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Strictly Gershwin

Alan — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:13:51 +0000

Strictly Gershwin is an all singing and all dancing show focussing on entertainment which Craig Hassall, the managing director of the English National Ballet (ENB), has ironically apologised for.

It has truly split opinions with many thinking that Strictly Gershwin is too razzle-dazzle with the consequence being that the Gershwin’s talents are wasted in this latest effort by the ENB at the Coliseum, whereas others feel the adaptation from the Albert Hall has worked very well, with the addition of dramatic focus working in its favour and the dancers perform it beautifully.

What is agreed is that the numbers are performed with a big band style, and the dancing varies between simple duets and elaborate crowd scenes. Last year, Strictly Gershwin was performed in the Royal Albert Hall, but it has moved for its long winter tour into the London Coliseum. One consequence of this is that it is no longer performed in the round, which was never an ideal setting for a dance show.

This is a big show designed with the box office in mind. A veritable smorgasbord of dances to really appeal to the Strictly television fans, complete with glitzy costumes and lighting. It is not your traditional ballet, as it is looking to be open to a wider audience than would usually consider the ballet a good night out.

Created by Derek Deane in 2008, the big assets were Barbara Cook and the ballroom dancing duo of Lilia Koplova and Darren Dennett. These stars have moved on now, and the ENBs own singers and dancers are not quite up to their impeccable standards.

The showmanship is up in this performance, which is not unusual in a Deane production. With as many sequins as can humanly be put on the costumes, a completely overactive conductor hitting his own bottom with his baton, and excessively cheesy tap dances, there is no mistaking this as one of Derek Deane’s own.

The big ballet ensembles for Gershwin’s best known compositions such as ‘An American in Paris’ and ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ are big group numbers with excellent costume work. Whether it is Eiffel Tower tutus and hats, or sexy blue plate tutus, the beautiful costumes are just about able to compensate for the lack of pizzazz in the choreography.

The best dancers on the night were Klimentová and Muntagirov, both of whom could dance comfortably on any stage in the world. That said, they both had their moments when you didn’t think that they believed in what they were doing. This wasn’t improved by their fellow cast members such as Gruzdyev or the man playing Gene Kelly who were simply not able to pull their weight.

The applause at the end of the show made it obvious that the negative reviewers weren’t universal, but by appealing to a wider audience the ENB has rather left some of the more poignant moments in ballet by the wayside. The special effects come across as lazy and while they may be fun it just doesn’t seem right on a ballet stage.

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Royal Ballet live on cinema screens

Alan — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:37:14 +0000

Cinemas in Merseyside are going to be broadcasting the production of The Sleeping Beauty, that the Royal Ballet will be performing, live. The production is going to be streamed directly from London’s Royal Opera House and is expected to be a huge event. The Sleeping Beauty was first staged in Russia in the late 19th century and is set to the music of Tchaikovsky.

The production was revived five years ago to celebrate the 75th birthday of the production and the design of it was brought up to date by Peter Farmer. Anthony Dowell was responsible for additional choreography and was assisted by Christopher Wheeldon and Frederick Ashton.

In this production, Laura Cuthbertson is starring as Princess Aurora who was put to sleep for 100 years after accidentally pricking her finger with a needle, Prince Florimun is played by Surgei Polunin. The music by Tchaikovsky is being recorded in 5.1 surround sound and broadcast into cinemas in the same way. The set of the production is very dramatic and involves a great many changes, from shadowy ruins to grand palaces and the entire production is being shot in high definition.

The sales director of Vue Entertainment is Mark De Quervain and he has recently commented, “The way this production is being broadcast can bring ballet to a wider audience and even those who don’t normally go to the ballet will have an opportunity to see this performance live.”

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Scottish Ballets Sleeping Beauty

Alan — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 17:18:08 +0000

Ever since its Glasgow premiere back in December 2007, the Scottish Ballets inventive retelling of the Sleeping Beauty has received great plaudits, and is now enjoying a timely and well deserved revival.

