Jan McNulty

Links - Saturday, March 21 2015 Reviews– Birmingham Royal Ballet, Serenade, Carmina Burana, London: Jann Parry, DanceTabs Judith Mackrell, Guardian Mark Monahan, Telegraph Judith Flanders, Arts Desk Zoe Anderson, Independent Neil Norman, Stage Vera Liber, British Theatre Guide Mark Pullinger, Bachtrack Feature – Paloma Herrera, Julie Kent & Xiomara Reyes on retiring from ABT: Sarah Kaufman, Washington Post Feature – Beatriz Stix-Brunell (Royal Ballet) on rehearsing with Hofesh Shecter: Guardian Preview – Erik Bruhn Competition 2015, Toronto: Michael Crabb, Toronto Star Preview – San Francisco Ballet, Don Quixote, San Francisco: Pamela Feinsilber, Huffington Post News – Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet (New York) Closes: Guelda Voien, NY Observer Michael Cooper, NY Times News – This week’s new dance in London: Jann Parry, Guardian3 Feature – Francesco Ventriglia (AD) & Mayu Tanigaito (dancer) RNZB: Bernadette Rae, NZ Herald Review – Akram Khan Company, iTMOi, Auckland: Raewyn Whyte: NZ Theatreview Review – Tim Casson, Casson and Friends, London: Siobhan Murphy, DanceTabs Review – The Joyce Unleashed Series: Siobhan Burke, NY Times Review – ODC Dance, Wings, San Francisco: Allan Ulrich, SF Chronicle Featurette – Chi Cao, Birmingham Royal Ballet: Martin Freeman, Plymouth Herald Feature – Megan Fairchild at home in Westchester: Joanne Kaufman, NY Times Feature – Daniel Holt: Alexandra Villarreal, Huffington Post Preview - Milwaukee Ballet, Giselle, Milwaukee: Elaine Schmidt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel John Schneider, Shepherd Express Milwaukee

I have just renewed my ATG card for the 3rd year and within weeks I am £20 up on what I have booked for myself on ticket prices alone! You also do not have to pay booking fees or postage.

As ever, I would recommend that an expert medical opinion be sought.

It was created using Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. Here is a link to the Wikipedia entry for that piece of music. The ballet opens with Fortuna, Empress of the World and moves on to follow the fortunes of three seminarians. The first Seminarian covers the In Spring and In the Meadow sections - he is naive. The second (raging) Seminarian cover the In the Tavern section The third Seminarian is In the Court of Love (with Fortuna). This was David Bintley's first creation when he became Artistic Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet in 1995. I was there at the first night, loved it then and love it still! It's very colourful but it does seem to divide opinion. Do come to Birmingham Don Q!!!

I have received an email from MK theatre listing 2 workshops, one for 2-5 year olds and one for 10-14 year olds. These are the details from the email: Elves & the Shoemaker Workshops Northern Ballet lead creative dance sessions combining movement, music and storytelling. This short dance session is the perfect way for you and your little one to get moving and have fun together. Fri 1st May - 10.30-11.30am or 12.30pm – 1.30pm - £8 (Suitable for ages 2- 5 years, plus parent) Northern Ballet Youth Ballet on Stage Workshop A creative dance workshop on stage inspired by Wuthering Heights that is fully accessible to all, regardless of previous experience. The session will include a basic ballet warm up and the chance to creatively explore the themes from the production. This is followed by the chance to watch Northern Ballet’s Company dancers take their daily ballet class on stage. Sat 2nd May - 9.30-11.30am - £15pp (Ages 10-14 years) Looking at the Wuthering Heights workshop I would suggest that the times are for the workshop before watching class, which usually starts at 11:30 when the matinee is at 14:30.

Now that is a really good point Capybara! It's no good getting someone to go along once, we need to be entranced enough to go back. Sadly for my bank balance I am way too entranced!

It's still cold and miserable on Merseyside! Very few signs of spring having sprung!

IIRC there was what would now be called a reality TV show years ago about people living as though they were in the iron(?) age for a reasonable period of time. There was a young lady with a particularly nice head of hair who was unable to wash it but who after about 8 weeks discovered that it did not need washing with shampoo as somehow it became almost self-cleaning and occasional water was enough. I've never been brave enough to try that and still spend a fortune on shampoos!

