Terpsichore

We are in the 16:30 show and if anyone wants to see us the box office still had a few spare tickets when I enquired on Tuesday.

I'm in Holmfirth which is abut 25 miles from Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield. I attend classes in all those metropolises and have posted an invitation to vintage dancers in the Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire who wish to explore the possibility of setting up an elders company to get in touch with me. I will let you know if I get any replies. There are some very good companies for part-time dancers of all ages up and down the country. Michelle_Richer has already mentioned the one in London and I am an associate member of the Chelmsford Ballet Company.

I saw the show in Leeds on 2 May 2015. Their visit clashed with the last appearance of Kenneth Tindall as a principal of Northern Ballet in Wuthering Heights at Milton Keynes. Tindall, who trained at Central, is one of my favourite dancers and I was torn. "You can see Ballet Central any time" urged a friend, "this is the last time you can see Kenny." She added that he would be partnering Julie Charlet as Cathy. The trouble is that one can't see Ballet Central any time because this year's students will scatter to the four winds. Many will go abroad. I have been lucky enough to see Tindall in several performances in the last year or so and I shall be seeing The Architect again next Saturday. I opted for Central to see the stars of the future some of whom may well dance in Tindall's ballets. I think such a fine choreographer as Tindall would understand that. I am glad I chose to stay in Leeds because the theatre was packed. Northern Ballet has a special connection with Central because the company's artistic director Christopher Gable founded the school. I spotted several familiar faces from both Northern Ballet and Phoenix Dance Theatre in the audience. Ballet Central acknowledged the connection first by performing Gable's Blue Pas de Deux from his 1993 production of Cinderella to Philip Feeney's gorgeous score. We actually had Feeney at the piano throughout the show. Also, they danced Code by our own Sharon Watson, artistic director of Phoenix. The evening began with Four by Christopher Hampson. Hampson is another of my favourite choreographers particularly since be became artistic director of Scottish Ballet which I have followed ever since the late 1960s when I was at St Andrews. I am a Friend of that company and it has a special place in my affections. In the programme notes Hampson wrote: "The piano work by Graham Fitkin in bursting with energy and I've been waiting a long while (since my student days) to find the right moment to create it. Finding four dancers at Central that can match the energy and drive of the four hands of the piano meant that I had found the time and the place to create Four." Hampson certainly found the right dancers in Sayaka Ishibashi, Julie Nunes, Ryan Brown, Yoshimasa Ikezawa and Marcus Romanelli, Clad in simple black and purple leotards designed by Richard Gellar the ballet began with solos by each of the men followed by each of the women momentum building up all the time. They all came together as the pace accelerated. It was the best possible start for the show. The momentum was maintained by Bradley Shelver's Duet from Scenes danced energetically by Londiwe Khoza and Mthuthuzeli November to Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. You can catch a bit of the choreography on the choreographer's showreel. There was a lot of clapping and slapping and even a roar from November. An insert in the programme explained that they were from Cape Dance Company in South Africa on an 8 week residency at Central. These fine young dancers were exciting to watch and I hope that they will find some reason to stay, or at least make frequent visits to, this country. By contrast the Blue Pas de Deux from Cinderella was flowing and lyrical. Danced beautifully by Kanako Nagayoshi in sparkly blue evening dress and shoes and Ruaidhri Maguire in tails this piece had me close to tears. I remember Gable and miss him so. Northern Ballet now has a new Cinderella by David Nixon which is also beautiful but what wouldn't I give to see Gable's version again. The first part of the evening was brought to an end with a great performance of Watson's Code. Ishibashi, Khoza, Brown and November were in that work as well as Diana Patience and Kai Tomiaka. Again, that was thrilling to watch. I am a great fan of Watson and can't see enough of her work. The second part of the evening was started by Kit Holder's Hopper which, I see, was supported by Central Friends one of whom is Susan Dalgetty Ezra who chairs the London Ballet Circle. To understand the ballet you need to know that Edward Hopper was an American artist who painted everyday scenes of American life much in the way that his near contemporary L S Lowry did here, albeit in a very different style. I can think of no better introduction to his work than this video by the US National Gallery of Art. In the programme notes Holder wrote:This ballet reminded me very much of Gillian Lynne's A Simple Man which was a study of Lowry. Just as many of the matchstick men came to life in Lynne's work so Hopper's subjects did in Holder's. Brown danced Hopper while Lydia Mackenzie danced Jo who must have been his wife, Josephine Nivison, who was also a painter. Summer Evening was danced by Nunes and Connor Taylor, Conference at Night by Nagayoshi, Maguire and George Kyaing and Chop Suey by Brianna Hicke and Kyomi Ishubashi. This is the second work by Holder that I have seen recently. The first was To Fetch a Pail of Water which was part of Ballet Black's triple bill at The Linbury. The next work was the grand pas de deux from Gorsky's La Fille mal Gardée which is very different from the Ashton version with which we are so familiar. For a start it uses different music: Ludwig Hertel's score instead of Lanchbery's but it is just as delightful to hear. There was plenty of scope to show off Ikezawa's jumping and Sayaka Ishiboshi's charm on pointe. It would be nice to see the Russian version more often and I have encouraged one British company to stage it. The second part was rounded off with Christopher Bruce's Morning and Moonlight to the music of Benjamin Britten. Folk are very rude about Britten's score for Prince of the Pavilions though I like it well enough for it was chosen by Cranko. In any case Britten's music was just right here. I loved the choreography executed brilliantly by Kyomi Ishibashi, Nagayoshi, Nunes, Maguire, Taylor and Tomika. The last part of the programme was devoted to Christopher Marney's Scenes from a Wedding. I expect a lot from Marney and I drive literally all over the country to see his work. It was a lovely, narrative ballet about a man in love. He was danced by Andrei Teodor Iliescu. He had a lovely girlfriend in Megan Pay clad in red. He bought her a ring and proposed to her. But she wasn't ready. Neither were Kyomi Isgibashi, Lydia Mackenzie and Nunes whom he approached on the rebound. But one girl was ready though she did not care much for the groom. She was danced by Patience. They weren't right for each other. They squabbled in bed. She wanted to sleep. He did not. They fought all the way to the church. He had his stag night with Kyaing, Maguire and Tomioka and she her hen night. Just at the last moment the girl in red turns up and they married. There thus is one less case for the Family Court. Feeney provided the music, Gellar the costumes and Ed Railton the lighting. Witty, lyrical and above all acutely expressive of the music it was Marney at his best. It was a tour de force, the icing on the cake, the very best of a succession of wonderful ballets. I can't think of enough superlatives.

