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Terpsichore

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  1. Terpsichore
    Just a quick update for those who may be interested in our new ballet company. The new ballet that we have commissioned Terry Etheridge to create will be called "Aria" and will be set to the music of the French composer Claude Bolling. The brilliant young designer. Amelia Sierevogel, will create our costumes. I should add that Amelia is also a good dancer. An audition will take place on 15 Sept at Dance Studio Leeds. Terry has persuaded David Plumpton to play for us. So many dancers have applied to audition for our new ballet that we had to move our class to the biggest studio in the building but even that space is now full. Terry is looking for at least 2 gentlemen and between 4 and 6 ladies. As we are full I am quite happy to relinquish my place in the class to a promising young dancer should any apply. Anybody elsewill have to go on the waiting list. I shall tell you how we get on after 16 Sept.
  2. Terpsichore
    Have a good visit to Taynuilt. My regards to Gillian, Tony, Jonathan et al. Toi toi toi for Ballet West's performances in Malaysia.
  3. Terpsichore
    Many thanks for your interest and good wishes Kate_N. I shall certainly report back to this website from time to time. We also have a website, Facebook page and twitter account if anyone is interested.
  4. Terpsichore
    "England win pulsating first Test - reaction & highlights" What a match! What a result! Let's hope we can keep this up for the rest of the series.
  5. Terpsichore
    We have commissioned the distinguished choreographer, Terry Etheridge, one of the founder members of what is now Northern Ballet , former artistic director of the Hong Kong Ballet and resident choreographer of Duchy Ballet (one of the two companies that inspired us to set up Powerhouse Ballet) to create a ballet especially for our debut in Manchester. Terry will be in Leeds on 15 Sept to hold an audition at Dance Studio Leeds between 15:30 and 17:00 where he will select his cast. He will create the ballet around the cast the next day. Any subscriber to this website wants to find out more about the audition or our debut in Manchester can check out our Eventbrite page. By coincidence, a work by Mlindi Kulashe, one of Terry's students will be performed as part of its Mixed Programme by Terry's former company in Leeds on 15 Sept immediately after the audition. Terry has graciously accepted my invitation to attend the show as my guest that evening,
  6. Terpsichore
    I recommend Hype Dance at 60 Upper Allen St, Sheffield, S3 7GL In answer to Millie3's question, Sheffield does have a Dance Soc. I wrote a short article on Ballet at University in my blog where I discussed the Dance Society that I helped to found at St Andrews 50 years ago and mentioned similar societies at other leading universities including Sheffield. CeliB's daughter will also be welcome at any of the monthly classes of Powerhouse Ballet which alternate between Yorkshire and the Northwest. The next one will be in Liverpool on 22 Sept with Mark Hindle of KNT and a guest from the Netherlands and the one after that will be in Leeds on 28 Oct which will be taught by Jane Tucker of Northern Ballet. For the time being I do not make a charge for attending class. I wish CeliB's daughter every success in her medical studies and subsequent career.
  7. Terpsichore
    I am not a big fan of the Royal Ballet's Don Quixote but I have recently seen two excellent performances by other companies: One by the ballet company of the Paris opera house at the Bastille auditorium on Christmas day with Isabella Boylston as Kitri; and The other by the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam on 28 Feb with Sho Yamada and Riho Sakamoto in the leading roles. I reviewed both performances in my blog if anyone is interested. Boylston was particularly impressive. I promised Janet McNulty the programme for the Dutch show and had intended to give it to her when the Birmingham Royal Ballet visited the Lowy in March. Unfortunately I was let down by public transport. My flight in to Ringway was delayed for hours by bad weather and the delay was compounded by a tree on the line from the airport to Piccadilly which meant that I missed that performance for which I had hired a very good seat. Rail services were disrupted and roads were blocked for the rest of the season by the so called oriental beast which meant that I never did see Birmingham Ballet's version of Peter Wright's The Sleeping Beauty though I did see the Dutch National Ballet's a few weeks earlier which was outstanding.
