Watch Mad Hatter’s Tea Party on BBC iPlayer until 22nd Jan 2015
If you didn’t manage to get a ticket for Mad Hatter’s Tea Party at the Royal Opera House because there were no tickets left or if you missed the live stream on the 18th December 2014 then this is your chance. It can now be viewed on BBC iPlayer until 22nd January.
To watch it click on this link http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p02f1qgv/the-mad-hatters-tea-party
Leda and the Swan by Kim Brandstrup now on YouTube featuring Tommy Franzen, Zenaida Yanowsky and Fiona Shaw
This film was shown at the Royal Opera House 5th-7th November as part of Deloitte Ignite. I hope you enjoy!
Choreographer and director Kim Brandstrup’s short dance film Leda and the Swan, commissioned by The Royal Ballet for Deloitte Ignite 2014. Performed by dancers Zenaida Yanowsky and Tommy Franzen, and Yeats’s poetry read by actor Fiona Shaw.
Find out more at http://www.roh.org.uk/about/deloitte-…
The annual contemporary arts festival at the Royal Opera House. Deloitte Ignite 2014 was curated by The Royal Ballet and The National Gallery’s Minna Moore Ede, this year’s festival is a feast of dance and visual art.
The month-long festival celebrated and explored the origin of myth and creation through dance, visual art, film, music and movement. The festival focused on two archetypal myths: Prometheus, the Titan who creates man from clay and steals fire from the Gods, and Leda and the Swan, the mysterious conjunction of a mortal woman and the god Zeus, disguised as a swan.
My interview and front page in Kyrko Bladet
In last June I was interviewed by Emelie Krugly (www.emeliekrugly.com) and photographed by Rikard Osterlund (www.rikard.co.uk) for the Swedish Church magazine called Kyrko Bladet. The theme was courage so I talk about how courage has gotten me through my life and career. Click on this link to read the article http://issuu.com/svenskakyrkanlondon/docs/nr3_2014_web
Kate Prince, Tommy Franzen and Some Like It Hip Hop on BBC London News
For anyone who missed us on telly then you can watch it here on BBC iPlayer. From 19.20 onwards.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01n3bpq/BBC_London_News_03_10_2012/
Interested in joining a discount club? It’s saving me money every day. Go to ==> www.SavvySavings.org.uk and find out how!
‘Underneath My Skin’ online release! A film by Sylvia de Boer and Tommy Franzen
Today is the 23rd of September 2012 and the day of the ‘Underneath My Skin’ online release. Underneath My Skin is a short dance film written and directed by Sylvia de Boer and Tommy Franzén. I hope you enjoy!
http://sylviadeboer.com/underneathmyskin/
Ps. Feel free to leave a little donation on the website to enable us to create more work in the future.
If I guaranteed to save you money, would you click this? www.SavvySavings.org.uk
My interview with dance photographer/journalist Carole Edrich about Gene Kelly
I got interviewed by Carole Edrich about Gene Kelly following his 100th Anniversary this year. The article with be in the next month’s Dance Today.
Here is the link to Carole’s Blog speaking about our interview:
http://dancetog.com/2012/09/12/tommy-franzen/
Interested in joining a discount club? It’s saving me money every day. Go to ==> www.savvysavings.org.uk and find out how!
Russell Maliphant Company – The Rodin Project @Sadlerswells 5th February 2012
I’m dancing with Russell Maliphant Company at the moment and we have one show at Sadler’s Wells as part of British Dance Edition 5th February 2012.
“As part of British Dance Edition London 2012, Russell Maliphant presents a special showing of his new dance piece, which returns to Sadler’s Wells in October. After the triumph of his Olivier Award-nominated and Critics’ Circle National Dance Award-winning AfterLight, this new production is inspired by the works of the great French sculptor, Auguste Rodin.
For this work, Maliphant has collaborated with a group of extraordinary performers, using a movement vocabulary influenced by the dance forms of popping, breaking and contemporary dance, integrated through Maliphant’s language of flow, form and dynamics.”
Book tickets here! http://www.sadlerswells.com/show/Russell-Maliphant-Company
I’ll be judging and performing at UDO World Streetdance Championships 2011
The UDO World Street Dance Championships 2011 will be held in Blackpool from 26-28th August. I’ll be judging the competition, perform a solo and selling my merchandise.
An accumilation of reviews from my performance of “Don’t hate the Player, Hate the Game” by Kristen McNallly at Cloud Dance Festival 2011
Retox Magazine – M. Andre
“Tommy Franzen, as expected, gave a blasting performance to close the show – the best saved for the last.
Tommy Franzen turns the stage into a serious sizzler
The versatile hip-hop sensation Tommy Franzen, the first ever hip-hop dancer who was nominated for a Critics’ Circle National Dance Award earlier this year gave a heated performance effortlessly accelerating into top gear with his breaks, as always, in tact.
