Figure Ground/LV21: Jon Adams

Jon Adams is an original member of Figure Ground and is Artist in Residence for the University of Portsmouth. As with many of the Figure Ground installations on LV21, sound was the preferred media; Jon’s mum used to live in Gillingham, and he relayed radio recordings of her fascinating wartime memories of nearby Skinner Street and the Pier.

As a lead artist for Dysarticulate 2, Jon is encouraging the community to make a field of flags (when I say field ... it could be a window box, a roundabout or a beach – it’s your choice!) culminating in an Open Weekend on 22nd -24th July, the start of the 12 month countdown to the 2012 London Olympics. To find out how you can be involved as an individual or part of a group, visit the website here.

Figure Ground Artists Commandeer Light Vessel 21!

A perfect Spring day dawned for the Figure Ground artists on Light Vessel 21 – I wrote a small piece on Rochester People to accompany the gallery of photos, but wanted to feature some of the installations and individuals artists I spoke to on the day. As with the South Bank Sky Arts piece, I shall put them into nice easy manageable chunks!

Figure Ground is an artists' network in that aims to reconfigure the current context of art in public spaces, initiating projects throughout South East England. Keep an eye on updates for any near you!

LV21 is a stunning creative space on board a decommissioned Lightship moored at Gillingham Pier, whose aim is one of collaboration and support for creatives throughout Medway and beyond.

So YouThink You Can Dance, Week One: Just For Fun!

It's just for fun cos no-one, no-one, is going home tonight! They're letting us get to know them first, whoop! So it's a major league group number by Mandy Moore up first, to Please Don't Stop The Music; it's crisp, tight, brilliant, big big smiles all round - Matt the Tapper stood out I'm pleased to say.

Jazz number for Shane, Bethany Rose, Luke and Katie to Wake Me Up Inside - highwires, dark, dramatic, passionate, sexy vampires. "Set the standard flying high" - Arlene

Lee C, Contortion Charlie, Richy and Israel Hip Hop to .... The Archers!!!? Ha, a mash up with It's Like That. They had the moves and the comic characters, great job, well worked together. "Must be like Nigel's house" - Sisco; "Hip Hop and theatre merging together" - Louise

Danielle, Stephanie, Katrina and GianLuca have contemporary to Bridge Over Troubled Water, Fluid and together, emotional, played to all their strengths. "Uplifting" - Nigel

Broadway - Tappers Tom and Matt; Paige, Cur-Lee B and Charlotte, another mash up, recognising Anything Goes. Fantastic tapping, I think we're (me, Monkseal, Nigel) are all agreed: they needed a showcase on their own - not really fair on the other three.

Kirsty, Ryan and Alice, a jazz number to Crazy and Ryan stole it for me, don't understand the judges comments, singling him out later, thought he looked pretty impressive. "A bit too smiley" - Louise. They were aiming for the emotion of the song - Crazy!!

Boys versus girls to finish! Contemporary for the Boys to It's A Man's World, Sarah Boulter choreography and she gets their shirts off them! The women of Britain would hereby like to thank Sarah Boulter for her services to the sistahood. Lovin' the spotlights, the attitude, the machismo, stunning. "Bodylines; lighting; camerawork; excellent choreography" - Nigel

Kevan Allen choreographs a jazz number for the girls, Fighter, didn't have the same impact for me - but it seems these routines have been aimed very particularly at a definite market! Rithy still the only girl standing out, not the trained technique, more raw and living it. "It's all about the legs" - Arlene.

Cat puts the judges on the spot; who's hot, who's not? Sisco declines - let's give them another week! But the others single out Danielle and the Bridge Over Troubled Water contemporary as their faves; Ryan, Shane, Tom, Luke, Paige and Charlotte need to work harder. We're off and running!

Barclays Live in Croydon on Saturday

Barclays Live will searching for London's best dance act on Saturday, outside Croydon's Whitgift Centre.

If you think you have what it takes to be London’s next dance star, head over to http://www.barclayslive.co.uk/ and upload a short clip of your performance – the competition is open to individuals, duos, groups and troupes - but under 16s must be accompanied by a parent or guardian on the day.

The top ten entries will perform to a panel of judges including Strictly Come Dancing's Brendan Cole and last year's overall winners, Steadiflux (see below). Further entertainment on the day will include live music and professional performances, as well as a dance master class from Brendan himself. Following the live performances, five of the ten acts will be handpicked by the celebrity judging panel to go through to an online public vote, where the act with the most votes banks a cheque for £1000!

To enter the competition visit the above website and click on the ‘Enter’ tab or email info@barclayslive.co.uk along with your dance clip, name, phone number and postcode before midnight on Sunday 10 April. Find out more at www.facebook.com/barclayslive

So You Think You Can Dance Series 2: Choreography Camp/Top 20

The last two days, with the 58 dancers left having to master Broadway, a Group Choreography number, Contemporary and then a final solo!

The Broadway routines see them split into cool boys and sexy girls, with John Barrowman joining the panel. He's looking for characterisation, personality and showbiz more than technique.

Ryan, Tom and Luke are punchy, full of energy that doesn't flag and it earns them a standation from the panel - they're safely through to the next stage! James, Hiphop Lee and Tapper Matt, jazzy Lee and Charlie the contortionist all join them.