  8. Terpsichore
    In terms of numbers, yesterday's company class in Leeds was the best ever. Everybody had fun. Many thanks to our teacher, Annemarie Donoghue of Northern Ballet for an excellent class and to everybody who attended. Several of our attendees had to travel considerable distances. One from Colwyn Bay. Another from Birmingham. Yet another from Lincoln. It was good to see you all. No class in August as it is a holiday month but we encourage any of our members who is not on holiday - or anyone else who finds him or herself in Manchester on Saturday 18 August - to attend KNT's Day of Dance which is wall to wall dance classes in several styles at the Dancehouse Theatre studios on Oxford Road starting at 10:00 and continuing to 17:00. I shall attended pre-intermediate ballet at 14:00 to `15:30 and ballet repertoire 15:30 to 17:00. Our next company class will take place at Z Studios in Liverpool on 22 Sept 2018 at 14:00. Immediately after our usual 90 minute class with Mark Hindle, we shall welcome Yvonne Charlton of the Jos Dolstra Institute of Dance and Movement at IJsselstein in the Netherlands who will teach us some of her choreography between 15:30 and 16:30. It will be a long day but great fun. In the next few weeks I shall enquire about group bookings for Ballet Black at the Lowry and Stanley and Audrey Burton and for Ballet Cymru who are also coming to the Stan and Audrey soon. We look forward to seeing both companies. Several contributors to this website and my blog have enquired about classes for dancers under the age of 18. Insurance is now in place and we have found a teacher with experience of teaching younger dancers. Our first class for that age group is likely to take place in Manchester and we shall make an announcement soon. In the meantime we would encourage younger dancers and their parents and guardians to check out the special classes with Michaela DePrince and Ivan Putrov organized by Danceworks in London..
  9. Terpsichore
    Nothing for it. I shall just have to rejoin the Friends of Covent Garden to regain priority booking and let one or more of my other Friends' memberships go. But which one? I can't let Scottish Ballet go. I have known them ever since I was at St Andrews 50 years ago. Nor can I say goodbye to Ballet Black or Ballet Cymru both of which I love dearly. By the way I got stalls for the matinee performance of 3 Nov. Very happy with Lamb and Hirano but not so happy with the weekend train timetables whereby the last train to Donny leaves at 10:00. I had to miss the whole of Act 2 of Ballet Central's mixed programme a few weeks ago to avoid an expensive night in t'Smoke.
  10. Terpsichore
    Our company class in Leeds is now full. This is the first time I have been able to say that. I will tell you how it went on Saturday. We are taking a holiday in August but will be back in September with a special master class by the distinguished Dutch teacher and choreographer Yvonne Charlton which will follow our company class with Mark Hindle on 22 Sept at Z Studios on Devon Street in Liverpool on 22 Sept. This will be a long class but also a very enjoyable one. We start warm up exercises at 14:00 prompt and train hard with Mark until 15:30. After a quick guzzle of water Yvonne will take over to teach us some of her repertoire for another hour. I have posted a feature on Yvonne to Terpsichore. Any denizen of Liverpool who wants to take part will be most welcome. Also, our good friends in Ballet Black will return to the North in November. They will dance in the Stan and Audrey on 16 and 17 and the Lowry on 19 and I was thinking of making a group booking at one of those theatres and maybe inviting Cassa Pancho and any of her dancers who may be free to say "Eh up" or "How do" depending on where we are at a convenient moment. If anyone is interested please let me know which day and venue suits best.
