What’s going on in our world
A Hollywood visit and a feature in the Northern Echo
Last month, through our partnership with Newcastle High School for Girls, for whom Gateway deliver the full educational dance programme, we received a spectacular visit! Jenny Legg, assistant choreographer for the recent blockbuster film ‘Wonka’, attended NHSG’s rehearsals to work with students to create two numbers for their upcoming production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! We were also lucky enough to earn shout out in The Northern Echo - read all out Jenny’s visit here!
A huge thank you to Jenny for joining us - the students had a wonderful time!
A Trip to Northern School of Contemporary Dance
At the beginning of October, Gateway Studio Artistic Director Martin Hylton went down to Northern School of Contemporary Dance for the unveiling of the 200th blue plaque dedicated to Nadine Senior MBE (1939-2016) from Leeds Civic Trust.
Nadine Senior was the founding principle of the Northern School of Contemporary Dance where both our Artistic Director, Martin Hylton and Assistant Director & Head of Education and Community Dance Debbie Hylton attended.
The unveiling of the plaque was a wonderful way to honour a woman who pioneered creative dance and accessibility to full time training in the North of England.
Interested in learning more about Nadine? Click here!
Diamonds in the Rough
A big shout out and thank you to our friends at Precision Proco for these fantastic displays which you can find outside ‘Over the Road’ studio. Why not stop by to take a look at the brilliant photography of Peter Huggins; documenting some of the performance highlights of our Youth Provisions over the years. Former student and current intern Madi French (image 1) said “it felt good to display some of the amazing talent we have here in the North East!”
These images show just the tip of the Iceberg of what Gateway have to offer and will help to grow our visibility and reach in our wonderful community as we bring some life to Gateshead High Street.
Keep your eyes peeled for more…
Welcome Home Madi!
This year we welcome back one of our ex-students Madi who will be joining the Gateway Team as Intern/studio assistant. Madi trained with Gateway from the age of 15 and took part in our Phoenix Youth Academy North East and the NSCD+ programme. It’s wonderful to have her back at the studio!
Read more about Madi here!
Image credit: Elly Wellford Photography // Peter Huggins Photography
Gateway has Gone Stateside!
A huge congratulations to our wonderful student Delphine who attended the Alvin Ailey Summer Intensive this year in New York!
Del attended 5 weeks of intense professional training!
To ensure Del did not miss such a fantastic opportunity, Gateway received support from CDM recruitment who said:
’CDM Recruitment has proudly supported Gateway and its students for many years now. Learning that our support was instrumental in securing a place for a young dancer at the prestigious Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre summer school in New York is truly amazing.’
Leanne Ash, Associate Director at CDM Recruitment, expressed her enthusiasm for supporting the young dancer’s journey. ‘At CDM Recruitment, we believe in investing in our local communities and making a positive impact in various ways. We are delighted to support this talented young dancer as she embarks on an incredible journey to Alvin Ailey. Her dedication and passion are truly inspiring, and we take great pride in being a part of her success story.’
This is also attributed by our dear friend, Mark Bulmer, who we think about daily. He sadly passed away 2 years ago but his kindness and support has helped many young people and the growth of Gateway over the years. The best Dad dancer we have ever seen!
Gateway Studio Graduates 2024
Delphine
Freya
Yannick
A huge congratulations to our fantastic students Delphine, Freya and Yannick who each graduated from training with Gateway this year to pursue the next step in their professional training! Freya and Yannick were both successful in securing a place with the Central School of Ballet and Delphine joined Trinity Laban. Del, Freya and Yannick trained as part of the Phoenix Youth Academy North East.
Freya said:
'I am so grateful for the training I have received at Gateway and the countless opportunities to work with a range of choreographers and perform. The nurturing and encouraging environment established here has allowed me to develop technically and artistically as a young dancer. All of the teachers have challenged and believed in me to achieve my goals. I will certainly cherish the time I have had at Gateway and transfer the skills I've learnt as I move on to train at Central School of Ballet.'
Yannick said:
'Joining Gateway has been an amazing experience for me. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time performing with other students and learning new styles of dance and the support and encouragement from everyone was wonderful.'
Wishing all of our graduating students the best of luck with their new ventures and we hope to see you all back in the studio when you’re home!
Image Credit: 1&3 Peter Huggins Photography/2 Natasha Catchpole
Gateway have been awarded £450,000 from Arts Council England’s Capital Investment Programme!
Gateway Studio CIO are overjoyed to announce that we have been awarded a total of £450,000 from Arts Council England’s Capital Investment Programme. This contributes to a total of 2.3 million now raised bringing us closer to our goal of 2.8 million.
This Government funding is part of Arts Council England’s investment to build stronger communities throughout England and will help Gateway restore and repurpose the Trinity Centre in Gateshead – the Grade I-listed former church, into a contemporary space for use by local young people and the local community.
Artistic Director Martin Hylton said: “Dance and the arts are powerful tools in transforming individuals and communities. This new development will not only put Gateshead firmly on the map in terms of developing and supporting professional artists but will also help to transform and kick start the regeneration of Gateshead High Street."
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay, Minister for Arts, Heritage and Libraries, said: “Cultural venues enrich our lives, and it’s vital that their infrastructure matches the excellence of the creative work that goes on inside them.
"Our funding is helping both to create new venues and to adapt existing ones to make them more accessible, helping to deliver the Government’s plan to make sure that everyone, no matter where they live or what their background, has access to excellent, life-changing cultural opportunities.”
