Jan McNulty

Ballet Cymru present TIR / CELTIC CONCERTO AN OUTSTANDING DOUBLE BILL OF NEW WELSH DANCE Featuring Cerys Matthews, Catrin Finch and Sinfonia Cymru 14th May 2015 - Sherman Cymru - 02920 646900 or online at www.shermancymru.co.uk 2nd June 2015 - Stevenage - (without live music) - 01438 363200 Critics Circle Award winning company, Ballet Cymru, present an extraordinary double bill of new work featuring some of Wales most outstanding artists. TIR Following the sell out success of Ballet Cymru’s team up last year with Cerys Matthews’, the company reprise this iconic work for one night only. Cerys’ iconic album of Welsh Folk Music is the inspiration for TIR and choreographers Darius James and Amy Doughty have used 11 of the songs from the album to create a unique work especially for the dancers of Ballet Cymru. Cerys herself is playing the music live on stage with the company. Cerys Matthews fronted one of the biggest Welsh pop bands to emerge in the Britpop era of the 1990s. Catatonia released five albums, but their biggest success came in 1998 with their third album International Velvet. CELTIC CONCERTO Ballet Cymru will be teaming up with harpist and composer Catrin Finch and orchestra Sinfonia Cymru to produce a new work based on Catrin’s first composition “Celtic Concerto”. Featured on the No 1 selling album “Blessing“, Celtic Concerto is a once only opportunity to see Ballet Cymru dance with Catrin Finch and 10 members of Sinfonia Cymru live on stage. Ballet Cymru are a young, vital group of dancers who are pushing back the barriers of classical ballet. “These young ballet pioneers deserve wider support. Catch them if you can.” The Dancing Times.

Ballet Cymru - Cinderella Ballet Cymru, nominated by the Critics Circle UK National Dance Awards in 2013 as Best Independent Company, and winners of the Best Large Scale Dance Production at the Theatre Critics of Wales Awards, presents a sparkling and refreshing ballet based on the eternal fairy tale. Ballet Cymru prides itself on being different and Cinderella will be no exception, with a brand new music score and circus elements combined with the finest classical dance. Ballet Cymru will be working with award winning composer Jack White and Circus Company Citrus Arts to conjure a surprising world of wonder and magic. Featuring choreography by Creative Wales Award winner Darius James and costumes by Welsh designer Steve Denton, Ballet Cymru bring to life this timeless story using the company’s unique blend of classical technique and storytelling. ‘These young dancers created a taut, committed atmosphere on stage, and the audience, comprised of every age group from 5 to 95, were gripped from start to finish. Ballet Cymru, I salute you!’ Amanda Jennings, Dance Europe ‘Not too short, and not too long, the evening was a complete delight from start to finish’ Jonathan Gray, Dancing Times ‘It’s a small enterprise with a great deal to shout about. The formula is winning, deftly translating each sentence of the story into vivacious, easily decipherable dance sequences.’ Deborah Weiss, Dance Europe ‘The dance is mature, elegant, sophisticated, refreshing; and dazzlingly alive. A few minutes with Ballet Cymru lifts the spirits.’ Roderic Dunnett Cinderella is a co production between Ballet Cymru and The Riverfront Theatre, in association with Citrus Arts. About Ballet Cymru Ballet Cymru are a young, vital group of dancers who are pushing back the barriers of classical ballet. Using powerful and timeless stories the company challenges its dancers to interpret some of the finest characters in literature. Ballet Cymru is a chamber ballet for Wales, committed to inclusion and innovation in dance and classical ballet, and to the highest standard of collaboration with dancers, choreographers, designers, composers and musicians. www.welshballet.co.uk Tour Dates: May 8,9: Newport, The Riverfront 01633 656757 12: Borehamwood, Ark Theatre 0208 238 7288 15: Blackwood, Blackwood Miners Institute 01495 227206 18: Llandudno, Venue Cymru 01492 872000 19: Hexham, Queen`s Hall 01434 652477 20: Newcastle Under Lyme, New Victoria Theatre 01782 717962 21: Ayr, The Gaiety 01292 288235 29: Abergavenny, Borough Theatre 01873 850805 June 1: Stevenage, Gordon Craig Theatre 01438 363200 6: Spalding, The South Holland Centre 01775 764777 10: Newbury, The Corn Exchange 0845 5218 218 11: Tewkesbury, Roses Theatre 01684 295 074 12: Burnham On Sea, The Princess Theatre and Arts Centre 01278 784464 14: Lincoln, Lincoln Performing Arts Centre 01522 837600 17: Milford Haven, Torch Theatre 01646 695 267 19: Basingstoke, Haymarket Theatre 01256 844244 24: Hereford, The Courtyard 01432 340555 27: Llanelli, Ffwrnes 0845 226 3510

