Choreographer/Movement Director/Intimacy director | Girl from the north country-Broadway. Billy Elliot.
#stage100
|
@slunglow
Associate. SouthAfrican | Boy-mum.
So a lot has happened in the last few months &today marks a turning point for me. I wanted to share it publicly despite my nervousness.
I am gay. It’s a long &hard few months working out what that means for me, and for my family.
Today I become a Broadway Choreographer. 14 year old me can’t believe it either. And this magical woman who darned my pointe shoes and sat through every ballet class and school play is watching from above.
#thanksmum
#Shoutout
to Greg Hersov who gave me a rehearsal schedule for Hamlet over 3 mnths before we started-Telling me which days I was in. Was able to book trains, childcare&plan well, which ultimately means I can do a better job. I know it’s not always possible but geez it helps. 👏🏼👏🏼
Cracking day auditioning kids for Billy Elliot. This little one came along. What a dude, so full of joy &patient. 4 hrs driving &6 hrs of auditions. As we left we walked past this mammoth poster. “LOOK MUMMY! It says your name!” My cheerleader. Beaming he asked for a pic. 😭😭😍
So we did this today. I cried a little when the marvellous actors took a bow and we all cheered. We laughed together, we clapped today and the sun shone brightly. For a moment it all felt ok.
👀Zoom in!
It's our
@wrongsemble
children's show.
Yup, live theatre.
With an audience.
Local families with headphones in separate pods.
Pics, vids, deets & excitement (poss some relief) to follow on here & slung_low Insta
After an ice-lolly🍭
#livetheatre
#holbeck
#leeds
Well the secret’s out! I am so delighted to be joining
@NikolaiFoster
to work on this new production. GIANT shoes to fill but I’m excited to visit this incredible tale again. Of COURSE I’ll have the exceptional
@jamesberkery
by my side! 🥳🤩
Chatting to my Davey after I picked him up from school yesterday. I asked him how he was feeling about all the recent news and changes. ‘Mummy, I think this new thing actually means more love and not less.’ He’s gonna be alright guys.
My friend, our champagne drinking, dance-floor rocking
@dtoole764
. Laughing on our backs looking at the sky through the Olympic stadium, boarding aeroplanes &rehearsing on a dance mat somewhere new. Taking the piss out of me &fiercely defending me. The world, and I, adored you.💔
Such an exceptional day. Super proud of
@slunglowalan
receiving his BEM today. So many amazing stories of humans doing incredible things in the world. And thanks to the lovely
@LordLtWY
for being so sweet with our David.
And that’s it,
@slunglowalan
at 43 on the Stage list. He won’t shout about it so I will. Proud face. And of course we don’t really care about lists. 🤪🤦♀️
Completely delighted to announce I’ll be choreographing the new production of Oliver this Christmas at
@LeedsPlayhouse
. And joining the choreo team is the exceptional Jo Goodwin. Heavenly.
Things will be ok, Al and I are an exceptional team and David is doing so well. I’m unbelievably proud of the resilience and love both of them have shown.
So there you have it.
Life eh?
LUCY HIND (
@lucymayhind
) is Movement Director for the
@youngvictheatre
's production of Hamlet, starring
#CushJumbo
. The production will run from 27 September to 13 November 2021.
Doing my job is nuts, it places an inordinate amount of pressure on
@slunglowalan
. But every time, no matter how long the trip or how much of a logistical nightmare, he waves me off with love, support &confidence. This time it’s 5 weeks, & over Christmas. He’s my guy. 💪🏼💪🏼😍
When I was little my Dad read us all the entire series of the Faraway Tree. I still remember being tucked up in bed and listening to him performing all the characters with different voices. Tonight he’s up with Davidbaby snuggled in bed reading him the same books. 😍😍😍
Landed safely, lovely flight. It’s roasting hot. I’m in a cab and we come up over a hill and Manhattan skyline rises up like a dream. I tear up immediately. It’s been a long 18 months hasn’t it?
So you’ll be pleased to hear I won’t be chucked out the country in Feb. Got my approval for a British Passport. 17 years of nonsense, queues, visas, interviews, money and stress. All done. Gaaaad saaaave the queeeeeeeen.
Listening to
@slunglowalan
pacing the kitchen on the phone to the referrals for food parcels. Making them laugh, reassuring them “someone is coming with food for you today” and having often difficult& fragmented conversations with very vulnerable folk. Geez he’s a good egg. 🥰
The seriously hung over Broadway movement director Lucy Hind reading a local newspaper The New York Times which put a love letter to her show on the front page of their weekend culture section.
Home to boy in 12 hours with Disney store bounty.
My most favourite and bestest Dave Toole
@dtoole764
is getting a flipping OBE on the New Years list. A lifetime of work and talent in dance, but MAN a difficult year. After 100 days in hospital so far I hope he’s DANCING FROM THE ROOFTOPS tonight. So proud. I’m crying.
