Newsletter December '14 

Dear all,
Thank you for your continued support during another tremendous year at KND which has greatly expanded the breadth of our work. 
As has become tradition with our newsletters, we would like to celebrate with you some of the highs from the past few months as well as look forward to some of our exciting plans for 2015.

• Kerry spent October in Leeds and choreographed her work 'Entwined' for Verve '15. You will be able to catch the work nationwide as it begins its tour in spring 2015. Here's a film of behind the scenes

• 'Cleave', a piece created by Kerry in 2009 was re-staged and performed in Beijing for the 65th birthday celebrations by five amazing dancers from the Beijing Dance Academy (BDA). The work was selected for a special season which celebrated the achievements of ResCen's 'ArtsCross' project with the BDA. 

• Kerry was an invited judge for the first round of the BBC Young Dancer of the Year 2015. The candidates competing in the contemporary strand illustrated an array of genre and physical interests which provided a fascinating palette to choose from. Good luck to all as the competition unfolds. The grand final will be held at Sadler's Wells in May 2015.

• To honour the work of the CAT schemes nationwide, Kerry was commissioned to create a short duet 'Nobis' for two 2nd year students at LCDS. It was held at St-Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square in October and the whole evening was a superb platform to celebrate the achievements of this valuable initiative. 

• Kerry returned to the English National Ballet School this autumn to continue devising and delivering the choreographic module of the school's curriculum. She is extremely proud of the growing invention and choreographic curiosity within the school.

CURRENT ACTIVITIES 
Culmination of the KND Performance Mentoring Programme 2014
In the summer, we launched our KND pilot scheme to support mid-career creatives. December has sadly seen the finish of the first ever PMP. After three months of individual mentoring which followed the studio intensive, saying goodbye to the first fourteen participants was tough. Kerry is hoping that their creative thinking is rejuvenated and they are armed with new inspiration and tools to charge onwards with their bright careers. Good luck to all! 

"After each time we met for my mentoring session, I felt like life was completely on track! Kerry's interest in me has been a massive source of reassurance."
PMP 2014 participant

“Before the course I was on the cusp of retirement. I have shocked and surprised myself that I'm only just beginning.”
PMP 2014 participant

We aim to welcome back the hugely successful PMP in the new year, once again providing the best in career enhancement, mentoring and support for the mid-career artist. We are presently securing funding, and phase two of the KND PMP will directly implement Kerry's new learning from her own US professional development period early next year. Application details for KND's PMP '15 will be advertised in the spring so do keep a look out for these. If you are interested in this initiative, click here to view a film illustrating its work.

Artistic Director of National Youth Dance Wales 
KND consolidated its position of supporting and promoting Welsh emerging talent with a year-long partnership with National Youth Dance Wales. Kerry initiated her role as Artistic Director in the autumn and worked with young people during the first 'Step-Up' weekend. Kerry is excited about continuing this relationship into 2015 and creating an original piece for NYD Wales in the summer. If you would like to read more about this appointment, click here to view a Trinity Laban newsletter. 

Trinity Laban: Lewisham Live
Kerry started this short-term project in December and is collaborating with composer Patrick Bailey and a vibrant group of 40 young performers to create an original work celebrating the symbiotic relationship between music and dance. 20 dancers and 20 young musicians, all based in South East London, will work and perform together as a company at the Bonnie Bird Theatre in March 2015. 

WHAT NEXT? 
2015 promises to be just as exciting with plans including:

US Professional Development Tour
Look spacing: Kerry is getting ready for her thrilling professional development phase in the US throughout January and February. After being awarded a Lisa Ullman Travelling Scholarship, Kerry will visit the Dance Divisions at Juilliard and Harvard, to work and research with the students and faculties there. She will also lead open professional masterclasses at Peridance Capezio Center and Steps On Broadway. Moving onto Baltimore, Kerry will shadow feedback expert Liz Lerman during her practical and research work at the University of Maryland, Creative Alliance in Baltimore, and Towson University. Kerry will also assist Liz during the creation of a participatory event for the Temple Mica in Washington DC. Kerry is so excited about visiting and working with these fantastic artists and having the opportunity to reassess her practice through this incredible experience. You can follow Kerry on twitter throughout this time, but she will compile her thoughts from this period into a specific and dedicated newsletter when she returns. 

Dance UK Industry Wide Conference
Kerry is extremely pleased to have been invited to participate in Dance UK's Industry Wide Conference in April. The whole event will be enlightening and vital, and Kerry will contribute by discussing the relevance and necessity of the KND Performance Mentoring Programme. This falls within the 'power hour' – the dance sector's very own 'TED-talk' style presentation series. She will also teach a masterclass for participants alongside this. Booking is now open on the Dance UK website, http://www.danceuk.org/conference/

ENB Choreographics 
Kerry returns to mentor the English National Ballet company dancers for a third year, as six of them make original short-works on their peers. Working alongside Russell Maliphant, Kerry will support their choreographic journeys through to the premiere at the Lilian Baylis in June. 

FOR YOUR INTEREST
Audition
Ballet Master and Choreographer Igal Perry will be on his European Audition and Masterclass Tour from January 18th through the 30th looking for students for the various programs at Peridance Capezio Center as well as for the Peridance Contemporary Dance Company, both located in New York City. Audition dates and registration information are on their website https://www.peridance.com/audition-tour.cfm.

During these cold, wet days if you want to stay inside, here are some links of things to read and view to keep you occupied with your feet up. Enjoy!

KND Masterclasses
In response to your feedback, this year we brought back our outstanding masterclass series at Jay Mews for the second time – more determined than ever to prove that this annual networking and rigorous training initiative really can make a difference! You can see some of the highlights in a film that was beautifully shot and edited by Caroline Bridges here

Caroline also captured the collaborative aspect between Kerry and long-time music collaborator, David Walters within these classes. You can view this film here.

I hope these two films whet your appetite and you'll want to join us in a studio in 2015. Booking for our masterclass series in July/August will open in the spring, so do keep your eyes peeled – it would be great to have you with us!
 
Dance Mama
Kerry was invited to write an article illustrating her experiences of juggling her roles as a mother and artist. Make a cup of tea first, it's a long read!

Commonwealth Youth Exchange 2014 
More films here now – and another highlight of 2014 was the Commonwealth Youth Exchange platform in Glasgow in the summer. This film 'The Green Room' shows backstage at the dance festival and highlights the beautiful Hidden Gardens as well as a little of Kerry's process with dancers from a Scottish Ballet educational project and dancers from the Singaporean School of the Arts and The Human Expression dance company. 

Here's another film from the same Commonwealth commission that features only Kerry's process: 

Do let us know what you think of all of the above! 

This year has been an amazing journey for KND and we are delighted that you have been able to share it with us. Our reputation has gone from strength to strength with huge interest in our content and delivery. Thank you once again for your belief in what we are doing and your ongoing support; we could not have done it without you.

On behalf of all of the team at KND I would like to wish you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday season and a wide-eyed and blooming 2015 for you all. 

Warm regards, 

Kerry 
Director, KND