Terrific - thanks Neil. There is definitely something in the water in Hull - just think also of Robert Parker, Ashley Dixon and Neil Westmoreland! Come to think of it, 3 of the most influential people in dance in the UK at the moment come not only from BRB but Hull!! They are, of course, Michael O'Hare, Kevin O'Hare and Robert Parker.

Have you got the link Harwel? I can only find last week's episodes on the iplayer.

Judith Mackrell has done a blog piece in The Guardian

Links - Tuesday, March 24 2015 Reviews – Ann Maguire Gala, London: Zoe Anderson, Independent Mark Monahan, Telegraph Liz Hoggard, Standard Reviews – San Francisco Ballet, Don Quixote, San Francisco: Allan Ulrich, SF Chronicle Terez Rose, Bachtrack Janos Gereben, SF Examiner Janice Berman, SF Classical Voice Interview – Xander Parish: Russia Beyond The Headlines Review – Paul Taylor American Modern Dance, Sea Lark, Last Look, Diggity, New York: Lauren Wingenroth, Broadway World Review – Birmingham Royal Ballet, Serenade, Carmina Burana, London: Graham Watts, London Dance Blog – The Royal Ballet’s Swan Lake: High Flyer or Ugly Duckling: Judith Mackrell, Guardian Review – Platform 2015: Emily Coates & Yves Laris Cohen, various works, New York: Deborah Jowitt, NY Times Feature – Joffrey Ballet’s new Chicago inspired Nutcracker by Wheeldon: Francis Steiner, Broadway World Review – Candoco Dance Company, The Show Must Go On, London: Judith Mackrell, Guardian Review – Joyce Unleashed Series: Yossi Berg & Oded Graf, Heroes, New York: Siobhan Burke, NY Times Review - Rosalind Crisp, The Boom Project, Melbourne: Jana Perkovic, Guardian Review – Sally Silvers, Actual Size Plus, New York: Gia Kourlas, NY Times Review – Pennsylvania Ballet, Shut Up & Dance, Philadelphia: Ellen Dunkel, Philadelphia Inquirer Feature – Kaeja d’Dance, celebrating 25 years, Toronto: Michael Crabb, Toronto Star Review – Corali, Empty Theatre Dream, Overlap, Origami Atoms, London: Howard Loxton, British Theatre Guide Review – Equation, The Soundman, Missing, Remember Me, Artificial Things, Movement Three, London: Terry Eastham, London Theatre 1 Feature – Alexandra Cunningham, Sacramento Ballet: Ed Goldman, Sacramento Business Journal Review - New Zealand Dance Company, Rotunda, Wellington: Ann Hunt, Dominion Post Feature - From the Archives - Balanchine in Montreal: Barnett Serchuk, Broadway World

I've just come across this while culling today's links: How to be motivated every day: Lessons learned from Twyla Tharp

But you would get used to it. One of my good friends had to lose weight and started walking to help. She now walks up to 11 miles without difficulty.

I understand what you mean about the finances TQ. I try to stay within my budget and the week before my payday I live out of the freezer usually!!! I guess you do not want to let your friend down and this is a real dilemma for you. Don't be disheartened though - you are doing really well. I think it is usual to have a slow down of weight loss after the initial weeks. The important thing is to keep on going and not give up. Think of how many calories you will have burned walking home. Would it be possible to consider walking home every week, especially now it is lighter in the evenings? It is such a good way of exercising and then you won't be stressing about missing the bus or the bus fare.

The view of a student reviewer seeing Swan Lake for the first time (Osipova/Golding cast): http://www.redbrick.me/culture/review-culture/the-royal-ballets-impeccable-swan-lake-performance/

Thanks for this Barnes - you are so descriptive I almost felt as though I was there! Hope to see you in Birmingham at the end of June!

