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I've just gotten home from watching Cats with my 11 yr old and his friend, I loved it, so did they, giving it 8 out of ten. I agree. I went expecting to hate it. I hadn't seen the stage version, so had no comparison as a starting point. It really was a festive treat, Francesca Hayward was lovely, appearing in just about every scene. She has a really beautiful expressive face which added to her role. I was surprised that she sang, I am hoping it was indeed her. Steven McRae's tap dancing was phenomenal! I can't work out why the film received zero or only one star reviews, I didn't read them beforehand as I really wanted to come to my own opinion without the critics words and spoilers reverberating in my head. Three people walked out of the screening this afternoon, about 30 minutes in; this got me thinking about the negative reviews on the way home. I think perhaps this is a film where there is no middle ground, you either just love straight away, or you don't. It has an unusual rather unreal quality to it, not quite magical, but an unusual 'feel.' If you love the poems of T.S Eliot and the music of ALW, and want to watch some wonderful cats with human faces, then go, suspend disbelief and enjoy.

Francesca Hayward is to take the lead role in the new film Cats - see http://www.roh.org.uk/news/royal-ballet-principal-francesca-hayward-leads-the-cast-of-cats?utm_source=social&utm_medium=twitter She'll be replaced in The Unknown Soldier by Yasmine Naghdi and will be back with the company in the spring.