Re-development of the Trinity centre will see the development of an ‘arts village’ which will support people from a range of artistic, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds to create, innovate and collaborate, as well as deliver a fit for purpose, environmentally sustainable community hub.
Thank you to Arts Council England and the Department for Culture Media and Sport in helping us to move closer to our goal!
Want to learn more about the Trinity Redevelopment? Click here!
Bawren Tavaziva @ Gateway Studio
Image Credit: Jevan Chowdhury
Image Credit: Pete Huggins
Gateway recently had the privilege of working with Bawren Tavaziva!
Bawren Tavaziva, Artistic Director of Tavaziva Dance recently visited Gateway Studio to work with our Artistic Director Martin Hylton.
After leading an open professional class for three days Bawren kindly offered to extend class through the full week due to popular demand. During class with Bawren, local dance artists and students were able to explore his unique style and technique, a dynamic synthesis of contemporary, ballet and African dance, in an energetic, lively and supportive environment. We are extremely grateful to Bawren for his generosity in the studio and hope that this is just one of many visits the Gateway Studio!
Over the Road Studios
Over the Road Studios mid renovation and after—our new studio is almost complete!
1. Phoenix Youth Academy North East dancers with Martin Hylton & MPW Property Services 2. CapuaGate Dance Company Members.
Great news, we have a new studio!
Gateway Studio CIO are excited to start running classes in their new studio, ‘Over the Road Studios’ (literally over the road from their home at the Trinity Centre), 224 High Street, Gateshead. Thanks to funding from Arts Council England and Garfield Weston, and support from Gateshead Council, the new studio will provide a home for CapuaGate Dance Company.
The building is also being developed to house Gateway’s new Foundation Degree in Dance Performance in partnership with New College Durham and will provide Gateway with a decant space when the Trinity Centre Redevelopment Project commences.
Over the Road Studios is functional despite there being a bit of work to do to make it more comfortable, but students are excited to start training in the larger, brighter studio equipped with a new Harlequin sprung floor and vinyl.
In December, CapuaGate held a studio performance of their work which they developed during the first phase of a mentorship programme, where Gateway’s youth provisions also performed.
“This studio is a massive improvement from our smaller studio at the Trinity Centre. Ending 2023 with a studio performance was a huge achievement for Gateway and we are very pleased to have received some really great feedback from community members who attended. We are very excited to begin 2024 with in a fresh new space.” —Martin Hylton, Artistic Director/CEO
Gateway Studio is celebrating, after being awarded a £1.4 million grant by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, to transform the Trinity Centre on Gateshead High Street into a centre of arts, heritage and community.
Gateway Studio CIO is one of the few dance-centred arts organisations in the North East, and the only professional dance organisation in Gateshead. The funding will enable them to realise their exciting plans to acquire, restore and convert the John Dobson Grade I-listed former church, which is currently in a poor state of repair, into a contemporary space for use by local young people and the local community.
The building, on one of Gateshead’s oldest sites with the adjacent St Edmund’s Chapel dating back to the thirteenth century, will be a focal point on Gateshead High Street for the local community. Part of the development will see the stained-glass window restored to its former glory by a specialist company. There are also plans for a ‘Bell Tower Café’ which will serve healthy and nutritious food during the day, and on weekend evenings showcase local talent through open mic nights, acoustic sets and art exhibitions.
WE ARE CELEBRATING AFTER SECURING £1.4 MILLION IN NATIONAL LOTTERY FUNDING!!
Plans for the building also include the development of office accommodation and studio performance space, as well as the creation of opportunities for people to engage with the heritage of the building for the first time.
The award follows a developing funding grant of £100,300 awarded in 2019, to enable Gateway Studio to progress their initial plans.
Gateway is delighted to be working with The Church Commissions who will be publishing a draft Pastoral (Church Building Disposal) Scheme inviting the public to comment on the proposal to sell the building to Gateway. If successful, Gateway Studio will be able to move forward with the proposed project.
A submission is also being made by Gateway to the Diocese of Durham, for the purpose of ensuring proposals will meet with the requirements of faculty jurisdiction. A faculty is a form of ecclesiastical permission and is required before any works can be carried out to Church of England churches and burial grounds, and is needed here as the proposed project affects St Edmunds Chapel.
Commenting on the funding, Martin Hylton, Gateway’s founder and Chief Executive said:
“We are absolutely delighted with the support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, which provides an amazing opportunity to breathe new life into a heritage building. Dance and the arts are powerful tools in transforming individuals and communities. This new development will not only put Gateshead firmly on the map in terms of developing and supporting professional artists but will also help to transform the local community”.
Anne Jenkins, Executive Director, Business Delivery at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:
“Investing in heritage means investing in the community it belongs to, which is why we are proud to support Gateway Studio to transform the Trinity Centre to become a cultural hub for Gateshead, thanks to National Lottery players. Our funding will not only preserve this important heritage building, but it will play a significant role in boosting health and wellbeing for the local community and young people in particular, and is a great example of the positive impact that heritage has on people across the UK.”
Councillor Angela Douglas, the Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Leisure at Gateshead Council said:
“I’m delighted that Gateway Studio have received National Lottery Heritage Fund support to restore and convert the Trinity Centre on the Hight Street. It is an exciting and ambitious project that the team are bringing forward, I wish them the best of luck for the future restoration works. Gateway Studio are a shining example of a thriving charity with culture at the heart of everything they do. They are delivering programmes that benefit our communities throughout the borough. As one of our only dedicated dance spaces in the borough, I’m sure the regeneration of the Trinity Centre will unlock their full potential.”
