Jan McNulty

Me three!

I love watching cormorants at our local Crosby Lakeside (a man made marina on what had been our local beach, leading up to the sea wall and the beach). They are not as elegant as herons but I think they are tremendous birds.

Hello DtoD, sadly in my lifetime I have known 3 people who have committed suicide because of their depression. If the person you know has suicidal tendencies because they are depressed and, given their age, I would try to find a way to express your concerns to their parents. Depression is a dreadful illness and one of my very wise friends has said that someone who is very depressed needs to have reached the position of wanting to be helped before anything can be done to help them. What you and any other friends/concerned adults can do is make sure you are there for that person when they need you and perhaps have already researched what facilities and services are available for when they may be needed.

Thanks for this information Estriiita. It sounds fabulous. Sadly I won't be able to get there either.

I've expanded the title of this thread to cover any birding news (good, bad or indifferent) and moved some posts over from Room 101. I like watching water birds but I am in no way an expert and garden and field birds are a total mystery to me! Bearing in mind that I live in an urban environment (albeit on the coast) we are lucky enough to have some fields (previously tips going back to Victorian time) at the bottom of our road. I am absolutely hopeless at spotting small birds. Recently I went on a guided birding walk through those fields. We could hear lots of birds but I couldn't see them. Our guide got quite excited when he saw a black cap (I'll be blowed if I could see it) but he described it and I looked it up in my book when I got home. Blow me down with a feather but at the start of this week Chunkydog and I were walking up the pathway and a black cap flew in front of me at eye level!! Previously I would have just thought it was an odd sparrow! At Crosby Lakeside on my way up to the sea wall I saw some small sparrow-sized birds that were quite rusty in colour. I happened to be on the phone to a friend who is a keen birder and she said my description sounded like pipits. I looked them up when I got home and she was right - they were water pipits! I love looking at the oystercatchers on the beach when the tide is out too.

I've moved the bird stories to the Cuckoo thread and amended the title slightly so we can talk any birds - good, bad or indifferent. http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/958-any-cuckoos-out-there-and-other-birdwatch-news/page-2

Done!

Link to thread on Northern Ballet's Swan Lake: http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/11926-northern-ballet-swan-lake-spring-tour-2016/?hl=%2Bnorthern+%2Bballet I love this production BTW.

Sorry to hear about your Mum Hudds. I do hope she is on the mend but I know that pneumonia is very debilitating. I am visiting my very best friend. Tomorrow we are seeing the BRB matinee in Cheltenham and we are spending a lot of time chewing the cud!

It's not till the end of May, but I will report back!

I saw an article last year about the "secondary tragedy of Syria" i.e. the loss of all the history and sites. There were pictures from Aleppo - the souk was already little more than a pile of rubble. I also worry about how much damage there has been to Krak because there has been heavy fighting in that area too. It is just over 30 years since I was lucky enough to have a holiday in Syria. It was a wonderful country and we met such lovely people. I have always wanted to go back but I suspect I will never get back now.

I was so pleased when I saw on the news that Palmyra had been less damaged than those murdering thugs had said. It is a wonderful, magical place. Good on Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra. I would have tried to get there if I had known about it!

Just cross-posting a link to the Herts thread as it looks as though the early booking offer has been extended: http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/12344-herts-dance-summer-school/#entry169772

Thrilled for Isabella. We still miss her at NB.

Dance Europe has loaded a gallery: http://www.danceeurope.net/gallery/frankenstein-the-royal-ballet

Hello Mpuig and welcome to the Forum! I have amended your post to delete the name of your daughter. It is not usual practise to identify DCs by name.

