Were I Milton, or any of his peeps, I would now be invoking all sorts of nymphs and forest sprites to mourn the death of one of the most important entities of Leed's dance scene. Unfortunately I am not given to wearing lace and wigs too often, so I have to appeal to all of you dancers in Leeds and beyond.
There has been a murder on Quarry Hill, and as is often the case, the big names in dance have come out victorious, leaving us students, emerging artists and dancing citizens homeless.
Northern Ballet and Phoenix Dance Theatre have erected their amazing new home just a few steps from the place where for a couple of quid you could take an amazing range of classes, ranging from contemporary and ballet to bollywood beats. A place where many interesting artists delivered workshops and improvisation sessions, and where young and elderly citizens could go and enjoy all the benefits that dance has to offer. But Yorkshire Dance was more than a cheap place to take class- it offered many dance proffesionals a place in which to create and share work, at almost no cost, and it has been the starting point for many interesting creative ventures.
But from April 2011 all this is going to change. The infamous cuts have greatly reduced the dance center's budget, and now it is up to the teachers to book studios and get the required number of students to take their class if they want to pay for them. Rather than telling us the truth- that the costs of classes will inevitably increase, and that many of them will doubtlessly disappear, Yorkshire Dance (bless them) has given us a more optimistic, yet not fool-proof, take on the situation, through and informative leaflet:
'We're going to let our brilliant tutors take over!', they write in bold, and assure us that this change will be for the better.
But we cannot be persuaded. I speak for many of the dance graduates that have chosen to live in Leeds rather than succumb to the expenses of living in London, for whom the classes and spaces at the center were the only way to stay fit and creative. If the number of contemporary and ballet classes is reduced, or if they disappear altogether, very few options remain. The Mandela Center holds two contemporary classes led by RJC Dance a week, for the incredible sum of two pounds, but these are in the morning, and for many who have to work to support themselves, they aren't really an option. For those of us who are still in training, but want that extra bit of ballet, or to try a completely different style just to unwind or add a skill to our repertoire, this too means bad news. Not to mention those who wanted to gain some teaching experience and have done so at Yorkshire Dance. The cost of booking studios will not be low, so they can start to kiss the idea goodbye.
This could turn out to be one of the numerous moans about the cuts to arts funding. All around the nation, as well as the rest of Europe, we are all experiencing losses, probably worse than this. But the difference here lies in the other monumental dance center that sits a few steps from Yorkshire Dance.
Mike Dixon writes that for the opening of Northern Ballet and Phoenix's new home, there was enough food and champagne to feed an entire small country; and he was amazed by the spectacular fireworks display that lit the Leeds skyline when the function was over (Dance Europe, March issue). The center boasts seven huge studios with Harlequin floors- one of them is the biggest studio in Europe-, a spa, physio facilities (with resident physiotherapists), a sauna and a jacuzzzi. Not to mention the beautiful architecture of the building, which has panoramic views of the city and its surrounding woods. It is, without a doubt, an amazing dance center.
At the same opening, Leeds City Council representative Adam Ogilvie, gave a speech in which he called both companies' work 'the jewels on the city of Leeds' crown', and considered Leeds the most important city as regards to dance outside of London. Arts Council rep, Jim Tough, was with him, adding that Leeds is a motor force in the development of dance.
These statements only confirm my fears that these people really are delusional. Can you in any way compare what Phoenix or Northern Ballet do for the community- or for the development of dance- with what Yorkshire Dance has been doing for many years now? How many more people have participated- actively and physically- in YD's classes and workshops, and how much more new dance has been created through its residencies?
Coming from abroad, I can assure both of these men that a real jewel on a city's crown is a place like Yorkshire Dance- where anyone can come in and dance, at an incredibly low cost - and where penniless choreographers and musicians and whatnot can meet and create at almost no cost. This is what develops dance; this is what fuels it, not spectacular productions or small rep companies that can enjoy a soak in a jacuzzi on their breaks.
I still aplaud the work of both companies, and by no means do I intend to devalue it. Northern Ballet, for a small company, has been incredibly innovative with all of its creations (I was awed by Cleopatra in particular), chapeau, David Nixon,
and its academy is in the process of producing excellent dancers. Sharon Watson's efforts at bringing Phoenix back from the ashes are admirable and very fruitful
(although why anyone would want to restage Cohan's Class the way they did still escapes my comprehension). But they simply do not work for the dance community of Leeds in the same way as Yorkshire Dance has done, even if Northern Ballet is extending their number of open classes and Phoenix is leading a flashmob at Kirkstall Abbey.
And neither company is to blame for the demise of Yorkshire Dance's services. Northern Ballet in particular has had a herculeous fundraising campaign, and is sharing its facilities not only with Phoenix but also with Leeds Metropolitan University. But the truth remains that Leeds City Council donated 7.6m to the cause, and the Arts Council granted 4m (according to the Yorkshire Evening Post). Whether we'll be able to take a daily contemporary class for four pounds is a truth that no longer remains certain.
My friend, a recent Dartington graduate who is premiering her new piece, 'The Smyths', next week,walked into the atrium of the new headquarters and asked if she could leave a couple of flyers advertising it. And the center for the development of dance in Leeds, the place where new dance is to be created and spread amongst the people told her that no, she couldn't, and out she walked again.
I do not know much about politics, and funding is something that fortunately I haven't had to deal with yet, but I certainly will. So I'm not sure how much Yorkshire Dance's death has to do with Northern Ballet's HQ's birth. I do think, however, that instead of printing out optimistic little leaflets, Yorkshire Dance and all of us who make use of it, should not let the real jewel on Leeds' crown gather dust. We may not be aware of what the center actually has to offer us, but we surely will once it is gone.