There's nothing to stop vintage dancers in other parts of the country from setting up their own elders' company and if I had the time I would try to do so. If someone else were to take the initiative I would be tempted to audition. I enjoy performing and am looking forward to our show on Saturday.

Photo Angela Sterling Copyright 2015 Dutch National Ballet: all rights reserved Reproduced with the kind permission of Richard Heideman (press officer) on behalf of the company I have just returned from Amsterdam where I saw the Dutch National Ballet's Cool Britannia at The Stopera. The word "stopera" is an abbreviation of the words stadhuis or town hall and opera the meaning of which is obvious. The building combines the functions of Amsterdam's town hall with the national opera house and concert hall. It was my first visit to the Stopera but I hope it will not be my last for it is a magnificent auditorium. This was a triple bill of one act ballets by three leading British choreographers: David Dawson, Christopher Wheeldon and Wayne McGregor. Dawson and Wheeldon created new ballets called Empire Noir and Concerto Concordia which I discussed elsewhere. McGregor contributed Chroma which British audiences already know. Each of those works was very different from the others. Empire Noir showcased the dancers' virtuosity. It was full of spectacular jumps, turns and lifts and looked quite exhausting. Even the dancers' entrances and exits were made at the double. Haines's score was throbbing, vibrant and incessant. I had seen Michaela DePrince and Sho Yamada in the Junior Company last year but this was the first time I had seen Casey Herd, Jozef Varga, Artur Shesterikov and James Stout about whom I had read so much. My only disappointment was missing Igone de Jongh but there was some fine dancing from Samantha Mednick, Sasha Mukhamedov, Floor Elmers and, of course. DePrince. She may only be an apprentice in the company (though I am delighted to learn that she will be elevated to coryphee next year) but she has quite a following in Amsterdam. She received particularly loud applause when she took her bow. The chap next to me rose to his feet as soon as she stepped forward. In the interval I noticed that a stand was selling her t-shirts. The only other dancer with t-shirts on offer was de Jongh. Wheeldon's Concerto Concordia was a quieter and more contemplative work. He chose Poulenc's Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in D Minor for his music. This is a work with sudden changes of moods could have been written for ballet. It was the first time that I had heard it and I adored it. According to the programme notes Wheeldon created the work for Anna Tsygankova and she was on stage on Saturday accompanied by Varga. They were one of two principal couples who are joined on stage from time to time by six others. The other principal couple was Victoria Ananyan and Serguei Endinian. This was the work that I enjoyed the most, probably because I liked the music. I had seen Chroma once before and remembered the sharp, angular almost robotic movements, the simple set with its large window through which dancers entered or against which they were silhouetted and the curious almost canine sniffing gestures at two points in the show. This cannot be an easy ballet to dance and I was delighted to see Nathan Brhane and Wantao Li who were in the Junior Company last year with Yamada and DePrince. It was good to see those young dancers again and great to see how far they have come in a year. They were led by Herd, Stout and Roman Artyushkin. The crowd loved this ballet and they rose to their feet as one. I like Amsterdam audiences. They see enough ballet to know what's good and what's not but they are much less stingy in their praise than Londoners. The Stopera has a massive stage. I don't know how it compares to Covent Garden's but it seems pretty cavernous to me. There's plenty of reasonably priced seating. I was in the front row of the 1st circle and was as close to the stage as I would have been in the front row of the dress circle in the Royal Opera House. My seat cost 53 euros which is less than I would have paid for the amphitheatre. There was plenty of leg room and although the house was pretty full it did not seem crowded. I was served very quickly when I queued for a drink in the first interval and I was charged less than I would pay in a theatre bar at home. The auditorium overlooks the Amstel and it is possible to step out onto a walkway in warm weather. There is a metro station almost next door and a couple of pubs and two Argentine restaurants across the street. There are flights to Schiphol from Ringway and Yeadon at a fraction of the cost of the train fare to London and hotels are generally cheaper in Amsterdam than London. I am already looking forward to my next trip back.