3D CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE ABOUT LEGENDARY AMERICAN DANCER AND CHOREOGRAPHER MERCE CUNNINGHAM SET TO BE RELEASED IN CINEMAS ACROSS THE UK AND IRELAND FROM 13 MARCH 2020 CUNNINGHAM, a 3D cinematic experience about legendary American choreographer Merce Cunningham is set to be released in cinemas across the UK and Ireland from 13 March 2020, following the Merce Cunningham centenary this year. Directed by Alla Kovagan for Dogwoof, the film follows Merce’s artistic evolution over three decades of risk and discovery between 1944–1972, from early years as a struggling dancer in postwar New York to his emergence as one of the most visionary and influential choreographers in the world. Misunderstood and rejected by the dance world of his time, Merce persevered against all odds and developed a new dance technique and a new way of thinking about making dance performances in collaboration with composer John Cage and visual artist Robert Rauschenberg. Rooted in both imaginary realms and actual life experiences, the film features excerpts from Cunningham’s works, re-imagined for 3D cinema at interior and exterior locations. The precise choreography of the camera will allow viewers to “step inside the dance”; and the archival materials (16mm/35mm footage, audio, and photographs) evoke the charged atmosphere of the time, while Merce’s own diagrams and drawings provide insight into his creative process. 3D technology weaves all the elements together, creating a moving and visceral journey through Merce’s world. Alla Kovagan, Director, said: “I never imagined working with Merce’s choreography on filmbecause of the complexity of his choreographic structures and his infinite explorations in time andspace. 3D offers interesting opportunities as it articulates the relationship between the dancers in and to the space. Merce and 3D represent an idea fit, not only because of his use of space but also because of his interest in every technological advancement of his time and his willingness to adapt and work in unconventional settings/locations. It became clear to me that even back in the 1950s, before Merce developed the idea of an “event,” he had been longing to create immersiveenvironments for his dances. Today, 3D allows for his dream to come true.” Jennifer Goggans, Director of Choreography said: “There is a certain poignancy in hearing Merce’s voice for those of us that knew and worked with him. But beyond that trigger of emotion is the fact that he and his early collaborators and dancers tell the story, in their own voices, which gives a weight and power to this film that is undeniable. The archival materials that Alla uncovered in her research are simply stunning and the live action scenes bring Cunningham’s dances into the present tense, displaying how truly ahead of his time he was as an artist. But what touched me most of all, was being reminded of the perseverance and determination of everyone involved in the formative years of the company and Cunningham’s openness to the generations that followed. It is an honor to be part of this history and to be able to share his work once again on such a large scale.” The full creative team on the film is made up of Alla Kovgan (Director & Writer), Jennifer Goggins (Director of Choreography, US), Robert Swinson (Supervising Director of Choreography, US), Joséphine Derobe (Director of Stereography, France), Mko Malkhasyan (Director of Photography, Us/Armenia), Hauschka (Volker Bertelmann) (Composer, Germany) and Mieke Ulfig (Archival Sequences Designer, Germany). Merce Cunningham (1919-2009) was a world-renowned choreographer unequaled for innovation in both the 20th and 21st centuries. Merce persevered against all odds and developed a new dance technique and a new way of thinking in collaboration with seminal visual artists and composers such as John Cage (who was also his life partner), Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Frank Stella, and Andy Warhol. The Merce Cunningham Dance Company was founded in 1953 and disbanded in 2011 after Merce’s death. Throughout his seventy-year career, Merce choreographed more than 180 dances and over 700 “Events,” which