Jan McNulty

Gosh Moomin that sounds interesting! Had a message from my friend's daughter last night. We are going to The Savoy!

Exactly Marianne! At risk of being flippant when excellent points are being made all around me: I was shocked to discover that Emile Heskey was British, which I discovered when he was selected to play for England. Based solely on his name, I had assumed he was French!

Or perhaps ... people still think of Sunday as the traditional day of rest ... I personally do feel a bit odd going shopping or attending a performance on a Sunday so tend not to (In case of performance unless it is someone I am desperate to see). Or, in case of having a distance to travel - travelling on Sundays is a total nightmare if you are on public transport!

But will it be on anywhere other than Southampton...

I'm sorry but I don't see why it is relevant. You can look up the biographies of all the dancers in the big companies here and it usually says where they trained.

I'm obviously very naff - I love smoked salmon sandwiches! They remind me of a fabulous holiday we had in Aberdeenshire in 1998 - in fact to this day we refer to them as Aberdeens!

And, of course, the reason they left Manchester is because Manchester City Council was withdrawing their funding. Thank goodness Leeds has such a wonderful supporter of the arts in Sir Bernard Atha.

A lot of the venues offer tea until 6 or 7 pm so should be OK.

Thanks folks! I'd forgotten about the earlier thread. It looks as though it is not possible to have afternoon tea in ROH at the moment due to the renovations. But the older thread gives plenty of ideas!

I loathe the early matinees. Eating is problematic. If I get a very early train, I am tired and I can't walk the dog before I go. I tend to book a train that gets me in at 11 for a 12:30 start. As you will all know there were issues on the track the day I was coming to see the Strapless matinee and I missed After the Rain.

My friend's son and daughter are taking their Mum to an afternoon tea in Central London for a special birthday. (I think they are going to a theatre matinee too) Does anyone here have any recommendations?

On Friday evening I had my first opportunity to see Giuliano Contadini as Winston with Dreda Blow as his Julia and Ashley Dixon as O'Brien. Giuliano is less world weary than Toby - it's as though he still has some hope left. Dreda is softer than Martha is Julia. Together they were terrific and the final moments were incredibly moving. Ashley Dixon is a hugely sinister O'Brien. The whole cast was tremendous. After the show the theatre hosted a post-performance Q&A with David Nixon, Dreda Blow and Dominique LaRose that was really interesting. One of the things I had half realised but had confirmed is that the Hate Scenes are largely improvised so can be different from performance to performance. On Saturday afternoon I was thrilled to bits to see Jeremy Curnier and Mlindi Kulashe making their debuts as Winston and O'Brien. Antoinette Brooks-Daw was their Julia. Mlindi has proved over and over again that, despite his million-watt smile, he is very good at nasty-people roles and his performance as O'Brien had a really hard, sinister edge. Antoinette was sublime in the role of Julia, leading Winston into small acts of rebellion. Jeremy is growing in stature with every performance these days and he gave an intelligent and moving reading of the role of Winston. I think the final scene, where he is forced to watch the screen showing how he and Julia had been overlooked all the time, was the most heart-wrenching performance I have seen. Toby, Martha and Javier managed to exceed their brilliant performance of Thursday. I came out of the performance emotionally drained on Saturday night! I must mention Matthew Topliss who performed the role of Charrington at 2 of the performances I saw. His portrayal has a suspicious, sinister feel right from the start - a great performance. So 1984 does not get any happier but I have seen more and more in this work every time I have seen it. Everyone in Northern Ballet performs it with total commitment. Most of the audience in Edinburgh seemed to agree with me judging by the cheers at the end of each performance and the positive comments I overheard as people were walking out. On Saturday morning I went on the Festival Theatre tour which turned out to be absolutely fascinating. Not only were we able to go onto the stage but we had a comprehensive tour of the highways and byways of the theatre with lots of anecdotes and heard all about the tragic fire of 1911 when The Great Lafayette along with many of his cast and crew perished. If you should be in Edinburgh on the first Saturday of a month it is well worth booking on to!

Hello PB1, we have had some threads on private lessons in the past that may be worth looking at. It would also help if you said in which location you are looking for lessons. http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/9350-private-classes-better/?hl=%2Bprivate+%2Bballet+%2Blessons#entry125346 http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/9350-private-classes-better/?hl=%2Bprivate+%2Bballet+%2Blessons#entry125346 http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/9499-private-lessons/?hl=%2Bprivate+%2Bballet+%2Blessons http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/7121-private-ballet-lessons-in-antrim-northern-ireland/?hl=%2Bprivate+%2Bballet+%2Blessons http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/6932-private-ballet-teacher-london/?hl=%2Bprivate+%2Bballet+%2Blessons

Hello Chauffeurmummy and welcome to the Forum!

Thanks for your wonderful report Duck.

Hello Amme and welcome to the Forum!

Gosh Anneliesy, that is appalling.