My Dad is over from South Africa, we’ve not seen him since before the pandemic. David and him are upstairs playing and they’ve not stopped talking since we picked him up from school. Best buddies. So so joyful.
Davidbaby marched through out of the blue with a pic of my late mum from his notice board. “Your mummy has a message for you...’Lucy my darling I love you with all my heart.” I sat on the floor and squeezed him so tight. He’s such a sweet hearted boy.
Did zero work in the woods today, zero work on the allotment and zero house work. Instead we cooked and walked in the sunshine and played. And I drank gin. Lots of it. Perfect birthday.
After months of naturalisation, waiting for my new passport, battling to get a work visa for the US, I’m finally going back to NYC today to open our beautiful show. 🥳🥳🥳🥳
Mum would have been 70 today. I told Davey that she’d be so proud of him going to pre school. I think she’d be prouder of me for not crying when I dropped him off! Happy birthday Mum. Legend. ALL the feels today!
I watched the beautiful
@JamieMusical
trailer this morning and had a little weep. And then inextricably I couldn’t stop crying. It would seem that briefly it all caught up with me. But after a day with the boys in the woods the world is much brighter. Hang in there gang.
Neighbours knock loudly at 4am. Fox is attacking our gorgeous rooster and he’s tried to get into their cat flap to hide. He’s lost most of his tail feathers & has a few nasty gashes but he seems ok. Currently cuddling in front of the telly.
Just went to my first ballet class since before my son was born. I wasn’t teaching or choreographing and it was AMAZING. I can barely walk but i spent most of it grinning and trying not to close my eyes with the gorgeousness of moving again just for me. Must do it more often.
Just had a gorgeous email from my US accountant saying that he is not going to charge me for my US tax return this year because of my signicant loss of earnings due to Covid. It made me cry. Kindness beyond expectations.
#kindness
D:Mummy, when your mummy was poorly she died like Greyfriar’sBobby & dinosaurs
Me: yes but she’s still in my heart, I keep her there
D: so did she die into your heart ¬ into the ground?
M:I guess so my love
D:Can we put a photo of her on my board so we can remember her?
M:😭
We’ve decided to take Davey out of pre school at lunch tomorrow and take him into the hills to play in the snow. He’s asked to pack hot chocolate and a carrot to make a snow man. I’m over the moon.
#home
Adore this pic of my Dad and his fiancé. Returning from escorted trip to looted pharmacy to get what was left of the stock. Now trying to fulfil prescriptions for critical customers from their garage with what they have. Adore that he is goofing around despite the carnage.
Sat in the logistic nightmare that is a 2023 airport and seeing Lucy getting praise poured on her all over the internet for her last show.
Insanely proud. Of her resilience in the face of the industry’s nonsense as well as her mad talent.
I hope it makes her unbearable.
I’m writing this partly to be grateful for the support I have got from my family and friends but also to mitigate the challenges of walking around in the world not knowing who knows or who doesn’t and the tension that comes with that.
So now you all know.
The 42nd st studios here in NYC have a mother’s room. Equipped with chair and nursing pads etc. Incredible. I breastfed for two years and longed for safe and comforting spaces like this at work.
@PIPAinfo
Spent the day with the extraordinary
@NatashaHarrison
who I am
delighted to announce will be my Associate on the UK tour of GirlfromtheNorthCountry. Can’t thank her enough for taking on this beast. We needed a lot of coffee! 👍🏼☕️
We’ve worked through to a place where we’ve reimagined our lives as a family in this different world. Al &I are separating. I’ve been overwhelmed with love in the responses of my family&friends. Al, in spite of his pain, has been unreal, he has shown support, kindness &openness
Home from little lad���s ballet class and I could burst. He tried super hard. Nothing cuter than a 4 year old tying to convince their feet into first position with such concentration. Adorable. We tried about a year ago but I think he’s hooked now!🕺🏼🧘🏼🩰
David chatting to his best mate on the way to school this morning, she was talking about girls getting boyfriends and david said unprompted ‘or girlfriends’. My heart nearly burst.
#love
#pride
I was doing sign language flash cards on the train platform with Davey this morning waiting for our train, and two different people start signing to us from other side of the platform. 😊
A teary FaceTime with my monkey this morning. “I’m just sad mummy. You see the problem is, I just need you.” The eloquence of a three year old. On my way kid, I’m on my way.
Davey’s got ballet today. The only boy is his class, we’ve not said anything but he’s noticed. If he likes today (end of trial) we’ll sign him up& buy little ADORABLE black ballet shoes. I WANT TO BUY HIM BALLET SHOES. (But like, I’m cool with whatever he chooses obviously!) 😬😎
Insane scenes in South Africa at the moment and hardly any coverage. Looters have just stormed and trashed my Dad’s and his partners newly refurbished pharmacy. They are barricaded in their homes, everything is on fire. Deeply worried for all of them.
