Prodance June 2021

Classes will continue with a range of conditioning, ballet and contemporary sessions. All classes remain free for NI-based professional performers out-of-work due to the pandemic. For those with means, a nominal charge of £25 applies to access live class and catch up recordings for the term. The programme is curated by Ryan O’Neill. Please contact nicola@maidenvoyagedance.com should you wish to join the programme.

Tuesday 1 June 10am-1130am

Professional Contemporary Class with Edd Arnold from Russell Maliphant Company

During this class you will mobilise the body through sensation and breath, searching for lines of connection through the tissue and anatomical structure. By layering these connections you will explore how they can open new movement pathways whilst offering a fresh approach to individual movement language.

Edd began his training at Swindon Dance whilst also being a member of the National Youth Dance Company, working with Jasmin Vardimon and Akram Khan. Later he trained at Rambert School, graduating in 2017. Since then, Edd has worked with TJ Lowe, Jose Agudo and Pascal Merighi before dancing with Balletboyz for around 2 years. In 2019 Edd joined Russell Maliphant Company where he is still dancing, alongside project based work with Michael Keegan-Dolan and Thick & Tight. Edd also creates his own work and has been an associate artist with Swindon Dance since April 2020.

Photo credit: @josefa.searle on instagram

Tuesday 8 June 10am-1130am

Professional Contemporary Class with Will Thompson from Russell Maliphant Company

This practice begins with tuning into the body’s senses through breath work and by using the stimulation received through these senses we will gradually engage the body and mind as one system. In creating a sense of harmony between the two, we hope to achieve a state of flow by the end of the session. These exercises and improvisational ideas have been designed and made with this type of online teaching in mind and hold lots of potential for exploration even within smaller spaces, allowing what is taught to not just be replicated but embodied.

Will Thompson was born in 1994 in South-East London. After being introduced to dance during his first few years at secondary school, his training began on the Trinity Laban CAT scheme while also being part of Shoreditch Youth Dance. After two years Thompson went on to Rambert School, receiving a BA HONS in 2016. During his last year of training he was one of the selected artists to take part in DV8 Physical Theatre’s Professional Development programme. Since then his work within theatre and dance has expanded across both stage and film. Thompson has worked with and performed in creations by Hannes Langolf, INNE|Iván Pérez, Johannes Wieland, Maciej Kuźmiński and Maxine Doyle amongst other directors, choreographers and collaborators, which have been created and performed both internationally and within the UK.

Tuesday 15 June 10am-1130am

Conditioning Class with Ryan O’Neill

Ryan’s class will focus on his recent training in Garuda and also on opening the muscles and joints to create a free body with an emphasis on the macro and micro details of the internal and external space we inhabit. 

Ryan achieved a first class honours degree in Dance from the Ulster University and studied his Masters in Dance Performance at Trinity Laban as part of their professional post graduate company Transitions. Since then Ryan has worked with Maiden Voyage Dance, Off The Rails, ponydance, Tinderbox, Primecut, Oona Doherty Works (NI), Irish Modern Dance Theatre, Junk Ensemble, Pan Pan Theatre, Company Philip Connaughton, Coisceim, Liz Roche Company (IRL) Gwyn Emberton Dance (UK) and for two years with Punchdrunk for Sleep No More in Shanghai. Ryan is also a qualified Ashtanga Yoga teacher. 

Photo credit: Joe Fox 

Tuesday 22 June 10am-1130am

Advanced Pilates for Dancers with Jayne McIlveen 

An advanced pilates class for dancers to enable them to improve dynamic strength and stability for creative performance whilst remaining injury and pain free. Participants will need a mat and band.

Jayne is a STOTT certified Mat, Equipment and Rehab Pilates Specialist and Muscular Therapist with a background in Contemporary Dance. Jayne is passionate about optimising each individual’s body potential, helping her clients to recover from injury and life stress, to help the client understand their body and create the best version of themselves. She works in Physiotherapy clinics in Belfast offering private sessions for pain management, injury/condition rehabilitation, athletic performance as well as a series of Pilates/mobility classes.

Tuesday 29 June 10am-1130am

Professional Contemporary Class with Jack Webb

Quiet dancing for small spaces. Jack will teach a release-based class that focuses on the intelligent use of the weight of bones, muscles and blood. Swinging, shaking, folding, flow and making space in the body, particularly in the hips and spine are all used to explore and harness the potential energy that is contained within the body. Set material, imagery, breath and finding a sense of flow will all feature in finding a sense of virtuosity in quieter dancing that is shaped by smaller physical space (good for keeping the neighbours happy!) 

Jack is an award-winning choreographer, dancer and teacher based in Edinburgh who for over the past 15 years has been working internationally with many companies and choreographers, most recently with Liz Roche Company, Cois Ceim Dance Theatre, Croi Glan Integrated Dance and Irish National Opera in Ireland and Company Chordelia, Scotland.  

As a choreographer he has made work for Scottish Ballet, Maiden Voyage Dance, Northern Ireland, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland amongst many others as well as numerous independent works. As a teacher Jack has taught at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Scottish School of Contemporary Dance, University of Roehampton, London, University of Limerick, Scottish Dance Theatre, Scottish Ballet amongst many others.