Northern Ballet announces World Première of new children’s ballet Ahead of the CBeebies television adaptation broadcast of Elves & the Shoemaker over the Easter weekend, Northern Ballet announces that their new ballet for children, Tortoise & the Hare, will have its World Première in Leeds this October followed by an extensive UK tour in spring 2016. Tortoise & the Hare is the latest in Northern Ballet’s award-winning series of Short Ballets for Small People which already includes the hugely popular Ugly Duckling, Three Little Pigs and Elves & the Shoemaker. The ballet has been created to introduce families and young children to live dance, music and theatre. This adorable and heart-warming production will last approximately 40 minutes, retelling the much-loved Aesop’s fable about a Tortoise who, tired of being teased for his slowness, challenges a speedy Hare to a race. Choreographed by Northern Ballet dancers Dreda Blow and Sebastian Loe, this is the second children’s ballet by the pair who created Ugly Duckling which was later adapted into a BAFTA winning adaptation by CBeebies. Tortoise & the Hare will be set to an original score by Bruno Merz with set designs by Ali Allen. Northern Ballet has recently been awarded a Strategic Touring Grant from Arts Council England to enable the Company to continue to create and tour its ballets for children for the next three years, between 2015-18, commencing with Tortoise & the Hare. Selina McGonagle, Director of Learning at Northern Ballet said, ‘We are absolutely delighted to be giving young children and their families the opportunity to experience our latest children’s ballet. The children’s ballets are classic tales beautifully retold through dance and are a perfect introduction to ballet. We hope to inspire children and their families through these entertaining and enchanting performances to develop a love for dance, music and theatre. I’m really pleased that this time we are touring more widely across the UK and we look forward to giving even more audiences the chance to experience these truly magical productions.’ Since their inception, the children’s ballets have been seen live by more than 63,000 people and on TV by more than 1.4 million people in the CBeebies TV adaptations. -ENDS- Notes to Editors Tortoise & the Hare Listings World Première Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre, Leeds Thu 22 – Mon 26 October 2015 11am, 1pm & 3pm (Sun 25 October: 11am (Relaxed Performance) & 1.30pm) £6 Adults & £4.50 Children Box Office 0113 220 8008 theatreleeds.com On sale Sat 28 March Further tour dates to be announced, visit northernballet.com.

Northern Ballet are back with The Great Gatsby at Sadler's Wells this week, opening tomorrow night. Here's a trailer: http://www.sadlerswells.com/screen/standalone?video=712407530001,2195788153001&show=1527&more=1 Link to a rehearsal video: http://northernballet.com/?q=the-great-gatsby/videos/rehearsal-pdd Video interview with Martha and Toby: http://northernballet.com/?q=video/13-02-14/video-toby-martha-great-gatsby If you haven't already booked, Thursday afternoon is the only performance showing much availability. I'm seeing the performances on Wednesday and both on Thursday. It would be great it any other Forum members who may be there said hello! Please let us know what you think of the performance too!

Links - Monday, March 23 2015 Gallery – Ann Maguire Gala: Dave Morgan, DanceTabs Review – San Francisco Ballet, Don Quixote, San Francisco: Rita Felciano, Danceview Times Review – Paul Taylor’s American Modern Dance, Beloved Renegade, Death and the Damsel, Esplanade, New York: Marianne Adams, Danceview Times Review – Paul Taylor’s American Modern Dance, various programmes, New York: Brian Seibert, NY Times Review – Birmingham Royal Ballet, Serenade, Carmina Burana, London: Louise Levene, FT Review – Scottish Ballet, A Streetcar Named Desire, Edinburgh: Vivien Devlin, Edinburgh Guide Interview – Jessica Lang: Ozge Ozcelik, Daily Sabah Preview – Matsuyama Ballet, Invitation to the art of classical ballet, Tokyo: Hideki Sukenari / Yomiuri Shimbun, The Japan News Review – Maida Withers Dance Construction Company, MindFluctuations, Washington: Celia Wren, Washington Post Feature – Eileen Kramer still dancing at 100: Valerie Lawson, Dancelines Feature – Ballet BC, worth a trip to Vancouver: Alice Kaderlan, Seattle pi Preview – Kaeja d’Dance, celebrating 25 years, Toronto: Martha Schabas, Toronto Globe and Mail Interview - Ahmed Yehia on dancing ballet in Egypt: Rana Khaled, Egyptian Streets Review - Joe Citizen & Natalie Maria Clark, [presence], Hamilton: Debbie Bright, NZ Theatreview Review - Texture Contemporary Ballet, Unleashed Emotion, Pittsburgh: Sara Bauknecht, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Could being a Silver Swan stop you ageing? An article from the Daily Mail

Valerie Lawson has don a short feature on Eileen Kramer, the Australian lady still dancing at 100. http://dancelines.com.au/wings-song-eileen-kramer-media-darling-100/

Very sorry for your loss Michelle. Thanks for your most moving account of the funeral.

