School_Matters_Issue_35

32

(L-R) Cllr Sutters (Wandsworth Council's Cabinet Member for Community Services and Open Spaces); Ella Lewis, S8; J Gibson (CEO Big Yellow Storage); Annabelle Lewis, P4; L Briance MBE (Founder of London Children's Ballet)

NEW WANDSWORTH ARTS DEVELOPMENT IPS dancing sisters Ella Lewis, S8 and Annabelle Lewis, P4 were honoured to be invited by the London Children’s Ballet to the opening ceremony of their new state-of-the-art studios and offices in Battersea in partnership with Wandsworth Council and the Big Yellow Storage company. Ella has been fortunate to have been a member of the LCB for a number of years, performing in Ballet Shoes and The Canterville Ghost at the Peacock Theatre and scheduled to perform in a leading role in their new production of Anne of Green Gables before it was cancelled due to the pandemic. Annabelle has also participated in many LCB workshops. Several past LCB members have been and are currently pupils of IPS’s School of Dance Master Dance Programme for talented dancers. London Children’s Ballet are Wandsworth’s first cultural anchor tenant with a new lease of 20 years, joining other cultural organisations in taking up new spaces as part of Wandsworth Council’s vision to embed culture and support regeneration. Miss Goodhew, Head of Dance at IPS, looks forward to seeing Ella and Annabelle dance with LCB and in having further associations with LCB in their exciting new home. ESU PERFORMING ARTS COMPETITION Ella Lewis, S8, competed in the ESU Performing Shakespeare Competition Grand Final 2021. Playing the role of Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream , Ella won the IPS’s S7-9 competition, where all pupils submitted filmed performances of themselves delivering Shakespearian monologues. The very best of these were then submitted to the national event. Ella’s delivery was excellent and highly commended by the judges –

Maya Topolski, S8

SCHOOL OF DANCE NEWS Many congratulations to Maya Topolski who was nominated by the Imperial Society of Dancing’s Cecchetti Classical Ballet Faculty as their Junior candidate for the 2021 Theatre Bursary Awards. The competition is between selected ISTD dancers from across the UK who are chosen by their ISTD Faculty’s Committee to represent them for this Annual competition. An exciting package arrived in School which was rather heavy and seemed full of what felt like large coins. On opening the mysterious package, we were delighted to discover six inscribed medals. These were winning medals sent from ISTD to be given to choreographic winners following the ISTD online choreographic competition adjudicated at the start of the year. Gold medals were won by Sophie Meacock (Senior Solo) and Rosaria Cosulich (Junior Solo); Silver medals by Maya Topolski (Middle Solo), Chloe Ellam and Anna McMurry (Middle Duet). Anna also won a Bronze medal (Middle Solo). These IPS pupils did superbly well and are to be congratulated on their outstanding choreographic accomplishments and array of sparkling medallions. Miss Mary Goodhew, Head of Dance

Back row left to right: Anna McMurray, Sophie Meacock, Maya Topolski. Front row left to right: Chloe Ellam, Rosaria Cosulich.

actors and professors from the RSC and Warwick University. Performing over Zoom and watching the event via YouTube proved that, despite being blighted by Covid-19 restrictions, the arts could find ways of adapting through the pandemic. Well done, Ella!

Miss Danielle Batt, Teacher of Drama