As we know, Tommy Franzen was an aerialist in the opening ceremony for the Asian Games, and in the closing ceremony Tommy played a lead character as an actor. Tommy Franzen also has a strong background in musical theatre and has previously taken dance classes in a variety of styles. Defining Tommy as a hip-hop dancer would therefore be a bit of an understatement. Much of what we saw during the So You Think You Can Dance series last year and even on Saturday night at Cloud Dance Festival where Tommy Franzen stepped into the role created by the Royal Ballet’s soloist Thomas Whitehead in Kristen McNally’s famous choreographed piece “Don’t Hate The Player, Hate The Game”, which he very much made it his own, not only shows Tommy’s passion for different forms of dance but continues to exhibit skill and talent. No wonder Urdang Academy offered Tommy a scholarship back in 2000.”
Thepublicreviews.com – Tony Stotts-Rates
“Festival headliner Kristen McNally’s enjoyable Don’t hate the player, Hate the game, was a worthy close to the night and hip hop dancer Tommy Franzen a very engaging performer. McNally is known for her use of pop culture music and references mixed with some exciting choreography to create fresh cutting edge pieces. In this she successfully merges various dance styles from breaking to contemporary ballet movement which is effectively explored and performed by b-boy Franzen. What makes this piece stand out for me was how palpably the dancer enjoyed dancing it, it was sexy and dangerous, humorous and fun, dancer and movement interacting with the music and lighting, bringing to mind James Bond, Cowboys, and suave and dapper gentleman partners at formal dances.”
Londondance.com – Libbo Costello
“Bringing Firefly to a close on Saturday was perhaps the most anticipated artist of the evening. Tommy Franzen, of So You Think You Can Dance fame, performed Royal Ballet soloist, Kristen McNally’s Don’t Hate the Player, Hate the Game. It was originally choreographed to Kanye West’s latest album, in the Apple Store, Covent Garden earlier this year. With the audience helping to create the work, this was probably one of the first dance pieces to be made interactively in a shop.
Franzen took the place of Royal Ballet soloist Thomas Whitehead in this reworked solo and used his unique hip hop based style to ease through the movements. At least part of the joy of watching Franzen is down to the sheer happiness he radiates when on stage. McNally’s choreography saw him, with the help of the music, transform from gentry to city slicker in a few brief movements.”
Dance Ink
“Highlights of the evening included Kristen McNally’s work, Don’t hate the player, Hate the game, danced exquisitely by Tommy Franzen. The music, moves and charisma had the audience laughing for the mere joy of it.”
The Londonist – Lindsey Clarke
“Star billing goes to all round ace and SYTYCD star, Tommy Franzen dancing a solo by Royal Ballet soloist and groovy mix it up with hip hop choreography cat, Kristen McNally. Tommy is – as always – awesome”
Laura Dodge
“Known for her small-scale ‘indie ballets’ with modern cultural references, Kristen McNally’s choreography fuses numerous dance styles to varied sound accompaniment – from music to the spoken word. Don’t hate the player, Hate the game was an utterly engaging piece and a comment on people’s need to conform rather than dare to be original. Hip-hop dancer Tommy Franzén was exquisite, especially in robotic body isolations where he moved minute body parts with the utmost precision. He seemed to be testing out different identities in order to find one that fitted, always moving with a tangible pleasure and allure. At times bouncy, at others poignant and everything in between, Don’t hate the player rounded off the evening with a punch.”
” Sunday evening concluded with a second showing of Kristen McNally’s Don’t hate the player, Hate the game. Again performed exceptionally by Tommy Franzén, this rounded off Cloud Dance Festival’s weekend of choreographic treats wonderfully.”
Celia Moran
“Kristen McNally’s Don’t hate the player, Hate the game performed by Tommy Franzen left no dance genre unturned. Franzén sauntered from popping, to breaking , mime and contemporary seamlessly. However, writing this made me question: why is this noteworthy? If a breaking move fits in the music alongside contemporary, why should it be out of context? It’s all dance, isn’t it? Although McNally will admit: ‘it was based on my interest in the Stanford prison experiment and our nature to conform to a perceived ideal. As always it ended up a million miles from this!’ I’ll forgive a tangent when it’s this enjoyable to watch!”
Kim Lofthouse (Cultiv8 Arts)
“The night culminated with Kristen McNally’s “Don’t hate the player, Hate the game”, an edgy indie ballet performed by hip-hop dancer Tommy Franzén. The exquisite choreography is peppered with pop culture references from Reservoir Dogs to Michael Jackson and this is reflected in the modern score and the urban edge that Franzén brings to the classical ballet movements within the piece. The themes of conformity & control that inspired McNally quickly become evident as the dancer shifts seamlessly between conforming to and resisting the demands of the music. Franzén personifies this character wonderfully, engaging the audience throughout and leading us on the same adrenaline-filled journey that he is going through on stage. The blending of the classical and the modern is the true genius of this piece, making it endlessly engaging to a modern audience of dance lovers and dance first timers.”
