Jan McNulty

And more information in this press release: SWAN LAKE BATH BALLET Photo credit: Ryan Capstick · Swan Lake Bath Ballet film by Corey Baker to be released on BBC iPLAYER and BBC.CO.UK/ARTS Wednesday 8th July at 9.00 am BST · A modern-day Swan Lake filmed entirely remotely in the filled bathtubs of 27 elite ballet dancers from around the world Corey Baker Dance has created a new short film entitled Swan Lake Bath Ballet which will receive its world premiere screening on BBC iPlayer and bbc.co.uk/arts on Wednesday 8th July at 9.00 am BST as part of BBC Arts Culture in Quarantine, bringing arts and culture to the homes of the nation under lockdown. Set to Tchaikovsky's famous swan theme, 27 elite ballet dancers from renowned dance companies perform a modern-day Swan Lake from their own home filled baths. Award-winning choreographer Corey Baker worked with dancers across the globe to choreograph and film Swan Lake Bath Ballet completely remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic. In the film, Baker’s quirky choreography is performed in baths from New Zealand to South Africa, America to Hong Kong, Australia to the UK. Swan Lake Bath Ballet was filmed on smart phones, directed by Baker from his bathroom in the UK. Dancers found innovative solutions including a child’s scooter, piles of books and even a toilet plunger to help stabilise and enable camera angles. Baker worked with long-time collaborator producer Anne Beresford as well as Director of Photography Nicola Daley ACS (Harlots, Paradise Lost), Editor Travis Moore, supported by Line Producer Guy Trevellyan. The team combined innovative technological solutions such as the app FiLMiC Pro and Zoom along with household makeshift tripods to make the film remotely. Dancers filmed themselves, sometimes assisted by their housemates or partners, all directed by Baker and Daley from their separate bathrooms in the UK. Baker says about the experience, ‘It was like trying to hang a picture with your eyes closed from 5 miles away’. The performers were drawn from a long list of distinguished companies including American Ballet Theatre, Royal Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Staatsballett Berlin, National Ballet of Canada, Dutch National Ballet, Birmingahm Royal Ballet (with whom Baker has a long relationship) and The Royal New Zealand Ballet, where Baker is Choreographer in Residence. Baker says: ‘I am hugely indebted to the amazing 27 dancers and all the companies who really pulled the stops (plugs?) out to make this film happen. Dancers became camera operators, stage managers, as well as costume and prop department not to mention performing tricky choreography at the same time, all from their bath tubs’. Corey Baker Dance has an international reputation for creating a diverse array of work across film, TV and theatre, using unusual locations and reaching non-traditional theatre audiences. Antarctica: The First Dance (Channel 4/The Space) was filmed on the icy continent celebrating Antarctica while we still have it. This was the first of three dance films with a ‘green’ focus, the other two being Spaghetti Junction with dancers from Birmingham Royal Ballet and Hong Kong Ballet filmed beneath Birmingham’s (in)famous motorway intersection and Lying Together with Hong Kong Ballet, filmed on location in rural and urban green spaces across Hong Kong. Both Spaghetti Junction and Lying Together were shown on BBC Culture in Quarantine in May/June 2020 for World Earth Day and World Environment Day respectively. Swan Lake Bath Ballet was commissioned by Arts Council England and BBC Arts as part of Culture in Quarantine. With thanks to Royal Albert Hall. About Culture In Quarantine BBC Arts’ Culture in Quarantine initiative is an essential arts and culture service across BBC platforms that will keep the arts alive in people’s homes, focused most intensely across BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, BBC Two, BBC Four, BBC Sounds, BBC iPlayer and www.bbc.co.uk/bbcarts. We are doing this in close consultation and collaboration with organisations like Arts Council England and other national funding and producing bodies. This arts and culture service includes: · Guides and access to shuttered exhibitions, performances or permanent collections in museums , galleries and performance spaces; · Ways to experience books with privileged access to authors including a collaboration with the Big Book Weekend amongst other initiatives. · Jewels from the archive as well as brand new content ensuring that brand new theatre and dance performances will join with modern classics to create a repertory theatre of broadcast. · Participatory offers including masterclasses and ways to enable audiences to create at home through Get Creative · Topical arts through Front Row, Front Row Late, Free Thinking and more · A fund with Arts Council England to support around 25 artists to create new work · A place for arts organisations to share innovations from quarantine and for audiences to discover new things through www.bbc.co.uk/arts

Hello Danceboy and welcome to the forum!

Let’s hope so.

More detail here and discussions please:

Yes, I thought Hernandez acting showed up more on film than on stage.

Here's another one (the more the merrier): https://platform.organise.org.uk/campaigns/1094?rkey=So5bCoL6bpxo67gV&utm_source=share&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=HjYDGUTy7i1onCWp

Oh no!!

Thanks for the info FionaE - I wish I lived nearer London as I feel starved of live performance. If you are going, I hope you report back!

