Sara Bispham dancing in our Barley Sprites film

BARLEY SPRITES: A DANCER’S PERSPECTIVE BY SARA BISPHAM

Introducing Sara Bispham, dancer in our upcoming “Barley Sprites” film

INSPIRING INDIVIDUALITY

My name is Sara and I am a London based professional dancer and actress. I have been dancing since I was 4 years old and studied professionally in Musical Theatre at the Sylvia Young Theatre School and Laine Theatre Arts.

I first became involved in “The Barley Sprite Project” during the audition process, as I “took” the audition class – meaning I helped warm the girls up and taught them some combinations across the floor before they performed their solos – and this is where it got exciting! From the moment I met Caroline, I was struck by not only her infectious enthusiasm, but also the warmth and support she gave every dancer in the room. I instantly felt like she was someone I would love to work with!

As dancers we have collaborated to create a dance piece which we hope reflects Caroline’s brand as accurately as possible. We have come together as a team, 5 dancers from 5 different countries and somehow, it just worked! For me, the rehearsal process was very special. Caroline started by showing us a few different pieces from her beautiful collection and told us about how she likes to work and her vision for the film. Then we were left alone…

In any collaborative process, I find sometimes it can be hard to share ideas, I guess mainly for fear of having your idea rejected. Caroline gave us all this incredible feeling of trust and support, where it felt safe to really express yourself – and I imagine this is exactly how every bride feels when they walk into her workshop.

Most importantly, the whole experience has been fun! We seemed to spend most of the time laughing with each other – and discussing how we would each design our wedding dresses having now all been completely inspired by Caroline’s collection! I’m leaning towards a fish tail!

The first time we showed Caroline our dance piece she cried (for the right reasons – we hope!) and we couldn’t have asked for a more amazing reaction! I can’t wait to get back working with the team and of course to see the final product! For sure it’s going to be magical!

Thank you, Sara, for this lovely guest blog. x

Ballet photo by Stuart Mitchell

Portfolio photo by Anna Fowler

Hair and make-up Ruth Reynolds