Mballet dance academy in Thembisa, South Africa
Phill Magakoe/AFP/Getty Images Main image: Philasande Ngcobo, five, left, and Yamihle Gwababa, five, hold hands outside the academy. Photograph: Phill Magakoe/AFP/Getty Images
Thu 31 Jul 2025 16.48 CEST
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The Guardian
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‘I'd never seen anything like it': Lucinda Childs on the extraordinary worlds of Robert Wilson
There was a production of Bob's in New York in 1975, A Letter for Queen Victoria, and some friends told me, 'Oh, you should see this, it's really amazing'. I was a dancer and choreographer and I had worked with the Judson Dance Theatre – it was all about no music, pedestrian movement, performing in alternative spaces, avoiding all the traditional trappings. Here was Bob, though, in a theatre, with a composer and lighting … it was such a contemporary sensibility. I'd never seen anything like it. I met Bob shortly thereafter at a festival, and he talked right away about working together on Einstein on the Beach [with composer Philip Glass]. We worked in his studio in lower Manhattan. Bob worked in a kind of improvisatory fashion. Day to day we were never sure if he was going to review what we had done or start again. You just would come up with something and run with it and see what happened. We would improvise day after day and narrow it down and see what worked. He was never entirely specific about what he wanted, but somehow he got exactly what he wanted. There was a lot of trust and he supported me in my work in such a strong way. It gave me a sense of freedom. The next thing we worked on was Patio [full title: I Was Sitting on My Patio This Guy Appeared I Thought I Was Hallucinating]. Right after Einstein, he gave me a 38-page script and said, 'Tell me what you think'. And, of course, I loved it. He thought of text in different ways. Not necessarily the meaning or the narrative aspect, but the music of it, the timing and the rhythm. He just had a unique way of thinking. A lot of the notes that I got from Bob when he was directing were in the form of pictures. From Einstein I have several pages of little drawings he did for every single scene. He was always thinking visually. Watching him do the lighting for Einstein in the theatre in Avignon – to appreciate what he could see, the time and consideration it takes to develop exactly what he wanted – this is something so special and, in a way, difficult about Bob's career. It all happens in three dimensions – it doesn't translate anywhere else. There were a lot of difficulties getting work made in the US. Luckily, he had so much support in Europe. He was appreciated and given opportunities. But there was disappointment, and certainly some anger, because it was difficult for any of us in the downtown crowd in New York. The attitude was: why don't you just stay downtown! But it didn't stop him. Bob wanted to do Einstein at the Met – and he did. I have to mention the Watermill [a centre for alternative arts education in New York]. He managed to bring this wonderful place to America and bring these students in year after year. Every morning he would talk to the entire group, and he'd get round to every single student. He created this place that's so special. As a friend, he offered enormous support. He never forgot a birthday, always sent a message. Never forgot after a performance to write a lovely note to thank you, and he would mean what he said. He was incredibly thoughtful. There was so much support, and anybody I run into says exactly the same thing. There must be hundreds of people with these memos and mementoes. It was 50 years on and off working together. From the very beginning, Bob said, 'I think we think in the same way'. I was working in Hamburg with him on the production H–100 Seconds to Midnight and we all were assembled together, he was introducing all the actors and dancers. And when he got to me he said: 'Lucinda and I don't really talk very much, because we don't need to. We understand each other.' And there was something very touching about that.
The Sun
a day ago
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Strictly Come Dancing's George Clarke ‘gives away' who his pro dance partner is weeks before launch
STRICTLY star George Clarke may have accidentally let slip who he's partnered with for this year's series. Typically, it's kept under lock and key who the celebs are partnered with ahead of the launch show – which will air on BBC One in a matter of weeks. 5 5 5 However, in a chat on his podcast The Useless Hotline with Max Balegde, the excited George may have spilled the beans. Explaining the audition process, George revealed that he was partnered with a pro – and rehearsed with her for an hour. "I've not met anyone apart from, I believe her name's Lauren [Oakley], who was the pro that I met," he said. "Because when we had a interview for it, so it's like an hour long interview, and then like an hour long dance session." Lauren has been on the show since 2022, and so far has competed with two stars – Krishnan Guru-Murthy, who placed 8th, and JB Gill last year, taking over from fellow pro Amy Dowden mid-season after she was forced to withdraw due to injury. JB and Lauren made it through to the finals together, but ultimately lost out to Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell. Speaking about the process, George continued that he and Lauren had to perform in front of "two lovely women from the production team that were just sat at what basically looked like a judge's desk". During the audition, George revealed he and Lauren had to learn a jive and a "little Latin number he couldn't remember the name of". However, he later added that he wasn't sure if that practice "had any weight on who he would be partnered with on the main show", revealing the official pairing reveal would be taking place in the upcoming days. George is not the first star to reveal who he was coupled up with during his audition, with Drag Race UK star La Voix admitting that they had performed with Kai Widdrington. They told Daily Star: "I'm casting my net wide. Someone who can lift me up and show me off, that's what I want. Strictly Come Dancing 2025 lineup IN FULL - including Game of Thrones star & famous YouTuber "I like Kai. Secret inside knowledge: when I did my little dance trial for the show, I had Kai for my audition, so maybe that would be nice. He's a great guy, an amazing teacher." The official partnerships will be revealed during the official launch show, which is pre-recorded and believed to be airing on September 20th. The first live show will then take place a week later, with the no exits during the first two weeks of the competition.