combined excerpts from diverse works in novel contexts. Known for his experimentation with “chance operations,” he also worked with the cutting-edge technologies of his time —including film, video, TV, computer programming, and motion capture—to explore his work in different contexts. Merce’s story, commitment to innovation, and ideas continue to influence generations of artists and choreographers worldwide. Born in Moscow, Alla Kovgan has divided her time between Europe and the US working with dance and film collaborations on screen, VR and in theatre. She also brings a strong record as a documentary writer/editor. Her film NORA has received 30 awards in every genre and was broadcast worldwide. She co-wrote/edited the Emmy-nominated TRACES OF THE TRADE (Sundance, PBS), MOVEMENT REVOLUTION AFRICA (ZDF/ARTE) and edited MY PERESTROIKA (Sundance, PBS). Her first VR piece with Finnish music duo Puhti DEVIL’S LUNGS won Grand Prix at the Vienna Shorts Festival, which made her an artist-in-residence at Vienna’s Museum Quarter 21 in 2019. Jennifer Goggans, a Kentucky native, holds a BFA from SUNY Purchase and performed as a member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company for 12 years. She was the Assistant to the Director of Choreography during the company’s final Legacy Tour. She has taught Cunningham Technique® classes and staged his works across the globe, notably, the Paris Opera Ballet, the Lyon Opera Ballet, the Bayerisches Staatsballet, L.A. Dance Project, the Stephen Petronio Company and the Juilliard School. Goggans has performed with the Louisville Ballet, MOMIX, Chantal Yzermans, and Christopher Williams and has appeared as a guest artist with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. She also studied fashion design at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology and has created costumes for Tere O’Connor and RoseAnne Spradlin. Currently, she is also the Program Coordinator for the Merce Cunningham Trust. Robert Swinston joined the Merce Cunningham Dance Company (MCDC) in 1980 and became Assistant to Merce Cunningham in 1992. Following Cunningham's death in 2009, he was named Director of Choreography and a Trustee of the Merce Cunningham Trust. He oversaw the MCDC, the Repertory Understudy Group, and the Cunningham Educational Outreach Program until the closure of the MCDC in 2011. Swinston reconstructed many Cunningham dances for the MCDC and staged his works worldwide – for Boston Ballet, White Oak Dance Project, New York City Ballet, and the Paris Opera Ballet. In 2003, Swinston received a Bessie Award for his performance in the revival of Cunningham’s How to Pass, Kick, Fall, & Run. Since 2013, he has acted as the Artistic Director of the Centre National de Danse Contemporaine in Angers, France and formed a new company that has 8 Cunningham dances in its repertoire, and performed numerous Cunningham Events. His tenure at the CNDC will expire in June 2020, and he is dedicated to continuing sharing the Cunningham legacy throughout the world. -ENDS- LISTINGS CUNNINGHAM In cinemas across the UK and Ireland from 13 March cunninghamfilm.com NOTES TO EDITORS Dogwoof is regarded as the foremost documentary specialist brand in the world and is a stamp of the highest quality content. We sell worldwide, distribute theatrically in the UK and invest in the production of creative feature docs and docu-series. Founded in 2003 by Andy Whittaker, Dogwoof is a London-based, documentary film company integrating production, world sales and UK distribution. Dogwoof has so far released 24 Oscar®-nominated documentaries, with four wins and an additional three BAFTA winners; notable titles include Oscar®-winning and BAFTA-winningFree Solo (the UK’s highest grossing documentary of 2018), BAFTA-nominated Three Identical Strangers, Oscar®-nominated RBG, BAFTA-winning The Act of Killing and Blackfish. Dogwoof’s TDog production investment fund has premiered two films in Sundance Film Festival - Westwood and Halston - with more in the production and post production stage; the fund is focused on feature docs, docu-series, and remake rights, gearing up the company towards vertical integration.

