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You can tell that I am excited about this ballet because I am writing this review mmediately after watching the show and driving over 74 miles from the theatre.. The work that I have just seen is Ballet Cymru's Dream by Darius James and Amy Doughty. at Theatr Clwyd in Mold I have long been a fan of that ompany and I think that this is its best work yet. I am so impressed with it that I am seriously tempted to cancel plans to spend the jubilee weekend in London and see the baller again in Bangor on 4 June. As the title suggests it is based on Shakespeare's play but it is nothing like the interpretations of the play by Ashton, Maillot, Nixon, Pita or even James and Doughty's earlier Midsummer Night's Dream. For a start thetre is an original score performed on stage by Frank Moon. There are some novel characters such as "Lysandia" and "Hermia's Mum" and "Hermia's Dad" double as Titania and Oberon. Otherwise the ballet follows the play pretty faithfully with Puck mixing up the lovers, Bottom changing into an ass and Pyramus and Thisbe. The mechanicals' play was hilarious. I particularly liked Wall and the Man in the Moon in a space suit Robbie Moocroft danced Oberon and Isobel Holland Titania as well as Hermia's mum and dad. Kotone Sugyama was Hermia, Beth Meadway Helena. Caitlin Jones Lysandia and Jacob Hornsey Demetrius and Bottom. Sanea Singh made a very impressive Puck. One of the reasons why I admire Ballet Cymru so much is that its Duets programme intoduces ballet to children in rural and inner city primary schools who might otherwise not get a chance to see it. The company operates that programme in cooperation with community dance bodies throughout Wales. Before the show chiidren in the programme showed their skills in a short performance. At the very least childeren on the programme should develop a life long interest in dance. For a few it may even encourage them to make a career in dance.

Yesterday I stepped inside a theatre for the first time since February 2020 and not without a fair degree of trepidation to see Darius James and Amy Doughty's new production of Giselle for Ballet Cymru. I had already seen a screening of the premiere in Lichfield and reviewed it for Terpsichore in Giselle Reimagined and I had attended a workshop on the ballet at Yorkshire Dance the day before so I knew what to expect. I have remarked many times that James and Doughty take the essentials of the great ballets and remould them for a small cast that is constantly on the road. They succeeded sin my view with Cinderella, Romeo a Juliet and Beauty and the Beast and I think they can chalk up Giselle as another success. Certainly I prefer it to Akram Khan's and I liked it at least as much as Dada Masilo which I also admired. If you want to remake one of the world's best known and best loved ballets that is the way to it. James and Doughty commissioned Catrin Finch to adapt Adam's score. She had worked with them before on Celtic Concerto and The Light Princess. The opening bars of Adam's overture for Acts I and II remained unchanged and there snatches of his score in the mad scene and there was a Welsh folk air at the beginning but most of the rest of the score was new. The choreographers had left the story more or less intact but there were a few changes. Albrecht was not the lord of the manner but a bounder who was cheating on his wife. At Wednesday's workshop Andrea Battagia who danced Albrecht suggested that he might be a social worker. The costumes were contemporary and the ballet seemed to bve set in post-industrial Southeast Wales. The choreography was very different. Giselle's theme was a complicated hand and upper arm movement which Beth Meadway taught us in the workshop instead of the familiar jumpty jump. Ballet Cymru's scenery is projected into a backcloth and I have to say that the projections and lighting were impressive. I particularly liked the country churchyard at dawn as the wilis (renamed zombies in this version) scuttled away. Everyone in the cast danced well. I was particularly impressed with the leads, Battagoa and Meadway. Meadway is tall with a naturally expressive face. In a couple of scenes in Act II when she appeared en pointe in a romantic tutu I was reminded of lithographs of Carlotta Grisi. Battagia crossed the stage with grace and elegance assured of the attention of the crowd. Izzie Holland and Robbie Moorcroft as the female and male leaders of the zombies were awesome in both the old fashioned and contemporary senses. Yasset Rolden was a smouldering Hilarion. I will follow his career with interest, For those who do not know the story this is the best possible introduction. I did miss the dreamlike floating quality of the traditional Giselle but this Giselle is set in contemporary brexit Britain where unpleasant things oozing out of cracks are much more common than aetherial spirits. Not everybody's panad o de but it is mine.

