Brighton-based world champion tap dancer Jamie Spall brings tap to the 21st century at Brighton Fringe with the support of The Pebble Trust.
Apply for this year’s Pebble Trust Bursary by 30 November.
This year, 19-year-old Jamie Spall, who has been tap dancing for the England team since the age of 11, performed in and produced her very first Brighton Fringe show with the support of The Pebble Trust Brighton Fringe Award. She enjoyed huge success, selling out the Rialto Theatre during her run and scooping the Fringe Guru Audience Choice Award and the International Youth Arts Festival Brighton Fringe Award.
“Brighton Fringe has been instrumental in my development as a dancer and has exposed my choreography to a whole new audience,” says Jamie. “The Fringe is a strong platform for young artists and has allowed me to explore dance in a new way and benefit from producing my own show from inception to the final curtain. Fringe audiences are incredibly supportive of young performers and make this initial step for a career in performance a rewarding experience.”
Based in Brighton and Hove, The Pebble Trust has provided support to young performers at Brighton Fringe for the last six years. Each year the trust grants three young individuals the chance to develop their exceptional talents by providing them with free Brighton Fringe registration bursaries and professional mentoring opportunities.
The Pebble Trust has previously supported Jamie’s career by providing publicity and funding. Through this support, Jamie has been able to meet and work with her dance idols and international tap teachers, visit tap festivals in America, build her network of dancers and launch her professional career.
“The partnership has been so much more than just funding,” says Jamie. “The Pebble Trust has supported me as an artist and encouraged me to grow as a dancer.”
In 2016, Jamie will perform a new show at Brighton Fringe with the aim of bringing tap to a new generation.
“Ballroom dance has recently been more widely enjoyed because of TV dance programmes such as Strictly,” she says. “I want to change the stigma around tap and bring it to a wider audience, creating a more modern era of tap.”
With limited performance opportunities for tap dancers, Jamie is on a mission alter people’s perceptions of tap, and with each performance she hopes to demonstrate its potential in a modern context. She also has plans to incorporate tap into other performing arts, including theatre and music.
Jamie is currently choreographing the English girls’ tap solos for the Dance World Cup, an opportunity that came about because of her involvement in Brighton Fringe last year. Her success as a performer and dance teacher has flourished with the support of The Pebble Trust Brighton Fringe Award.
Director of The Pebble Trust, Louise Arnell says: “It has been wonderful to watch Jamie’s progress. We were delighted that her debut production with Tap That proved so popular and successful at last year’s Brighton Fringe. The Pebble Trust is committed to supporting local artists and we are proud to be associated with someone as talented and motivated as Jamie. She is a fantastic ambassador for The Pebble Trust and an inspiration to other young people who may be thinking about applying for funding.
“We know how prohibitively expensive it can be for a young artist to fulfil their potential. That is why we would encourage as many people as possible to apply for a Pebble Trust Brighton Fringe Award. As well as easing the financial burden of putting on an event, award winners have the opportunity to be mentored by industry professionals.”
The Pebble Trust Brighton Fringe Award is now open for applications. All artists aged 13-25 are eligible. Three bursaries are available and include free registration, £300 towards production costs and up to three mentoring sessions with one of the judges. For more information and to apply, visit the Brighton Fringe website at www.brightonfringe.org/funding Deadline is 30 November 2015.