Sadler's Wells has issued details of the Autumn/Winter 2016 Season. Tickets go on sale from Monday 9th May. You can view the brochure on line here. Vamos Cuba! WORLD PREMIERE Tuesday 26 July - Sunday 21 August Tickets: £12 - £45 From the creators of the smash-hit dance sensation Havana Rakatan comes Vamos Cuba!, the spectacular new summer show from acclaimed Cuban choreographer Nilda Guerra. Set in the chaos of Havana Airport, where families are separated, lovers reunited and times flies when you’re having fun, Vamos Cuba! is an exuberant mix of traditional and modern dance styles including salsa, rumba, cha-cha-cha and reggaeton, with a live band, a DJ and a cast of the hottest dancers Cuba has to offer. A Sadler’s Wells Production Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Mixed Bill UK PREMIERE Tuesday 6 - Saturday 17 September Tickets: £12 - £45 Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to Sadler’s Wells with three programmes that showcase the extraordinary artistry of a company that has changed the face of American dance over the past six decades. Programme A includes the UK premiere of uplifting work Exodus, along with the spiritual journey of Four Corners and the sensual After the Rain pas de deux. Highlights of Programme B include Open Door, set to recordings by Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, and Piazzolla Caldera - a sensual exposé of tango reimagined with modern dance. Programme C showcases the propulsive Lift, the classic tour-de-force female solo Cry and the powerful Awakening, Robert Battle’s first world premiere since becoming Artistic Director. All programmes feature Alvin Ailey’s 1960 American masterpiece Revelations, one of the most acclaimed and widely seen modern dance works in the world. Part of a Dance Consortium tour A full tour schedule can be found at www.danceconsortium.com L-E-V OCD Love SADLER’S WELLS DEBUT UK PREMIERE Monday 19 and Tuesday 20 September Tickets: £18 Sadler’s Wells Debuts offer a chance to discover the work of choreographers new to the Sadler’s Wells stage. This season sees Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar, stars of Israel’s thriving dance scene, present the UK premiere of L-E-V’s latest work. This piece is about love that always misses and lovers out of sync. Eyal and Behar explore that vacant space, viewing themes of the heart through the lens of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Performed to deep, pulsing, tribal grooves, this is a powerful display from the company’s fiercely talented dancers, inspired by the poem "OCD" by Neil Hilborn. Free post-show talk: Monday 19 September Cirque Éloize iD THE PEACOCK Tuesday 20 September - Saturday 8 October Tickets: £15 - £42 Canadian contemporary circus crew Cirque Éloize blasts back into the West End with iD, a smash-hit show of daring stunts and dazzling theatricality. Blending circus arts, acrobatic skills and breakdance, iD transports audiences to a vibrant urban streetscape. The stage fizzes with infectious energy and phenomenal physical feats, as the 15 talented cast members perform against a kaleidoscope of video projections. Home Turf WORLD PREMIERE Saturday 24 September Tickets: £12 (£6 concessions) Sadler’s Wells teams up with West Ham United Foundation for Home Turf, a community dance production inspired by football. The show features over 100 professional and non-professional dancers, including Foundation participants, Company of Elders and alumni of the National Youth Dance Company. The production is created by choreographers Pascal Merighi (guest artist, Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch), Neil Fleming Brown (Studio Wayne McGregor), Michela Meazza, (guest artist, New Adventures), and Lee Griffiths (The Company) and composer Murray Gold (Doctor Who and balletLORENT’s Snow White). Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui / Russell Maliphant / Arthur Pita Natalia Osipova Tuesday 27 September - Saturday 1 October Tickets: £12 - £60 Following the world premiere of her show in the summer, Natalia Osipova returns to the Sadler’s Wells stage by popular demand. She is once again joined by Sergei Polunin, in a rare opportunity to see the two dancing together in the UK. The programme, Osipova’s first ever contemporary commission, features work inspired by this unique dancer created by Sadler’s Wells Associate Artists Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Russell Maliphant, alongside Royal Opera House regular Arthur Pita. A Sadler's Wells Production The Monument Trust supports co-productions and new commissions at Sadler's Wells Supported by The Deborah Loeb Brice Foundation and The Blavatnik Family