In the final episode of this series of the Bridge Theatre Podcast, host Pauline Fallowell sits down with legendary choreographer Dame Arlene Phillips – a woman whose life, as she says, has been “engaged as a choreographer” from the very start.Arlene looks back on the moment that changed everything: seeing the Russian Ballet at Manchester’s Free Trade Hall as a child, watching The Dying Swan and walking out knowing that dance was all she ever wanted to do. She shares the now-iconic story o...
In the final episode of this series of the Bridge Theatre Podcast, host Pauline Fallowell sits down with legendary choreographer Dame Arlene Phillips – a woman whose life, as she says, has been “engaged as a choreographer” from the very start.
Arlene looks back on the moment that changed everything: seeing the Russian Ballet at Manchester’s Free Trade Hall as a child, watching The Dying Swan and walking out knowing that dance was all she ever wanted to do. She shares the now-iconic story of the bright green ballet shoes she could afford instead of pink ones – and how that early feeling of standing out, rather than fitting in, shaped the determination that has driven her career.
From creating the trailblazing dance group Hot Gossip and capturing the energy of the 1970s on television, to becoming one of the most in-demand choreographers across film, stage and TV, Arlene talks about style, risk, and why time is the most precious ingredient in any creative process. She reflects on her work at the Bridge on Hallelujah!, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Guys & Dolls – including how a single note from Nicholas Hytner led to the now-famous “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat” chair sequence, and why the closing moments of Dream with David Moorst still give her goosebumps.
Arlene also looks to the future: imagining a new life for Hot Gossip as an immersive experience, discussing her ongoing collaboration with choreographer James Cousins, and sharing what she might be doing if she hadn’t stayed in that first class with her green shoes –teaching small children rhythm, confidence and how to move through the world.
It’s a joyful, candid and inspiring finale to the series – a celebration of a whirlwind life in dance, and of the magic that happens when choreographers, directors, dancers and audiences all step into the story together.
Hosted by Pauline Fallowell, Director of Marketing and Audiences at the Bridge Theatre.
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Bridge Theatre Podcast is produced for the Bridge Theatre by Jonny Bunyan at Pardon Our French Productions, with Executive Producer Pauline Fallowell.
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