Vitoria Kapitonova tweeted yesterday: "Amazing news that #ballet will be an Olympic sport in Japan 2020! Fastest 32 Fouettes! Highest Jump. Most pirouettes. & ballerina lift " Looks like quite a few people were taken in!

I assumed, having read it, that it wasn't an April Fool. I can't imagine why anyone would make a "joke" of such an issue. Just checked on Google - it has been widely reported in the press.

Sadly I believe it is true. Looking into the pit you often see transparent barriers between the brass and string sections. In R&J I have often seen the string sections putting their fingers in their ears at some places in the score (when Escalus enters, for example). I think the orchestra members could use ear defenders but it does affect how they hear the music is going on around them.

BRB's Kit Holder is creating his first full length ballet - Wolves Are People Too - in collaboration with David Austin Gray. The world premiere is at the Patrick Centre (within the Birmingham Hippodrome complex) on Thursday 7th April. It sounds intriguing and fun! Five BRB dancers are scheduled performing the work - Laura Day, Ruth Brill, Max Maslen, Lewis Turner and Lachlan Monaghan. Details here: https://www.brb.org.uk/post/new-collaborative-performances-with-dancers-musicians-illustrators

Many years ago in work I was bullied by my line manager. At the time I didn't realise I was being bullied as I just thought it was the way line managers behaved. Therefore, I joined in team social activities. It was only many years later when training seminars about bullying were introduced that I was able to realise what had been happening. Just because her students seemed to love L Zakharova does not mean to say that her behaviour in the class room was acceptable.

Links - Saturday 02 April, 2016 Review - American Ballet Theatre, Sleeping Beauty, Detroit: David Lyman, Detroit Free Press Feature - Living and breathing Martha Graham: Gia Kourlas, NY Times Review - Northern Ballet, 1984, Edinburgh: Lorna Irvine, Fjord Review Preview - English National Ballet, Broken Wings, London: Nicole Loeffler-Gladstone, Dance Spirit News - This week’s new dance in Newtownabbey and London: Judith Mackrell, Guardian Reviews - Milwaukee Ballet, Kaleidoscope Eyes, Milwaukee: Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Peggy Sue Dunigan, Broadway World Review - Alberta Ballet, Romeo and Juliet, Calgary: Stephen Bonfield, Calgary Herald Feature - Clark Tippet’s legacy preserved for generations: Colleen Williamson, Parsons Sun Feature - Why we dance: the culture, science and passion: Lekha Keister, Examiner

Not ballet but Thames Valley Police are introducing a new unit: https://www.facebook.com/thamesvp/videos/10153656892973655/?pnref=story (I think BristolBillyBob attempted an early April Noddy (as we used to call them when I was a child) when he was suggesting that BRB were relocating to Bristol on the favourite ballerina thread!

