Husband and wife “ballet industry” team Constance Devernay-Laurence and Jamiel Devernay-Laurence will be in Washington DC in late May when Ms. Devernay-Laurence performs as principal dancer in the Scottish Ballet’s performances of Helen Pickett’s “The Crucible” at the Kennedy Center (click here for more about the performance).

In coordination with Scottish Ballet, they are available for pre-recorded-for-broadcast and for print interviews during April via the internet and live in Washington DC May 22 – 28. Story opportunities include:

For both:

• How they became a successful ballet wife & husband & wife team at the Scottish Ballet and beyond, as principal dancer and soloist respectively, including their own competition and cooperation,
• How they now are leveraging their experience and skills for up-and-coming choreographers and dancers, and
• How they earned personal and professional recognition from leading choreographers not only for their skills as dancers but also, beginning when the pandemic shut down most of ballet, for defining and implementing new “best practices” career building opportunities for pre-professionals and professionals now taking hold in the UK and Europe.

For Ms. Devernay-Laurence – “Constance” (con-STAHNS):

• How she got to where she is now (wasn’t easy), the barriers she faced and overcame, the impact of the educational and professional move from her country-of origin France to the UK and Scotland; what her days really look like,
• How she has collaborated with choreographers like Helen Pickett for “The Crucible” and then developed the lead Abigail role,
• The whys and wherefores of earning her university degrees; her role supporting kids in Ballet Grand Prix; her goals in coaching and teaching the next generation of dancers.

For Mr. Devernay-Laurence –  “Jamiel” (jhah MEEL):

• How he earned recognition by Matthew Bourne and many others as a disruptor who counts in the ballet and modern dance worlds; his profoundly outside-the-box opinion – and actions – to demonstrate how the ballet and modern dance industry can keep and grow their funding base,
• His collaboration with and recognition by Google Arts & Culture, the BBC, Apple and others for using advanced technology to create standout “film-first” dance video production, 
• His wholly redefined model for dance intensives now taking hold in the UK and Europe if not yet in the United States, and
• His success launching new live and online models for growing ballet and modern dance audiences, and his record funding dance and dancers during Covid (#FundFreelanceDance).

Key links:
https://www.constancedevernay.com/ 
https://www.jamiellaurence.com/about
https://www.scottishballet.co.uk/
https://www.npafe.org