There's a thread with a couple of videos about professional dancers' pointe shoe hacks. It may be worth a look:

Links - Saturday 04 July, 2020 Obituary - Saroj Khan, Bollywood choreographer: Guardian Streaming News: Royal Opera House, latest listings for #OurHouseToYourHouse: Teresa Guerreiro, Culture Whisper Streaming Reviews - Dancing at Dusk: Lorna Irvine, Fjord Review Teresa Guerreiro, Culture Whisper Streaming Review - Zurich Ballet, Romeo and Juliet: Oksana Khadarina, Fjord Review Feature - Holly and Duncan Wilder talk about their dance films: Lorna Irvine, Fjord Review

There's a letter to Rishi Sunak that the Public Campaign for the Arts is asking people to sign: https://www.campaignforthearts.org/letter/

Thoroughly enjoyed this podcast and can't wait for the next!

Hello Minnow and welcome to the Forum! I have moved your post to the Doing Dance thread where it is more likely to be seen by parents and students. In accordance with our Acceptable Use Policy, which you signed up to when you joined the Forum, could you please add a signature to your profile. "Commerce There is no bar to people representing commercial ventures from signing up to BalletcoForum with a view to spreading information about their wares or offering relevant services.That said, we are not an advertising hoarding and repeated postings of the same or similar information will not be tolerated, nor frivolous posts which merely seem designed to get the company name ‘up there’. Nor will we allow vendors to use BalletcoForum as their shopfront: if you have a selling business you should use your own website for trade and market testing, not this one.Members who have commercial interests must indicate that by adding a Signature line to their postings, stating the name and type of their business and giving their website and/or business email address for enquiries. Signatures are best displayed as text but smallgraphic logos are permissible. (Set up a Signature via Account Settings in the dropdown menu under your name.) If members wish to contact businesses, associate schemes or other commercial enterprises this should be done via the vendor’s website or email, not by starting threads on the forum. Sending promotional ‘mailshot’ messages to other users is not allowed."

Northern Ballet has issued an End of Season announcement. The dancers leaving the company have been listed but they have stated there will be no promotions due to the C-19 pandemic and new dancers cannot yet be announced. https://northernballet.com/blogs/northern-ballet/20-07-01/2020-leavers I feel so sad for the dancers who have retired having missed their valedictory performances due to the pandemic. Of course this has affected many dancers in many companies. The leavers are Hannah Bateman (retiring), Nicola Gervasi (retiring), Nina Querioz da Silva, Abigail Cockerell, Ayça Anil and Ommaira Kanga Perez. I send them all my best wishes for the future.

As part of the company's Pay as You Feel digital season Northern Ballet has just released a second excerpt from January's 50th Anniversary Celebration Gala. This excerpt is SHEER BLISS!!!

Links - Friday 03 July, 2020 Feature - Septime Webre, AD Hong Kong Ballet on reimagining Romeo + Juliet: Zabrina Lo, Asia Tatler Feature - Queensland Ballet’s step by step return to stage: Valerie Lawson, Dance Lines Streaming Review - Dancing at Dusk: Maggie Foyer, Seeing Dance Streaming Review - English National Ballet, La Sylphide: Dominic Corr, Reviews Hub Streaming Review - Birmingham Royal Ballet, Stems: David Mead, Seeing Dance Feature - Isabella Boylston & James Whiteside of ABT dance to Lady Gaga: Hedy Phillips, Pop Sugar Feature - New York City’s gift of motion: A 70s tale: Elizabeth Kendall, NY Times Streaming News - Choreographer Helen Pickett creates a trio of new pieces for furloughed Boston Ballet dancers: Karen Campbell, Boston Globe Streaming News - Watch Joburg Ballet’s choreographed response to Covid-19: Grethe Kemp, News 24 SA Featurette - Hiplet crew keep traditional ballet on its toes: Wiaam Jacobs, The South African

I loved this production when I saw it live in Manchester a couple of years ago and I loved it again on screen. I thought Dronina was sublime as The Sylph and that Hernandez came over very well as James (more so than when I saw him live). The corps were terrific.

I've just found this Farewell to Jane Howarth on ENB's YouTube Channel. Jane joined English National Ballet in 1983 and is retiring from the company after 37 years. She seemed omnipresent in performances when I first started watching ballet in 1984 and I always enjoyed watching her. I remember her being a wonderful Sylph in La Sylphide and, of course, a couple of years ago she was a wonderful Madge in the same ballet. Very best wishes to Jane for the future. Thanks for all the memories.

Links - Thursday 02 July, 2020 News - San Francisco Ballet announces season for January-June 2021 (Take a Leap of Faith): Carlos Olin Montalvo, SF Station Streaming Reviews and Features - Dancing at Dusk: Richard Maguire, Reviews Hub Howard Loxton, British Theatre Guide Emily May, Dance Magazine News Feature - Nutcracker is coronavirus’ latest casualty: Sarah L Kaufman, Washington Post Streaming News - Jacob’s Pillow announce’s full schedule for online festival (starts on 7th July): News Desk, Broadway World Streaming Review - Live from Covent Garden, programme 3: Jann Parry, DanceTabs Streaming Review - Smuin Contemporary Ballet, Indigo: Heather Desaulniers, DanceTabs Feature - Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre honours outgoing director Terence S Orr: Mike Palm, Trib Live Streaming News - Ballet Manila to stream Lisa Macuja’s final performance in Romeo & Juliet: News Desk, ABS CBN

Hello Dora and welcome out of the lurking shadows!