Foundation Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Russell Maliphant are Sadler’s Wells Associate Artists Matthias Sperling Now that we know UK PREMIERE LILIAN BAYLIS STUDIO Thursday 29 September Tickets: £15 Choreographer and performer Matthias Sperling furthers his investigation into the relationship between mind and body in a new performance lecture. Now that we know explores a hypothetical future in which science has discovered how our minds connect with our bodies. This work of science fiction builds on recent findings, taking a choreographic perspective to freely imagine plausible, absurd, thrilling or worrying scenarios. Sperling took part in the first cohort of Sadler’s Wells Summer University and is a regular collaborator with Siobhan Davies Dance. Free post-show talk: Thursday 29 September Out of Asia 2 Building on the successes of its first Out of Asia season in 2011, Sadler’s Wells presents Out of Asia 2, another rare opportunity to experience outstanding dance from Asia’s vibrant and rapidly developing performing arts world, which is bringing new perspectives and energy to stages across the globe. This autumn Sadler’s Wells shares with London a range of works by five dance companies from China and Taiwan, as well as four independent choreographers from Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia and India, in a special collaboration with an artist from Singapore. For full details of our Out of Asia 2 season, visit sadlerswells.com/outofasia2 TAO Dance Theatre 6 and 8 UK PREMIERE Part of Out of Asia 2 Monday 3 and Tuesday 4 October Tickets: £12 - £27 Established in 2008 by Beijing-based choreographer Tao Ye, TAO Dance Theatre is known for creating work of a mesmeric, trance-like quality. In the “high concept and thrillingly simple” (Evening Standard) 6, six dancers move in dynamic and hypnotising unison, in a shifting landscape of light. The company’s newest piece, and the final work of the Straight Line Trilogy, 8 sees eight dancers perform lying instead of standing, restricting their bodies to the floor and limiting their movements to the range of their spines. Carlos Acosta The Classical Farewell ROYAL ALBERT HALL Monday 3 - Friday 7 October Tickets: £20 - £110 Carlos Acosta bids farewell to classical ballet with his final performances at the Royal Albert Hall. The Classical Farewell celebrates highlights from Acosta’s career, which led him to become the most famous male dancer of his generation, and marks the final opportunity for audiences to watch the ballet superstar dance classical works. For this very special programme, he will perform with some of his closest contemporaries from The Royal Ballet with accompaniment from a live orchestra. Co-produced by Sadler’s Wells and Valid Productions Presented in association with Como No The Monument Trust supports co-productions and new commissions at Sadler's Wells CCN Ballet de Lorraine Unknown Pleasures WORLD PREMIERE PART OF DANCE UMBRELLA Friday 7 and Saturday 8 October Tickets: £20 Unknown Pleasures is an anonymous programme, offering the opportunity to experience an evening of dance unencumbered by preconceptions. Five international choreographers - four women and one man, ranging from their 30s to their 70s - share their distinctive voices to produce an evening of invention and surprise. Performed by 20 dancers from Ballet de Lorraine, this is a choreographic carte blanche for both audiences and creators. Unknown Pleasures is curated by Dance Umbrella together with pioneering French company Centre Chorégraphique National - Ballet de Lorraine. Free audience-led post-show discussion: Saturday 8 October Birmingham Royal Ballet The Tempest and Shakespeare Triple Bill Monday 10 - Saturday 15 October Tickets: £12 - £45 Birmingham Royal Ballet presents an evening of work to mark the 400thanniversary of William Shakespeare’s death. David Bintley’s new ballet, The Tempest, conjures Prospero’s magical isle from Shakespeare’s final work. At once enchanting and elemental, this is the powerful story of a man determined to right past wrongs. With a newly commissioned score by composer Sally Beamish and designs by Rae Smith (The Prince of the Pagodas, War Horse), The Tempest is Bintley’s first new full-length work created for Birmingham Royal Ballet since Cinderella in 2010. Birmingham Royal Ballet’s second programme begins with José Limón's The Moor's Pavane, a one-act tragedy of Othello, followed by the Shakespeare Suite, which sees Bintley set the Bard’s best-loved characters to a swinging Duke Ellington score. The evening ends with Jessica Lang’s new one-act ballet Wink, inspired by the poetry of Shakespeare’s sonnets. Free pre-show talk: Friday 14 October at 6.30pm Audio described performance: Saturday 15 October at 2.30pm Touch Tour: Saturday 15 October at 10am The China National Peking Opera Company The General and the Prime Minister and White Snake Part of Out of Asia 2 THE PEACOCK Thursday 13 - Saturday 15 October Tickets: £15 - £45 One of China’s most respected and innovative cultural exports, The China National Peking Opera Company has staged more than 500 masterful historical dramas since its formation five decades ago. The company returns to London following an acclaimed season at Sadler’s Wells in November 2014. Based on historical accounts of the Warring States period of ancient China, The General and the Prime Minister is filled with drama and entertainment. Set against an emotive backdrop of trickery, power struggles and personal determination, the influence of this story continues to be felt in China today. The legend of the White Snake is a famous piece of Chinese folklore. The story’s characters are household names in the country, with Lady White as a symbol of rebellion, bravery and a quest for true love. Choy Ka Fai SoftMachine: Surjit & XiaoKe x ZiHan uk PREMIERE Part of Out of Asia 2 LILIAN BAYLIS STUDIO Thursday 13 and Friday 14 October Tickets: £17 SoftMachine is a multimedia project investigating the contemporary status of dance across Asia. The first of two double bills created by Singaporean artist Choy Ka Fai, bringing together live performance and documentary footage, this evening showcases new dance and choreography emerging from India and China. Surjit Nongmeikapam is a contemporary dancer from Manipur, India, trained in classical Indian dance and martial arts. He presents the complex issues of creating dance specifically for European audiences. XiaoKe and ZiHan from Shanghai, China, make collaborative works exploring the body in its extreme states, reflecting on the social and political context of China. The piece investigates the boundaries of artistic freedom and the experience of constant cultural surveillance. Contains nudity Suzie Birchwood A Conversation with Dystonia, in two parts LILIAN BAYLIS STUDIO Wednesday 19 October Tickets: £17 Dance & Dialogue is a series of dual presentations featuring movement and words. For the dance component, Suzie Birchwood presents two pieces. The first is a trio between a classical dancer, an aerial artist and a contemporary dancer, exploring Birchwood’s tempestuous relationship with her condition, generalised dystonia. The second work plays with notions of support and balance, exploring Suzie’s changing physicality during the cyclical patterns of her condition. The dialogue component sees Birchwood in conversation with her research collaborators, looking at the revolutionary impact of neuroplasticity on her dystonia treatment. By revealing her shifting physicality, Birchwood illustrates that the disorder is a unique and changing aspect of her identity as a dancer. Jérôme Bel Gala UK PREMIERE PART OF DANCE UMBRELLA Tuesday 18 and Wednesday 19 October Tickets: £12 - £27 Jérôme Bel, the “choreographer dedicated to turning the concepts of dance and performance inside out” (Observer) returns following the success of Disabled Theatre presented as part of Dance Umbrella 2014, and The Show Must Go Onin 2015. Gala is a captivating showcase for all admirers of dance. Featuring amateurs, professionals and everything in between, the work features 20 Londoners from all walks of life. Through their movement, the gentle humanity of each performer lights up this inspired production. Breaking the sanctity of the stage, this is a jumble of joys, failures and stumbling insights into the uniting power of dance. Free audience-led post-show discussion: Wednesday 19 October Burn the Floor Fire in the Ballroom UK PREMIERE THE PEACOCK Tuesday 18 October - Saturday 5 November Tickets: £15 - £42 Burn the Floor is a rebellious, high-energy ballroom dance spectacle with an infectious sense of fun, featuring 14 champion dancers breathing new life into classics such as the Viennese waltz, foxtrot, samba, tango and jive. Backed by a live band, singers cleverly re-interpret a diverse range of music from Santana to Led Zeppelin. This production of the international smash-hit, which has been crafted over the past two years by choreographers Jason Gilkison and Peta Roby, “will have you leaping out of your seat to join in” (Heat Magazine). Choy Ka Fai SoftMachine: Yuya & Rianto UK PREMIERE Part of Out of Asia 2 LILIAN BAYLIS STUDIO Friday 21 and Saturday 22 October Tickets: £17 The second of two double bills created by Choy Ka Fai showcases new dance and cutting-edge choreography from Japan and Indonesia, incorporating film and performance. Yuya Tsukahara is the founding member of contact Gonzo, a contemporary