Ailsa Berk (‘Doctor Who’ choreographer) interview

Posted Filed under

As part of this summer’s many exclusive activities at the Doctor Who Experience at Kensington Olympia 2 in London, Doctor Who choreographer Ailsa Berk will be hosting live ‘Walk Like A Monster’ master classes tomorrow, teaching visitors how to walk and move like of some of the Doctor’s scariest enemies, including the Cybermen and the Scarecrows.

Most famous for her roles in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and as Aslan in BBC’s 1988-1990 The Chronicles of Narnia serials, Ailsa has been the choreographer on Doctor Who since 2005.

CultBox caught up with Ailsa to find out more…

Can you tell us a bit about the ‘Walk Like A Monster’ master classes?

“Back in December, along with a couple of the guys, we did a video on how the Cybermen and Scarescrows move which have been shown at the Doctor Who Experience. Tomorrow we’re going to be doing a similar thing, but we’ll be doing it live with the young people that are there. It’ll take much the same sort of format, but we’ll be playing off what they want and the questions they ask.

“We’ll be trying to draw out of them what they think the Cyberman are and what movements they think are important. We should have one Cyberman and one Scarecrow there in costume.”

Have you done anything like this with the public before?

“Not really, I’ve done the odd workshop and things, but not for Doctor Who. I’m actually really looking forward to this. It’ll be so nice to get the input of the young audience and see their interpretations. I think it should be very interesting to see!”

Have you had a chance to look around the Doctor Who Experience yourself?

“Yeah, we went along just before it opened and it really is an experience, it’s one of the most amazing exhibitions – well, experiences – that I’ve ever come across. It’s been done brilliantly.”

> Find out how to book tickets on the official website.

Listen to more of our exclusive chat with Ailsa, as she discusses her work on Doctor Who, her favourite monsters to choreograph, the challenges of dealing with the bulky costumes and how she began her career…