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.
Aylesbury Orchestra will be performing a special concert in the New Year which will feature music from popular films including the Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Star Wars. John Beswick, the conductor famous for his work in the West End, is responsible for putting the show together and he has said that extra musicians have been involved to ensure that the music will be spectacular.
The leader of the orchestra for nearly a decade has been Mark Warner and he stated, “Normally we focus on classical music from the great composers but we thought it would be fun to do something a little bit unusual. We are hoping that this will attract an audience who do not normally come to our shows and maybe get more people interested in classical music.”
“There is going to be a lot of music that people are familiar with and we are very lucky to have John Beswick involved. He has such a great reputation on the West End that he is sure to be able to add a lot to our production.” Mr Beswick has previously been involved in conducting The Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables, among other productions.
The Aylesbury Orchestra was founded over 60 years ago and normally puts on three concerts a year. This special event will be taking place on 5 February and will involve over 70 musicians. The orchestra have been rehearsing since the start of November and there has been a really positive reaction to the idea. Mr Warner has further commented, “It was challenging to find the music but we have managed to source the complete score.”
Rent is one of the most famous rock operas that has ever played on Broadway in New York. It has achieved such fame that many people are comparing it to other successful musicals such as Hair and The Rocky Horror Show. The musical has just launched at the Loft Theatre.
Jonathan Larson has written the lyrics and music for the production and it is an updated version of La Boheme, the famous opera by Puccini. This story is about musicians and artists who are struggling to survive in New York.
The production started on a very small scale and ran for three weeks at the New York Theatre Workshop in 1994. This was the same location where the production was launched officially in 1996. Immediately after it launched production was seen as a hit and it even went on to win the Pulitzer Prize. It finally closed after over 5000 performances in 2008 and ranks as one of the most long-running shows in Broadway history.
The production that is being shown at the Loft Theatre has been directed by Mr Tim Willis and the music is being directed by Mr Matt Flint. Robin Stokoe is responsible for the choreography and there are many singers and actors involved in the production that have been in Loft productions before. Mr Willis has commented, “Rent is a story that is about celebration. There is certainly a lot of despair and tragedy in it but really the message of the production is very positive.”
For one night only next summer, one of the most famous and successful recording artists in the world, Elton John, is bringing his band to Harrogate. This unforgettable live show will take place in the main ring at the Great Yorkshire Showground the Yorkshire Event Centre on Tuesday June 5th, the extended Bank Holiday weekend to commemorate the Queens Diamond Jubilee.
The outdoor concert will take place in a fully reserved arena that has been specially created to give the thousands of fans attending to both sing and dance along with his much loved repertoire. The concert is expected to finish at around 9pm, which gives those attending the chance to get home in good time, considering this is the last day of that Bank Holiday weekend and many will be returning to work on the Wednesday.
Elton John said:
“The first time I played in Yorkshire was in August 1970 at the Yorkshire Jazz Folk and Blues Festival near Halifax. Anyone who was there will probably remember the terrible weather rather than the music! Since then I’ve played Leeds and Bradford several times, and last year Scarborough for the first time, but I’ve never played in Harrogate before. So I’m looking forward to my first summer visit to this famous English spa town, and you can expect a night of hit songs, dancing and fun – whatever the weather!”
Elton will become the first ever artist to play the Yorkshire Event Centre, Heather Parry, Managing Director said:
“We are delighted to be hosting what will be an absolutely amazing concert at the showground. Although in the past we’ve welcomed several world leaders, including Bill Clinton, a concert of this calibre will be a first for us.
Apart from being wonderful news for the region’s music lovers, it will also assist us in continuing our charitable work supporting the farming and rural communities across the North of England.”
As one of the greatest and most successful live artists, Elton’s spectacular stage shows continue to leave the competition standing! His live performance of over two hours will comprise many hits from an incredible back catalogue, including such classics as ‘Bennie and The Jets’, ‘Crocodile Rock’ and ‘Your Song’.
Tickets for this show will go on sale Friday 2nd December at 10am.
With a career that spans five decades, Elton John is one of the top-selling solo artists of all time. Along with his long-term lyricist Bernie Taupin, Elton has achieved 35 gold and 25 platinum albums, 29 consecutive Top 40 hits and has sold an amazing 250-million records worldwide. He has been awarded numerous Grammy, Oscars, Ivor Novello and Brit Awards, as well as a knighthood from the Queen.