dance unit formed in 2006 in Osaka, Japan. As well as the name of the company, contact Gonzo is also a unique dance form creating encounters that teeter on the edge of violence and tenderness. Rianto is a dancer from Banyumas, Indonesia, who specialises in the traditional cross-gender erotic dance of lengger, exploring the tension between traditional and contemporary choreographic practices during the global shift from rural to urban lifestyles. Candoco Dance Company Beheld and Set and Reset/Reset Friday 21 and Saturday 22 October Tickets: £12 - £27 Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Candoco Dance Company presents a new double bill by Alexander Whitley, a classically trained dancer and Sadler's Wells New Wave Associate. In Beheld, seven dancers explore the possibilities and constraints of the space to consider how we look and what we see. The evening’s second piece, Set and Reset/Reset, a restaging of a piece by Trisha Brown Dance Company is considered to be its signature work. This piece is performed to a contagious score by renowned multimedia artist Laurie Anderson. Free post-show talk (BSL interpreted): Friday 21October Audio described show: Saturday 22 October Touch tour: Saturday 22 October at 5pm Alexander Whitley is a Sadler’s Wells New Wave Associate, a programme supported by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation Jasmin Vardimon Company Pinocchio Monday 24 and Tuesday 25 October Tickets: £12 - £18 Award-winning choreographer and Sadler’s Wells’ Associate Artist Jasmin Vardimon presents a new adaptation of Carlo Collodi’s classic fairy tale, Pinocchio. Bringing to life the famous marionette, this family-friendly dance show follows Pinocchio as he embarks on a fantastic journey to become a boy. Showcasing Vardimon’s trademark theatrical style, the piece combines physical theatre, quirky characterisation and innovative technologies with text and dance to explore the idea of what it really means to be human. Age guidance: 7+ Family Dance Workshop: Tuesday 25 October, 1-2pm (£2) Eastman - Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui Fractus V UK PREMIERE Thursday 27 and Friday 28 October Tickets: £12 - £38 Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s latest creation is inspired by the writings of American philosopher Noam Chomsky. Featuring an all-male cast of performers, including Cherkaoui himself, Fractus V explores the production and manipulation of information in contemporary society. The work was originally created to mark the 40th anniversary of Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch. This expanded version of the piece features five dancers, four live musicians and a variety of different stylistic influences, including circus, flamenco, Lindy hop and breakdance. Wild Card Wild Card opens the stage to an adventurous community of dance makers, giving a wide range of artists the unique opportunity to curate their own event and showcase work. These specially curated evenings feature exploratory approaches to choreography and combine different mediums, broadening audiences’ perspectives on dance made today. Wild Card is part of Sadler’s Wells’ programme of support for emerging dance talent, alongside initiatives including the New Wave Associate programme, Sadler’s Wells Summer University, Open Art Surgery and the National Youth Dance Company. Wild Card: Hagit Yakira UK PREMIERE LILIAN BAYLIS STUDIO Thursday 27 and Friday 28 October Tickets: £17 Hagit Yakira is an Israeli choreographer based in London, whose work is attracting growing acclaim for her distinctive physical and emotional intensity. Her approach emerges from her fascination with stories, psychological experiences and emotions. In this Wild Card evening, Yakira invites audiences to experience her take on storytelling for a night of dance and choreography, inspired by her interpretations of femininity and her own life experiences. Alongside Yakira's work there will be three specialists: a dance artist, a psychotherapist and a writer, who will reflect on and react to Yakira's new work Free Falling, looking at the conceptualisation of emotions in art. Pre-show activities from 7pm Free post-show talk: Thursday 27 and Friday 28 October Nitin Sawhney With special guests Sébastien Ramirez and Honji Wang ROYAL ALBERT HALL Wednesday 2 November Tickets: £25 - £60 Producer, songwriter, DJ, multi-instrumentalist and orchestral composer Nitin Sawhney is a distinctive and versatile musical voice. In this one-off concert at the Royal Albert Hall, Sawhney is joined by Joss Stone and a host of other guests, including genre-smashing duo Honji Wang and Sébastien Ramirez, who have been specially commissioned to choreograph