SusanCS

Rather belatedly (mad few months!), I wanted to resurrect this thread to let you know that we are going to be doing a workshop performance on 22nd April at St Stephen's in Edinburgh. It's a new venue for us and we've put together a lot of original work as well as a production of Les Sylphides, hence the workshop designation! It would be great to see any local enthusiasts, especially anyone interested in joining us. Tickets are £7 and more information is on our website http://www.edinburghballetcircle.co.uk/performances.php

Thank you both! It was good to be back today.

Yes, Michelle, she heroically looks after the website and tries to answer queries. Janet, I think that I’ve added the signature. It’s a good idea, thank you! I’ve not included the group email as I don’t have anything to do with that - it is monitored by our website guru. I’ve adjusted my name too as I think on reflection that I don’t want to appear as the official voice of the group or to have all my posts associated with it (some of the others might not be happy!). I can see that my first post did look a little official and professional – excuse me, that’s how I write! I wanted to get as much information out in a chunk as possible. For the avoidance of further doubt, I thought I should provide a bit of background. I attend (amongst many other classes!) Jonathan Burnett’s advanced class at Dancebase in Edinburgh. He’s always tried to incorporate variations from classical ballet but in class the time is limited. About 5 years ago he started up the EBC as a Sunday club so we could learn a bit more and also do more pointe work. There was also the idea that we might perform. Actually, the performance idea snowballed pretty fast and we’ve done 5 full length shows to date. Jonathan is extremely generous with his time and, indeed, financially (he does it on a purely voluntary basis and, we suspect, has covered some of the costs himself). He’s very busy though with his proper work, so doesn’t really have a lot to time to promote the group or answer individual questions and he’s not awfully keen on social media (or electronic communication generally!). So this leaves some of us members to try to find new members, answer questions and drum up support in whichever ways we can! Although awareness is rising, there are still a lot of people taking classes in the city who take some time to find us. Obviously people who take class with Jonathan find out, but it’s nice to try to reach beyond that. For the past 2 seasons, we’ve had a fantastic group with a very high standard of dancers. Sadly, we lose quite a few people each year as we tend to have a lot of students (many from overseas) who eventually move on. I’m one of the very few to have been there from the start. Naturally, we always need more male dancers and they can be sure of pretty good roles! Would it be OK in the future to post information about performances anywhere? And what are the rules / conventions for that? It would be especially useful if we actually do get something together for the fringe (not that I’m counting on that one!) as I suppose non Edinburgh people are more likely to visit then.

Hi Janet, Thank you. Happy to do that, but just wanted to double check as this is a non-profit community group and not a business. I'm just one of the members and none of us have a commercial interest. Would this still apply?

Hi Michelle, I think you must have spoken to my friend who is charge of our website (our names are very similar!). The programme for this season will probably be discussed on Sunday - although Jonathan usually has some pretty firm ideas. The plan before the break was to work on Les Sylphides as the main classical piece. He has an original piece of his own which he introduced before the summer break and he has also taken ideas from cast members who are hoping to work on their own material.

I hope this is the right place to post this! I wanted to give a heads up to any dancers based in or near Edinburgh - especially anyone new to the city (students starting this term etc.) – that Edinburgh Ballet Circle will soon be starting rehearsals for our 2017 production. We are a company of non-professional dancers, founded and directed by Jonathan Burnett. We stage one full production a year: usually a triple bill, featuring a mix of classical ballet and original pieces devised by the AD or members of the cast. In addition, we perform or workshop some of our original material at other events. In the past, this has included Edinburgh’s Big Dance and the opening of the new studio theatre at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre. This year, we also plan to work towards a production at the Fringe in 2017. We are a friendly, inclusive group and welcome dancers from a range of backgrounds and disciplines: our company has included those who started as adults to those with teaching or other professional dance backgrounds. We do, however, require that dancers have a good grounding in technique and vocabulary and are taking at least one ballet class per week. We are happy to help point anyone new to the city toward suitable classes. The rehearsal schedule begins gently on the first Sunday of the month and picks up closer to the performance date. The start date is Sunday 4th September and the second rehearsal will be 2nd October. Rehearsals take place at Dance for All in St Stephen’s Street 1-4pm. If you can’t make either of these days, but would still like to join, please get in touch. There is more information on our website and facebook page: www.edinburghballetcircle.co.uk You can also email: edinburghballetcircle@gmail.com Thank you!