercial class on Mondays at Pineapple Studios from 7.30 – 8.30 pm.
• Aimee Casey has an Adult Ballet class at Flame Studios in Cardiff on Fridays from 6.30 – 7.30 pm.
• Lucy Jane Adcock has 2 weekly classes at the Base dance studios in London on Sundays at 11.30 am and on Wednesdays at 10.00 am.
• Christina Andrea has a Commercial Edge class at Base Studios on Thursdays from 2.30 – 4.00 pm.
• Beth Ackroyd is doing an Adult Ballet class at the Fresh Ground in Battersea on Thursdays from 11.00 am – 12.00 pm. You can contact Beth on: beth.lauren@live.com
• Veronika Wiktoria is starting a Street Jazz class every Monday at 5.30 pm at the Base dance studios with Ralitsa Chepisheva.
• Lil J is offering a sassy Commercial class at the Pineapple Dance Studios on Tuesdays at 4.15 pm. You can book on the Pineapple app.
• Dominique Marinho is teaching a Beginners Heels class on Tuesdays at Pineapple Studios from 3.45 – 4.45 pm.

Film & TV

• “Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked” will air next weekend on Sky Arts. The documentary features scenes from the upcoming movie starring Ariana Grande.
• We spotted Sophia Turner dancing for Tyla at the MTV “European Music Awards” last night in Manchester.
• We spotted Charlotte Bazeley in the Christmas advert for Morrisons.
• We spotted the following dancers in the new movie “The Blitz”: Emma Nightingale, Grace Cinque-White, Pia Driver, Robyn Casey, Rachel Muldoon, Emily Goodenough, Ethan Le Pong, Renako McDonald and Christopher Tendai.
• We spotted the following dancers performing with Rita Ora: Renee Hughes, Zadie Amelia, Curtisha Kruythoff, Kate Ivy Jay, Lashay Harvey, Elise Clinton and Kenzie Hunt. The choreography was by Kieran D-W.
• We spotted Faith Newport in the new Disney Plus series “Rivals”.
• We spotted Mina Neighbour dancing with the Sugababes at the “Pride of Britain” awards.
• We spotted Cece Nama, Shawarah Battles and Summer Villiers performing with Zara Larsson.
• We spotted Lorna Brown performing at the Sporting Club in Monte Carlo.

Pro Dancer News Published by the Dincwear Pro Dancewear Team.

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