The Guardian
a day ago
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‘Anything half-arsed will not be tolerated': a night at the most chaotic, beloved dance battle in regional Australia
Every country town has its explosive Facebook page, and Castlemaine – 90 minutes north-west of Melbourne – is no exception. 'Castlemania' regularly flares up with heated debates: about supermarket monopolies, speed limits and whether or not people should have bought a house near a gun range if they're not keen on loud bangs. On Saturday night at the annual costumed dance battle Hot Moves No Pressure, the arguments take human form. Inspired by the Facebook keyboard warriors, members of the Castlemaniacs dance troupe whip open their suit jackets to reveal the logos of the warring local supermarkets. At the end of their routine, they reveal 'CARSTLEMAINE' spelled across their backs: a nod to the popular local rebuke that 'There's no 'R' in Castlemaine.' (Real locals pronounce it 'Cassle'.) This is the fourth iteration of Hot Moves No Pressure, and its host venue, Boomtown Winery, is heaving. Yet there are no tickets for the public. This year there are 150 dancers across 18 groups – so after each performer gets their plus one, the venue is at capacity. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Some dancers formed groups specifically so they could get a ticket. 'In 2023 I waited in line for two hours to get into this absolute candy land,' says Amy Carmichael of All Fours, a group named after Miranda July's ode to perimenopausal lust, who hump out their womanly frustrations while wearing bankers shirts over nude shapewear. 'There was a big crowd left outside, watching through the window.' After the date is announced, dancers have 12 weeks to sort a backing track, costumes and choreography, with the knowledge that anything half-arsed will not be tolerated. Groups go head-to-head in battle rounds, with the audience deciding the winners in a cheer-off. There's no ultimate finale – by the time proceedings are three hours deep, delirium overpowers decision-making. Personal highlights include The Mainesplainers, who are zipped in blue flight jumpsuits to throw shapes to Charlie xcx's I Love It, then assembling into a human rocket to take off to Enya's Sail Away; the Fisters, who are dressed up demurely for a Regency-era ball, but wind up going gangsta to Doja Cat's Boss Bitch; Super Duper Troupers – a cute-as-hell marching band drilling new life into the Proclaimers' I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles); the Menowhores, who channel Stevie Nicks' white winged doves through their creepy feathery fingers; and crowd favourites Fab Five, who skittle onstage as spooked-looking medical subjects, freshly escaped from a lab. Each troupe is wholly original, but there are some common features: intense facial expressions, lascivious thrusting and multiple costume reveals. That it's hosted each year in such a small town is precisely what makes it special. 'What I love about Hot Moves is you think, 'Oh my god, that's my doctor getting sexy to Prince.' You get to see a totally different side to people,' says Shera Blaise, one of the organisers of the event, wearing a 'DANCE MOM' sash. Blaise was originally a member of Lady Fun Times, a performance collective founded in 2016 by Rosie Annear (now the town's mayor) that swelled to 25 members. When the interest overwhelmed them, it was decided a local event would be more practical. Hot Moves No Pressure is also a close cousin of Castlemaine Idyll, an annual Voice-style sing-off held at arts precinct Lot 19 that attracts big numbers and bigger costumes. Both are reflective of the town's tendency to go above and beyond in the name of art: like that time 100 locals spent three years making a frame-for-frame recreation of Jurassic Park. Castlemaine's community centre often gets involved. This year, Community House connected 'orphans' new to town so they could form a troupe together. That group became the Castlemaniacs. Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion 'One of the key reasons I moved from Melbourne was to feel more connected to a community,' says team member Sarah Sorsby. 'Being an introvert, I was readying myself to say 'yes' to things I ordinarily wouldn't. It's difficult to articulate just how important this experience has been. The world can feel very heavy at times and we all need more silliness and kindness in our lives.' Tim Watson, of Panic Attack at the Disco, has taken part every year. 'I still remember the feeling that first year,' he says. 'I was on a natural high for the next week. It was like a primary school fantasy come true. Your town and friends are there cheering you on like crazy, making you feel like that kid in you is the biggest glam rock star in the world.' Sometimes, people get carried away: last year someone opened a vat of wine at the rear of the stage and sprayed the audience with it. Tonight, during a performance from the Nudibranch Crew, the power is fritzed; maybe from one sequin too many being adhered by the hot glue gun backstage. In the dark, the crowd turns the song that was cut short – Nelly's Hot in Herre – into a frenzied a capella, and by the light of someone's phone, the Rural Hot Bitches, dressed in cowhide, lead a hoedown to Dolly Parton's 9-5. It's a testament to the goodwill of everyone involved that by the time power is restored, not one iota of enthusiasm has been lost. 'It's the most fun you can have while wearing pants,' as Emma Shannon of the Crotch Capacitators puts it. 'But pants are optional.'
