LIving in Leeds

[Fish Dive]

Hello to everyone. This is my first post, so here goes. I've recently moved to Leeds, where of course Northern Ballet are situated. Indeed one of the reasons for moving to Leeds was because of this. I really enjoy watching ballet, although admittedly I do watch them on DVD, because I'm not getting any younger and I do find now that it's a struggle to sit through the whole performance. So the reason for writing this is to ask if anyone could help me to try and study ballet? As I said I do love to watch ballet and yet I don't know the first thing about it! The movements, the mime etc. 

I do have the book Ballet for Dummies, but it means very little because I suppose I'm looking for something a little deeper.  If anyone could help I'm willing to pay for an hour a week of study say in a coffee shop in Leeds. 

This is a genuine request by someone who really would like to learn.

All the best

[alison]

Welcome to the forum, Fish Dive.  I love the name! 

 

I hope someone will have some ideas for you.

[Geoff]

Fish dive, there are some lovely books which will help and which are better than the one you have (Joan Lawson’s Principles of Classical Dance for basics and Ivor Guest, Cyril Beaumont and Jennifer Homans for history). Most are not in print though so best go to the library. There are also probably useful videos on YouTube so hope some recommendations might come your way from other Forum members. 

 

Sadly I can’t help re Leeds, except to point you to a wonderful opera (off topic I know). This tremendous though sadly underperformed work is about to be performed in Leeds and you are very lucky indeed to be able to have the chance to get to see it:

 

https://www.operanorth.co.uk/whats-on/the-greek-passion/

[alison]

You might not want to take the Homans as fully authoritative, though.

 

Other books which are a little more practically based - i.e. more about watching - are the Gaynor Minden "Ballet Companion" and Robert Greskovic's "Ballet 101".  I have both, but they're in storage, so I can't confirm quite how relevant they would be.

 

There is also an illustrated book about ballet mime out there somewhere, but I can't remember what it's called.

 

How much use this will all be in watching Northern Ballet may be debatable, though, as they don't really tend to perform traditional productions of the "big" ballets.

[alison]

Another thought: what about going to the live (and not-so-live) cinema relays by the Royal Ballet and Bolshoi Ballet (among others)?  Presumably there are cinemas in the Leeds area which will show them.  Our current cinema thread is here:

https://www.balletcoforum.com/topic/20908-ballet-and-dance-in-cinemas-2019-20/