I hope the gala is a wonderful success.

Hello Dancingboy and welcome to the Forum! Is this the summer school you mean? http://thedancesummerschool.co.uk/gpage6.html It's location looks lovely! Please let us know how you get on.

No, I don't think that is the case at all Frank. It can just take time for a new dancer to "get" the style of the company they have joined, especially if they have previously been with another company. I have seen this with dancers who have moved between UK companies just as much as people coming from abroad. There is a dancer at BRB who joined from a school in America, which taught Vaganova style. Yes he did look different when he first joined but now, as a friend has mentioned on several occasions and I agree with him, he looks more British than the British! Ribbons, I think, is talking about RBS and RB (and possibly to a certain extent BRB). The other major companies in this country all have their own style too and perhaps have a more varied intake of dancers at the start of their careers. Watching dance is very subjective Frank and people see things very differently whether it is the first time they have seen something or they have been going to the ballet for 30 years (me) or as long as the venerable Clement Crisp. And whether they have danced themselves or not. I saw a matinee of Northern Ballet's Cinderella in it's opening week in Leeds. It just so happened that some national critics were at that performance. One of the critics found the performance of the Prince bland (paraphrasing) but I thought it was one of the most intense and emotional performances I had seen all year. A friend who has a dance background often sees dancers differently to the way I see them.

Links - Sunday, March 22 2015 Review – San Francisco Ballet, Don Quixote, San Francisco: Claudia Bauer, DanceTabs Interview – David Bintley, Director Birmingham Royal Ballet in his own words: Bruce Marriott, DanceTabs Review – Royal Ballet, Swan Lake (Obraztsova/McRae), London: Luke Jennings, Observer Review – Birmingham Royal Ballet, Serenade, Carmina Burana, London: Jeffrey Taylor, Sunday Express Feature – Steven McRae, Royal Ballet: Dalya Alberge, Observer Review – Boston Ballet, Chroma, Episodes, Black Cake, Boston: Iris Fanger, Boston Herald News Reviews - Candoco Dance Company, The Show Must Go On, London: Lynette Halewood, DanceTabs Chris Omaweng, London Theatre Gallery - Foteini Christofilopoulou, DanceTabs News/feature – Paloma Herrera retiring from ABT, final performance change: Sarah Kaufman, Washington Post, Buenos Aires Herald Feature – Justin Peck on collaborating with Miami City Ballet: Jordan Levin, Miami Herald Feature – Ricardo Graziano, Sarasota Ballet: Carrie Seidman, Sarasota Herald Tribune Review – Royal New Zealand Ballet, Don Quixote, Dunedin: Hannah Molloy, NZ Theatreview Review – Maida Withers Dance Construction Company, MindFluctuations, Washington: George Jackson, Danceview Times Review – BalletMet Columbus, Cinderella, Columbus: Peter Tonguette, Columbus Dispatch Feature – Kirven Douthit-Boyd retiring from Alvin Ailey: Iris Fanger, Boston Patriot Ledger Review – Cincinnati Ballet, Mozart’s Requiem, Cincinatti: David Lyman, Cincinnati Enquirer Review – Paula Lay, 10,000 Small Deaths, Sydney: Chloe Smethurst, Sydney Morning Herald Review – Sue Healey and Judd Overton, On View: Quintet, Sydney: Chloe Smethurst, Sydney Morning Herald