It follows the typical route of the yuletide productions that Ashley Page, the choreographer and soon to be departing director of the Scottish Ballet, and Antony McDonald, the designer, produce. The beautiful and swirling music from Tchaikovsky is set amidst a whirl of comedic touches, innovations that are almost surreal and historical references that are very clever.

You can only hazard a guess at what Marius Petipa, the ballets original choreographer, would have made of the heroine falling asleep after pricking her finger on a cactus plant that had been given to her by some wicked fairies who were disguised as gardeners. The beauty of this exemplary show is the balance it finds, crossing between traditional and outlandish seamlessly.

The party thrown to celebrate the christening of the unlucky princess Aurora could have, in many ways, come from the mind of Petipa himself. Set in an imperial garden in Russia the stage is ablaze with the Regency colours of the early 19^th century. The arrival, however, of Carabosse the witch and her vulcan eared, egg headed daughters Lucinda and Pina confronts us with an image akin to something from the mind of Hieronymous Bosch.

Genteel blends with gothic, the dancing dynamic and captivating, and the overall show exceptional.

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Free ballet classes for poor children

Alan — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 07:12:53 +0000

Children in some of the most deprived areas of London are being offered free ballet classes every week by one of the top dance schools in Britain. The Central School of Ballet is based in Clerkenwell and hopes that by opening themselves up to pupils from inner cities they will make classical dance appeal to a much wider and diverse audience.

The classes are taking place at three primary schools in Southwark, which had one of the country’s highest rates of child poverty. The aim of the classes is also to boost creativity, health and fitness, good behaviour and discipline. 24 year old Ellie Savva is the teacher for the classes and she said that its great to give this opportunity to the students and is good for self discipline for those who spend all their time on Facebook and YouTube.

She added that the children have progressed very quickly, and already they are filing in quietly and sitting with straight backs while she took the register, and that they are really keen to learn and were literally putting their hearts and souls into the classes.

For many of the children, it is the first time they have had any contact with ballet, and 9 year old David Ijishakin from the Alfred Salter School in Rotherhithe said it had been this teacher who first convinced him to join the classes as he was told it would help him to become a better footballer.

David also said that he thought that if the ballet helped him with his football nobody would tease him, but he was actually enjoying it and liked the exercise. He also said that if he got to a certain stage he would like to attend a professional ballet school and audition for a part in Billy Elliot.

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Sergei Polunin continues to shine

Alan — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 13:31:18 +0000

Sergei Polunin, the accomplished ballet dancer, has recently commented that the stage lights used in shows can conceal and almost eliminate what is happening on stage. The dancer is known to have several tattoos but when he is on stage he makes sure these are covered up.

He has recently commented, “I can use make-up to cover them and with the addition of the stage lights they become almost invisible, most people, especially if they did not know I had tattoos, would not be able to tell that they were there.”

Polunin is the youngest dancer in the Royal Ballet and many people have commented on the fact that he is incredibly talented. He has a wonderful openness in his upper body and long limbs which allow him to do stratospheric jumps where he appears almost weightless. He is only 21 years old and many people think that he is the brightest dancer that British ballet has seen in a long time.

This season of ballet has seen many landmarks for the dancer and he has been involved in a great deal of notable productions, including Manon as Des Grieux. He will also shortly be playing Romeo in the production of Romeo and Juliet that is being put on by Kenneth MacMillan. He is also involved in the production of The Sleeping Beauty which is also being filmed for broadcast on television and also be released on film. In this production is playing the role of the Prince.

Polunin was born in the Ukraine, near the Black Sea, and he was involved in gymnastics from an early age, he suffered from pneumonia at a young age and this meant that he could not return to gymnastics because the dust in the buildings was too much for him.

He has commented, “It was at this point that I decided to take up ballet, one of my friends was applying to a ballet school and my mother suggested that I go along and try it myself. It also meant that I was able to move to a better city with my mother.