I absolutely agree with you Ian. I made a progression from bands to theatre, broadened my horizons to contemporary dance and then had an epiphany in 1984 when I saw Onegin. I still haven't broadened my horizons to large scale musicals and I have been to a few operas but at the moment prefer them without the singing! I think you come to things when you, as an individual, are ready.

Hello Yorkshire Pud and welcome to the Forum. Thanks for telling us about your DD's attendance at the NB Cat. I do hope you will continue to join in!

Links - Friday, March 20 2015 News – New York City Ballet 2015/16 season: News Dance Desk, Broadway World Review – Royal Ballet, Swan Lake (Obraztsova, McRae), London: GJ Dowler, Classical Source Review – English National Ballet, Modern Masters, London: GJ Dowler, Classical Source Gallery – Birmingham Royal Ballet, Carmina Burana, London: Dave Morgan, DanceTabs Review – Paul Taylor Dance Company, Sea Lark, Death and the Damsel, Beloved Renegade, Passacaglia, New York: Robert Gottlieb, NY Observer Review – Paul Taylor Dance Company, Company B, Troilus and Cressida, New York: Matt Hanosn, Broadway World Review – Akram Khan Company, iTMOi, Auckland: Bernadette Rae, NZ Herald Review – Scottish Ballet, A Streetcar Named Desire, Edinburgh: Thom Dibdin, Stage Review – Ailey II, Breakthrough, Hissy Fits, Virtues, New York: Brian Seibert, NY Times Feature – Karole Armitage, new dance work traces steps for a greener path: Gia Kourlas, NY Times Interview – Johnny Eliasen, Ballet Master Houston Ballet: Katricia Lang, Broadway World Feature – Miami City Ballet, including 2015/16 season: Isabel D Almaraz, Broadway World Review – Ballet Preljocaj, Empty Moves, Paris: Patricia Boccadoro, Culture Kiosque Review – Wim Vandekeybus Ultima Vez, What the body does not remember, Newcastle: Peter Lathan, British Theatre Guide

The 7 Fingers TRACES The Peacock Theatre, WC2 Tuesday 9 June – Sunday 12 July Performances: Tue – Sat at 7.30pm, Sat Mat at 2.30pm, Sun at 2pm & 6pm Tickets: £15 - £38, Under 16s half price Ticket Office: 0844 412 4322 or www.sadlerswells.com Hailing from Québec, renowned as the home of the modern circus discipline, The 7 Fingers (Les 7 Doigts de la Main) is one of the world’s most inventive contemporary circus companies. After success with its previous show Sequence 8, the company returns to the Peacock Theatre with the critically acclaimedTRACES from Tuesday 9 June – Sunday 12 July 2015. In TRACES, the cast combines traditional acrobatic forms with street elements, mixed with theatre and contemporary dance. The show takes place in a make-shift shelter, an unknown catastrophe waiting outside the doors of tarp and gaffer tape. In the face of an impending disaster they have determined that creation is the only antidote to destruction. Performance skills include tumbling through hoops, scaling Chinese poles and balancing seemingly effortlessly on each others’ heads, to basketball, skateboarding and playing classical piano. In a poetic, humorous and thoughtful form, and with the use of film clips, narration and a range of music from rock ‘n’ roll to blues and hip hop, TRACES redefines the art of circus. First performed in 2006, TRACES has gone on to be performed over 1700 times in 23 countries. The show has featured as a part of The Royal Variety Performance, played at the Union Square Theater in New York for a year and has won multiple awards. Founded in Montreal in 2002, The 7 Fingers began as artists on stage and soon branched out, expanding their creative talents as directors, choreographers, writers and coaches, passing on their collaborative and unique 7 Fingers process to a new generation of circus artists. The company name Les 7 Doigts de la Main, translates to the 7 Fingers of the Hand - a twist on a French idiom the five fingers of the hand used to describe distinct parts united tightly, moving in coordination towards one common goal. For the company, it refers to their 7 founding directors, Isabelle Chassé, Shana Carroll, Patrick Léonard, Faon Shane, Gypsy Snider, Sébastien Soldevila and Samuel Tétreault who, by combining their distinct talents and experiences, work towards their common artistic goals with the beautifully awkward dexterity of a 7-fingered hand. Notes to Editors: Listings information The 7 Fingers TRACES The Peacock Theatre, WC2 Tuesday 9 June – Sunday 12 July 2015 Performances: Tue – Sat at 7.30pm, Sat Mat at 2.30pm, Sun at 2pm & 6pm Tickets: £15 - £38, Under 16s half price Ticket office: 0844 412 4322 / www.sadlerswells.com About Sadler’s Wells Sadler's Wells is a world leader in contemporary dance, committed to producing, commissioning and presenting new works and to bringing the very 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 90 new dance works to the stage and its international award-winning commissions and collaborative productions regularly tour the world. Sadler’s Wells supports 16 appointed world class Associate Artists, three Resident Companies and an Associate Company and nurtures the next generation of talent through its National Youth Dance Company, Summer University programme, Wild Card initiative and its New Wave Associates. Located in Islington in 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 9% of its revenue from Arts Council England.