I saw the premiere of Wuthering Heights in Bradford in 2002 (and on subsequent tour dates) and enjoyed it. When it was revived in 2009, the Company had matured into David Nixon's style and had a lot more productions under their belt and I saw some outstanding performances. So what of the class of 2015? I think initially the sparse sets were a shock to NB audiences used to seeing Lez Brotherston's wonderfully ornate sets but once I got over that shock in 2002 I have grown to love this sparse set with it's backdrop and side panels of impressionistic moorland colours wonderfully enhanced by the lighting. Especially on the smaller stages such as Sheffield it gives the dancers the maximum room to move. The Friends' event of rehearsal and discussion really enhanced the three performances I saw. It was great hearing what other people thought and it made me think and notice things in the production that have passed me by before. There is a heck of a lot of attention to detail, for example Cathy does not wear pointe shoes until she has been a guest at the Lintons' home; the Lintons have china cups, the Earnshaws have pottery mugs etc. The ballet, as with many filmed productions, does not cover the extent of the novel - the story starts with the arrival of the foundling Heathcliff and ends with his death - after Cathy's. What came out of the discussion though was that the simple device of having Heathcliff "thinking back" (the first scene mirrors the final scene) and having a young Cathy and Heathcliff who periodically reappear could be thought to give the impression of generations to come... I too would like to thank Jo Clayton for organising this fantastic event. And so to the performances. The two evening performances were led by Martha Leebolt and Toby Batley with Rachael Gillespie and Jeremy Curnier absolutely sublime as their younger selves. Giuliano Contadini was a truly vicious Hindley. Hiro Takahashi reprised Edgar (whom he created) giving him a gentle dignity and very much the impression of a repressed English gentleman with communication difficulties. The gentle yearning of his duet with Cathy, which takes place some time after their marriage, is in total contrast to the passionate duet between Cathy and Heathcliff that takes place immediately afterwards. Hannah Bateman gave us an intelligent reading of Isabella - a lonely and desperate young lady yearning for love and terrified of being left on the shelf. Martha and Toby are, without a shadow of a doubt, one of THE unmissable partnerships of the moment. They dance as one when they are together and the emotions that they displayed overflowed from the stage into the auditorium. They were so exciting to watch that I realised on several occasions I was forgetting to breathe! My favourite moment of the ballet is the "red" duet that comes as we realise that all is not well with Cathy's marriage. The passionate coupling/uncoupling of the 2, as Cathy tries to stay loyal to her marriage, is acted out to a soaring, swelling section of the score. The whole of the cast melded together and gave us 2 very special performances indeed on Wednesday and Thursday evening. On Thursday afternoon the cast was full of debuts. It was another terrific performance and I am sure that this cast will be awesome by the time I will be able to catch them again. Dreda Blow is another wonderful dance actress and she gave a sublimely nuanced performance as Cathy. For such a young man, Isaac Lee Baker proves yet again that he has a wonderful stage craft and his debut as Heathcliff was remarkable. Ayami Miyata and Kevin Poeung were superb as the youngsters. Mlindi Kulashe is another young dancer who seems to be able to get under the skin of a character. You could feel his hurt as his father ignored him for Heathcliff, I could understand his brutality and I empathised with his descent into alcoholism resulting in the loss of the Heights to Heathcliff. Nicola Gervasi and Jessica Morgan also had terrific debuts as Edgar and Isabella. Here's a review from The Public Review I can't wait to see this production again in MK (easily reachable from London folks!). BTW, if any Forum members are at Gatsby on Wednesday or either performance on Thursday please come and say hello!

If they were drunk and disruptive then they should have been taken off the plane. However if it is just because it was a largish group of men then that is disgraceful and Ryanair should be taken to task. How do you prove it one way or the other? It is very easy to misjudge people. Some years ago on the last working working Friday before Christmas I was waiting for the train home. I, along with many other people, had been on a doooo and could have been described as tipsy. A lot of people near me were looking apprehensive because there was a group of about 10 young men who were a bit loud and not very smart. Needless to say they got on my train but it was them who broke up the fight between 2 very respectable looking middle-aged men! Who would have predicted that?

I was chatting to a chum who had attended the Northern Ballet revealed morning in Leeds. Apparently the wedge-shaped end of the grave stone is a metaphorical dagger... Very late in the day to add but just to mention that I saw 3 performances in Leeds - two led by Martha and Giuliano and the other led by Dreda and Toby. Isaac Lee Baker was Friar Lawrence at every performance. Indeed most of the ladies and gentlemen of the corps performed those roles at every performance throughout the run. This cast had grown even more into their roles since the opening night in Edinburgh and I enjoyed the performances tremendously. The stage in Leeds is significantly smaller than the one in Edinburgh and the set looked quite claustrophobic. It also caused a different but equally valid dynamic with the dancing. Toby and Dreda were also outstanding in their interpretations - very different but equally wonderful! Mlindi Kulashe was wickedness personified as Tybalt - sent shivers down my spine. Hannah Bateman gave a multi-layered and intelligent performance as Lady C. I am looking forward to seeing NB perform this production again next year.

I'd just like to add my welcome to Daisy'smum and BettyBallerina. Thanks so much for sharing your experiences. I hope you will continue to post.