With a career that has kept him at the top of the charts for over 40 years, his lifework has amalgamated into more than that of just a recording artist. Through a partnership with lyricist Tim Rice came the music for both the feature film and Broadway stage production of ‘The Lion King.’
Elton also wrote the music for the stage production of ‘Billy Elliot: The Musical’ and more recently
for the box office smash, ‘Gnomeo & Juliet.’ And just last year, Elton forged a collaboration with his long-time musical hero, Leon Russell, on the T Bone Burnett produced album, ‘The Union’.
His most recent project opened in September in Las Vegas with the return of Elton to The Colosseum, Caesars Palace, with a brand new show, ‘The Million Dollar Piano’, billed as “a gargantuan feast of music and imagery“. The Million Dollar Piano is set for a three-year residency at The Colosseum, and Elton’s second as a Caesars Palace headliner.
On October 8 this year, Elton celebrated his 3000th live concert since he began touring in 1969.
Full Event Ticket Details:
Yorkshire Event Centre, Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate
Tuesday 5 June
Reserved seat tickets are priced £80 and £55. Premium tickets are also available.
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.
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 13th 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.
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.
L’Olimpiade by Vivaldi is a rarely produced piece but now theGarsington Opera is preparing to perform the operawhich takes place near Olympia and revolves around the ancient games and in turn rivals in love who are also rivals on the track.
Wormsley estate in the Chiltern Hills is the first class new home of the opera company which will also play host to Mozart’s Don Giovanni as well as Offenbach’s charming operetta La Périchole during the summer season between 2 June to 3 July 2012, financial backing for the series will come from leading global investment banking firm, Jefferies.
Vivaldi’s L’Olimpiade takes place near Olympia on the day of the ancient games – rivals on the race track are also rivals in love. It features a number of artists new to Garsington Opera including Italian soprano Rosa Bove (Aristea) who recently took part in Claudio Abbado’s Pergolesi project, and Emily Fons (Megacle) currently a member of the Ryan Opera Center at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, both making their UK debuts; the talented BBC New Generation artist Ruby Hughes (Argene) and two counter-tenors – the extraordinary American Michael Maniaci (Aminta) who has a rare and thrilling voice with a stratospheric range, and Tim Mead (Licida).
William Berger (Alcandro) and Riccardo Novaro (Clistene) complete the cast. Garsington Opera’s Vivaldi team of conductor and baroque specialist Laurence Cummings and director David Freeman will bring all their skills and inventiveness to bear on the opera which will be the third and final production in this ground-breaking enterprise. This will be the world premiere of the new critical edition of L’Olimpiade, recently published by Ricordi.
Offenbach’s delightful La Périchole features rising Irish soprano star Naomi O’Connell in the title role. This will be her professional operatic UK debut. She is joined by Robert Murray (Piquillo), Geoffrey Dolton (Don Andrès de Ribeira), Diana Montague (Berginella), Mark Wilde (Le Comte Miguel de Panatellas), Jennifer Rhys-Davies (Guadalena) and Fiona Kimm (Mastrilla). Jeremy Sams, who is currently at the Metropolitan Opera in New York working on The Enchanted Island, which he has devised and written, will direct and David Parry, recent winner of a Gramophone Award for best opera (Ermione) 2011, conducts.
Mozart’s Don Giovanni will feature Grant Doyle making his UK debut in the title role with Joshua Bloom singing Leporello. The cast includes a number of exciting young talents including Sophie Bevan (Donna Elvira) and her sister Mary Bevan (Zerlina), Natasha Jouhl (Donna Anna), Jesús León (Don Ottavio) and Callum Thorpe (Masetto). Greek based Christophoros Stamboglis, seen recently at the Royal Opera House in La Sonnambula, returns to Garsington Opera to perform the role of the Commendatore. Mozart specialist and current Chief Conductor at Switzerland’s Musikkollegium Winterthur, Douglas Boyd conducts and Daniel Slater, whose productions of La Cenerentola and A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Garsington Opera were a great success, directs.
GARSINGTON OPERA AT WORMSLEY
This will be Garsington Opera’s second season in its stunning new Opera Pavilion. Designed by Robin Snell to complement, and give spectacular views out into the outstandingly beautiful surrounding landscape, the Pavilion offers superb acoustics and is an idyllic setting in which to experience opera performances of the highest quality.