I promised a quick review of Carmina Burana which I saw at the Hippodrome on 20 June. T had come to see The King Dances but Carmina Burana was a treat. A multimedia spectacular. A feast as much for the ears as for the eyes. This was the first time I had seen the ballet and how and why I had missed it all those years is a mystery. Carl Orff's score has always been popular, particularly O Fortuna. Bintley translated her into the Empress of the World, a blindfolded woman in black shift on high heels representing blind fortune. She danced alone completely oblivious to human merit and indeed the human condition. On 20 June 2015 she was danced brilliantly by Céline Gittens. I have seen quite a lot of that dancer this year and my admiration for her has grown in every performance. Incidentally, I was delighted to read about her promotion in the company. I offer my congratulations to her and the other dancers who have been promoted to the enormous number that she and they must already have received (see End of Season Announcements 29 June 2015). In the Carmina Burana Orff set to music several secular poems about medieval life. Bintley created what are effectively 6 mini-ballets around each of those poems. O Fortuna was an encounter between lady luck (the Empress Fortuna) and seven seminarians. Spring celebrates the fertility of the earth but also of womankind. It is set in a maternity ward with women who are either about to give birth or who have given birth against a backdrop of drying sheets and nappies with the hapless father or naive body danced by Jamie Bond. The next scene is bucolic with village lads in their colourful jackets and the village lasses in their pony tails competing for the attention of Elisha Willis. The second seminarian, Matthias Dingman (who has also been promoted) in a boiling rage seeks solace in the tavern where he and five gluttons in fat suits are served Daria Stanciulescu in a tureen. Finally, the third seminarian, Tyrone Singleton, returns to Fortuna in the Court of Love where he is stripped to his underpants. One of the most effective and affecting endings to a ballet that I have ever seen. But there are three other stars to this ballet: the designer Philip Prowse who designed the magnificent and spectacular sets and costumes, Philip Mumford for his lighting and the singers of Ex Cathedra. We in Huddersfield like to think that the Choral has a unique sound which you can best appreciate in the Dies Irae of Verdi's Requiem. Birmingham's magnificent choir Ex Cathedra came closer to that sound than any choir I have heard before or since. Carmina Burana is of course 20 years old but to me it was as fresh and vibrant as if it had been created yesterday.

Yes I read about them in an email or newsletter that I received recently from Scottish Ballet. I understand that they will perform before paying audiences in a number of venues. I think an elders' company is a good idea and I wish them all the best. The article that I read said that those dancers will perform with another elder company called "Prime". We're not sure. Annemarie said it was "Lullaby" by Lulaby. I searched Google, YouTube and iTunes for that score but have not found it yet. Someone who is reasonably well informed on ballet said that the music was by Thomas Schoenberger. I have searched against him but have still not found the score. Annoying when that happens isn't it. I am sure you will be fine on the day. Thanks. I passed on your kind remarks to Annemarie and the dancers at our technical rehearsal this morning. Everybody appreciated your message and we send our love back to you.

I seem to remember you made one class this academic year if not this calendar year. I think it was just before Christmas and the reason I remember it is that we discussed Ballet Theatre UK's Swan Lale which I was about to see in Southport and you had recently seen elsewhere. As you say, there are a lovely lot of ladies in the Over 55 class at Leeds and there is now an occasional gent in the Thursday class at any rate. As you also say we are contributing to Northern Ballet Academy's end of year show next week and I am in it. We have been working very hard for this performance. I have not missed a single rehearsal. I have arranged for it to be reviewed again. This time the reviewer will be Gita Mistry, the other member of Team Terpsichore. I am very excited and looking forward to the show enormously. I met Gilliam Barton in Stirling earlier this year and we are Facebook friends. I had no idea she was getting married. If you see her send her my regards. I have already wished you toi-toi for your show in my article on LAB elsewhere. Arrangements for adult ballet at Leeds are changing this year. There will be extra classes. They will last longer and start earlier. You will find the particulars on the company's website.