  11. Terpsichore
    Even though it took place on on of the hottest days of the year, our second company class at the Dancehouse Studios in Manchester on 30 June 2018 was a great success. Mark Hindle of KNT gave us a very thorough barre and some very exacting centre exercises. Mark has a good eye for detail and issued some very helpful corrections. Mark took this photo after the class. As you can see from our faces, we all had a whale of a time. Our next company class will take place at Dance Studio Leeds on 28 July 2018 at 14:00. Annemarie Donoghue of Northern Ballet will train us. That should be another great class. Annemarie teaches my over 55 class with endless patience and enormous good humour but she expects the best from each and every one of us and she invariably gets it. Her class is nearly full but we could probably squeeze in a few more dancers. I shall bear the studio hire, instructor's fees and public liability insurance while we are establishing ourselves so all you have to do is register on Eventbrite and turn up. Further information on location, public transport, parking and so forth are available on the Eventbrite page. Further information is available on the Powerhouse Ballet website at http://www.powerhouseballet.co.uk. Our first class after the summer holidays will take place at Z Studios at 42 Devon Street in Liverpool on Saturday 22 Sept 2018 between 14:00 and 16:30. After our usual class with Mark, a distinguished guest teacher and choreographer from the Netherlands will teach us some of her repertoire. Booking for this very special class will open immediately after the Leeds company class. We expect it to fill very quickly and we have already had expressions of interest from two Liverpool dancers. If anybody from Yorkshire or Manchester wants a lift to and from Liverpool please let me know. I have room for 3 passengers and I am happy to pick up passengers from Huddersfield railway station and the Dancehouse Theatre in Manchester.
  12. Terpsichore
    Thank you Michelle Richer. That is a very good suggestion. One of our members actually comes from Birmingham though I think we would struggle to be ready for that show but the Liverpool dates are just right. Liverpool is also part of the Northern Powerhouse region and our next class but one will take place there. We were joined by several dancers from Liverpool at our second company class yesterday which went very well. We are looking forward to our next class in Leeds on 28 July at 14:00.
  13. Terpsichore
    The class will be given by Annemarie Donoghue of Northern Ballet Academy. I have provisionally booked a studio from 14:00 to 15:30 on Saturday, 28 July and have asked Annemarie whether she is happy with the date, time and place. I have also given her the option of two other dates and studios. As soon as I hear from her I will set up an Eventbrite page and mention it here. You will also find information at www.powerhouseballet.co.uk and in Terpsichore. Alternatively if you don't have any time for blogs or social media you could send me your name, email or postal address or telephone number and I will send you an email or letter or ring you when something significant occurs - whichever you prefer..
  14. Terpsichore
    Mea culpa There was a typo in my last post. Our next class will take place at 13:30 on 30 June 2018 at the Dancehouse in Manchester and not on 30 Sept though there will be a class at the end of September which I hope will be in Liverpool. There will also be another class in Yorkshire at the end of July.. Anybody who wants to attend the class in Manchester on 30 June should register here.
  15. Terpsichore
    I am delighted to announce our second class. It will take place at the Dancehouse in Manchester on Saturday, 30 Sept 2018 between 13:30 and 15:00 and will be given by Mark Hindle of KNT Danceworks. Everyone who attended or registered for the last class or showed interest in Powerhouse Ballet will be invited back but we also hope to welcome dancers from Greater Manchester, Merseyside and other parts of the North. As before, there will be no charge for the class but registration through Eventbrite is essential is essential as we are limited to 25 dancers. Finally, as our proposal has been accepted, the moderators may wish to consider simplifying the name of the thread to "Powerhouse Ballet".
  16. Terpsichore
    Many thanks to Nicola H for alerting me to this thread. I had not been following it. I wish your daughter every success with her studies. I hope she will still manage to enjoy the occasional class or performance as I have for the last 41 years. She may well find that the bar and barre have a lot in common even though they do not have much to do with each other. Long before I subscribed to this website I wrote this little article which may amuse you, If your daughter wants any recommendations, warnings, introductions or a second opinion, you know where to get me.