“I had been great at gymnastics and when I took up ballet I wanted to be great at that too. I landed in the same way that I did gymnastics, as a routine. Growing up I was very poor and my dad had to work in Portugal as a builder just so my mother and I could afford to live in Kiev.”

His mother eventually suggested that they moved to London so that he could audition for the Royal Ballet School but when a letter arrived telling him how to audition they misunderstood it and thought that they had to pay over £30,000 a year to attend.

When someone who read English better took a look at the letter they told the family that they had misunderstood it and that there were no charges to attend if you found a sponsor. From these humble beginnings Polunin is looking to a bright future in the performing arts.

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The Nutcracker the quintessential Christmas ballet

Alan — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:07:07 +0000

The New York City Ballet along with the Lincoln Centre for Performing Arts and Omniverse Vision have announced a worldwide exclusive signing regarding the theatrical distribution of the much loved George Balachine produced The Nutcracker for this festive season.

Described by the New York Times as the quintessential Christmas ballet that is original, unique and inimitable, the New York City Ballets production of The Nutcracker is the perfect Christmas movie for a family trip to the cinema. Tchaikovsky’s brilliant score, dazzling costumes, a tree weighing a tonne that magically continues to grow and George Balachine at the helm in one heady mix of pure delight and entertainment.

There are more that 70 dancers from the New York City ballet taking part, as well as the 62 piece NYCB orchestra and a further 50 children from the official NYBC school, the School of American Ballet.

“We are proud to be working with Lincoln Center and the New York City Ballet on this landmark production, and also with our US partners, Fathom Events, off the back of the phenomenal success of the Phantom of the Opera 25th” said Grant Calton, Omniverse Vision Director.

Katherine E. Brown, NYCB’s executive director, said “we are thrilled to bring this beloved holiday production to what we hope will be the first of many opportunities to present New York City Ballet’s extraordinary repertory in movie theaters throughout the world.”

Added Elizabeth Scott, Lincoln Center’s Chief Media and Digital Officer, “Lincoln Center pioneered the use of broadcast media to bring the magic of live performance into households throughout the US. We’re pleased to take this next step and give movie goers across the globe access to this classic performance, emblematic of the superb offerings on our renowned stages.”

The Nutcracker will be captured in high definition on 13^th December by the award-winning Lincoln Center team that brings live performances to millions of American television viewers every year. Omniverse Vision will transfer the show via fibre optic cable across the Atlantic for onward transmission to cinemas around the globe over the Christmas season.

Tickets for your local cinema can be purchased here.

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Bolshoi Ballet the Sleeping Beauty

Alan — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 08:52:17 +0000

Sleeping Beauty is one of those ballets which is incredibly grand and beautiful. It seems that every character in the movie, whether a Royal or a peasant is good-looking and those at the higher end of society are especially so. Recently a production of The Sleeping Beauty, simply called Beauty has been put on by Bolshoi Ballet and the live performance has been filmed and is set to be distributed internationally.

The theatre in which the production has been filmed is amazing in itself with the chandeliers being just a small part of the overall opulence of the location. A recent renovation to the theatre cost an incredible £700 million and this renovation has made it the perfect location for any stage performance.

The dancing in the production was spectacular and all dancers did an incredible job. For a long time the ballet has been considered as the preserve of theatres in St Petersburg but those in Moscow, such as the Bolshoi Ballet also make it came to it as do many companies that are located around the world.

Depending on which company is putting on the production many aspects of it are changed, but as a general rule the choreography remains the same. In this production by the Bolshoi Ballet they have chosen to set the ballet in 17th-century France. The plumed hats, kneelength stockings and long curls of hair are clear signs of when and where this production has been set. Tchaikovsky’s music remains the same though and counter to convention, some adjustments to the original choreography have been made.

There is nothing quite like seeing the production in person but the film version does a great justice to the ballet and is well worth watching. The camera work is very good and does not let the performance down, as sometimes is the case when a live production is filmed. Those on the stage know that they are being watched in closer detail than they might be normally and they adjust their acting and dancing for this. Their facial expressions are focused on and you can see how great deal of effort has been put in to getting them right.