“The climax of the night was Kristen McNally’s “Don’t hate the player, Hate the game”, an edgy indie ballet performed by hip-hop dancer, Tommy Franzén. Normally, I struggle to watch dance pieces more than once and still feel the same sense of excitement as I do the first time, but this was definitely not the case for this one. The pop culture references and blend of humanity & urban edginess that Franzén brings to this piece resonated as loudly the second time as it had the first, enthralling the audience. It was truly a joy to be able to watch this piece a second time and pick up on the subtler nuances of McNally’s choreography that underpin the tangible energy of this piece and its dynamic blend of old and new, urban and classical. It is this mixture that sets the piece apart from its rivals as something truly original. A wonderfully high-octane end to a fantastic weekend of dance.”
Michelle Harris
“Closing the show with a work that in contrast brought some light relief to the evenings more serious offerings was Firefly’s festival headliner Kristen McNally. A soloist for the Royal Ballet, McNally presented Don’t Hate The Player, Hate The Game, a quirky animated solo, reworked for the BBC’s ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ finalist and ZooNation’s star Tommy Franzén. Although originally based on McNally’s interest in the Stanford prison experiment, it’s not this narrative that ultimately shines through during the dance, but Franzen himself, with an absorbing and charismatic performance.
Whether a debonair hero, cowboy or enthusiastic Elvis impersonator, Franzén struts, body pops, leaps and windmills his way through the material, gloriously imitating the melo-dramatic intro to Michael Bubles’ ‘Cry Me A River’ and then a beaty, up-tempo electronic track. A fusion of Street Dance, Contemporary and Balletic styles, McNally’s witty, cutting edge choreography sits well on Franzen, effectively showcasing his talent for versatility and musicality. If there’s one criticism for McNally it’s that this enjoyable escapade seems to end too soon.”
Susanne Allen
“The evening drew to a close with an outstanding performance by Swedish-born dancer Tommy Franzén, with choreography by Royal Ballet soloist Kristen McNally. Don’t hate the player, Hate the game was truly worth the wait as Franzén plays out numerous styles from classical ballet to body popping and hip-hop, a style Franzén is renowned for, which was utterly superb. There has been a buzz of excitement surrounding Cloud Dance Festival this year like no other Festival before it, and for me, this performance was the reason. McNally’s unique choreography and Franzén’s mesmerising performance was breathtaking.”
© Jonathan Hughes
Video of ZooNation’s performance at The Olivier Awards 2011 West Side Story
This is a performance I did with ZooNation at the Olivier Awards 2011 and was broadcast on BBC Red Button. It was mainly choreographed by Kate Prince but Duwane Taylor, Teneisha Bonner and I helped her with certain sections. It’s the BBC Symphony Orchestra playing an out take from West Side Story.
Dancers: Tommy Franzén, Denny Haywood, Rowen Hawkins, Duwane Taylor, Rob Anker, Sarah Louise Richards, Lizzie Gough, Teneisha Bonner, Natasha Gooden, Suki Wong, Corey Culverwell ,Michael McNeish, Liam Francis and Isaac Edwards
Tommy & Charlie Jazz week 5 plus judges comments
Here is the Jazz routine from week 5 that Charlie Bruce and I did in So You Think You Can Dance UK 2010. Video clip also includes the judges comments.
Choreography: Sean Cheeseman
Music: Circus by Britney Spears
Thoughts on Firefly – Cloud Dance Festival on Dance Ink
Here is another great article about Cloud Dance Festival – Firefly from last weekend.
http://danceink.co.uk/2011/07/25/firefly-cloud-dance-festival/
A quote from the article:
“Highlights of the evening included Kristen McNally’s work, Don’t hate the player, Hate the game, danced exquisitely by Tommy Franzen. The music, moves and charisma had the audience laughing for the mere joy of it.”
Photo by James Rowbotham 2011
Retox Magazine’s review of Cloud Dance Festival – Firefly. It’s having me feel enormously honoured!
M. Andre from Retox Magazine came to watch Cloud Dance Festival – Firefly on Saturday the 23rd of July and this is her review of it. She has written such nice things about me and I’m still buzzing from reading it. I’m very happy…
http://www.retoxmagazine.com/cloud-dance-festival-firefly-pleasance-theatre.html
Here is an outtake from what she wrote:
“Tommy Franzen, as expected, gave a blasting performance to close the show – the best saved for the last.