Boost in funding for young dance talent as National Youth Dance Company announces new guest choreographer - £450k from Department for Education and Arts Council England to nurture young dancers through NYDC - French-Belgian choreographer Damien Jalet to guide dancers in fifth year of work LONDON, Friday 1 April 2016 - The National Youth Dance Company (NYDC), the country’s flagship organisation for young dancers run by world-leading contemporary dance venue and producing house Sadler’s Wells, has been granted further support for the year ahead of £200,000 from the Department for Education and £250,000 from Arts Council England, to continue nurturing the country’s greatest young dance talent and building the leading dance artists of the future. The funding will be used for NYDC’s upcoming fifth year of work, for which French-Belgian choreographer and performer Damien Jalet has been appointed as Guest Artistic Director, and is a crucial element of the Department for Education and Arts Council England’s support for young people’s creative learning and development. In continuing with NYDC as one of its core artistic programmes, Sadler’s Wells further cements its dedication to developing young dance artists and nurturing emerging talent. Damien Jalet will take over from NYDC’s current Guest Artistic Director Michael Keegan-Dolan, an Associate Artist of Sadler’s Wells, whose new creation In – Nocentes will be premiered by the current NYDC cohort at Sadler’s Wells on Thursday 7 April. The production then tours to seven locations around the country in June and July. Through NYDC Experience Workshops held in May and June in 14 different towns and cities, the company will look for a fresh intake of dancers for 2016-17, to work with Jalet in the creation of a new contemporary dance piece. Jalet will mentor these dancers in three intensive residencies spread across the year to create, rehearse and develop the piece. Since its inception in 2012, 120 dancers have become NYDC members, chosen from 48 different towns and cities in England to work with the some of the greatest names of contemporary dance. The company has worked with over 1,500 young people over the years and more than 25,000 audience members have seen the company perform. NYDC has a track record of putting young people on paths to successful dance careers, with over 80% of all former NYDC dancers now either in further dance studies, in vocational training or working professionally. Damien Jalet has been the closest and most regular collaborator of Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. Together they have choreographed Babel(words), which won two Olivier awards in 2011, and Bolero, a collaboration with performance artist Marina Abramovic for Paris Opéra Ballet in 2013. Jalet recently collaborated with cutting-edge fashion designer Hussein Chalayan on the Sadler’s Wells 2015 production Gravity Fatigue. Jalet’s work aims to make dance dialogue with other art forms, which led him to collaborate with high profile artists such as sculptors Jim Hodges, Antony Gormley, and Nawa Kohei, designers Bernhard Willhelm, Jean Paul Lespagnard, and Riccardo Tisci, film director Arthur Nauzyciel, and musicians Fennesz, Florence and the Machine, Ben Frost, and Ryuichi Sakamoto. Alistair Spalding, Sadler’s Wells’ Artistic Director and Chief Executive, said: “Damien Jalet has made a great impression at Sadler’s Wells with both his co-authorship of Babel with Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and his work on our production Gravity Fatigue last year, where his choreography flawlessly translated Hussein Chalayan’s vision. I very much look forward to seeing how Damien’s original ideas and distinct approach will inspire our National Youth Dance Company and what kind of piece he will create with the young dancers." Sadler’s Wells Associate Artists Jasmin Vardimon, Akram Khan and Sidi Larbi Cherkaouipreceded Jalet and Keegan-Dolan as NYDC Guest Artistic Directors. Through their work with NYDC, these internationally acclaimed figures illustrate their commitment to young artists and highlight the power young dancers have to shape the future of dance. On Saturday 2 April National Youth Dance Company leads the celebrations of Get Greative Day at Sadler's Wells, an afternooon of free dance and culture activities open to all the local community. Get Creative Day is organised by BBC and What Next? featuring over 100 events around the country. ENDS NOTES TO EDITORS: In – Nocentes tour dates: Thursday 7 April: Sadler's Wells, London Sunday 26 June: Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham Saturday 3 July: Dance City, Newcastle Sunday 4 July: Stanley and Audrey Burton Theatre, Leeds Friday 8 July: The Lowry, Salford Tuesday 19 July: Jerwood Dance House, Ipswich Thursday 21 July: Falmouth University Saturday 23 July: Mac, Birmingham NYDC Experience Workshops for 2016-17 intake: Saturday 28 May: DanceXchange, Birmingham Sunday 29 May: Sadler’s Wells, London Monday 30 May: UClan, Preston Tuesday 31 May: Wyke College, Hull Wednesday 1 June: Marina Studios, Brighton Thursday 2 June: The Garage, Norwich Friday 3 June: Dance East, Ipswich Saturday 4 June: Swindon Dance Saturday 4 June: Plymouth Dance Sunday 5 June: The Point, Eastleigh Sunday 26 June: Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham Saturday 2 July: Dance City, Newcastle Sunday 3 July: Stanley and Audrey Burton Theatre, Leeds Saturday 9 July: Manchester About National Youth Dance Company Founded in 2012, and hosted at Sadler’s Wells, NYDC is an exciting young company that creates and performs innovative and influential dance, drawing together some of the brightest young talent from across the country to work with Sadler’s Wells’ internationally renowned Associate Artists. NYDC is funded jointly by Arts Council England and the Department for Education, from the National Lottery and Grant in Aid funds. Since NYDC’s inception in 2012: - 120 dancers have joined the company, working intensively with renowned dance artists including Guest Artistic Directors: Jasmin Vardimon (2012-13), Akram Khan (2013-14) and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui (2014-15) and Michael Keegan Dolan (2015-16). These 120 dancers come from 48 different towns and cities in England. - Over 1500 young people have worked with the company - NYDC has delivered 66 workshops in 26 different venues across 23 towns and cities - Over 25,000 people have seen the company perform - NYDC has featured in 36 performances, visiting 19 different venues across the UK, including some leading theatres in the country. About Sadler’s Wells Sadler's Wells is a world-leading dance house, committed to producing, commissioning and presenting new works and to bringing the best international and UK dance to London and worldwide audiences. Under the Artistic Directorship of Alistair Spalding, the theatre’s acclaimed year-round programme spans dance of every kind, from contemporary to flamenco, Bollywood to ballet, salsa to street dance and tango to tap. Since 2005, it has helped to bring over 100 new dance works to the stage and its award-winning commissions and collaborative productions regularly tour internationally. Sadler’s Wells supports 16 Associate Artists, three Resident Companies, an Associate Company and two International Associate Companies. It also nurtures the next generation of talent through research and development, running the National Youth Dance Company and a range of programmes including Wild Card, New Wave Associates, Open Art Surgery and Summer University. Located in Islington, north London, the current theatre is the sixth to have stood on the site since it was first built by Richard Sadler in 1683. The venue has played an illustrious role in the history of theatre ever since, with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and English National Opera all having started at Sadler’s Wells. Sadler’s Wells is an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation and currently receives approximately 10% of its revenue from Arts Council England.