Ballet Cymru will dance Darius James and Amy Doughty's new production of Giselle in Leeds on 4 Nov, I have not yet seen it live but I watched the premiere online and reviewed it for Terpsichore on 9 July. In my review I wrote: "If Ballet Cymru ever offers this choreography as a workshop we [Powerhouse Ballet] would love to learn it. Once this third wave has subsided we shall learn the Coralli-Perrot-Petipa version of the dance of the wilis but the James and Doughty version would be such fun." Our wish was granted sooner than we had expected. The company has agreed to give us a workshop at Yorkshire Dance on 3 Nov between 17:15 and 18:30. Although Powerhouse Ballet are hosting the event we are not monopolizing it. It is open to any dancer who is in or can get to Leeds on Wednesday evening. My law practice is sponsoring the event so it is free to attendees. All they have to do is complete this registration form. After the workshop we shall be holding a little get together in Martha's Room from 18:30 to 20:00 which is open to balletomanes who don't want to take part in the workshop but would like to meet the choreographer and dancers. As they are Welsh and we are from Yorkshire we shall serve cacen cri, Yorkshire parkin and maybe an Indian treat to celebrate Diwali. Anybody wishing to attend the reception but not the workshop can register here. The main event of the get together will be my interview of Darius James and Beth Meadway who danced the lead role at the premiere between 19:00 and 19:30. For Ballet Cymru's fans throughout the world we are live streaming the interview over Zoom. Anybody wanting to watch that interview can sign up here.

Has anyone had a child who has auditioned / been accepted for Ballet Cymru Associates? Thanks x

I remember a thread some while ago that was less than enthusiastic about this production. Having just got home from watching it I am a little surprised that anyone would not enjoy it. I admit that the storyline is weak ( but dare I say not a lot weaker than the original Sleeping Beauty) but that is my only real criticism. Oh, and some of the headgear is a little bit iffy ! What is admirable is that it is well danced, the small stages that this company gave to work is a problem that they overcome well. The original music is evocative and interesting and the lighting and use of projections rather than scenery is most impressive. They are a very hardworking little company . They are not afraid to be inventive and I found the performance heart warming and very enjoyable.

http://welshballet.co.uk/launch-of-brand-new-training-programme/ Thought this looked interesting!

My 10 year old dd is doing the morning ballet summer school next week for the first time. Any other dcs going to be there? It would be good to meet fellow balletcoforum parents!

I try not to have favourites but I do have a very soft spot for Ballet Cymru. On Saturday night Gita (my colleague on Team Terpsichore) and I were the company's guest at the Riverfront Theatre in Newport for the launch of the company's summer tour. This year they are taking two ballets round the country: Roald Dahl's Little Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs; and Romeo a Juliet. Both works were created by Darius James and Amy Doughty. The first marks the centenary of Roald Dahl's birth in Wales and the second the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death. The show I saw on Saturday was Little Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs which is dance with narrative based on two of Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes. It is a ballet that is suitable for children (and there were many in the auditorium) but it also appeals to adults. The central character in both ballets was Little Red Riding Hood danced appealingly by Lydia Arnoux but she was supported strongly by Mark Griffiths as the narrator, Andrea Battagia as the wolf, Robbie Moorcroft and the rest of the cast which included four promising young dancers, one of whom is actually Welsh. The recruitment of those four young dancers shows a growing self-confidence in the company which will manifest itself in a performance of Little Red Riding Hood at the massive Millennium Centre with the entire National Orchestra of Wales on 4 Dec 2016. It was a long and difficult drive to Newport from the North on Saturday through driving rain, poor visibility and dangerous surface water but the show was well worth it. If anyone is interested I reviewed the show yesterday and wrote a preview on 28 April 2016.

I have just put my daughter's name on a waiting list for a workshop with Ballet Cymru with Pas de deux. The organiser told me that if they received applicants from more boys those on the waiting list could also move up. The workshop is on Sunday April 17th 2016 at Newport. If you're in the South West its easy to get to and these opportunities don't come our way very often. Please have a look at their website for details - I found out about it through this forum. Oh and its very cheap £21 for the Intermediate Advanced class!

Ballet Cymru have just published details of their summer schools on the company website: http://welshballet.co.uk/newport-summer-dance-wales-international-ballet-summer-school-2016/

Anyone else doing this tomorrow? My daughter is full of nerves because she won't know anyone there, and she is worried that everyone else will have gone with friends... It is her first dance experience outside her dance school too...

Anyone's DD or DS there on the ballet courses this week? My DD is in Ballet Course group 4 and has had a fantastic week, she says its the best summer school shes done as shes learn't so much. Looking forward to the show of work tomorrow, any Balletco forum members there? it would be nice to say hello.