Tommy Franzen turns the stage into a serious sizzler
The versatile hip-hop sensation Tommy Franzen, the first ever hip-hop dancer who was nominated for a Critics’ Circle National Dance Award earlier this year gave a heated performance effortlessly accelerating into top gear with his breaks, as always, in tact.
As we know, Tommy Franzen was an aerialist in the opening ceremony for the Asian Games, and in the closing ceremony Tommy played a lead character as an actor. Tommy Franzen also has a strong background in musical theatre and has previously taken dance classes in a variety of styles. Defining Tommy as a hip-hop dancer would therefore be a bit of an understatement. Much of what we saw during the So You Think You Can Dance series last year and even on Saturday night at Cloud Dance Festival where Tommy Franzen stepped into the role created by the Royal Ballet’s soloist Thomas Whitehead in Kristen McNally’s famous choreographed piece “Don’t Hate The Player, Hate The Game”, which he very much made it his own, not only shows Tommy’s passion for different forms of dance but continues to exhibit skill and talent. No wonder Urdang Academy offered Tommy a scholarship back in 2000.”
First review of Cloud Dance Festival – Firefly on www.thepublicreviews.com
It was been a great weekend performing and watching the other brilliant dance acts. Cloud Dance Festival is created to celebrate contemporary dance and we sure did that for the last three days.
This was my first collaboration with Royal Ballet soloist Kristen McNally and I loved performing her solo “Don’t hate the Player, Hate the Game”. Outside The Royal Ballet Kristen is mostly known for her choreographic work in the style of “Indie Ballet” but maybe when I perform it should be called “Indie Hop”? 😉 I hope there will be more future collaborations with Kristen and I.
Here is the link to the first review I’ve found so far and below and outtake from the article.
http://www.thepublicreviews.com/cloud-dance-festival-firefly-pleasance-theatre-london/
“Festival headliner Kristen McNally’s enjoyable Don’t hate the player, Hate the game, was a worthy close to the night and hip hop dancer Tommy Franzen a very engaging performer. McNally is known for her use of pop culture music and references mixed with some exciting choreography to create fresh cutting edge pieces. In this she successfully merges various dance styles from breaking to contemporary ballet movement which is effectively explored and performed by b-boy Franzen. What makes this piece stand out for me was how palpably the dancer enjoyed dancing it, it was sexy and dangerous, humorous and fun, dancer and movement interacting with the music and lighting, bringing to mind James Bond, Cowboys, and suave and dapper gentleman partners at formal dances.”
Photographer: David Clerihew
Behind the scenes video of Cher Lloyd’s music video Swagger Jagger
Here is a behind the scenes video by The Found Collective of Cher Lloyd’s music video Swagger Jagger.
Production Company: The Found Collective
Post Production: Mainframe
Directors: Mike Sharpe and Marcus Moresby
Choreographer: Tommy Franzen
The Video of Cher Lloyd’s performance at T4 On The Beach
I have just arrived home after an amazing week with team Cher Lloyd. I’m so proud of her and it was a pleasure working with her again. This is Cher Lloyd’s first live performance of her debut single “Swagger Jagger”. I’m so pleased for the opportunity to have choreographed this important single for her. It was also very important to me as this was the first time I choreographed an artist’s show like this.
Choreographer: Tommy Franzen
Assistant Choreographer: Maria Swainson (RiRi Productions)
Dancers: Pete Francis, Sarah Jane, Ivan Blackstock, Charlie Mayhew, Shaun Smith, Stephanie Sit, Mikey Frome, Kirsty Diers, Dan Uppal and Shannelle Fergus
DJ: Helena Boyce
I hope you like it!
Competitions with @TommyFranzen! by @ChersBrats – a Cher Lloyd fan site
A twitter based Cher Lloyd fan site called @ChersBrats are running two competitions in conjunction of mine and Cher Lloyd’s current collaboration. This is the message they sent out below:
On Thursday 7th July 2011, @ChersBrats said:
Competitions with @TommyFranzen!
To win a signed T-shirt from Tommy’s online store http://tommyfranzen.com/Tommy_Franzen_Official/T-Shirts.html then enter one or both of these competitions.
Competition # 1
Go to our Twitter page @ChersBrats and retweet our tweet saying:
“RT if you loved @TommyFranzen‘s choreography in Swagger Jagger! We will chose a random winner after 100 RTs for a signed tee from his store!”
or find it here http://twitter.com/#!/ChersBrats/status/89087980987363328
Competition # 2
Get Tommy to 2,000 followers and we will randomly pick a follower to win! Simple!
To enter either competition you must be follow us @ChersBrats and @TommyFranzen
Have fun, Brats!
7 days until Cher Lloyd releases her debut music video Swagger Jagger
Swagger Jagger is also my music video choreography debut. 7 days to go…
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghvdEpRaG4A&feature=channel_video_title)