A beautiful thing happened...Another card of love&support from an anonymous ‘freelance mum’ arrived at stage door. Can’t TELL you how it lifted me. The kind words of empathy for missing my boy & all the worry&guilt. It Made me so proud to be here. Thank you twitter friend. 💪🏼
New dawn routine: Davey wakes when my alarm goes off at 5:40, we chat while I get ready/he advises on coats/hatwear. We briefly snuggle &he eats his breakfast &watches Christmas movie until my cab comes. “Have a lovely day in London Mummy, I’ll look after daddy!” Bloody love him.
Delighted to have turned 40 last week. Precious thoughts, words and cake from close and far. Started rehearsals for Billy Elliot so spent the day getting songs stuck in my head. Perfect. 🎉
Wee man at home in Yorkshire says to me on FaceTime “I don’t want to miss you anymore, I go to sleep &see you when I wake up” it’s night two of six. Long day &I’d quite like a cuddle from him. In the meantime here’s his dinosaur face. He is everything that is good about the world
First ever IVF baby is 40 yrs old today. Can’t believe this miraculous procedure is so young! Many born since. Our little man is one of those. Thankyou
@NHSEngland
. Here’s our 1st ever photo of him. (Not sure which one is him, we only had two viable embryo so they implanted both)
First press night since Covid. It’s an emotional day. Choreographing a musical under strict Covid rules has been tricky. I’ve relied on the trust, ingenuity, creativity and generosity of the actors, stage management and creative team. Feeling incredibly proud. And so very lucky.
David crawled into bed on the weekend &snuggled into my arms, he said “in the book of hugs I’d like to stay on this page forever” and I thought I might explode. He also stormed out the lounge & threw his pencil on the floor because I asked him to do his homework so, ya know.
And also my David, who we told this weekend. I’m also grateful to live in a time, community &industry that will embrace this &our new, reimagined family.
Little man finding today hard. Plenty of tears, just sadness-unusual for him. Big tears because there was no card in his ‘bearpaws’ fruit treats packet. Like end of the world tears. I’m cancelling school for rest of the day & we’re retreating to the sofa for movie &cuddles.
Also can’t wait for the industry to see how good this musical theatre course is at
@LeedsDrama
. This is their first graduating year and they are providing an education, community and care that is world class. Amazing for Leeds and amazing for our work. We are so lucky.
Passport update: my two BA &BA(hons) Degree Certificates in English, Psychology &Drama don’t suffice as proof I can speak English. (I went to Uni outside UK). So on Friday I’ve a 10 min spoken English exam and I’ll pay £150 for the privilege.
#britishcitizenship
#naturalization
Cracking evening at the
@WhatsOnStage
awards. Choreographed a special version of ‘Electricity’ with our amazing Billy Elliot’s, and we walked away with Best Regional. Utterly delighted and so proud.
#choreographer
I know it’s weird to see folk talking about theatre stuff if you’re not back at work yet, if you’re not in auditions or working on a show. A little sting, I had them too. I wanted to share the hope rather than the fear/sadness. It’s a stop/start crazy return. Hold strong.
🌙It's back on!
#Sondheim
's A Little Night Music will run in collaboration with
@LeedsPlayhouse
this June-July.
Featuring Opera North favourites inc. Dame Josephine Barstow, members of our award-winning Chorus and more »
Just booked flights home to South Africa for my boys &I. I haven’t been in about 5 years. Going to see my besties, snuggle their children & show Davey where I grew up. 20 year school reunion. Toes in the sand. Game drive. Could burst with excitement.
All love for final show on
#billyelliot
today
@CurveLeicester
. The sheer undertaking of this adventure has been life changing & I learned so much. Crazy love for the extraordinary company of young actors, glorious grown ups &my creative team. I’ll miss all of their sweet faces.
Back in isolation. After just 2 days rehearsal. Someone on my flight tested positive for Omicron &the entire flight has been told to go back to mandatory isolation. Lucky it’s a weekend &wont miss too much rehearsal but I’m gutted. Had a cry, ordered some gin &pulled my socks up.
Everyone, it’s ok. Davidbaby has not been, previously thought shouting a swear word but rather trying to say Fox. As discovered in the bath tonight as he pointed to the fox on his bathmat and said the word over and over. We’re ok guys. It’s just a fox.
What a year it’s been. Can’t begin to explain how this has been for this bunch of folk, all the volunteers and for
@slunglowalan
. But I am proud to bursting. And will gaffer tape him to the sofa over Christmas so he sleeps. Expect photos.
The Foodbank is done for 2020.
8188 referrals
Non means tested self referral
That’s a lot of milk. A lot of volunteers. A lot of help from all of you, Clipper, LUFC and the Real Junk Food Project. A lot of stress and strain, and some hope
Well done everybody
We kept our promise