As promised, I have published a full review of The King Dances today elsewhere. Some time today if I can find the time I shall review Carmina Burana which was the other ballet that formed part of the celebration of Bintley's 20 years as artistic director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet and the company's 25 years at the Hippodrome. It was, however, The King Dances for which I drove 120 miles from Leeds and 107 miles more back to Holmfirth last Saturday to see. For me the ballet worked. It was not a reconstruction of Le Ballet de la Nuit though that work could be re-staged if anyone wanted to do it. We know quite a lot about the ballet for it was the topic of the 6th annual Oxford Dance symposium at New College, Oxford in 2004 and quite a lot of books and articles have been written about it. It would probably not be great box office because the Le Ballet de la Nuit lasted literally all night and Philidor's music would not appeal to modern tastes. I've just been listening to another piece by the same composer on YouTube and I can see why Bintley commissioned Montague to write a modern score. However, The King Dances gave us a very good idea of what Le Ballet de la Nuit must have been like. As in Le Ballet de la Nuit The King Dances followed the 4 watches or periods of the night and all but one of the roles was danced by men. The main characters were the king danced by William Bracewell and the Night, Devil and Cardinal Mazarin all danced by Ian Mackay. There was no synopsis for this ballet in the programme or cast sheets but this ballet very clearly told a story though I could not work out what it was. Mazarin was Louis XIV's chief minister until his death in 1661. He was heartily disliked by the French partly because of his nationality and partly because of his accumulation of books and works of art but he was at the height of his power in 1653 when Le Ballet de la Nuit and I can't imagine that a satire showing him as receding Night in the first watch or the devil in the third would have been tolerated. Ironically I had attended a panel discussion on narrative dance in ballet earlier in the day which nearly drove me potty because not one of the panellists explained what he or she meant by "narrative dance" and I didn't get a chance to ask them until the final moments of the discussion an hour or so after the question arose. As I said in my earlier post, the most chilling scene was the third watch or night mare scene where demons, witches, werewolves and finally the prince of darkness himself appear on stage. It was there that I found Montague's score most effective. The devils besported themselves like mischievous monkeys and the music suggested the calls of cackling monkeys. It was quite a relief when the fourth watch and the king accompanies by Honour, Grace, Renown and Valour re-appeared. I appreciated Katrina Lindsay's stage and costume designs - particularly the sight of Bracewell resplendent in gold - and Momford's lighting. I gave up a lot to see that ballet - not just the choreographic sharing at the Stanley and Audrey Burton theatre which was the best part of a very long day of class, chitchat and performances but also English National Ballet's Choreographics in which Sarah Kundi was performing. Hard choices had to be made and it's all a matter of preference and taste but for me the Birmingham Hippodrome was the best place in the universe last Saturday.

I agree with JanetMcNulty that it was fortunate that Northern Ballet found a home in Halifax for a while and that it later found a more permanent home in Leeds. Its location is very convenient for me and I make the most of it. Having said that I also agree with Vanartus that it is sad that there is no world class ballet company in North West England, especially now that Manchester city region has recently overtaken the West Midlands as the most populous metro region after London (see Population surge means that we are even Greater Manchester 2 July 2013). If one adds the Liverpool city region then North West England has a considerably larger population.than the West Midlands, West Yorkshire and Greater Glasgow. There was talk of an £80 million refurbishment of the Palace and the Royal Opera House spending half the year there before the financial crisis (see para 12 of Wikipedia's entry on the Royal Ballet) but that was dropped by the Coalition government. Perhaps the initiative can be reconsidered with the £78 million investment in The Factory Arts Centre (see Manchester to get new £78 million theatre named The Factory 3 Dec 2014) which the Chancellor promised in his Autumn statement. Also, there are many other things we can do to rebuild ballet in North West England such as supporting the Northern Ballet School and its performing company the Manchester City Ballet. Nevertheless, distances between major population centres in this country are not big. I reached Birmingham from Leeds in less than 2 hours yesterday. I often trot down to London and back in a day for something special. My only regret is that three good things were happening yesterday - Northern Ballet's sharing, English National Ballet's Choreographics at Sadler;s Wells and the 25th anniversary show at the Hippodrome -. and I had to choose between them. I wish the ballet companies would speak to each other to avoid such clashes.