and dance to a selection of tracks from Sawhney’s new album Dystopian Dream. A Royal Albert Hall and Sadler’s Wells co-production The Monument Trust supports co-productions and new commissions at Sadler's Wells Nitin Sawhney is a Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Yang Liping Contemporary Dance Under Siege UK PREMIERE PART OF OUT OF ASIA 2 Wednesday 2 - Saturday 5 November Tickets: £12 - £38 One of the most highly acclaimed dancers in China, Yang Liping’s work absorbs and reimagines the diversity of the country's contemporary and ancient traditions. Under Siege is Yang’s stunning vision of Farewell My Concubine – the classical tale of the climactic battle between the Chu and Han armies, which changed the course of Chinese history, and a love that transcends death. This is Yang's first modern work as a choreographer and is more abstract than traditional narrative Chinese dance theatre, drawing inspiration from Chinese opera, contemporary dance, martial arts and hip hop. The production features set and costume by Academy Award-winning designer Tim Yip (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and lighting by 2013 Knight of Illumination winner Fabiana Piccioli. Rambert Contemporaries / The Creation Monday 7 - Saturday 12 November Tickets: £12 - £45 To celebrate its 90th anniversary, Rambert presents two programmes at Sadler’s Wells. Contemporaries is a programme of work from a new generation of dance makers, exploring themes of migration, identity, society and art. The evening features new pieces by emerging choreographers, including Alexander Whitley (a Sadler’s Wells New Wave Associate Artist), Malgorzata Dzierzon and Patricia Okenwa, currently a member of Sadler’s Wells Summer University, all of whom have worked with Rambert and New Movement Collective. The Creation is Joseph Haydn’s masterpiece, with its lyrical arias and monumental choruses showcasing one of the greatest classical composers at his peak. Rambert’s new staging sees over 50 dancers perform Mark Baldwin’s choreography, accompanied by 70 musicians including the Rambert Orchestra, the BBC Singers and three soloists. Designs by artist Pablo Bronstein further complement Haydn’s score. Free pre-show talks (BSL interpreted): Tuesday 8 November at 6.30pm and Friday 11 November at 6.30pm Alexander Whitley is a Sadler’s Wells New Wave Associate, a programme supported by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation New English Ballet Theatre Quint-essential: Five New Ballets WORLD PREMIERE THE PEACOCK Wednesday 9 - Saturday 12 November Tickets: £15 - £38 New English Ballet Theatre (NEBT) returns with a programme showcasing five new works from the UK’s top choreographic talents. The Royal Ballet’s Marcelino Sambé creates his first work for NEBT to the music of Nathan Halpern. The Royal Ballet’s Kristen McNally and Valentino Zucchetti return to choreograph new pieces with music by Rachmaninoff performed live, led by emerging pianist Anne Lovett. Daniela Cardim Fonteyne creates a dynamic new piece, highlighting the physicality and youthful energy of the company’s dancers, while English National Ballet Associate Artist George Williamson presents Foreign, a new work based on Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy’s poem and set to Brahms’ cello sonata played live on stage. English National Ballet Akram Khan's Giselle Tuesday 15 - Saturday 19 November Tickets: £12 - £45 Sadler’s Wells’ Associate Company English National Ballet presents a new version of the romantic ballet Giselle, choreographed by Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Akram Khan. The classic story of love, betrayal and redemption is given a new interpretation, with Academy-Award winning designer Tim Yip (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) creating the set and costume design, and composer Ben Frost adapting the original score, which will be performed by English National Ballet Philharmonic. Co-produced by Sadler’s Wells and Manchester International Festival English National Ballet is a Sadler’s Wells Associate Company Akram Khan is a Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Cloud Gate 2 Triple Bill UK PREMIERE PART OF OUT OF ASIA 2 Monday 21 - Wednesday 23 November Tickets: £12 - £27 The sister company of internationally celebrated Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan presents the country’s most talented emerging dancers and choreographers, performing in the UK for the first time. Wicked Fish sees the dancers mimic a shoal of fish, as puzzle-like choreography competes with a complex score. The Wall examines ideas of protection and segregation, highlighting the physical and mental barriers built around us. The