There are some problems with the production, and the fact that the castle hasn’t aged at the beginning of the second act will be something that you certainly notice, however overall the ballet is incredibly rewarding for the audience. Often in this ballet production it can feel as if the number of people on the stage at points is very large but this is something that Beauty manages to avoid and all the people on the stage seemed to perform with exceptional and cohesion, a testament to the excellent choreography.

For those who choose to watch this production on the screen they will be treated to a ballet with some of the finest dancing that has ever been seen. Complex moves are performed with such delicacy that they seem almost effortless and all performances are done with the utmost perfection.

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The Snow Queen at Southport Theatre

Alan — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 06:34:39 +0000

The Snow Queen is a classic fairytale and Ballet Theatre UK will be performing the production this Thursday at the Southport Theatre. The theatre was founded by Christopher Moore who is the current artistic director and he has created a classical dance company that is very inventive and is now one of the U.K.’s best midscale ballet organisations.

Moore has commented, “My inspiration has come from the theatre, classical dance, literature and popular culture. This production of the Snow Queen is our attempt at complementing The Nutcracker. The ballet is set in Scandinavia and follows a village who has to endure eternal winter. We have an excellent score which we hope will draw the audience further into the production. The story follows Gerda who must break the village from its endless winter caused by the Snow Queen.”

Several famous international dancers are performing with Ballet Theatre UK and it is sure to be quite a spectacle. This production of the Snow Queen is probably going to be one of the highlights of the season for those who are a fan of the ballet. You can see the production on Thursday, 1^st November at the Southport Theatre. It starts at 7:30 PM

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The Maltings ballet

Alan — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:55:14 +0000

Tuesday night it would have been easy for the audience in attendance at The Maltings ballet to think that they were actually seeing a Christmas show given the fact there was a huge Christmas tree on the stage and the air outside had a cool chill to it. To some degree you could argue they were given the fact that the sold out house was prepared for a performance of ‘The Nutcracker’ that showed the talent of the State Ballet Academy quite clearly as the result would have made original composer Marius Petipa quite proud.

The play opened up with the Christmas Eve scene of Marie receiving a nutcracker doll from her godfather and the dance steps that jumped around the gift as he teased her and her brother before actually handing over the present. After getting the toy eventually Marie falls asleep only to wake up and find out that the toy has turned into a soldier that is now protecting her against a large group of mice.

The lead mouse known as the Mice King saw some great musical dance numbers as the music quickly moved higher in tone and the Nutcracker soldier is forced to move a bit quicker in order to protect Marie from the Mouse King. From here the journey continues in the age old tale with the music and the dance slowly evolving and changing perfectly to portray the emotions of the characters and the action on the stage. Throughout the entire play the lead roles and the backup dancers proved their talent and their place within the academy as the entire performance was as close to perfection as any ballet troupe could get.

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Ninette de Valois portraying a chess game

Alan — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:52:33 +0000

BRB’s new triple bill takes a close look at ballet history in Britain in 1937 at a time when London choreographers were creating unique work that was known throughout the world. The first play Checkmate set at this time is narrative from Ninette de Valois portraying a chess game that moves slowly in a Manichean setting until the end explodes as each character piece comes into its own taking over the board.

The second play in the triple bill is set in 1946 and hails from Frederick Ashton with a more symphonic base as Variations is an abstract look at wartime in Britain and the trouble that comes from life immersed in war and how its characters are able to grow from this unique period of history.

Wrapping up the bill is Pineapple Poll also from the same time period written in 1951 and portraying a South African showing that he can be just as British as anyone else in the sailor world with plenty of sweethearts and musical numbers.

The effort by the BRB to revive each of these classics is honourable as most of them offer grand decors and required the artistic genius of three very different artists such as the cartoon set for Pineapple Poll created by Osbert Lancaster or the more elegant backdrop for Checkmate created by E. McKnight Kauffer. Together the three plays show a piece of British heritage that is not appreciated far as much as it should be in Britain.

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