I shall be writing a proper review - or rather two (one each for The King Dances and Carmina Burana) in due course - but I was in the audience yesterday for a very special celebration of the 25th anniversary of the move to Birmingham and the 20th of Davd Bintley's appointment as artistic director. I really must mention the opening and closing tributes Here are some extracts from a longer article that I have published elsewhere: There was a pause of a minute or so before the curtain rose on The King Dances and to say that that performance was special is an understatement. It was one of the most enthralling spectacles I have ever experienced in the theatre. As I said above I will save the details of the review for another day but I don't think I have ever experienced anything more chilling than the images of hell conjured up in The Third Watch or anything more dazzling than the sight of William Bracewell glimmering in gold before the rising sun. The evening continued with Carmina Burana and the company danced their hearts out. Although Bintley has made his home in Birmingham he comes from Honley which is almost the next village to mine. I long suspected that he had been influenced by the Choral. I actually asked about the artistic influences when I attended a talk by him last month. Carmina Burana confirmed my surmise for much of the glory of that ballet comes from the soaring voices to Orff's score. After the curtain fell the crowd went wild. The applause was deafening. They yelled. They cheered. They whooped. They clapped till their palms were sore. Several in the audience, including me, felt compelled to rise. There was the usual reverence with its succession of curtain calls for the principals and then Michael Clarke, chair of the company's directors, walked on stage. He gestured to us to stop clapping. "That applause wasn't bad" he said "but the next round will be thunderous for I have found David Bintley," He beckoned Bintley onto the stage and the crowd erupted even louder than before. Bintley joined hands with the conductor and dancers and the applause exploded like a cannonade. Clarke told us that Peter Wright was in the audience. It was a very special moment. In order to attend yesterday's performance I had to leave Northern Ballet's Tell Tale Steps event early. I missed the choreographic sharing which I suspected would be, (and Gita, my colleague on Team Terpsichore, confirmed) was, the best part of the day. I particularly wanted to see works by Tindall and Vigier. Earlier in the day there had been an interesting conversation on narrative dance by a panel that included Christopher Hampson, Mary Brennan and Louise Levene which was supposed to be opened to the floor though sadly only Gita and I managed to get a word in edgeways. I was really torn but yesterday's celentation in Birmingham was very special and I would not have missed that for the world.

Team Hud (University of Huddersfield) charges £5 for 90 minutes with Fiona Noonan. KNT Dancewoks in Manchester charges £5 for an hour. Hype Dance in Sheffield charges £6. Northern Ballet Academy charges £6.50 for an hour (or more for some classes) with a pianist. If you would like me to blog it on Terpsichore which has a monthly circulation of 8,000 send me details of the dates, times, venues and standards. I hope the classes go well.

"The Bradford Dance Centre will open its doors to the public in August 2015 and will be the only dedicated space for dance within the city centre. The centre will have three professional dance studios and will offer a range of classes and courses for children, young people and adults," This is very welcome news. I shall of course blog about your programme. I wish you all the best.

Yes that's my class and these are my friends. I remember the visit by the reporter and photographer. I think I recognize myself in one of those photos doing a very sloppy side bed. The class has been on holiday for the last few weeks and I have been going to Sheffield, Huddersfield and Manchester in the meantime.

I am so sad to learn of the death of Richie Benaud this morning. He was one of the heroes of my childhood and adolescence. He captained Australia and was one of the most formidable bowlers of his day. After distinguishing himself on the cricket field he began a new career as a broadcaster. I regarded his commentaries as one of the most insightful of all. This clip from the BBC website records his achievements over half a century. I now feel very much older than I did before I read this news. Such an unhappy start to the new cricket season.

I was at yesterday's performance too and enjoyed it too. It was good to see Janet McNulty. One of the children Janet mentioned was the nearest I have to a grandson. He had a great time as did his parents and my colleague Gita.

