Once Bitten

..."real tension and sinister intent..."  - Pete Huggins (Associate Director: Education - Dance City)

In August 2011, Jenni Wren was commissioned to choreograph "Once Bitten" with Vizavis, a Youth Dance Company from Dame Allan's School in Newcastle, led by Lynda Clough.

"Once Bitten" is based around the American TV series, The Vampire Diaries, made in collaboration with the cast of 16 students who gave up their summer break to participate in the project.

The 6th form premiered the work at Dance City in November to a 2 night sell out audience, demonstrating the talents, team work and diversity the group have established this year.

"This was one of the highlights of my year!  
I honestly couldn't have asked for a better group to create with.  Everyone worked so hard in an intensive time scale with full commitment and total integrity to the work.  They excelled my hopes with the way they approached the choreographic workshops, absorbed new movement, input creatively and took on board the intention behind the work.  The dancers impressed me with their dedication and dare i say it, professionalism, to developing the ideas and getting this up to a high performance standard and believe me, they did just that." - Jenni Wren

Dancers "Once Bitten" (in no particular order)

Boys:   Josh White, Angus MacKay, James Treanor, Jordan Robson, Patrick Harrison, Alex Waugh, Benedict Harrison, Jonti Moorby, Nick Dolder.

Girls:   Amy Grounsell, Charlotte Speadding, Lauren Richardson, Ellis Saul, Martha Averley, Alice McBride, Alexandra Westhoff.

"Once Bitten" has been submitted to be performed as part of National Youth Dance England and there are future hopes for the work to travel out of the region.

We hope to bring you a video snippet and some more images of their performance very soon, meanwhile the cast perform again on 4th of February as part of the regional competition and we wish them the best of luck.

Congratulations to all the cast and a massive thank you to Lynda Clough who made it all possible.

All photography of Once Bitten by Pete Huggins - "Aperture Dance" ©