Backstage

Meet Gavin Coward

I am a professional dancer and a Creative Partner at balletLORENT. This means I perform in the shows, I help create the roles and characters, and I get to work a lot with young people and children by helping to find the Young Cast’s for our shows and leading workshops in schools.

I also do other projects outside of balletLORENT. I perform ‘Wild Flower’ on a big flowery tricycle. We travel to town centres and outdoor spaces and we make people smile with a fun, floral pop-up performance.

Favourite performance moments…

I danced in Swan Lake by Matthew Bourne, which was brilliant

I have danced in films and music videos, including being a zombie in The Mummy!

It’s not to do with training, it’s to do with moving your body and enjoying the music and the sensation of movement.
Gavin Coward

Get to know Gavin

What first got you into dancing?

I got into dance by watching MTV and seeing people like Janet Jackson, Madonna and Charlie Chaplin. I danced a lot by myself in my bedroom. I would imagine I was on stage, dress up in my mums clothing and make up characters. Through my Mum’s work at a community centre, I got involved in ‘kids for kids’. It took about a year to finally pluck up the courage and join in but that’s how I started dancing!

What do you love most about dancing?

What I love most about dancing is how time just evaporates when you’re performing, your reality, your stresses and everything just disappears. You’re in another world.

It’s brilliant when people enjoy watching performances, it makes me feel good that I’m making people smile, think or that they feel moved by what they’ve seen. And I just love the fact that I get to move my bones and my body, simple as that.

What’s your favourite balletLORENT family show and why?

The Velveteen Rabbit, because it’s got a bit of everything; clowning, slapstick, old movement styles like tapdance, and it’s got some lovely storytelling. It’s aimed at younger people, but I think anyone can enjoy it.

The Velveteen Rabbit is challenging and thrilling to make and perform as you’re trying to appeal to all ages, babies through to grandparents, so it has to work on lots of levels.