Ralph Fiennes is to direct “The White Crow,” written by David Hare, which centers on the life of Russian ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev. http://variety.com/2017/film/global/ralph-fiennes-rudolph-nureyev-the-white-crow-1201977389/

This year's London Film Festival includes the new film about Merce Cunningham. I see there are still tickets for one of the showings: https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/lff/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=cunningham

a trailer has just been released for Yuli, based on Carlos Acosta's memoir, No Way Home. It seems the movie is just doing the rounds of the film festivals at the moment. I expect its theatrical release will be next year

‘FORCE OF NATURE NATALIA’ PORTRAIT OF A DANCE SUPERSTAR The dynamic new film documentary about NATALIA OSIPOVA. Directed by Gerald Fox Premiere: June 6th at the Curzon Mayfair at 6.30pm + Q&A with Gerald Fox and Natalia Osipova Sunday June 9th – extra screening at Curzon Mayfair at 3pm + Q&A with Gerald Fox and Natalia Osipova Curzon Mayfair, 38 Curzon St, Mayfair, London W1J 7TY Tickets: www.curzoncinemas.com UK-wide cinema release from June 7th Sky Arts TV broadcast: June 18th TRAILER: https://youtu.be/yRfDklgF6QI FORCE OF NATURE NATALIA is a thrilling new film documentary about Royal Ballet Principal NATALIA OSIPOVA directed by the BAFTA, Prix Italia and Grierson award-winning British arts documentary filmmaker GERALD FOX. Regularly considered to be one of the world’s greatest ever ballet dancers, Natalia Osipova is constantly in demand by audiences, ballet companies, choreographers, photographers and collaborators all over the world. Her time is beyond precious but director Gerald Fox has delivered the perfect treat for ballet fans, arts lovers and contemporary dance audiences with his superb film documentary which will have its UK cinema premiere at the Curzon Mayfair on Thursday June 6th. Force of Nature Natalia follows a year in the life of this fabulous dancer. Fox takes the audience on a fascinating journey to the heart of the Royal Opera House, home of the Royal Ballet – through the labyrinthine backstage corridors to the airy studios – many named after ballet legends including Sir Frederick Ashton - to watch Osipova in the creation and rehearsal of some thrilling works: Russian prima ballerina Natalia Makarova’s revival of La Bayadere which requires Osipova to dance both lead roles – Gamzatti and Nikiya - on alternate nights, a challenge that she grasps with relish; Arthur Pita’s thrilling new dance/theatre work The Mother with the critically acclaimed dancer Jonathan Goddard which has its London premiere at the SouthBank on June 20th; Belgian choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s new piece, Medusa, with the Royal Ballet which opens May 8th and finally, an up-close-and-personal glimpse of Natalia and her partner, Jason Kittelberger, rehearsing their new contemporary piece, I’m Fine. Film audiences gain a real sense of how much goes into bringing a work of dance into the light while Natalia’s rich dance history is explored through glorious clips of Royal Ballet productions of Swan Lake and Giselle as well as hitherto unseen footage from her personal archive. Focusing in on her tireless pursuit of the most challenging classical and contemporary roles, Gerry Fox’s film shows that Osipova really is a force of nature in the dance world. ******* Born in Moscow Natalia Osipova began training from the age of eight and when she graduated from the Moscow State Academy of Choreography she went straight into the corps of the Bolshoi Ballet, dancing principal roles from the age of 17. In 2012 she became Principal at American Ballet Theatre and joined the Royal Ballet as Principal in 2013. She has danced every lead role in the ballet repertoire; she interprets classical and contemporary roles with unforgettable dramatic sensibility and total commitment to her performances. Her thirst for pushing the boundaries of her craft has led her to collaborate with world-class contemporary choreographers. This unique commitment to contemporary dance so early in a stellar classical career leaves audiences and critics alike reaching for superlatives to describe her appetite for new artistic challenges. As dance critic and author Judith Mackrell says in the film, she is, absolutely FORCE OF NATURE NATALIA. Credits: Directed by Gerald Fox Produced by Justine Waddell, Alexandrina Markvo and Gerald Fox Produced by Asterisk Films, Bird & Carrot and Foxy Films in association with Sky Arts Edited by Miranda Watts Camera Steve Haskett; Sound John Quinn GERRY FOX – director of ‘FORCE OF NATURE NATALIA’ What inspired you to make a film about Natalia Osipova? GERRY FOX: I'd seen Natalia perform a couple of times, at Covent Garden and at Sadler's Wells so when my two wonderful producers Justine Waddell and Sasha Markvo, who was working with Natalia on a new dance project, The Mother, approached me with the idea for a film about her, of course I jumped at it. Natalia is the most exciting dancer of her generation and the opportunity to make a portrait of her, someone who uniquely covers the whole gamut of dance, was irresistible. What was the next step? GERRY FOX: Exceptionally for an arts documentary it didn't take long to come to fruition! Sky Arts luckily leapt at it and it was then only a matter of working out a slot for it and the usual financing issues. It took a long time to film, however, because both we and Natalia were determined that the film should depict the full breadth of her range and talent from classical ballet with La Bayadère to dance theatre with The Mother to contemporary dance at Sadler’s Wells and this inevitably took a year to achieve. There has been a slate of documentary films about dancers - what makes this film different? GERRY FOX: It’s been a long time since anyone really focused in on a female dancer so I thought that was interesting too. We’ve had documentaries on Sergei Polunin, Carlos Acosta and Nureyev so isn’t it time to focus the spotlight on the great female dancer? I wanted to show the sheer determination, hard work and skill that being an artist of Natalia’s calibre demands. What were the challenges of filming someone who is in constant demand worldwide? GERRY FOX: It was pretty easy in one respect because Natalia was working on all different facets of her dance career in London over this year so that certainly made life simpler! But it was still incredibly challenging fitting interviews into her very busy schedule and getting the cameras into her rehearsals on all these very diverse, highly demanding productions. We were lucky this supremely hardworking dancer was so amenable! What locations did you use? GERRY FOX: The locations for the film really are rehearsal studios, great stages and dressing rooms. It's a very pure film that looks closely at what Natalia does best...dance! We filmed her rehearsing with the Royal Ballet for La Bayadère with Natalia Makarova and Medusa with Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui at Covent Garden, in the wonderful old Limelight church/club and at Wayne McGregor’s studios at the 2012 Olympic Park with Arthur Pita for The Mother and various other contemporary dance spaces including Sadler's Wells. What do you hope audiences will enjoy most about your film? GERRY FOX: I hope audiences will just enjoy the sheer brilliance of Natalia's dancing in all its different attributes, styles and processes: from improvisation through rehearsal to glittering performance while also learning about her story of how she became a young dancer in Moscow and then with the Bolshoi before joining the Royal Ballet as one of its prima ballerinas. I hope they will enjoy watching what it really takes to stay on top of your game as a true force of nature!

I'm currently writing a screenplay for a short ballet film. I just wanted know, what are some aspects of the art / sport that haven't really been seen in fictional media?