Top choreographer takes Edge FWD to another level

Award-winning choreographer Gary Clarke has invited Edge Hill University's all-male dance troupe to join him on tour.

Edge FWD were set up two years ago by the University's Performing Arts Department to help break down stereotypes, encourage boys to feel confident about dancing and see dance as a possible career choice.

Since forming, they have performed in schools and colleges across the north-west but were looking to work with a renowned professional to help them gain more experience and develop their style.

Enlisting the help of Gary means they will be working with a one of the most exciting talents in the UK dance industry. A former winner of the Brian Glover Memorial Award, he has a national reputation for creating compelling and riveting dance works that challenge current social issues with both irony and humour. He has taught extensively at many universities, colleges and venues nationwide, delivering a wide range of classes and workshops that focus on contemporary dance technique, choreography and creative investigation.

In 2011, Gary appeared in Hollywood blockbuster World War Z, featuring Brad Pitt. He is also due to dance at the prestigious London Dance House, Sadlers Wells.

Gary spent a week with Edge FWD working on a short performance piece, A Beautiful Hell, which looks at the notion of exclusion and what it's like to be an outsider, told through an intricate landscape of dreams and desires. Watch footage from rehearsals as the group talk about their experiences working with Gary.

Edge FWD's talent and enthusiasm particularly impressed Gary and he has offered the dance troupe the opportunity to work with him in on tour.

Edge Hill University Senior Lecturer in Dance Debbie Milner, who works with the all male-dance troupe, said: "Gary Clarke is currently regarded as one of the UK's new and exciting choreographers. When we went to watch him perform we all got so excited because we knew he could take Edge FWD to that next stage, as he is so challenging.

"Gary has entertained audiences throughout the UK and Europe with his quirky and innovative choreography and it's been fantastic having him here on campus to push the boundaries. I can already see a huge difference in the capabilities of Edge FWD and it's such an accomplishment to have Gary ask them to tour with him."

Ryan Brown, a Level 2 Dance, Drama and Aerial Performance student who was one of the seven dancers chosen to work with Gary, can also see the results from Gary's coaching.

"Working with Gary has been amazing," said Ryan. "It has been such a huge challenge but I wouldn't change it for the world. He told us that he would treat us like professional dancers, not students, and it has worked - it's been very intense. Throughout the week Gary has been brutally honest with us and if he thinks something isn't working, he'll just tell us. But that's exactly what we need and it has really made us step up our game. We can't wait to tour with him."

Edge Hill University runs a number of undergraduate courses in dance, drama, physical theatre and performance. For more information about the degree programmes it offers, visit the website www.edgehill.ac.uk/study/courses.