August 2015 issue

Posted on August 4, 2015

Youth champions AJ Pritchard and Chloe Hewitt are our cover stars in this month’s issue, which reports on dance from Blackpool to Havana – and reveals our readers’ favourite choreographers…

From initial success

Alison Gallagher-Hughes talks to the new British Open Youth Latin champions AJ Pritchard and Chloe Hewitt about their achievement and hopes for the future…

“‘Of course I would like the dream: number one Amateur, number one Pro, do shows all over the world, teach all over the world, have a nice life,’ laughs AJ. ‘I know it sounds crazy, out there, but that’s what I’ve got in my head.’

“‘It’s difficult to imagine unless you understand the dance environment,’ Chloe interjects. ‘It’s a world within a world. If you try to explain it to someone who’s not in it, it sounds ludicrous,’ says AJ. ‘My teachers at high school asked me what I wanted to be and I said, a dancer, and they were like, “OK, but what do you really want to be? What if you break a leg?” No career is future-proof, is it? No one knows what’s around the corner, but it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try…’ ”

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Our Man in Havana

Havana insider Kester Aspden investigates changes in the salsa scene of Cuba’s capital – including his tips for visiting salseros

“Just nine months after leaving Havana, where I’d lived for three years, I was back. I dreaded dancing before I came to Cuba, but the island’s music is compulsive and in my mid-forties I began making up for lost time.

 “Returning, I felt a new energy in the city. The thaw in relations with the US had created a flood of tourist eager to see Havana before McDonald’s and Starbucks arrive…”

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Also in the August issue…

Marianka Swain reports on your favourite choreographers, from Hollywood’s Gene Kelly to Strictly’s best-loved pros

Blackpool Beauty: Stefanie Bossen reports on the beauty trends on the competitive dancefloor

A family affair: dance professional Martin Cutler’s new Aura Dance Studios

Back to Blackpool: Paul Harris reports on the formation and exhibition events

Tips on Technique: James Whitehead on improving your shoulder line

Floor craft: our Dance Doctor, Phil Meacham, on avoiding collisions and “get out of trouble” steps

Stepping Out: Marianka Swain on making your competitive debut

Simon Selmon on lindy hop fashions – and how they affect the steps!

Jack Reavely explores the history of the Star Championships

Diet for dancing: Lee Knights speaks to Harley Street specialists about a new nutrition system

Plus news, reports on a P&O Strictly cruise, Horsham competition day, Leominster’s Midsummer Vintage Ball and Karen Hauer and Kevin Clifton at Pontins, reviews of albums from Maestro records and the new musical Bend It Like Beckham, variations and sequence scripts, our fabulous listings pages and more!

Buy now

The August issue is now in shops (including larger branches of WHSmith), or you can buy your print copy here

Zoe Anderson

Zoë was born in Edinburgh, and saw her first dance performances at the Festival there. She is the dance critic of The Independent, and has also written for The Independent on Sunday, The Scotsman and Dancing Times. In 2002, she received her doctorate from the University of York for a thesis on “Nationhood and epic romance: Ariosto, Sidney, Spenser”. She is the author of The Royal Ballet: 75 Years and The Ballet Lover’s Companion.