How many dancers in diversity

Diversity | Britain's Got Talent Wiki

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Diversity (Previously named Swift Moves Juniors) are a street dance group who won Series 3 of Britain's Got Talent. They were formed in 2006, and hailed from Essex. They were aged between 12 and 25 at the time of their audition. They were led by Ashley Banjo, who before their audition explained the name of the group; 'Apart from dancing, there's university, school, college, IT solutions, telecoms engineers... we're diverse - ages, race, heights, hairstyles - we're just a diverse group of people'.

As they entered the stage for their audition, one member of the group placed a gym bag at the back of the stage before joining the rest to introduce themselves, whilst another member, Perri Kiely, began the performance backstage.

The group began their audition with hoods over their faces, the first line of Martin Luther King's famous 'I Have a Dream' speech playing before the group broke into their routine. Perri entered the stage midway through the performance, before another member, Mitchell Craske, emerged from the gym bag to join the performance. Amanda remarked 'just when I think I've seen it all and nothing could get any better, you came on', with Piers adding 'you are right up there with the best of the dancers you've seen'.

The group were the first act to perform in the first Semi-Final. In the Semi-Finals, they performed another routine, incorporating a robbery scene into their performance, in which Mitchell was lowered down onto the stage and Perri portrayed a policeman. Piers described the group as 'fantastic', with Simon adding 'what you've done collectively over the past few weeks to prepare for this is sensational'. The group finished second in their Semi-Final, behind Susan Boyle.

Their Final routine incorporated Mitchell entering the stage dressed as Superman, before pulling off his clothes to join the routine alongside the rest of the group. Three group members then put on red hats, which were then pressed in turn, representing the 'buzzers' on Britain's Got Talent. Amanda remarked 'you have practically rendered me speechless Ashley - your choreography is second to none [and I think you have blown Flawless out of the water', with Simon adding 'It was sheer and utter perfection'. They won the competition ahead of singer and big favourite Susan Boyle, and saxophonist Julian Smith.

After BGT

Since their BGT win they have returned to the show as guest performers on a yearly basis either dancing as guest performers in one of the five Semi-Finals or the Final. Their Series 11 performance however differed in the fact that Robert Ankar had died following a car crash in 2017 and as such and was no longer a member of the group, and their Series 13 guest performance also differed in that they had Series 12 contestants DVJ join them as part of their routine on the stage.

Diversity became Patrons of Dance Aid organised by the UK Registered Charity, Hope for Children in 2009, before going on to perform at the Wireless Festival in Hyde Park, London and T4 on the Beach in Weston-super-Mare. In August 2009, Diversity performed at Blackpool's Winter Gardens in a Michael Jackson tribute alongside George Sampson and Aidan Davis, with this performance having taken place on the same weekend as the World Street Dancing championships.

Additionally in 2009, the group performed in London to launch the new Disney channel Disney XD, performed outside 10 Downing Street in front of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, appeared in the Gracious K music video "Migraine Skank" alongside dance group Flawless and switched on Christmas lights at Chapelfield shopping centre in Norwich, Meadowhall Shopping Centre in Sheffield, and in Watford.

In 2010, Jordan Banjo appeared on StreetDance 3D. Between 2012 and 2014, Jordan appeared on Ashley Banjo's Secret Street Crew, Got to Dance, Got to Dance: Auditions Uncut, Jordan and Perri's Ultimate Block Party, Jordan and Perri's Xmas Slime, and Nickelodeon's Kids Choice Awards. Diversity promoted street dancing with Change4Life in January as a means of getting kids and families more active.

Additionally in 2010, the group teamed up with national retailer The Range Home and Leisure for a commercial to be shown in April and May, with the tagline "If you like Diversity, you'll love The Range" and adverts for food for "great little ideas", and released their own fitness DVD called Diversity Dance Fitness Fusion. In 2011, Ashley appeared upon The Real Hustle, The Magicians, The Apprentice & Text Santa.

Diversity were among the many torch bearers in London's 2012 Olympic Torch Relay, completing their leg of the journey on 22nd July 2012. Diversity performed at the Royal Variety Performance 2012 for the 2nd time, however this time performed alongside Spelbound, Stavros Flatley and Paul Potts. In 2012 & 2013 Ashley served as a panellist for an episode of Celebrity Juice.

In 2012, Ashley won an episode of The Cube and split the donation money that he had won between the NSPCC and Beatbullying. In 2013, Ashley appeared in an episode of British Comedy-Drama Stella. In February 2014, Perri won the second series of Splash!.

Members of Diversity have also partook within a number of advertisements which include ITV - Where The Entertainers Live, a series of videos for Cadbury Marvellous Mix-Ups, a number of videos and judging for British Gas Generation Green Energy Performance, a number of adverts for Transformers toys, and itvplayer's Ready When You Are.

Diversity took part in the closing ceremony of the first Invictus Games in 2014, with their set including the Corps of Drums from Her Majesty's Band of The Royal Marines alongside three members of Diversity Juniors, who later partook in a Diversity performance on Got to Dance within the same year. In the same year, both Ashley & Perri competed upon an episode of Release the Hounds: Jingle Hell, wherein they won £12,000 which they split between the NSPCC & BeatBullying.

Several members of Diversity also appeared upon Ashley Banjo's Big Town Dance in 2014, alongside Stars at Your Service. In the same year Perri appeared as a guest on CBBC show 'Hacker Time', whilst Ashley appeared as a guest on 'This Morning'.

