McOnie Company Launches MICRO MUSICAL LOCKDOWN

The McOnie Company today launches the Micro Musical Lockdown, a series of musical masterclasses as part of its Digital Dance Season.

The online event, hosted on the company's Instagram account this weekend, will see some of the industry's leading composers and choreographers partnering to create four original musical numbers. Each will be accompanied by a series of song and dance tutorials with each artist, allowing performers to learn and recreate the material at home. Performers are then encouraged to upload their performances to Instagram, tagging the original creatives so their work can be seen.

The McOnie Company's artistic director Drew McOnie said: "The idea of the Micro Musical Lockdown is to provide an opportunity for the graduating classes of 2020 whose summer showcases have been cancelled, and make them feel less alone in overcoming that hurdle. I also hope it's an opportunity for all performers to take control of being seen, by uploading videos of themselves performing original material and tagging the creatives to be seen by them. A sort of online showcase. It's really exciting that such an amazing group of artists have come together to give performers a connection to the industry and a creative outlet."

The four 'micro musicals' will be released daily this weekend from Friday 8 to Monday 11 May:

How Far We've Come

Written and performed by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss (Six)

Choreographed by Sam Salter (Independent dance artist)

Lockdown

Written by Stiles & Drewe (Mary Poppins)

Performed by Tyrone Huntley and Zizi Strallen

Choreographed by Ellenore Scott (Little Shop of Horrors, New York)

The Chair Dance Song

Written and performed by Vikki Stone (Zoological Society)

Choreographed by Joe Tracini (Actor and Presenter)

Together in This

Written and performed by Dan Gillespie Sells (Everyone's Talking About Jamie)

Choreographed by Oti Mabuse (Strictly Come Dancing)

Hosted on the company's Instagram page, the Digital Dance Season aims to connect the dance community and encourage collaboration during this period of social distancing. The season is entirely free, with donations encouraged for the Fund For Freelance Dancers.

COMPANY CLASS LIVE STREAM

As the McOnie Company's weekly company class at Pineapple Dance Studios is suspended until further notice, Drew McOnie has moved these classes online to join for free. These one-hour classes are live every Thursday at 7pm and can be viewed on the company's Instagram page. Each class includes a technical warm up followed by learning a short combination.

The weekly live stream typically broadcasts to over 350 participants from all over the world.

FUND FOR FREELANCE DANCERS

The McOnie Company has joined forces with Paul Taylor Mills to raise money for freelance artists hardest hit by the Covid-19 Pandemic. The Fund For Freelance Dancers is launched with members of the dance community as its primary focus.

The McOnie Company prides itself on being a company created by dancers for dancers, and now we need your help. Life as a dancer is uncertain at the best of times and we are determined to make those feeling alone in the current climate a little less lonely. Dancers give so much of themselves to this industry and its time to give back.

All funds raised will be managed by Funds For Freelancers set up by Paul Taylor-Mills and the Turbine Theatre. The distribution of these funds will be managed by their senior board members Helen Clarkson, Sasha Regan, Sita McIntosh and Paul Taylor Mills.

For more information and to donate visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/mconie-company

If you are a member of the dance community in need of financial support, all you need to do is email submissions@paultaylormills.com with the subject 'Fund For Freelance Dancers' and a few sentences about your situation. All emails are completely confidential and no information will be passed through the McOnie Company or their artistic management. The board will draw funds every ten days depending on how fundraising efforts are going and will prioritise donations at their discretion.