Scottish Ballet has always occupied a special place in my affections because they were the first company that I got to know and love. Yesterday I found fresh reason to love that company last night when I saw A Streetcar named Desire at Sadler's Wells. This was a collaboration between theatre director, Nancy Meckler and choreographer, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. The result is quite extraordinary: high drama as well as great ballet. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it. The ballet is based on the play by Tennessee Williams. I say based because there are bits of the ballet that do not appear in the play such as Blanche Dubois's marriage and her late husband's suicide but these are necessary in order to set the ballet in context. In the play there are four main roles: Blanche Dubois, once the heiress of the great Southern mansion Belle Rêve, her sister Stella who has thrown in her lot with the uncouth Stanley Kowalsk and his mate Mitch who courts Blanche for a while. Commencing the ballet with the marriage enables Meckler and Lopez Ochoa to create a firth: Blanche's late husband Alan who shoots himself in despair after Blanche discovers his apparent affection for another man. Blanche is not nice to know. Her rejection of Alan leads leads directly to his suicide. She is arrogant and disdainful of the hospitality that her sister and brother show her initially by taking her off the street. Stanley may be a brute but we can well understand why he doesn't like his sister in law. Playing dance music while he and his friends try to relax over a game of cards. She gets Mitch to change the the light fittings without so much as a by your leave. Finally she tries to turn Stella against her husband. She takes to the bottle. She has a succession of unhappy relationships. Eventually she tries to seduce the delivery boy. But for all her faults we can't help feeling sorry for her as her dignity like her clothes in the rape scene- is stripped away in layers. In the penultimate scene she is left naked quivering on the floor. A very powerful image. Two fine young dancers have created that role - Eve Mutso and Luciana Ravizzi. Last night I sa Ravizzi, She comes from Buenos Aires - a city which, like the Southern states in the 1940s has known better days. It is the city of the tango - the mournful music of the Italian immigrants so far from home. That city has more than its fair share of tragic heroines. Most particularly María Eva Duarte de Perón whom we know as "Evita". I was conscious of those connotations as I watched Ravizzi dance last night. Whereas I had some sympathy for Blanche I had much less for her sister Stella. One of the few wise and brave things that Blanche did was to try to save her sister from Stanley. To no avail for she threw herself into his arms no matter what the abuse. In the end she connived at Blanche's committal to the psychiatric hospital That role was danced by Sophie Laplane who portrayed that poor conflicted soul exactly. Christopher Harrison danced the loutish Stanley. He was menacing in every movement. He walked in a slow, threatening swaggering gait. His gestures were staccato even when playing cards, His manhandling of Blanche in the rape scene was harrowing. A first class performance in every respect. Remi Andreoni danced the gentle Mitch with sensitivity. Andrew Peasgood was the ghostly blood stained spectre of Blanche's husband. There were two other elements that made the show: Peter Salem's magnificent score and Niki Turner's designs. The loss of Belle Rêve was symbolized by the porticoed mansion collapsing into a pile of rubble, Brilliant theatre! One of several images from the performance that I doubt that I shall forget in a hurry Scottish Ballet spent only three days with us. It was lovely to see them but I wish it were longer. I would love to have seen Mutso's interpretation of the role of Blanche. In to her interview with Christopher Hampson in Uncit and also in Mark Monahan's programme note Becoming Blanche she describes the research she carried out to understand the role. She read the play, saw it on stage and studied the film. I would imagine her performance would be quite different. The company is now taking the production to the United States and it will be interesting to see what the Americans make of this transposition of a classic of their literature. I think they will be as impressed as I have been and I certainly hope so.

With respect you asked the question where does the boundary lie between one dance form and another. As you say it is a topic about which there is more than one opinion. I gave you the perfectly reasonable reply "what does it matter so long as it is good?" I could just as easily have replied "I don't mind so long as it is good." That is not closing off debate even on this issue. Much less is it closing off debate on other issues. Least of all is it challenging the function of this or any other forum. It is expressing a neutral position that I am entitled to hold. As to specifics I watch Phoenix and Northern Ballet and enjoy them both. I recognize different styles and techniques such as floor work in one and pointe work in the other. I acknowledge the merits of each. I don't regard either as superior or inferior to the other. I go to watch dance not ballet or contemporary. At a very basic level I have taken classes in both styles and.in my very limited experience I find contemporary is even harder than ballet. As for your second point, the quality of a performance is not always subjective. To take an extreme example a member of the cast may not show up. That would be a bad performance in my book. I would however agree with you that taste is subjective.

Does it really matter so long a it is done well?