  17. Terpsichore
    Looks like she mayl according the Ballet Cymru's website (see http://welshballet.co.uk/productions/dylan-thomas-a-childs-christmas/)
  18. Terpsichore
    The Waterside Arts Centre is almost opposite the Metrolink stop and overlooks the Bridgewater Canal, Quite a lot of dance is performed at the theatre as you can see from this link https://watersidearts.org/whats-on/?category=dance Ballet Black performed Dogs Don't Do Ballet there some years ago and Chantry Dance are expected later this year. I see you come from London CCL. Ballet Cymru usually perform at Sadler's Wells in November or December. I think they may present their new ballet, A Child's Christmas in Wales there. If you want to see Cinderella (and I strongly recommend it for the reasons I set out in my review of 15 June 2015 )you can catch it at Stevenage on 4 July 2018 (see https://www.gordon-craig.co.uk/ballet-cymru-cinderella-i1968). They are a lovely company and I am sure you would enjoy the show. PS Gita and I were looking out for you last night Janet. I remember your review of A Midsummer Night's Dream and thought you might come again. Ballet Cymru have just recruited some excellent young dancers I hope you get a chance to see them too. I shall also look out for you at the Lowry this week.
  19. Terpsichore
    Ballet Cymru has revived Darius James and Amy Doughty's Cinderella which is my favourite work in the company;s repertoire and IMHO the best Cinderella anywhere. I say that for several reasons. It is very faithful to the Grimms' tale which is short and tight as us the ballet. I also love Jack White's simple but very moving score, James and Doughty's choreography and of course the cast. I caught the show at the Waterside Arts Centre in Sale last night . I was enchanted by Bethe Meadway;s performance as Cinderella. Link Xander Parish and Kevin O'Hare she comes from Hull and they would have been proud of their fellow cod head. Great performances also from Robbie Moorcroft, Isobel Holland, Dan Morrison, Miguel Fernandes, Eka Mastrangelo and Alex Hallas. I noticed a few changes since the last run in 2015 most of which I liked. The company uses lighting in place of sets and [ properties since it does a lot of touring and it has acquired some new projections. If anyone is interested, I have written a longer review in my blog,
  20. Terpsichore
    Although only 55% of those who had registered actually turned up we still had enough for a great class. All the dancers who cancelled expressed continued interest in the project and asked to be kept informed as did several others who did not register. Attendees came from all parts of the region from Salford in the west to York in the east and from Harrogate in the north to Birmingham in the south. The venue for the class was not ideal in that there were no travelling barres and the floor was a bit slippery causing me to lose my balance but we made the best of it. Jane Tucker promised me a great class and she delivered. Seldom have I seen such happy faces After the class we held a quick meeting where Jane took some photos one of which appears in the Powerhouse Ballet website and the rest on Facebook. We agreed to train together regularly with a view to staging ballets and we elected a steering committee to take us to the next level. Jane has agreed to give us more classes as have several other teachers. Classes will be held in Manchester, Leeds and other places in the region after we have consulted those who attended the class or expressed interest in doing so. I should like to thank every subscriber to this website who has offered assistance or sent good wishes. I will keep you all posted but as my proposal to set up a new company has been accepted it may be more appropriate to do so under a different thread.
  21. Terpsichore
    Tomorrow we shall know whether we have enough support in the North of England to establish an amateur ballet company in the North. I have received 20 registrations for Jane Tucker's class in Huddersfield Leisure Centre at 15:00 tomorrow though some have withdrawn. The studio will take another 5 dancers so if anyone else wants to attend please let me know. I look forward to seeing those who wish to attend the class at Kirklees Leisure Centre, Spring Grove Street, Huddersfield HD1 4BP at 15:00 tomorrow. I will be at the reception desk of the Leisure Centre from 14:30 to make sure that the staff let you all in. I have hired the dance studio from 14:15 to 16:45 if you wish to carry out your own stretches, warm up and cool down exercises in addition to those that our teacher will direct. I should like to thank everyone else who has expressed interest in the project. I acknowledge in particular the advice I have received from Marion Pettet of Chelmsford Ballet, Terence Etheridge of Duchy Ballet, Gillian Barton of Ballet West and Michelle Richer of Lincolnshire. After the class I shall invite those who attend the class to a short meeting in the canteen where we shall decide whether we want to form a company and, if so, elect a small steering committee to draw up a business plan and constitution for the company.
