“I started dancing at two and a half and I’m still going seven decades later. My Mum was a wonderful dancer,” recalls Jenny Arnold, 77, who lives with her partner in London and is currently working on the Olivier Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated musical Operation Mincemeat, and preparing for their world tour later this year.
“I guess it was in my genes. From the age of 11, I attended the Arts Educational School (now known as Tring Park, School for Performing Arts). I absolutely loved my time there learning everything from ballet to tap to modern.
"After I left College, I worked as a dancer on Pantos and Summer Seasons and was chosen to perform in a nationwide tour of Funny Girl with Barbra Streisand, but sadly, it was cancelled by the producers. I was mortified. So, I got married instead!
"Mike, my husband, was the Stage Manager at the Arts Theatre in Cambridge. As a result, I was often backstage and an assistant of Mike’s called Patrick Ryecart (who went on to become a wonderful actor) asked if I’d help him choreograph his production of Hamlet. Unwittingly, this started my choreography career."
Fun at Footlights
"I had no formal training in choreography, but realised I’d learnt so much about dance ‘on the job’ and Cambridge was a wonderful place to start out as it had such a thriving performing arts scene.
I worked with Cambridge University’s Footlights for many seasons, teaching the likes of Clive Anderson, Emma Thompson and Sandy Toksvig how to dance and made a bit of a name for myself at being able to get non-dancers to move."
"I did go ‘back to school’ to the Laban Centre in my mid 40s to see if I had been doing it right for 20 years – and thankfully came away with a Professional Diploma proving I had!
"My choreographic style varies from show to show, although Hip Hop was a challenge to get my head around when that hit the mainstream – I’ll sometimes leave those pieces to one of my very talented assistants!"
Jerry Springer the Opera and winning awards
"One of my favourite experiences was working on Jerry Springer the Opera when it launched at London's National Theatre in 2003. I knew from the minute I first got involved with the project that it would bomb or be brilliant.
"Whilst it was certainly completely bonkers, it was also brilliant! There were 33 people on stage for me to coordinate for our finale, yet only eight of the 33 were trained tap dancers and there was a big tap section. That was quite a challenge but felt incredible when we pulled it off and the show went on to get great reviews and win multiple Olivier Awards and other accolades.
"I still dance now as much as I can. I have a slightly dodgy right knee so can’t jump quite as well as I used to, but I’m very much involved in everything from auditions for the tour in New York to training up new cast for Operation Mincemeat in London.
"I’m also Resident Choreographer for Opera Della Luna, recently working on the Mikado with them."
Age is merely a number
"I forget that I’m technically ‘old’ at 77. Despite there often being long days and late nights, my energy levels are still great and (thankfully) no one in the theatre treats me any differently.
"I only ever remember my age when kind people get up on the bus to offer me a seat. It did also hit me recently, when I had to walk down Operation Mincemeat’s super glamorous yellow carpet as the show opened on Broadway. It’s harder to look as glam as you used to when you’re almost 80." (We couldn't disagree more, seeing how radiant Jenny looked that night!)
"I love the creativity of my job and that moment when a dance I have ‘seen’ in my head comes to life on stage.
"My kids sometimes make the odd remark that it might be time to take it easy and work a bit less, but they’re also very supportive. It’s fun when my grandchildren come along to see my shows or spot my name popping up on the credits of a movie like Nativity, which I also worked on.
"I don’t actively go out looking for work now but, having been in the industry for so long and made so many wonderful friends in that time, the jobs seem to keep coming.
"I just take each day at a time. So long as I can keep dancing and enjoy that buzz of getting great performances out of others, I plan to!”