I got my "Friends" renewal pack yesterday!

Just a brief note. I've had a splendid day in Sheffield today. This afternoon Friends of the Company were able to watch the dress rehearsal, followed by a facilitated discussion about the novel and its translation into a ballet. It was a superb event. Tonight was the first performance of the run led by an incandescent Martha Leebolt and Toby Batley. It was a very special performance indeed and it was a privilege to be in the audience. The whole Company rose to the occasion and looked magnificent! I'm seeing the two performances tomorrow so more anon...

Sadler’s Wells announces UK Tour Dates for Sylvie Guillem’s Life in Progress. Guillem is honoured with an Olivier Award In addition to the previously announced international tour, Sadler’s Wells presents world renowned dancerSylvie Guillem’s final dance programme, Life in Progress, at the London Coliseum (Tuesday 28 July - Sunday 2 August ), Edinburgh International Festival (Festival Theatre, Saturday 8 - Monday 10 August) andBirmingham Hippodrome (Tuesday 8 & Wednesday 9 September 2015). The newly announced UK dates follow Guillem’s final performances at Sadler’s Wells, from 26 - 31 May 2015, where she has been an Associate Artist since 2006 and where she announced her retirement from the stage in November 2014. Life in Progress receives its world premiere in Modena on 31 March 2015, and the final performance is in Tokyo in December 2015. Sylvie Guillem is also today announced as the recipient of a special award at this year’s Olivier Awards, celebrating her achievements over the course of her career. The Olivier Awards with Master Card, run by the Society of London Theatre (SOLT), take place on Sunday 12 April 2015. Highlights from the awards will be broadcast on ITV. Sadler’s Wells Artistic Director and CEO Alistair Spalding said: “When we announced Life in Progress as part of our spring programme last November, tickets for Sylvie’s final performances at Sadler’s Wells sold out within five days. Since then, we have seen an unprecedented demand for tickets not just in London, but throughout the country. We are so pleased now to be able to offer more opportunities for people to see her in London, Edinburgh and Birmingham. These additional dates reflect our ongoing commitment to providing access to as large an audience as possible to world-class dance, by touring productions around the UK as well as internationally.” A dancer renowned the world over with an extensive career at the Paris Opera Ballet, The Royal Ballet and Tokyo Ballet, Guillem has played many iconic roles in ballets by Kenneth MacMillan, Maurice Béjart, Frederick Ashton, William Forsythe and Mats Ek. She has also diversified as a dancer into the world of contemporary dance, performing acclaimed works such as PUSH, Sacred Monsters and 6000 miles away. Life in Progress features both existing and new works by choreographers who have influenced her contemporary career. The new works include a solo by choreographer and Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Akram Khan. Titled techne, Kahn says of the piece: “My work grows out of the questions I don't know how to answer. I ask questions and tell stories through the body. I use technology to connect with more people, more often. But are we more connected now than we used to be? Or are we connecting with the technology itself rather than with people? No computer can answer this question. But perhaps the body can...” Guillem also performs a pas de deux with Italian dancer Emanuela Montanari from La Scala, choreographed and directed by Russell Maliphant with lighting by Michael Hulls, both of whom are Associate Artists of the theatre and who choreographed and lit the award-winning PUSH. In the piece, Here & After, Maliphantacknowledges his past works and experiences with Sylvie, whilst moving on and exploring a vocabulary that shows contrast, with a female duet partnership. Existing works that feature in Life in Progress are Mats Ek’s touching and poignant solo, Bye, which was made especially for Guillem and