New York is quite simply one of the greatest cultural powerhouses in the world. Birthplace to modern dance and musical theatre as well as housing some of the finest art collections, the city provided our students who study dance, drama and art or photography with the opportunity to visit and experience iconic landmarks and institutions to further stimulate and inspire their own practice and love of their craft.

Specialised workshops included dance classes at the Alvin Ailey Dance studios; a visit and lecture at MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) and an audition masterclass and voice coaching from Jamie Parker (Harry Potter in The Cursed Child). And, of course, what trip to New York would be complete without a visit to Broadway - with the students taking in two Tony Award winning shows: Dear Evan Hanson and Avenue Q, along with the obligatory visit to the Empire State Building, a ride on the Staten Island ferry for some snaps of the Statue of Liberty, and then a little retail therapy on Fifth Avenue, to round off what was a very successful and inspiring trip to the Big Apple.

Nicola Dominy, Director of Dance

Abbie Davies, Dance:
During our visit to New York, alongside all of the other amazing experiences such as going up the Empire State Building, the dancers had the opportunity to visit the Alvin Ailey Dance Studios where we participated in two classes: one contemporary, one West African.

The contemporary class was rooted in the dance styles of renowned practitioners, Martha Graham, Lester Horton and Jose Limon. Initially intimidated by the privilege of being in such a renowned centre for dance, we soon found our feet and by the end of the session were dripping in sweat and able to perform a phrase that was technically demanding but intense and expressive to perform.

Straight after the contemporary class we took another in West African, which immediately resonated with the street dancers amongst us as we began to identify and recognise the roots of hip hop which stem from African dance. We also enjoyed the pleasure of the music being performed live by the Alvin Ailey Studio’s West African drummer. Within the hour long class we went from complete beginners, to having learnt two authentic West African dances. One of which was a coming of age dance, usually performed at ceremonies for teenage boys.

After our classes we had some time to rest before being given an in depth, personal tour from one of the sophomore students at Alvin Ailey. Our tour guide, Marybeth, couldn’t have been more knowledgeable about her dance school and she taught us so much about the life of a student and the history of the studios. Throughout the tour we were able to peek into some of the ongoing classes of Jazz and Ballet to watch the gifted students practise.

Our experience at the Alvin Ailey Studios was one I won’t forget easily. We feel extremely privileged to have been able to dance in such a highly respected institution with some of the many talented teachers and musicians the school has to its name. It was an amazing way to spend one of our days in New York!

Thomas Creswell, Drama:
When given the opportunity to travel to New York City on the Hurst Dance, Drama and Art/Photography trip, I leapt at the chance. After a seven-hour flight, and a welcome return to solid ground following a bumpy landing, we travelled to our hotel, catching our first glimpse of the high-rise metropolis silhouetted by the sunset.

For drama students the first day consisted of a backstage tour of the Lincoln Centre for the Performing Arts: home of New York opera, ballet, music, and theatre. We were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of both an opera and a ballet in the various stages of rehearsal, which was fantastic.

We then went on to meet Jamie Parker and his wife Debs, both of whom have worked in the acting industry for many years, with Jamie currently starring as Harry Potter in the Broadway run of The Cursed Child. We spoke about what our aspirations were in terms of performing, and they gave each of us some pertinent advice on how best to engage with the challenge of becoming a performer in a highly competitive industry.

We saw two shows on Broadway whilst we were there: Dear Evan Hanson and Avenue Q. The two performances were vastly different, with Dear Evan Hanson taking a more sombre tone, and Avenue Q more comedic. I cannot repeat some of the song titles in Avenue Q here, but it’s safe to say it was a very funny evening!

Digby Pinsent, Art/Photography:
When I got into JFK it finally hit me, I realised I was in New York and as an avid photographer I was eager to get on the streets and start snapping away at the sights that the city holds. On the first night we went up the Empire State building and the sights were breathtaking. The next day the photographers and artists went to the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art), before lunch we had a tour and spoke in depth about some of the art and photos which was great since it allowed us to the see the art from another perspective and understand the meaning behind it. After lunch we had the opportunity to go around in pairs, since I was at the MoMA I had to see some of its most amazing art, my favourite three pieces of art were: Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh; Water Lilies by Claude Monet and the Picasso exhibition. As for photography I was really taken away by the photos produced by Helen Levitt, her series toiled with your emotions varying from laughter to tears, she was the photographer that inspired me the most whilst I was there.

The following day we did the typical touristy things, first we went on the Staten Island ferry and got some wonderful views of Manhattan, Brooklyn and of course, the Statue of Liberty. Afterwards we went to the Ground Zero Memorial, I can’t quite describe the emotions I felt whilst I was there as they kept changing every few seconds, but it was eye opening as this was something that actually occurred less than a month before I was born. Finally, we went to Central Park which is like the countryside in the middle of a city, after a while you don’t realise that you are in 'the city that never sleeps'. The following day we went to Grand Central Station which was phenomenal - you can really understand why it is called ‘Grand’, then we went shopping and headed to the airport to end our short but truly amazing trip in the Big Apple.

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