London 2012 blog

The final week of rehearsals here in Beijing and as always, the excitement builds as the elements which turn a dance routine into a show are added into the mix. The costumes we were first fitted for several weeks ago are undergoing their final tweaks, hair and make up are tried out, the 'in ear' pieces (which will ensure we can all hear the music through the noise of the stadium) are fitted and various tricks for concealing and securing them are passed on from those members of the cast who've experienced them before.

The company, drawn from diverse sources to create an extraordinary pool of talent, continues to amaze me, with its sense of commitment, of shared purpose and its generosity to one another, despite the challenges presented by the set, the long hours, the different dance languages, and the gargantuan flying bugs which plague us beyond sundown. One of the themes of London 2012 is legacy and you can almost see legacy happening here, as dancers, costume supervisors and stage managers with long experience in the profession work alongside young people who are just starting their careers. (And it's not a one-way street: I'm learning from the younger ones all the time, too.) 

Read more of “Final preparations and we're lifting our game for the Handover show”

Last Monday morning I was up early to be at the ICA to take part in the launch of the handover plans for August 24th (well, early for me: my internal clock is still set on theatre time, so while I can work late into the night, I'm not at my best before at least 10.30am).

It's nice to be able to drop the 'cloak and dagger' business around the plans for the launch - we've been working on all this for some months now but have managed to keep it quiet until now (give or take the odd leak in the preceding week).

We've spent some time in the studio already, workshopping ideas with dancers from the three groups which will make up the unique company performing in Beijing and it's really exciting to be part of such a diverse and talented group of artists from the amazing CanDoCo and ZooNation.

Read more of “Excited by the collaboration of dance talent”