Diversity Live broadcast on 4th January 2015, during which the group talked about how various dances that have inspired them and the major influences who have helped them along the way. Within the same year Warren Russell served as a judge at the first ever Balfour Beatty London Youth Games dance competition, the group provided the opening performance for VE Day 70: A Party to Remember in Horse Guards Parade, London. Additionally in 2015, Ashley appeared upon You're Back in the Room as a guest alongside Perri, and presented Perspectives Michael Jackson's Thriller with Ashley Banjo.

Between 2015 and 2018, Jordan appeared on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, and Dancing On Ice. In 2016, Ashley Banjo co-hosted a BBC game show named Can't Touch This alongside Zoe Ball between the March and October of that year, yet the pair did not return to host the show the following year as the BBC had made the decision to axe the show.

Between November 2016 and March 201, Perri Kiely appeared on the second series of Celebs Go Dating. Although it was not officially announced, Ike Chuks left the group in early 2016 to pursue his music career. Diversity also returned to ITV in 2016, wherein they starred in two episodes of the Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway segment "Who Shot Simon Cowell?". The group also returned to ITV in the New Year to promote their new ITV special Diversity Presents Steal The Show. Ashley Banjo was also a judge on the Strictly Come Dancing rival show Dance Dance Dance.

Since 2017, Ashley Banjo has been co hosting cancer awareness show The Real Full Monty alongside Alexander Armstrong. In 2017, Ashley presented a TV special entitled A Night for the Emergency Services, competed on a celebrity special of Catchphrase, became the Roving Reporter for the Pride of Britain Awards, became a judge upon All Round to Mrs. Brown's for an episode, and presented 'Diversity Presents Steal the Show'. Additionally in 2017, both Ashley & Perri appeared upon an episode of CBBC's 'The Playlist'.

Since 2018, Ashley has also been a judge on the revived series of Dancing On Ice, along with Jordan Banjo as the backstage digital host for the 2018 series, before Jordan was replaced by 2018 contestant Kem Cetinay in the role. In March 2018, both Ashley and Jordan Banjo participated in the I'm a Celebrity...Get Out of Me Ear segment of Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway.

Diversity were growing too old so wanted to replace themselves with younger diversity dancers, otherwise known as DVJ who auditioned for Series 12. DVJ stood for Diversity junior, and the dancers from DVJ had been coached by Ashley Banjo, and Perri Kiely. DVJ had rehearsed for over three weeks to learn the dance routine that they auditioned for Series 12 with. Despite DVJ's advantage via Ashley and Perri coaching them they still reached the Final in Series 12, wherein they ultimately placed sixth.

Additionally in 2018, Jordan competed on Celebrity Catchphrase playing for charity WellChild, Sam Craske appeared on Celebs Go Dating and Perri won an episode of 'The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off'.

Between 2019 & 2020, Jordan hosted BBC's The Greatest Dancer, alongside Britain's Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon. As of February 2019 Jordan & Perri have hosted a show on Kiss Radio during the weekends, however by early August 2020 the duo stopped hosting this show and instead began hosting the Breakfast Show every weekday.

In 2019, Perri Kiely and Jordan Banjo both appeared as guests on Step Up to the Plate, Ashley Banjo appeared as a guest chef on Sunday Brunch, and began presenting Channel 4's 'Flirty Dancing'. Over Christmas in 2019 Diversity appeared in a Christmas pantomime of Robin Hood with Ashley Banjo in the title role, this being the third consecutive year that they appeared in a Christmas pantomime.

In 2020, the group appeared during the first live show of The Greatest Dancer as Guest Performers, Perri Kiely placed as runner-up on the years series of Dancing On Ice alongside professional skating partner Vanessa Bauer, Ashley Banjo appeared via video call in a Tesco advert for their 'Food Love Stories' thanking Stacey Solomon for dedicating a Chocolate Cheesecake that she had made to him and the group performed a routine in Dagenham during 'Black Lives Matter'.

Additionally in 2020, Jordan competed upon the penultimate episode of Stephen Mulhern's new game show named 'Rolling In It' alongside a member of the public named Ashley, yet the duo lost their episode, Ashley Banjo acted as a guest judge for the BGT 2020 Semi-Finals, following Simon Cowells back injury and Diversity had a guest performance wherein they performed a routine based on the Black Lives Matter movement.

Towards the end of 2020, Jordan competed on an episode of The Chase: Celebrity Special, both Ashley & Jordan Banjo appeared on the Pride of Britain Awards in order to present a Child of Courage award, and both Jordan & Perri appeared upon the final episode of 'Martin & Roman's Sunday Best!'. Within this time period, Ashley appeared in the new advert for 'Portal' from Facebook via video call alongside 'This Morning' presenter Holly Willoughby who was on the other end of the call within the ad.

Later in 2020, Jordan & Perri competed on an episode of Celebrity Crystal Maze, Perri appeared on 'The Real Full Monty: On Ice', both Jordan & Perri competed on an episode of Celebrity Supermarket Sweep and Jordan appeared upon the 'Celebrity Catchphrase: Christmas Special'.

In Winter 2020, Diversity performed alongside both George Sampson & DVJ during the Britain's Got Talent Christmas Spectacular. The trio performed a Christmas themed dance routine, with Diversity joining a member of DVJ upon the stage at the end of the performance, before the performance ended with the words 'Reach Out This Christmas' appearing in writing on the back of the stage. In the same Winter, season Jordan competed upon a celebrity episode of 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire' in which he played for charity.

In 2021, the groups Black Lives matter routine won the BAFTA 'must-see moment' award.^[1] Within the same year Ashley appeared upon an episode of 'The Jonathan Ross Show', both Ashley & Jordan Banjo appeared upon an episode of CBBC's 'The Ultimate Playlist', Jordan competed on the first series of The Masked Dancer UK as the 'Viper' wherein he was the first contestant eliminated.^[2] Within the same year Ashley appeared upon an episode of 'Martin & Roman's Weekend Best!' and hosted new ITV Game show 'The Void' alongside Fleur East.