Hello fwr and welcome to the Forum!

Links - Wednesday 01 July, 2020 Obituary - Eileen Farrell, dancer & teacher: Stewart Pimbley, Guardian Feature - Carlos Acosta, AD Birmingham Royal Ballet: Graham Watts, DanceTabs Streaming Recommendations - Before the world shut down a Rite of Spring on a Senegal Beach (and more): Marina Harss, NY Times Streaming Review - Live from Covent Garden, Programme 3 - duet from Concerto, duet from Within the Golden Hour: Vikki Jane Vile, Broadway World Streaming Review - Royal Ballet, Woolf Works: Róisín O’Brien, Fjord Review Feature - Sofiane Sylve, new Artistic Advisor of Ballet San Antonio: Nicholas Frank, Rivard Report Video Premiere - Carlos Lopez, American Ballet Theater, We will dance again: Broadway World Video Feature - This 87-yo ballerina has dedicated her entire career to raising the bar for Philadelphia’s young black dancers: Yahoo Feature - How Portland’s big dance organisations responded to Black Lives Matter: Elizabeth Whelan, Oregon Arts Watch Feature - Will streaming be theatre’s death or its saviour?: AFP via Prestige Feature - Ballet has gone digital. Does the experiment have legs?: Lilah Ramzi, Vogue US Feature - Choreographers relish ‘spontaneity’ unleashed by virus restraints: AFP via RFI Video Feature - American Ballet Theatre brings magic of dance and music to children in hospital: Yahoo News Featurette - Dance Diary June 2020: Michelle Potter, ... on dancing Review - Yeh Ming-Hwa, The house behind the wall, Taipei: Lin Yatin, Seeing Dance

World Ballet School Day Training a new generation of dance artists Inaugural edition Tuesday 7 July 2020 from 12 noon BST www.worldballetschoolday.com English National Ballet School and The Royal Ballet School are delighted to announce that they will be participating in the inaugural World Ballet School Day which will be streamed online on Tuesday 7 July from 12 noon BST. World Ballet School Day (WBSD) connects the next generation of young professional dance artists with young people from around the world. Created by students for students, this event is a platform for young artists in training to share a message of solidarity through the language of dance and ballet. Students from participating schools will join together in a round table to provide insights into the world of professional ballet and dance training especially during lockdown, and will introduce segments from each school featuring behind the scenes and performance footage filmed both before and during lockdown. The event will also feature the world premiere of a new dance work. Six international ballet schools worked with choreographer Didy Veldman to explore the theme of physical restriction in a project led by The Royal Ballet School. The Royal Ballet School invited San Francisco Ballet School, Canada’s National Ballet School, Paris Opera Ballet School, The Royal Danish Ballet School and the Dutch National Ballet Academy to join them in a creative choreographic challenge for ballet students in lockdown. The dancers worked in six groups and created and rehearsed with Didy over Zoom. The students then filmed their individual performances and Didy and The BalletBoyz have created a film containing their work. The founding of WBSD is a collaboration of Boston Ballet School, Canada’s National Ballet School, English National Ballet School, New Zealand School of Dance, Palucca University of Dance Dresden, and the Prix de Lausanne. The idea was originally conceived by Viviana Durante. Twelve schools/institutions from three continents are participating in this inaugural year: The Australian Ballet School Paris Opera Ballet School Boston Ballet School Prix de Lausanne Dutch National Ballet Academy Royal Ballet School English National Ballet School Royal Danish Ballet School Canada’s National Ballet School San Francisco Ballet School Palucca University of Dance Dresden New Zealand School of Dance Viviana Durante, Director of Dance at English National Ballet School, says: “World Ballet School Day is about uniting students training at professional ballet and dance schools around the world. We want to showcase their resilience, strength, dedication, talent, intellect and passion, celebrating how their journey begins and why—now more than ever—ballet, dance and art matter so much.” Christopher Powney, Artistic Director of The Royal Ballet School, says: “I am delighted that The Royal Ballet School is taking part in the inaugural World Ballet School Day at a time when celebrating our young dancers feels more important than ever. Forced to train in isolation and in often very challenging spaces, they have continued to find the energy, motivation and focus they need to keep going. I am inspired daily by the passion and commitment our young dance community has shown in the face of such unprecedented and difficult circumstances.” - ENDS - Notes to editors World Ballet School Day will be streamed on Tuesday 7th July from 12 noon BST on www.worldballetschoolday.com and will be available for catch-up for one month.

Hello Reggi and welcome to the Forum. I have moved your post to the Doing Dance Forum. We've already got a thread about the video/email auditions so I will lock this thread and you can look and contribute to that thread. Here's the current thread:

Yes, it's a streaming service and costs £5.99 per month. If you can access it and there is not a contract period I suppose that is not too bad a price to pay for one month to watch it.