has been performed previously as part of the 6000 miles away programme, and William Forsythe’s Duo (performed by two male dancers), which premiered in 1996. Widely recognised as one of the world’s greatest dancers, Sylvie Guillem CBE, was born in Paris. As a child, she trained in gymnastics under the instruction of her mother, a gymnastics teacher. In 1977 aged 11, she began training at the Paris Opera Ballet School, and in 1981 joined the company's corps de ballet. She was promoted to the rank of "Etoile" by Rudolf Nureyev at the age of 19. Since then she has performed all the leading roles of the classical repertoire with the world's leading companies including The Royal Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Kirov, Tokyo Ballet, Australian Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and La Scala. Her first contemporary performances at Sadler’s Wells were in 2004 for Broken Fall - the collaboration with fellow Sadler’s Wells Associate Artists Russell Maliphant, Michael Nunn and William Trevitt. It was followed by the multi-award winning Sadler’s Wells production PUSH, which premiered at the theatre in 2005. She collaborated with celebrated dancer and choreographer, Akram Khan for Sacred Monsters, which premiered at Sadler’s Wells in 2006, the same year she became an Associate Artist there. In 2009 she collaborated with Robert Lepage and Russell Maliphant for the Sadler’s Wells productionEonnagata, with costumes by Alexander McQueen. Most recently, she devised and performed in the 2011 Sadler’s Wells / Sylvie Guillem production 6000 miles away. It featured works by three of today’s most important choreographers; Mats Ek, William Forsythe, and Jiří Kylián. All the productions have toured internationally to full houses and critical acclaim. Her awards include the Officier de la Légion d’Honneur, Commander dans l’Ordre National du Mérite, Officier des Arts et Lettres, and, in Britain, an honorary CBE. She is the only dancer to have been awarded a Leone D’Oro at Venice Biennale. Life in Progress is a Sadler’s Wells Production, co-produced with Les Nuits de Fourvière and Sylvie Guillem The Monument Trust supports co-productions and new commissions at Sadler's Wells Sylvie Guillem Circle of Support has supported the creation and touring of Life in Progress Notes to Editors: TOUR SCHEDULE 31 March 2015 Teatro Communale, Modena, Italy 2 April 2015 Equilibrio Festival, Sala Santa Cecilia, Auditorium Parco della Musica, Rome, Italy 15 & 16 May 2015 Lodz International Ballet Festival, Lodz, Poland 26 – 31 May 2015 Sadler’s Wells, London, UK 3 & 4 June 2015 Athens & Epidauras Festival, Athens, Greece 23 – 26 June 2015 Chekhov Festival, Moscow, Russia 29 June – 2 July 2015 Les Nuits de Fourvière, Lyon, France 5 July 2015 Genova Opera House, Genova, Italy 28 July – 2 August London Coliseum, London, UK 8 – 10 August 2015 Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh, UK 8 & 9 September 2015 Birmingham Hippodrome, Birmingham, UK 3 & 4 October 2015 National Theatre, Taipei 2 December 2015 Festspielhaus, St Polten, Austria 17 – 20 December 2015 NBS, Tokyo, Japan About Sadler’s Wells Sadler's Wells is a world leader in contemporary dance, committed to producing, commissioning and presenting new works and to bringing the very 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, fromcontemporary to flamenco, Bollywood to ballet, salsa to street dance and tango to tap. Since 2005 it has helped to bring over 90 new dance works to the stage and its international award-winning commissions and collaborative productions regularly tour the world. Sadler’s Wells supports 16 appointed world class Associate Artists, three Resident Companiesand an Associate Company and nurtures the next generation of talent through hosting the National Youth Dance Company, its Summer University programme, Wild Card initiative and its New Wave Associates. Located in Islington in 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 9% of its revenue from Arts Council England.

Wow, what a fantastic opportunity Sim. Wish I could go...

