We went on an exclusive tour of the Royal Opera House to meet some of the country's most talented dancers
Ever find yourself thinking you should do something cultural and improving but then just end up in the same safe old pub again? We have the answer. Grab some mates, grab a drink and roll up at one of the capital’s off-the-radar dance events. Such as Greenwich Dance’s monthly cabaret.
The format is simple: an eclectic mix of short dance acts, some live music and a compere to tie it all together. Perfect if you’ve got the kind of attention span that can just about deal with a BuzzFeed news story. They bring the drinks to your table while you sit down and catch the acts. This week’s event celebrates 20 years of Greenwich Dance, with appearances from Protein Dance, Gary Clarke and monster fun dance/theatre/comedy duo New Art Club.
It’s not the only cabaret on the block. Six months ago, two dance graduates, Caroline Forrest and Janina Smith, set up The Friday League, at Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club, featuring dance, performance, film and animation. When Time Out last visited, the venue was packed with happy revellers, grazing on performance art and bottled lager, with the acts ranged from a charming ‘Britain’s Got Talent’-style hip hop mash-up to a piece about birth, life and death that involved a woman popping out of a giant cake and hula-hooping.
Latest on the scene is not a cabaret but a show in a room above a pub in Kentish Town. Cloud Dance Sundays are a spin-off from the Cloud Dance Festival and a showcase for emerging choreographers. The first one takes place this weekend. So now you can go to the pub and do something cultural. No excuses!
Greenwich Cabaret is at Greenwich Dance, Fri May 17
Could Dance Sundays is at the Lion & Unicorn, Sun May 19
The Friday League is at Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club, Jun 14