The Wormsley estate, home of the Getty family, is an English country estate on the grand scale, complete with lake and deer. It is given a magical sense of seclusion by the thickly wooded slopes that surround it. This magnificent location in the Chiltern Hills, on the border of Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, is within easy reach of Oxford and is only an hour away from London by car. The train journey from Marylebone to High Wycombe takes as little as 25 minutes and a dedicated bus meets a particular train to bring passengers to and from the Wormsley estate.
THE EVENING
Performances start in the early evening and there is a long dinner interval when audiences can picnic or dine in the marquees, with catering provided by Jamie Oliver’s Fabulous Feasts. Audience members may arrive from 4pm. During the interval patrons may choose to enjoy dinner in the restaurant, settle with picnics enjoying views across the deer park or over the famous cricket pitch or stroll towards the lake and beyond. Those arriving early will be able to take afternoon tea, enjoy a glass of champagne, and visit the historic walled gardens which are a short drive from the opera site (there is a shuttle bus to the garden).The Opera Pavilion’s covered verandas and terraces offer opportunities to linger and admire the views.
BOX OFFICE: GENERAL PUBLIC BOOKING OPENS 16 April 2012 Tickets £95 – £170
Telephone 01865 361636 The Old Garage, The Green, Great Milton, Oxford OX44 7NP www.garsingtonopera.org
Due to the difficulties in translating Pushkin’s novel into English has rendered the story of Eugene Onegin rarely known in those countries that are predominantly English speaking, but to Russians it plays an integral part in the rich and turbulent history of their mighty country. The story first appeared in serial form during the 1820′s and was later adapted by Tchaikovsky into an opera which premiered in 1879 in Moscow.
This new adaptation of this great story is by Deborah Warner, and she uses spaces that ae both expansive and effective. These include a huge barn in Act I, a large hall and a lake in Act II and a particularly elaborate ballroom in Act III, within which are extravagant feats of singing and choreography taking place.
One of the main highlights of this performance is that of Toby Spence in his charismatic and energetic portrayal of Lensky, whose presence dominates Act I. Other notable cast members are Brindley Sherratt who shines as Prince Gremin, and brings both dignity and gravitas to the role. Adrian Thompson also makes an impressive monsieur Triquet, stealing the scene at the beginning of Act II by singing to Tatyana.
The choreography by Kim Brandstrup is also noteable, and the dancing in the penultimate scene is particularly captivating in the way the guests move at the ball around the main characters, creating the perfect backdrop. The sets by Tom ~Pye are exceptional, ranging from the iciness of the frozen lake to the ballroom’s soaring pillars.
Overall this is an excellent production and gives the masses the opportunity to tap into the genius of Pushkin and embrace the story of Eugene Onegin.
Returning to the Royal Opera House in a new and impressive production, Vincenzo Bellini’s LaSonnambula is now playing, with the last scheduled performance on Friday 18 November. For lovers of Bellini’s bel canto style, this is a rare treat. La Sonnambula (the Sleepwalker) was written as a showcase for the reigning soprano of the times; the title role has been performed by many outstanding voices, but possibly none better than Eglise Gutierrez.
The bel canto arias are known for their breathtaking high notes and complex, difficult passages that only a few performers can master. Gutierrez does a magnificent job of meeting the challenge as Amina, the innocent sleepwalking maid engaged to be married. She is ably supported by a cast that includes Celso Albelo as Elvino, her rather mistrustful fiance and Michele Pertusi as Count Rodolfo, who is the reason for Elvino’s mistrust and the catalyst for most of the action.
Elena Xanthoudakis is excellent as Lisa, proprietress of the mill where most of the scenes take place; she is also Alvino’s former lover and jealous of his engagement to Amina. When Count Rodolfo arrives for a rest stop before continuing to the castle to which he is heir (though no one knows this yet), he is persuaded to stay the night at the inn, where he gets tangled up with the local ‘phantom’, who turns out to be no other than Amina in her sleepwalking mode.
In a series of misunderstandings, disenchantment and reconciliation, the plot could have been construed as a comedy/farce, but it goes well beyond that in Bellini’s interpretation of events. It has been praised by devoted opera fans and critics as an outstanding example of Italian opera at its best. Backed by the Royal Opera House Orchestra led by conductor Daniel Oren, La Sonnambula soars.
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.
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