In September 2021, Ashley, Jordan & Perri appeared upon an episode of 'Celebrity Gogglebox' as a part of C4's 'Black to Front Friday' which aimed to push black talent to the forefront of the television line up, and Ashley fronted the ITV Documentary 'Ashley Banjo: Britain in Black and White', which was the second of three Black History Month documentaries to air on the channel.

Ashley also co-hosted the pre-recorded 'Pride of Britain Awards' in 2021, alongside Carol Vorderman. In addition to this both Jordan & Perri were present amongst the celebrity guests in the audience, before Jordan later left to camp out at Twickenham Stadium for the night with 'Spirit of Adventure Award' winner Max Woosey & his father.^[3]

In December 2021, Jordan appeared upon an episode of 'Michael McIntyre's The Wheel' on BBC1, both Jordan & Perri competed on a celebrity special of ITV's 'The Cube', and Perri competed on a celebrity special of ITV's 'Catchphrase'. Throughout 2021 Ashley partnered with both detergent brand Persil and TV channel Sky Nature in order to make a series of short films which highlighted environmental action.

In early 2022, Ashley became an MBE, and hosted a TV Show entitled 'Dance Monsters'.^[4] Within the same year Jordan competed upon an episode of 'Tipping Point: Lucky Stars'. Diversity returned to BGT as Guest Performers during Semi-Finals wherein they performed a dance routine based on society's overreliance on technology, before performing at the BBC's 'Platinum Party at the Palace' in celebration of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

Later in 2022, Jordan appeared upon an episode of 'Love Island: Aftersun', & Perri, Jordan & Ashley appeared upon an episode of 'Blue Peter'. In October 2022, Jordan appeared upon an episode of ITV's 'Loose Women' occasional spin-off known as 'Loose Men' as a panellist and Ashley co-hosted the pre-recorded 'Pride of Britain Awards', alongside Carol Vorderman for the second consecutive year. In November 2022, the group appeared as guest performers upon the BBC's coverage of 'Children In Need'.

Controversy

The groups 2020 performance was inspired by the 'Black Lives Matter' movement, and received over 20,000 complaints, alongside several messages of support. The group also defended their performance, and it was heavily discussed upon Good Morning Britain by Piers Morgan & Susanna Reid between Monday 14th September to Wednesday 16th September. On Wednesday 16th September however ITV released a statement in support of Diversity's performance. The following day on Thursday 17th September Ofcom stated that they would not investigate the groups performance, despite the large number of complaints.

Trivia

They are the third winner/winners of Britain's Got Talent. First was Paul Potts and second was George Sampson.
They are the first group to win.
Diversity are the first, act to win the show despite not winning their Semi-Final.
They are the first act to win the show despite relying on the Judge’s choice to make the finals, they were followed by Jon Courtenay in Series 14.
According to the Daily Mail the group were offered the opportunity to compete upon the show upon being discovered by BGT's Talent Scouts from Simon's company Syco.^[5]
Ashley is the first ever former BGT Contestant to be a Guest Judge.
Jordan Banjo is the first ever BGT Alumni to appear on a show in the British Version of The Masked Singer / The Masked Dancer Series of Shows.

↑ The Guardian - BLM dance on Britain’s Got Talent in running for Bafta ‘must-see’ award
↑ Wikipedia - The Masked Dancer
↑ Devon Live - Tent Boy Max Woosey spends night in his tent at Twickenham after scooping gong at Pride of Britain Awards
↑ Wikipedia - Ashley Banjo
↑ Daily Mail - Tricks of the trade they try to keep secret: Britain's Got Talent producers are investigated. ..

Diversity - tour dates & tickets

Written by: Ashley Banjo

Street dance skills from the winners of the third series of Britain's Got Talent, still going strong.

Jump to times or articles

London-based street dance crew Diversity got their start in 2007. Founded by choreographer Ashley Banjo and his younger brother Jordan, they were initially known as Swift Moves Juniors. Specialising in everything from popping and breakdance to acrobatics, the troupe quickly grew in number and even added another set of brothers – Sam and Mitchell Craske.

The troupe rose to fame in 2009 when they won the third series of Britain’s Got Talent. By that time they were a very diverse group of people who not only ranged in age between 12 and 25 years old, but also in everything from educational pursuits to race and height, so the name Diversity was a natural fit.

Text supplied by third party.

Tour dates

At 40 venues:

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the information displayed here is accurate, always check with the venue before attending (especially during the Covid-19 pandemic).