third piece, Beckoning, focuses on how people can shift identities instantaneously, creating a body language with movements subtly distilled from Taiwanese street dancing rituals, which give this abstract work a playful and poetic quality. The Birmingham Repertory Theatre The Snowman™ THE PEACOCK Wednesday 23 November 2016 - Sunday 1 January 2017 Tickets: £15 - £36 Family Ticket: £115 (four tickets including at least one child) Based on the book by Raymond Briggs and the film directed by Dianne Jackson and produced by John Coates this stage show has now transported generations of children and their families into the wintery world of a boy and his magical snowman. The Snowman is a much-loved festive tradition of storytelling, spectacle and magic, with music and lyrics by Howard Blake, choreography by Robert North, direction by Bill Alexander, design by Ruari Murchison and lighting by Tim Mitchell. By arrangement with Snowman Enterprises Limited (A Penguin Company) and Chester Music Limited. Suitable for all ages Hetain Patel American Man WORLD PREMIERE LILIAN BAYLIS STUDIO Thursday 24 and Friday 25 November Tickets: £17 Visual artist and Sadler’s Wells New Wave Associate Hetain Patel returns with a new one-man show, building on his critically acclaimed production, American Boy, first seen at Sadler’s Wells in 2014. Dealing with issues of race, gender and identity, American Man imagines a not-too-distant future where celebrity power and political correctness have reached new heights: a future where Barack Obama’s post-Presidential role is CEO of Apple, while Stephen Hawking and Oprah Winfrey shape policies. The work combines seamless vocal and physical impersonations with Patel’s characteristic wit and humour. Major institutions have shown Patel’s performance and visual art work, including Tate Modern, Southbank Centre, Sydney Festival, Bodhi Art New York, Ullens Centre for Contemporary Arts in China, Chatterjee and Lal in Mumbai and Venice Biennale. Recent dance commissions include Candoco Dance Company and the German company Dance ON. Contains strong language Free post show talk: Thursday 24 November A Sadler’s Wells commission The Monument Trust supports co-productions and new commissions at Sadler's Wells Hetain Patel is a Sadler’s Wells New Wave Associate, a programme supported by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation Michael Keegan-Dolan Swan Lake / Loch na hEala UK PREMIERE Friday 25 and Saturday 26 November Tickets: £12 - £38 From the imagination of Sadler's Wells’ Associate Artist Michael Keegan-Dolan comes a magical new adaptation of one of the world’s most famous ballets, Swan Lake. Performed by a cast of eight dancers, two actors and three musicians, this new production is rooted in a place where ancient Irish mythology and the complexity of modern Ireland meet. Keegan-Dolan creates a world of magical realism, with powerful imagery evoking the identity of his homeland. The performance is set to a captivating score of traditional Irish and Nordic Folk music, played live with fiddle, cello, banjo, whistle, voice and percussion. A Sadler’s Wells co-production The Monument Trust supports co-productions and new commissions at Sadler's Wells Michael Keegan-Dolan is a Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist National Ballet of China The Peony Pavillion PART OF OUT OF ASIA 2 Tuesday 29 November - Saturday 3 December Tickets: £12 - £45 The 16th century epic The Peony Pavilion is one of the most enduring love stories in Chinese literature. Originally performed as a Kunqu Opera in a 20-hour cycle, it is redrawn by director Li Liuyi and choreographer Fei Bo into a sublimely enchanting and pioneering two-act fusion ballet, combining Western style choreography with traditional Chinese influences. First premiered in 2008, the work features an eclectic postmodern score that references Holst, Prokofiev and Debussy. Company of Elders Art of Age II LILIAN BAYLIS STUDIO Friday 2 December Tickets: £12 (£6 concessions) Company of Elders, Sadler’s Wells’ inspirational resident over-60s performance company, presents a mixed bill of new repertoire, showcasing the artistic flair and creativity of its dancers. The company works in a range of styles and collaborates with a variety of leading choreographers. It has previously presented work at iconic sites such as the National Theatre, Venice Biennale Dance Festival and the Houses of Parliament. Established in 1989, the company embodies the power of lifelong creativity, proving it is never too late to start dancing. New Adventures The Red Shoes Tuesday 6 December 2016 - Sunday 29 January 2017 Tickets: £12 - £68 Family ticket £185 A beloved fairy tale and Academy Award-winning movie, The