Over to the girls, Hip Hop Rithy, Jazzies Bethany and Megan, Ballerina Katrina and Contemporary Katie all go through. Back to the boys, Israel surprising them; Bruce needs to man up. He gets cuddles from Arlene and a masterclass on Manning Up from Sisco and John. I'm sayin' nuffin ' ... cue Rocky music. We're down to 40 already!

Sorting them out - group choreo has to be done late that night, take your groups and your music and forget sleep. Who can take the pressure: they break or ... they don't! Daniel, Bethany, Katie and Luke make the mistake of trying to be clever and the routine is pedestrian when it should have been controlled mania. "The worst piece of choreography to exciting music I've ever seen" states Nigel. They made it through, just.

Israel's choreography, on the other hand, was universally praised, he and the now manly Bruce, Megan and Gemma go through. Richy, Ryan, Kirsty and Lee all impressed, while Shane, GianLuca, Danielle and Paige produced Nigel's favourite routine. I just wish we could see all of them properly!

A Travis Wall and Nick Lazarini contemporary routine can't split the boys any more; they're all through to the solos. A couple of girls go but the majority make it through. The judges deliberate and seem pretty together on who they want; our Top 20 are:

Tapper Matt Flint; Latin Stephanie; Tapper Tom; Disco Paige; Contemporary Alice; Jazzy Shane; Jazzy Leigh; Contemporary Katie; Jazzy Luke; Disco? Kirsty; B-boy Lee; Contemporary Danielle; Contemporary GianLuca; Contortionist Charlie; Hip Hop Rithy; Ballerina Katrina; Contemporary Ryan; Jazzy Bethany Rose; Break dancer Israel.

It's hard to pick out any favourites with the tiny snapshots we've had, but I'm looking forward to seeing what Matt the Tapper, Israel and Contortion Charlie can do!

Tess Daly Fiction Novel!

Strictly Come Dancing presenter Tess Daly has had her novel The Camera Never Lies picked up by Coronet. If you're of a certain age, you might be thinking it's some kind of homage to Bucks Fizz, but thankfully, no. It's a fictionalised account of a model turned TV presenter and the warts and all story of behind the scenes in TV. Editor Charlotte Haydock reckons: "Her incredibly funny novel has a larger than life cast of characters, bags of style and plenty of love and heartbreak too." Which is great, unless you're Amanda Roberts, who published Strictly Shimmer not so long ago ... I'm sure there's room for both.

So You Think You Can Dance: Week Two Auditions

And we begin with the weirrrrrdest dancer ever ... Charlie Wheeler, contortionist break dance! Being contemporary and ballet trained he gets away with it! 'It' being weird but fantastic, we have to see what else he can do, he's so ... so ... unique, that's the word, thank you Nigel. Stunning. Exciting. Arlene reckons kind of special. Louise is intrigued, Sisco gives a reality check - could be a circus legend - it's a Golden Ticket!

"A bright bouncing bobbly kid" - Arlene

More Golden Tickets: Bethany Hanson, her secone time around, being number 21 last year. A mixture of styles not to my liking, didn't find her particularly musical. Regan, Danielle, Megan, Shane, Daniel Ovel - sure we've seen him before, in Move Like Michael Jackson.

Ryan Jenkins through, contemporary, emotive, all his family history in that. Lyrical, strong, beautiful lines and spins. Some almost popping and locking moves in there. A yes from Nigel, magnificent lines, brilliant, bringing every emotion and technique, looking forward to seeing a happy dance! A Golden Ticket from Arlene, a tear from Dad, a tear from Ryan, a tear from me. What a wuss.

"Bringing every emotion and technique" - Nigel

Ben Woods, body popper, practising in the shadows, groovy, great timing and musicality, cheeky, The male version of Flashdance, says Arlene, adorable. One of those people you want to do well, says Louise. Callbacks for him, choreography may be an issue.

"Incredible musicality, keep it driving through." - Arlene

JJ & James, popping, locking, breaking ... and Morris Dancing, lol. Let's Groove, loving the hanky work, both through, just. Sophie Cook, lyrical jazz contemporary fusion mixture, quite hard lines, not musical enough for me but she gets a callback.

Fernando Rivero, acrobatic contemporary, former Spanish world champion gymnast. Great timing, with an Olga Korbut moment at the end - but not enough dancing! A split vote gets him through! Cue Abba ...

"Rhythm, feeling and charm" - Arlene

Scott Rayson - I'm not sure he isn't my dentist. Martial arts meets dad dancing, shocking posture, lyrical hands but no ... Sisco got the giggles. Unusual says Arlene. He's had a lovely day. Mary Swift begins with hairography and Nigel's left the panel. Who told her she could dance? Rightly, Nigel says it loses the integrity for the real dancers. Take it to BGT, where they'll put you through. Age is immaterial; they're both rubbish.

Callback results: Body popper Ben doesn't make it through but is offered a free masterclass by Sisco. Lee the Tapper also misses out; JJ and James and Sophie all make it. Fernando was on it! First time ever in choreography, stormed it! Auditions are finito!

Choreography Camp #1 - Solos: The ones they thought would be top are dropping down ... three let go already!

Hip Hop routine by Simeon, Alexandra Burke joins the judging panel and eleven more are cut! We're down to 56! Three routines left for next week before we find out the Top Twenty!

"There was magic in the room" - Alexandra