Aylesbury Waterside Theatre

Exchange Street, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP20 1UG

Thu 26 Oct 2023

£35.18–£140.44

19:45

Fri 27 Oct 2023

£35.18–£140.44

19:45

Belfast Waterfront

2 Lanyon Place, Belfast, County Antrim, BT1 3WH

Sat 24 Feb 2024

£33–£132.50 / 028 9033 4400

14:30

Bonus Arena, Hull

Myton Street, Hull, HU1 2PS

Sun 18 Feb 2024

£125 / 01482 456220

13:30

Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Dublin

Grand Canal Square, Dublin

Sun 25 Feb 2024

€39.05–€149

14:30

Bournemouth International Centre

Exeter Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, Bh3 5BH

Sat 2 Mar 2024

£30–£125 / 0300 500 0595

13:30
18:30

Brighton Centre

Kings Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 2GR

Sun 3 Mar 2024

£30–£125 / 0844 847 1515

13:30
18:30

Bristol Hippodrome

St Augustine's Parade, Bristol, Avon, BS1 4UZ

Tue 27 Feb 2024

£35. 18–£140.44 / 0844 847 2325

19:45

Wed 28 Feb 2024

£35.18–£140.44 / 0844 847 2325

19:45

Thu 29 Feb 2024

£35.18–£140.44 / 0844 847 2325

19:45

Caird Hall, Dundee

City Square, Dundee, DD1 3BB

Wed 1 Nov 2023

£30–£125 / 01382 434940

18:30

Cardiff International Arena

Mary Ann Street, Cardiff, South Glamorgan, CF10 2EQ

Sun 12 Nov 2023

£125 / 02920 224488

13:30

Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea

Station Road, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS0 7RA

Fri 22 Mar 2024

Prices to be confirmed / 01702 351135

19:45

Fri 29 Mar 2024

Prices to be confirmed / 01702 351135

19:45

Sat 30 Mar 2024

Prices to be confirmed / 01702 351135

14:30

Congress Theatre, Eastbourne

Carlisle Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN21 4JR

Thu 12 Oct 2023

£30–£125 / 01323 412000

18:30

Fri 13 Oct 2023

£30–£125 / 01323 412000

18:30

Sat 14 Oct 2023

£30–£125 / 01323 412000

13:30

De Montfort Hall, Leicester

Granville Road, Leicester, LE1 7RU

Tue 20 Feb 2024

£30–£125 / 0116 233 3111

18:30

G Live, Guildford

London Road, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 2AA

Wed 3 Apr 2024

£30–£125 / 0343 310 0055

18:30

Thu 4 Apr 2024

£30–£125 / 0343 310 0055

18:30

Grand Opera House York

Cumberland Street, York, YO1 9SW

Thu 7 Mar 2024

£35. 18–£140.44

19:45

Fri 8 Mar 2024

£35.18–£140.44

19:45

The Guildhall, Portsmouth

Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO1 2AB

Fri 20 Oct 2023

£30–£125 / 023 9282 4355

18:30

Hall For Cornwall, Truro

Back Quay, Truro, Cornwall, TR1 2LL

Sat 28 Oct 2023

£30–£125 / 01872 262466

13:30
18:30

Sun 29 Oct 2023

£30–£125 / 01872 262466

13:30
18:30

Harrogate Convention Centre

King's Road, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG1 5LA

Sat 9 Mar 2024

£30–£125 / 01423 537230

13:30

The Hexagon, Reading

Queens Walk, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 7QF

Wed 15 Nov 2023

£30–£125 / 0118 960 6060

18:30

Thu 16 Nov 2023

£30–£125 / 0118 960 6060

18:30

Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

Hope Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 9BP

Tue 7 Nov 2023

£30–£125 / 0151 709 3789

19:45

Wed 8 Nov 2023

£30–£125 / 0151 709 3789

19:45

London Palladium, W1F

8 Argyll Street, London, W1F 7TF

Fri 9 Feb 2024

£30–£145 / 0844 412 4655

18:30

Sat 10 Feb 2024

£30–£145 / 0844 412 4655

13:30
18:30

The Lowry, Salford

Pier 8, Salford Quays, Salford, Lancashire, M50 3AZ

Fri 15 Mar 2024

£30–£125 / 08432 086000

18:30

Sat 16 Mar 2024

£30–£125 / 08432 086000

13:30
18:30

New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham

Station Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B5 4DS

Fri 17 Nov 2023

£35. 18–£140.44 / 0870 607 7533

19:45

Sat 18 Nov 2023

£35.18–£140.44 / 0870 607 7533

14:30
19:45

Sun 19 Nov 2023

£35.18–£140.44 / 0870 607 7533

14:45
19:45

New Theatre, Oxford

George Street, Oxford, OX1 2AG

Wed 22 Nov 2023

£35.18–£140.44 / 0844 871 3020

19:45

Nottingham Royal Concert Hall

Royal Centre, Theatre Square, Nottingham, NG1 5ND

Sat 21 Oct 2023

£30–£125 / 0115 989 5555

18:30

Sun 22 Oct 2023

£30–£125 / 0115 989 5555

13:30
18:30

Opera House & Winter Gardens, Blackpool

97 Church Street, Blackpool, Lancashire, FY1 1HW

Sat 3 Feb 2024

Opera House

£30–£125 / 0844 856 1111

13:30
18:30

Perth Concert Hall

Mill Street, Perth, Ph2 5HZ

Fri 3 Nov 2023

£30–£125 / 01738 621031

18:30

Peterborough New Theatre

46 Broadway, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE1 1RT

Tue 12 Mar 2024

£30–£125

18:30

Wed 13 Mar 2024

£30–£125

18:30

Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent

Piccadilly, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST1 1AP

Wed 20 Mar 2024

£35. 18–£140.44 / 0844 871 7649

19:45

Thu 21 Mar 2024

£35.18–£140.44 / 0844 871 7649

19:45

Regent Theatre, Ipswich

3 St Helen's Street, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 1HE

Tue 26 Mar 2024

£30–£125

18:30

Wed 27 Mar 2024

£30–£125

18:30

Royal and Derngate, Northampton

15 Guildhall Road, Northampton, NN1 1EA

Mon 16 Oct 2023

£30–£125 / 01604 624 811

18:30

Tue 17 Oct 2023

£30–£125 / 01604 624 811

18:30

Wed 18 Oct 2023

£30–£125 / 01604 624 811

18:30

Sage Gateshead

St Mary's Square, Gateshead Quays, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, NE8 2JR