Shobana Jeyasingh Dance's La Bayadère - The Ninth Life at the Linbury yesterday lasted about an hour but it was one of the most intense hours that I have ever spent in the theatre. I had come to the performance expecting a transposition of the story of the ballet into bharatha natyam or some other Indian dance idiom but it was nothing like that. That would have been too easy and it is clear from the list of her works on her company's website that Jeyasingh doesn't do easy. Instead, it compared and contrasted a modern Indian's perception of one of the classics of Western dance with Théophile Gautier's perception of Indian classical dance. At least I think that is what it was about. My friend and colleague Gita Mistry understood it much better than I did. She has studied bharatha natyam and picked up on cues like the counting of time and the sharp heel movements that had passed me by. She explained her understanding of this work to me patiently over dinner (a curry as it happens) and the long drive back to Yorkshire. I admired the virtuosity of the dancers and I came reasonably prepared for the show having read everything I could about it but without Gita's commentary it would have been very much harder for me to appreciate the show. The performance opens straightforwardly enough with a blogger and his computer. He is an Indian man in a check sitting on the floor as the audience arrives and takes their places. The lights dimmed. He began to type and words appeared on the screen. On a visit to London, he explains, a friend had taken him to the ballet to see La Bayadère. He found it a remarkable experience. He set out the story noting that it set near modern Hyderabad. He listed the characters - Nikiya, Gamzatti, Solor, the holy man - each of whom appeared behind the screen. "I've never seen a holy man move like that" he mused to the audience's laughter. The plot he described as "pure Bollywood" the only authentic bit being the protracted Indian wedding. And finally the entry of the shades. The next scene focused on the words of Gautier who saw real bayadères or temple dancers from Pondicherry when they visited Paris in 1838. At first came wonder and appreciation for the dancers - their wonderful soft skin and teeth - but then disdain - blue gums, the ears riddled with holes, the gifts of tobacco, the dancer's feet one toe separated from the others like a bird's foot - and this refrain was repeated with the temple dancer manhandled on stage. Gita told me that much of the dancing in that scene had been bharatha natyam which I might have worked out for myself had Indian instruments been played but there were no hints of that in Gabriel Prokofiev's score. This was a combination of voice with percussion and other sound. The soundtrack from this trailer will give some idea. As I say above, Jeyasingh does not do easy. Listening to Gauthier's words which were repeated several times, it dawned on me why India unlike China, Japan and Korea appears relatively unmoved and uninfluenced by Western ballet or for that matter classical music. I had considered that conundrum several times. Gauthier, the author of Giselle, never really understood or appreciated an Indian dance form that has subsisted for more than two millennia. Why should an Indian pay regard for an art form which in its modern embodiment is barely two centuries old! As I said above I found the show intense. Gita felt it too. Both of us would have preferred a different score. I would have liked Indian instruments and rhythms. But we are both glad to have seen the show. Armed with the knowledge that I now have I should like to see it again. It is going on tour but only in places like Eastleigh, Exeter and Watford. "Why not bring it North?" I asked the choreographer whom I approached after the show. She replied that she would love to do so

Michelle_Richer, you probably already know this but, just in case you don't, rehearsals will start for the end of term show at Northern Ballet immediately after the Easter holidays. I enjoyed last year's show very much and would like to be in this year's but we shall have to see.

I am trekking down to London to see this work tomorrow and am looking forward to it tremendously. I caught the last bit of a very interesting interview with Shobana Jayasingh on the radio interview yesterday. Interesting that the choreographer chose a man for the title role. I will report back when I return to Yorkshire.

Here is an interesting report from The Economist on why girls are doing better than boys in almost every subject in the school curriculum. It is happening not only here but in many other countries of the developed and indeed much of the developing world. The explanation seems to lie in the following paragraph: "To see why boys and girls fare so differently in the classroom, first look at what they do outside it. The average 15-year-old girl devotes five-and-a-half hours a week to homework, an hour more than the average boy, who spends more time playing video games and trawling the internet. Three-quarters of girls read for pleasure, compared with little more than half of boys. Reading rates are falling everywhere as screens draw eyes from pages, but boys are giving up faster. The OECD found that, among boys who do as much homework as the average girl, the gender gap in reading fell by nearly a quarter." It is not just reading where girls do better but also physical exercise. As the Victorian schoolmasters used to say mens sana in corpore sano. They might do better if they were less sniffy about their sisters' ballet classes or at least made an appearance on the cricket pitch or rugger field. Girls in many families are often given greater responsibility than their brothers at an earlier age with simple domestic tasks in the home. To correct this imbalance in educational attainment between the sexes we need to make a radical shift in attitudes.

I have just watched the recording of last Tuesday's HDTV transmission of Swan Lake from Covent Garden and enjoyed it thoroughly. Excellent dancing of course but also a good presentation. In the past I have compared transmissions from the Royal Opera House unfavourably with Pathe Live's from Moscow but this was good. I particularly enjoyed the interviews with Anthony Dowell, Jonathan Cope and Cynthia Harvey and learned something. I watched the recording in Huddersfield and felt a jolt of pride when the credits mentioned the additional choreography by David Bintley.