Hello Texan and welcome to the Forum. I hope you will continue to post!

That was the one Tony. I saw them at a Saturday matinee and have never forgotten how wonderful the cast was!!!

Congratulations to your son Dancer15!

Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch Auf dem Gebirge hat man ein Geschrei gehört & Ahnen UK PREMIERE Wednesday 15 - Sunday 26 April 2015 Tickets: £12 - £60 Ticket Office: 0844 412 4300 or www.sadlerswells.com Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch returns to Sadler’s Wells from Wednesday 15 - Sunday 26 April 2015, presenting the UK premieres of Auf dem Gebirge hat man ein Geschrei gehört (On the Mountain A Cry Was Heard) and Ahnen. The two works the company performs for this visit are both from the 1980s and capture Bausch at the height of her powers.1984’s Auf dem Gebirge hat man ein Geschrei gehört (On the Mountain A Cry Was Heard) is set upon a soil-strewn stage and features music from Billie Holiday, Edith Piaf and Henry Purcell. Ahnen, first performed in 1987, has a similarly diverse score, and takes place in a thorny desert-scape. Peter Pabst’s incredible set designs for these productions include 40 fir trees, 20 cubic metres of potting soil, a large aquarium and real snow on stage. Pina Bausch was born in Solingen in 1940. She received her dance training at the Folkwang School in Essen under Kurt Jooss, where she achieved technical excellence. Beginning her work as a choreographer in 1968, Pina Bausch invented tanztheater as it is known today. Bausch’s initially controversial fusion of radical theatre, surreal art, drama and danced body language, gradually achieved international recognition for the company. Her original approach to theatre and dance influenced the international development of dance and inspired not only a generation of choreographers, but also theatre makers, visual artists and filmmakers. Awarded some of the greatest prizes and honours world-wide, Pina Bausch is one of the most significant choreographers of our time. During 36 years as Artistic Director of Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, she nurtured an ensemble of vivid imagination and grand scale and developed an artistic canon renowned for its diverse cultural influences and rich visual style. Since her death in 2009, the company continues to tour all over the world and presents between 12 and 14 different pieces by Pina Bausch each season. Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch is now under the artistic directorship of Lutz Förster, a close colleague of Pina Bausch and long-term ensemble member who first performed with Bausch in her 1975 production Sacre du Printemps. From 1978 he became a permanent member of the ensemble and soon emerged as one of its most outstanding dancers and performers. Förster became artistic director of Tanztheater Wuppertal in April 2013. Peter Pabst is a highly respected set and costume designer who has worked in theatre, opera, dance, film and television. His first set for Pina Bausch was in 1980 (for the production 1980), and over the course of their close collaborative relationship Pabst designed and realised 25 "play-rooms" for Bausch. He was awarded the Kainz Medal of the City of Vienna, was appointed Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in France, and awarded the title of Professor by the Minister President of NRW. About Sadler’s Wells Sadler's Wells is a world leader in contemporary dance, committed to producing, commissioning and presenting new works and to bringing the very 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, fromcontemporary to flamenco, Bollywood to ballet, salsa to street dance and tango to tap. Since 2005 it has helped to bring over 90 new dance works to the stage and its international award-winning commissions and collaborative productions regularly tour the world. Sadler’s Wells supports 16 appointed world class Associate Artists, three Resident Companiesand an Associate Company and nurtures the next generation of talent through its National Youth Dance Company, Summer University programme, Wild Card initiative and its New Wave Associates. Located in Islington in 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 9% of its revenue from Arts Council England.

Hello Live4ballet and welcome to the Forum! Given you age, will you please make sure that your parents are happy with you being a member of the Forum? I can't give you any advice but I am sure many of our other members can offer support. Good luck with your quest!

Northern Ballet has published a photo gallery from the gala, taken by Emma Kuldhaur (editor of Dance Europe): http://northernballet.com/?q=sapphire-gala-photo-gallery

I think it depends on the type of cactus. I've got one in a 2 inch pot that my nieces bought me about 10 years ago. From about two inches high it is now about 5 inches high and usually flowers once a year. I have never repotted it and hardly ever water it!

Hello Biscuit and welcome to the Forum. Do let us know how you get on.

I think it is just yet another money making scheme myself!