Red Shoes has seduced audiences and inspired generations of dancers with its story of obsession, possession and one girl's dream to be the greatest dancer in the world. Victoria Page lives to dance, but her ambitions become a battleground between the two men who inspire her passion. This world premiere production by Sadler’s Wells’ Associate Artist Matthew Bourne is set to a score arranged by Terry Davies using the mesmerising music of golden-age Hollywood composer Bernard Herrmann, played live by the New Adventures Orchestra. Arthur Pita The Little Match Girl LILIAN BAYLIS STUDIO Saturday 10 - Friday 30 December Tickets: £12 - £18 Celebrated director and choreographer Arthur Pita returns to the Lilian Baylis Studio this Christmas with his magical dance theatre show. Based on Hans Christian Andersen's classic story, this tale of a young street girl's hopes and dreams is told through dance, song and original music performed live. Our unlikely heroine is an impoverished girl, who wanders the ever-darkening streets with just one final match to keep her warm on a cold Christmas Eve. The Little Match Girl is a timeless fable about kindness and helping others, which will enthral young children and the whole family alike. Age guidance: for families and children age 5+ Relaxed Performance: Thursday 15 December at 1pm 52 Portraits LILIAN BAYLIS STUDIO Wednesday 25 January 2017 Tickets: £7.50 (£5 concessions) 52 Portraits is an online project created by choreographer Jonathan Burrows, composer Matteo Fargion and video maker Hugo Glendinning, which saw a short gestural portrait of a different dancer released each week throughout 2016. This screening is an opportunity to see them together for the first time. The videos capture the profound, funny and surprising power of their subjects, revealing the stories, thoughts and struggles of dancers in an unexpected way, with an introduction from the co-creators. 52 Portraits is an epic love song written to an art form, supported and produced by Sadler’s Wells. Tango Fire THE PEACOCK Tuesday 31 January - Saturday 18 February 2017 Tickets: £15 - £42 World-leading Argentine dance sensation Tango Fire returns to The Peacock to take audiences on an explosive journey through the history of tango, showcasing the rawness, sophistication and intoxicating passion of this seductive art form. International tango superstars Germán Cornejo and Gisela Galeassi are joined by a cast of extraordinary couples, including several World Tango Champions and some of the best dancers from Buenos Aires’ famous tango houses. “Spectacular. Scintillating steps set the stage alight” The Independent Sadler’s Wells Sampled Friday 3 and Saturday 4 February 2017 Tickets: £8 - £15 Now in its tenth anniversary year, Sadler’s Wells Sampled is a chance for dance fans and newcomers alike to enjoy a diverse range of styles from some of the world’s finest dancers at a specially reduced price. Line ups in previous years have included everything from hip hop to tango, contemporary dance and ballet, alongside workshops and events taking place throughout the building. The full line-up, including information on workshops and foyer activities, will be announced in November 2016 on sadlerswells.com. Doors open at 6pm for free front of house activities Sadler’s Wells Sampled is supported by American Express

Yes, I still remember that performance!

I believe that Moor's Pavane will be part of the mixed programme at Sadler's Wells in the Autumn.

Sarasota Ballet have just performed Wedding Bouquet. Perhaps we should organise a group trip to go and see this company which is specialising in the works of Sir Frederick Ashton!

I waxed lyrical on this thread: http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/11926-northern-ballet-swan-lake-spring-tour-2016/?hl=%2Bnorthern+%2Bballet It's absolutely not a traditional Swan Lake but there is an interesting love triangle and the set and costumes are sublime. As I said on the linked thread, this production fits the current Northern Ballet roster like a glove. The prologue, which was changed last time around in 2010, now gives much more substance to the scenario.

Another short film with some rehearsal footage and an interview with Hannah Bateman:

That's hilarious LC!

I'm seeing it at The Lowry a week on Sunday.

I saw the glorious Trinidad Sevillano dance act 3 with LFB in the 1980s. IMHO she was a match for Lynn Seymour and she can't have been more than 21. She had the most expressive back I have ever seen. (BTW, I love David Nixon's Swan Lake and have done since its premiere. I just keep going back for more and am really sad the current run has ended. I have seen more in 1984 every time I have seen that too.)