  22. Terpsichore
    Maybe I misunderstood but I am sure that O'Hare said that she made her debut in the role on Saturday. Be that as it may, the main thing is that she was good.
  23. Terpsichore
    Just a quickie to say that I am back from the Smoke and thoroughly enjoyed last night's performance of Scarlett's Swan Lake at Covent Garden. I have seen a lot of performances of Swan Lake in my time but IMHO yesterday's was one of the best ever and indeed one of the best performances of anything that I have seen at Covent Garden. I appreciated the upgrading of Rothbart's role from scary cape waving sorcerer on a rock to even more scary ambitious and scheming court insider. It added an extra dynamic to the story and for me made it more realistic. The enhanced role was danced convincingly by Bennet Gartside. From where I was sitting (row L1 in the stalls) he reminded me a little bit of Mr Putin. I had chosen the 22 for my foray south in order to see Lauren Cuthbertson and Federico Bonelli. Kevin O'Hare came on stage just before the start to say that she had been injured. I do hope not seriously. Her place was taken by Akane Takada who had only danced the role once before on Saturday according to O'Hare. She was enchanting and I was not in the least disappointed by the casting change though I hope to see Cuthbertson in the role one day. Bonelli was still there and he was great. I appreciated all Macfarlane's set designs but particularly the last scene featuring the rock in monochrome. I also liked the costumes especially the uniforms of the men and Benno and Siegfried's outfits in particular. It was worth the astronomical ticket price and the tedious journey there and back relieved only by the pleasure of bumping into Michelle Richer in the buffet car. The train had been delayed by signalling problems just outside Donnie and had to wait at Newark and Grantham to make way for fast trains. At Peterborough it broke down altogether. So much for re-nationalization. Michelle and I had to stand for the last bit of the journey but we had a great chat so time passed quickly. I have written a longer review in my blog if anybody is interested.
  24. Terpsichore
    I could have attended every one of Northern Ballet's evening performances of Jane Eyre at The Lowry or two performances of Don Quixote by Dutch National Ballet from the best seats in the Stopera for the price of my ticket in the stalls for Tuesday's performance. I am also taking the whole afternoon off work to traipse down to the Smoke and my train home pulls into Donnie in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Will it be worth it? I think so. I am a big fan of Lauren Cuthbertson and Federico Bonelli, But I will let you know on Wednesday.
  25. Terpsichore
    I had expected to be in London for a hearing yesterday but the judge ordered a telephone hearing instead. That left me free to see Ballet Black's double bill again at the Nottingham Playhouse. As soon as the hearing finished I called the box office and secured a ticket. The traffic on the M1 was horrendous and I needed every second of the two and a half hours that I had allowed for the 60 mile journey. I took my seat in the auditorium just as the curtain was about to rise. I had seen "The Suit" at the Barbican and a rehearsal at a Ballet Black Friends even in February so I knew what to expect. Even so, the site of Cira Robinson's beautiful young body hanging lifeless jolted my body like an electric shock though I knew she would spring back smiling for the reverence just second away. I think her performance as Tilly is her best yet I met Cassa Pancho in the interval and handed her a birthday card for Jose Alves on behalf of myself and all the other contributors to Terpsichore as I think we are all big fans of the company. Alves is now taking the male lead roles in place of Damian Johnson and doing so very well indeed. Yesterday must have been the 6th or 7th time that I had seen "A Dream within A Midsummer Night's Dream" but it never fails to delight me. Each of the dancers has his or her role. Isabela Coracy as Puck in her scouts uniform and green beard scattering her glitter, Alves and Robinson as Oberon and Titania, Mthuthuzeli November as Demtrius, Bottom and Salvador Dali, Ebony Thomas as Lysander, Sayaka Ichikawa as Helena and Marie-Astrid Mence as Helena. Ballet Black won a standing ovation which is rare in this country outside political party conferences. I will be interested to see whether Liam Scarlett gets one when I go down for "Swan Lake" next week. If anyone is interested I have written a much fuller review in Terpsichore.
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