Wed 14 Feb 2024

£30–£125 / 0191 443 4661

18:30

Thu 15 Feb 2024

£30–£125 / 0191 443 4661

18:30

Sands Centre, Carlisle

The Sands, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA1 1JQ

Wed 31 Jan 2024

£30–£125 / 0333 006 5571

18:30

Thu 1 Feb 2024

£30–£125 / 0333 006 5571

18:30

SEC, Glasgow

Finnieston Quay, Glasgow, G3 8YW

Sat 4 Nov 2023

Armadillo

£125 / 0844 395 4000

13:30
18:30

Sun 5 Nov 2023

Armadillo

£125 / 0844 395 4000

13:30

Sheffield City Hall

Barker's Pool, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S1 2JA

Sat 17 Feb 2024

£125 / 0114 2 789 789

13:30
18:30

St George's Hall, Bradford

Bridge Street, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD1 1JT

Wed 7 Feb 2024

£30–£125 / 01274 432000

18:30

Stockton Globe

153a High Street, Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, TS18 1PL

Fri 16 Feb 2024

£34. 63–£139.89 / 0843 904 0071

19:45

Swansea Arena

Oystermouth Road, Bae Copr Bay, Swansea, SA1 3BX

Sat 11 Nov 2023

£44.32–£138.50

14:30
19:45

Usher Hall, Edinburgh

Lothian Road, Edinburgh, Eh2 2EA

Thu 2 Nov 2023

£30–£125 / 0131 228 1155

18:30

Venue Cymru, Llandudno

Irving Road, Llandudno, Conwy, LL30 1BB

Wed 21 Feb 2024

£30–£125 / 01492 872000

18:30

Wolverhampton Civic Hall

North Street, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV1 1RQ

Sat 6 Apr 2024

£30–£125 / 0870 320 7000

13:30

Reviews & features

Diversity add extra shows to 2021 UK tour dates, find out how to get tickets

11 Mar 2020

Britain's favourite dance troupe are back with 47 live dates confirmed for next year

Diversity are back and gearing up for a mammoth UK tour in 2021. Due to demand, the group have added seven extra dates to the tour in Halifax, Liverpool, Glasgow, Manchester and Nottingham. Tickets for the new shows are available at 10am on Fri 13 Mar.

Staging a choreographic number using the features of the species diversity of Brazilian folk dance - Informio

Any country on different continents of the world has its own folk dance, its own characteristics. N.V. Gogol in his “Petersburg Notes” gave a description of folk dances: “Look, folk dances appear in different parts of the world: a Spaniard dances differently from a Swiss, a Scot like a Tenier German, a Russian not like a Frenchman, like an Asian. Even in the provinces of the same state, the dance changes. The northern Russian does not dance like a Little Russian, like a southern Slav, like a Pole, like a Finn: one has a speaking dance, the other is insensitive; one is mad, wild, the other is calm; one is tense, heavy, the other is light, airy. Where did such a variety of dances come from? It was born from the character of the people, their life and way of doing things. The people, who have led a proud and abusive life, express the same pride in their dance; among a carefree and free people, the same boundless will and poetic self-forgetfulness are reflected in dances; the people of the fiery climate left the same passion and jealousy in their national dance” [5]. Folk dance in Brazil has its own characteristics, types of dance, manner of performance, nuances of the national costume. The main Brazilian holiday is the carnival, which takes place annually in February or March, begins 40 days before Easter and symbolizes the approach of Lent. The Brazilian carnival officially lasts 5 days, and the 6th day is the main parade of champions. In addition to the parade, carnival festivities include competitions of samba dancers, street processions and festivities. In our country, we can get acquainted with samba dance only at ballroom dance competitions or at concert performances of fitness centers. When studying theoretical sources, it was revealed that there are much fewer works on Brazilian folk dance and various approaches to it in Russian. The manner of performing the national dance does not tolerate falsehood; it must have a characteristic penetrating, expressive and highly artistic performance. Departure from folk traditions and customs, features and national manner of dancing, interferes with the perception of the audience, depersonalizes folk art. At present, this issue is relevant, since in recent decades it has become obvious that a significant number of choreographers working in amateur groups in their productions repeatedly vary the compositional schemes and techniques borrowed from leading masters, replacing the lack of an original staging concept with common clichés, create numbers - Twins. The best traditions turn into stamps. The template "struck" the dances of many peoples - Russian, Moldovan, Spanish, Brazilian and other nationalities. Often this happens because the choreographers take as the basis of their production not an authentic folk sample, but one of its more or less successful stage versions. Spectacular techniques and finds are replicated in the production of any folk dance. As a result, the very essence of the national dance is emasculated.

The current state of choreographic art is characterized, on the one hand, by an increase in attention to the historical roots of national dance in the activities of leading state art groups, in the work of professional folklore ensembles, and on the other hand, by a well-known stagnation in the repertoire practice of amateur performances.

Because of this, the task of identifying the vocabulary of national folklore and folk dance, movements, steps, gestures and postures of dance performers, the relationship of vocabulary with other components of the dance, and determining its national characteristics for staging a choreographic number is an urgent task.

The Republic of Brazil is the largest country in South America and the fifth largest country in the world. The culture of the countries of South America links the heritage of Europeans, Indians and Africans. South America is called Latin because most of its countries speak one of the three Romance languages - Spanish, Portuguese, French. These languages arose directly from the Latin language of ancient Rome. [one]. Brazil was "discovered" by the Portuguese on April 22, 1500, but the colonization of the country and its "conquest" from the Indians who lived in these territories initially began around 1531. The Portuguese conquerors of Brazil brought with them many slaves from the Congo and Angola, who had to either defend themselves or go inland. With the beginning of the importation of slaves from Africa, great changes took place in the ethnic composition of the Brazilian population. From that moment on, Africans not only became an integral part of the country's population, but, having their own culture, their customs, along with the Portuguese and Indians, they had a great influence on the history of the development of Brazilian folk dance.