Any company would have been proud of yesterday's double bill. As it was performed largely by dancers who do not yet make their living from dance it was all the more remarkable. Note my terminology. I did not say "amateur" deliberately. There was nothing amateurish about the show. Everything was polished. Not just the dancing (which was perhaps not so surprising since several members of the cast were either at, had been to, or were on their way to, top ballet schools) but the direction, stage management, sets, costumes, lighting - even the glossy programmes. All the more impressive when it is considered that the production was completed in a year on a limited budget and much of the set painting and costume making would have been done by the members themselves. There were two one act ballets yesterday evening - Annette Potter's Pineapple Poll based on John Cranko's choreography and a new ballet by Christopher Marney called Carnival of the Animals. The works complemented each other perfectly for Marney has much in common with Cranko. Pineapple Poll was created early in Cranko's career and while Marney has created a string of successful ballets for Ballet Black, Ballet Central and others it has to to be remembered that he is still a very young man. If, as I fervently hope, he lives to a ripe old age and his career maintains its present trajectory Carnival will be regarded as an "early Marney". I can foresee school and university teachers yet unborn setting essay questions like "Pineapple Poll and Carnival - compare and contrast" to the grandchildren of yesterday's corps de ballet. For those who do not know the Cranko ballet there is a good synopsis in Wikipedia. There are five key roles: Pineapple Poll, Jasper the pot boy, Captain Belaye, Blanche his bride and her aunt, Mrs Dimple. Jasper falls in love with Poll but she has eyes only for the captain. She steals on board his ship with her friends to attract his attention but he has eyes only for Blanche and she is so disappointed when the captain leads Blanche and Mrs Dimple on board HMS Hot Cross Bun. However when Jasper enlists as a midshipman Poll finally takes an interest in him and the ballet ends happily with Mrs Dimple representing Britannia. With music selected and arranged from the works of Sir Arthur Sullivan it was a great patriotic romp. Captain Belaye was portrayed majestically by Andrew Potter. Readers of last year's review of The Nutcracker will remember that he was Drosselmeyer. Jasper was danced by Stephen Quildan whom Jessica Wilson has interviewed recently in Dance Direct (see Stephen Quildan – Educating Experiences 13 March 2015). He displayed great virtuosity - I couldn't help clapping one particularly difficult jump even though I shouldn't have done - but also he expressed loving, longing, disappointment and despair so eloquently. Scarlett Mann was a delightful Poll - coquettish, determined, devious but still delightful whether selling trinkets on the quayside or marshalling the crew of the Hot Cross Bun. Also attractive was Megan McLatchie as Blanche. However, for me the star of the show was Marion Pettet as Mrs Dimple - and Britannia. Last year she was Frau Stahlbaum. A wonderful actor as well as an accomplished dancer and a great chair of the Chelmsford Ballet Company. The Carnival of the Animals was written by Saint-Saëns which is best known for The Swan. That piece upon which Fokine created The Dying Swan for Anna Pavlova never fails to move me even when I hear it on a DVD player or over the radio. There are many reasons for that - some personal - to which I alluded in my review of Northern Ballet's Sapphire gala last week (see Sapphire 16 March 2015). Last Saturday Javier Torres presented a new interpretation of Saint-Saëns's music and last night we got another. A pas de deux between Quildan and Jasmine Wallis which was also lovely. Typical Marney. But I am getting ahead of myself. Marney did not create a new version of The Carnival of the Animals. He made a ballet about a company that was about to dance The Carnival of the Animals. A young stage hand longed to dance - perhaps because of his longing for its principal dancer performed beautifully by Wallis. But when he tried to lift her - dainty though she is - he found that pas de deux work was not quite as easy as it looked. According to Tim Tubbs's programme notes the ballet was set in the 1930s - the heroic early days of the English ballet after Diaghilev had died but before the Second World War when endless touring by the Vic-Wells Ballet won the hearts of the nation to this originally foreign art form. There were a few animals - foxes perhaps - and a yapping lap dog quite invisible to all but the dancers but clearly another dog like Bif which could do ballet - but the main characters were people. Quildan the stage hand, Wallis his sweetheart and principal dancer and Pettet her mother. Again, Pettet stole the show for me as the bossy, fussy but affectionate mother but she was not the only star. Quildan with a foot in a bucket one moment and fumbling the ballerina the next - showed that he can amuse an audience as well as amaze it. Wallis was an adorable ballerina. Everybody in that show danced well. Jessica Wilson (the blogger who interviewed Wilson and danced Harlequin last year) and Jenni Stafford as the ballerina's friends, Georgia Otley and Amelia Wallis (Clara in last year's show) as playful school kids, Hannah Cotgrove, McLatchie again and Carly Parry as the domestics and Mann, April Goulding and Darci Willsher as the company's dancers. It must have been such a thrill for them to work with a dancer of the calibre of Marney and one which each and every one of them richly deserved. I loved The Nutcracker but this double bill was even better. "What are you doing next year?" I asked Marion Pettet when I congratulated her after the show. "Not sure" was the answer. I suggested La Sylphide at first because ir is a ballet in a British setting which should be danced by a British company. But then I remembered their wonderful young women dancers (some of whom I have mentioned above) which is the company's strength. Wouldn't they be splendid in the entry of the shades in La Bayadère?