There are many types of Brazilian folk dances. Brazilian folklore dances are magnificent forms of expression of the artistic creativity of the people. They intertwined text, rhythm, costumes and choreography, which reflect the main components of Brazilian culture in their complex relationship. These are tense performances on the theme of the war of the Portuguese with the Indians, as well as theatrical performances. Among the Brazilians, elements of Indian ethnochoreography received large-scale distribution. In such a special dance as zapateado (the name of the dance comes from the Portuguese word "zapatu" - shoe), Portuguese and Indian traditions are closely intertwined. The dancer puts on shoes with a special wooden sole, with which he beats the rhythm with his heels to the sounds of a tambourine. Slow and smooth at the beginning, the dance then becomes fast, rhythmic and is performed until the dancers are completely exhausted.

A special group is represented by the ritual and "magical" dances of black Brazilians. Magical actions are used in various cases: in the manufacture of medicines, in the "treatment" of the evil eye, in case of love failures, financial difficulties. For example, the holiday of Mother Water, originated in the colonial period among blacks - slaves, and was performed in the first weeks of January, with a special bathing in the sea - in case of money problems, they performed the cult of tereiros, in its ceremonies the religious rites of the peoples of Africa and Indians are combined in the most amazing way with popular Catholicism. Previously, tereiro was called the courtyard in front of the hacienda, where slaves were supposed to dance; subsequently, tereiro began to be called any room where religious folk holidays of Negro origin were held. [3].

Mass dances performed to the musical accompaniment of viols, viola da gamba (bowed musical instrument of the viol family) are very common, and this is complemented by clapping hands. Many dances of the Brazilian Negroes have appropriated the name of those instruments, to the accompaniment of which one or another of them is performed. The names of these dances are most often purely African in origin. Some Brazilian dances are short impromptu scenes from the life of the people. For example, "Shepherd's Dances", of which one can name "Hunter", "Four Directions of the World". In Brazilian dance performances, dancers perform scenes from the life of sailors. [four].

The dances of Brazil are many different styles. When highlighting the characteristic features of the Brazilian folk dance types, it was revealed that each type of Brazilian folk dance has its own characteristics.

The Brazilian religion is based on African traditions. The church was the place for the slaves, where they could get at least some opportunity for a short, but still escape from a real, full of hardship, terrible life. Ritual and magical dances include: Marakatu, Kandomle, Makulele.

Maracato is a ceremonial Brazilian dance performed during Carnival and Christmas and has many theatrical elements. The cortege, which consisted of historical characters, is accompanied by a group that plays drums. The very name "maracatu" means "percussion instrument", which only confirms its frantic rhythm with jumps and whirls.

Candomle - an old Afro-Brazilian folk dance, musical accompaniment in double meter, sharply syncopated, moving pace. The main thing during the dance is the worship of the Orishas or deities who seem to control the forces of nature. Candomle dancers, mostly women, endlessly repeat monotonous movements during the ritual, as a result of which they fall into a state of trance.

Makulele - pair dance with a machete (wide knife). As a rule, it is performed to the accompaniment of the atabake drum of African origin. The dance is performed barefoot, the movements of the dance are performed for four measures, where for each first or last measure, the dancers hit the machete they hold in their right hands. During the remaining 3 cycles, the machete strikes each other in various ways and can be supplemented by acrobatic elements of varying complexity [6].

Folklore dance is a dance born from the traditions of a part of a country or region. It includes: Carimbo, Lambada, Zouk, Fojo, Lundu, Soltino, Matchish, Capoeira.

Carimbo is a sensual dance, performed in pairs, to the drums, which were made from tree trunks. Carimbo is considered a very sensual dance in which a woman tries to envelop her dance partner with her skirt. Sometimes the woman drops the handkerchief on the floor, which must be picked up by her partner's mouth. The dance is characterized by the imitation of dancing animals such as a monkey or a crocodile. When the music begins to play, the men move towards the women and start clapping their hands as a signal for an invitation to dance, after which couples are immediately formed, circling around their axis and at the same time forming a large circle of dancers moving counterclockwise. In the manner of execution, Indian influence can be traced. Carimbo made a significant contribution to the development of another dance form - Lambada.

Lambada is a pair dance. The idea of dance is a triumph of youth, beauty and sensuality. Lambada is danced both on the spot and while moving around the dance floor. Lambada movements have much in common with carimbo, sambo, forro.

Matchish, a Brazilian urban couple dance (also referred to by many as "mashiche") is essentially an Afrikonized polka, that is, an Afro-Brazilian style of polka that was brought to Brazil by European immigrants. This is a fun, frivolous dance like the French cancan, which is performed in pairs, cheerfully and naturally, moving around in a circle.

Capoeira is half dance and half martial art, so it is considered very difficult. It was originally performed by African slaves from Angola. The name of the dance comes from the word "sarao", which means painful meaning "castrated rooster". This name describes the dance well, because it is more like a fight between two roosters. Indeed, modern Brazilian capoeira is very close to martial art: in the center of the circle, dancing couples alternately arrange a dance-competition. Capoeira combines elements of acrobatics, games and real fighting techniques. Kicks, sweeps, acrobatics - all this is used during the fight. [2].

Mass dance is part of the collective life of people, it makes a person's life cheerful and joyful, they have retained their Indian features. Some of the mass dances are performed to the accompaniment of traditional Negro instruments such as the atabake (large drum) and the aje (an instrument made of clay and shaped like a large vessel). Also important is the reco-reco - a Brazilian musical instrument in the form of a hollow cylinder. Mass dances include: Samba, Forro, Frevo, Siranda, Batuk, Embolada.

Samba is a colorful mixture of Negro and European rhythms, an incendiary, temperamental, and at the same time sensual dance, a hymn to love, youth and beauty. A large role in samba is given to rhythm, and this rhythm is “generated” by the hips of the dancers. After all, samba is characterized by springy movements of the hips, which are called “Samba Bounce”. This impulsive dance exactly conveys the character of the expressive southern people: sometimes soft and dreamy, sometimes bold and temperamental [4].

Forro is a pair dance. Partners during the dance are close to each other. The man holds the girl by the waist with his right hand, and with her left by her hand. The woman with her left hand holds the man by the neck, maintaining contact with him. The legs in the dance are located at some distance.

There are three main rhythms in forro dance: slow xote (shochi), original baião (baiao) and fast arrasta-pé (arrasta-pe).

There are also many dance styles that vary by area and may be known by different names in different places.

Quadrilha - the leader shouts out certain commands that the participants in the dance must perform, and also shows by example what is required of the participants.

Frevo was inspired by the movements of capoeira (Brazilian martial art) and has over 120 different movements. Examples of common movements in this dance include jumping, coordinated quick leg movements, leg curls, and somersaults. Those who perform the frevo wear bright clothes and when they dance they use small umbrellas [3].

Siranda is a group dance in which there are no prejudices regarding gender, skin color, age, social status and financial status, just as there are no restrictions on the number of participants. It begins with a small round dance that grows larger as new members begin to dance, breaking the round dance and joining hands with those who are already dancing.

Embolada, a dance depicting a cow with balloons on its horns for safety. It is a circle dance with Charleston-like steps. A complex dance formed by combining the movements of these dances with additional swings of the body and hips was called Lundu in the 1830s. Later, steps taken by participants in the carnival in Rio were introduced into the dance, which were called Copacabana (the name of the beach near Rio de Janeiro). Gradually, the high society of Rio de Janeiro also began to dance this dance, although it was modified to allow dancing in a closed dance position [5].

When starting to work on a choreographic work based on folk dances, the director must get acquainted with the history of the people, the geographical location, the musical material and the national characteristics of the country.

When working with theoretical material on identifying the features of the species diversity of Brazilian folk dance, the choreographer gets acquainted with the types (ritual, folklore and mass) of Brazilian dances and their characteristics. In all types of Brazilian dance, common movements are used: rotational movements of the hips; men dance on the whole foot, and women on their toes; the partner starts the movement with the right foot, and the girl with the left, and ends, on the contrary, the girl with the right foot, and the partner with the left. The dancers make movements, leaning slightly forward and following the moving feet, clearly setting a bright and seductive rhythm. Also, the basis of these dances is: the basic step - the movement of a couple along one line; simple turn - turn of the partner when leading the partner; bonus - disclosure of the pair with the subsequent turn of the partner; lateral - the steps of the pair along the trajectory of the oval opposite each other; viradinha - going into a semicircle with a subsequent return to the basic step; lunge - exit from the lateral movement to the side with the subsequent turn of the partner. These movements need to be used depending on the stage option that you want to take.

When staging a choreographic number using the features of Brazilian folklore dances, the choreographer must pay attention to the choice of theme and the preservation of the folklore source. A feature is the image of animals. The musical accompaniment of these dances is a drum, an accordion, as well as playing the guitar, piano and percussion, sometimes playing along with castanets. Compositional construction in folklore dances: in cases of pair dance, the performance begins with the formation of two chains of men and women, facing towards the center of the circle. When the music begins to play, the men move towards the women and start clapping their hands as a signal for an invitation to dance, after which couples are immediately formed, circling around their axis and at the same time forming a large circle of dancers moving counterclockwise. The figures can be danced in any order.

To stage a choreographic number using the features of ritual dances in Brazil, the choreographer must know that these dances are performed in carnival costumes, which depict the king, queen, princess and ambassadors. The vocabulary of ritual dances includes: jumping and whirling, there are acrobatic elements. Ritual dances are performed to the accompaniment of a drum.

To stage a choreographic number using the features of mass dances in Brazil, the choreographer must pay attention to the content of the song to which the performance will be performed. Dances are performed to the accompaniment of a drum, pandeiro, tantana. The vocabulary of mass dances includes movements: springy movements of the hips; soft plastic elements are combined with sharp and intermittent ones; many linings; in pair dances, men hold the girl with their right hand by the waist, and with their left hand by her hand. The girl holds her partner by the neck with her left hand; there is improvisation. Compositional construction: choreography depicts what is sung in music; the dance begins with a small round dance, which increases as new participants begin to dance; a line formation of dancers who make small advances, dance styles change under different names in different places.

Any Brazilian dance movements can be developed into more complex combinations. All other, more complex combinations are built on their basis and with their help, as they are used as connecting links. The unique style of each Brazilian dancer can be created on the basis of special and careful study.

When performing a production using the characteristics of the species diversity of Brazilian folk dance, it is important to remember that the manner of performing Brazilian dances is divided into male and female styles. Male style is how the partner treats the partner, what movements he uses. Through a partner, he embodies both himself (building the architecture of the dance) and her (allowing the partner to reveal her femininity). Women's style implies a lot of solo directions, plastic is very important. Women's style is worked out separately to develop the technique. Without this, the chances of success are almost zero. The same movement performed by different girls will look completely different.

The choreographic number “Try to Catch” was staged using the features of the species diversity of Brazilian folk dance. One of the varieties of Brazilian folklore dance - capoeira - was taken as the basis for the idea of the performance.

Libretto to the choreographic number "Try to Catch". It was a beautiful sunny day in a Brazilian village. The boys are playing their childhood games, this time they decided to play hide and seek. One of them got to drive. The boy closed his eyes and began to count: "One, two, three, four, five - I'm going to look for ...". Friends played carefree and had fun together. But then, over the ear of one boy, there was a nasty, importunate buzzing of a fly. The boy began to drive away the annoying insect. Other boys became interested with whom their friend is arranging a battle. Friends rushed to help. They took the fly as their rival. The fly teased the guys, deftly dodging the clapping of their hands. It was decided at all costs to exterminate the fly! A quick jump, well-aimed clap - and here it is a victory! The enemy has been defeated!

Original publication (Read the work in full): Staging a choreographic number using the features of the species diversity of Brazilian folk dance

Pattern, twizzles and supports. We explain how to watch ice dancing correctly

Figure skating can rightfully be considered a veteran of the Winter Olympics. For the first time, competitions in this sport were held at the 1908 Games in London and were represented by men's, women's and doubles competitions. The appearance of ice dancing in the Olympic program had to wait 68 years.

It won't take long to find the reasons for this delay. Unlike dancers, with single skaters and greenhouses everything is very clear. Even if you don’t know the names of all the elements, you can always distinguish a high-quality rental from an unsuccessful one at least by the presence or absence of falls, and the “like / dislike” factor works secondarily here. And the viewer was more willing to watch pair and single skating, and dancing ... And how does it all work there?

Are they jumping?

No. Ice dancing is the only discipline in figure skating that is almost completely devoid of jumping elements. For jumping more than one revolution, athletes will receive a penalty. Yes, and one-turn jumps should not be carried away, because this will destroy the structure of the program and will not allow judges to evaluate the skill of owning a skate.

As in other disciplines, dance duets perform short and free skate, but they are called differently - rhythm dance and free dance. The first one should be given special attention. Due to the fact that ice dancing is technically difficult to evaluate, ISU, in order to make it easier for the judges, each season sets a certain musical theme for the rhythm dance, establishes a central dance motif and a set of rhythms in which this same dance should be performed. Thus, skaters in the short skate need to perform a set of elements and at the same time in one mandatory segment of the program (the so-called pattern) demonstrate exactly the type of dance that was given by ISU. The musical leitmotif of the new season is musicals or operettas, the main dance is a playful and extremely fast finstep.

What do they do in these dances then?

During the rhythm dance, the skaters must perform the following elements.

_Twizzles

This is one series of parallel rotations on one leg in motion. In single skating, for example, twizzles are part of the step sequence and have no value, but in ice dancing it is one of the two most expensive elements. By the way, it is on twizzles that dancers most often make mistakes visible to the naked eye. So, at the European Championships - 2019in Minsk, Katsalapov and Sinitsina made a fall on this element in the short run and remained outside the top three.

All elements, with the exception of choreographic ones, in figure skating have a difficulty level from basic to the highest - the fourth. Depending on the level set by the technical specialist, the element receives a fixed base value, after which nine judges give points for the quality of its performance (the so-called GOE) in the range from "-5" to "+5", which then serve as a coefficient when calculating the final allowances to the "base" or deductions from it. One worst and one best estimate is immediately excluded from the protocol, then the remaining seven numbers - GOE coefficients are converted into specific points in accordance with the basic cost of the element according to the ISU table, summed up and divided by seven. The number obtained as a result of division and rounded to the nearest hundredth will be the final score on the GOE scale.

So, for successfully executed twizzles (on the fourth level and with good GOE allowances) you can get about 10 points.

_Pattern

The element includes the pattern dance itself (finstep for the current season) and the pattern dance track, in which each step must be performed in accordance with the requirements of the ISU for a particular season. Tracking the quality of the performance of the pattern is difficult not only for the audience, but also for the athletes themselves. It is not uncommon for skaters to literally freeze in amazement when announcing their marks - after all, everything seems to have been performed correctly, and the scores leave much to be desired. However, then it turned out that the technical team found small errors and lowered the levels.

_Support

There are not too many requirements here. The main thing is not to get too carried away in time (up to seven seconds are allotted for an element) and that the partner should not be completely above the partner’s head. When placing a GOE, the judges look at the beauty of the position and the original approaches to the element.

_{Step sequence}

This is where the dancers get the highest score. Skaters who demonstrate silent, smooth gliding with so-called "deep ribs" on skates and a variety of steps can earn 12 points or more for this element.

In free dance, unlike rhythmic dance, there are no restrictions in the choice of music. As a consequence, there is no pattern section. Otherwise, the free program does not differ very much from the rhythm dance in terms of the set of elements. Unless, instead of one support, you need to perform three and two tracks instead of one.

_Spin

In addition, skaters need to add one spin in free skate.

_{Choreographic element}

As well as three different choreographic elements. Their notable feature is that the GOE premiums here almost always exceed the base cost, which is only 1.10 points.

They say ice dancing is a very subjective thing. This is true?

Yes and no. In fact, the assertion that duets who have waited "for their turn" win in ice dancing is not without meaning. But it can also be justified logically.

Ice dancing can hardly be considered a technical discipline. The quality of skating and good coordination are all the specific features of this type that affect the elements performed. At the same time, other qualities that are almost impossible to learn come to the fore.