Wheeldon insights

[zxDaveM]

The first of the 3 'Like Water for Chocolate' insights this week was last night; I had been hoping they would be streaming it but no such luck that I can find - unless someone knows better? If anyone was there last night, can you confirm (or refute) that it was being filmed (i.e. there were cameras in evidence)?

[Bruce Wall]

Hi Dave - This was noted by 'Cackles' in the Info Strand for Wheeldon's ballet.  To wit:  'At the beginning of tonight's Insight they said it was being filmed, not live streamed, but it would be put up  very soon.'

 

[zxDaveM]

I guess that putting up the insights (edited maybe?) nearer the opening night in early June, would make sense

[Dawnstar]

Making the Insight available before public booking opens in 2 weeks might help ticket sales though. Personally I don't want to book until I get an idea of how realistic the staging style will be, as there is one scene in the synopsis on Wikipedia that, if included in the ballet staged realistically, would put me off seeing the production.

[San Perregrino]

Chris Wheeldon was forthright in stating that there will be no dancing avocados.

In one of the excerpts we saw a length of fabric was used as dough that was kneaded and stretched in bread making across a large kitchen table (both characters we’re wearing pointe shoes and using them well.

 

Edited April 26, 2022 by PeterS
pointe

[alison]

I obviously haven't got as far as the dancing avocados yet, then!  I'm also wondering how on earth various of the scenes in the book are going to be realised.

[TomS]

I was able to attend all three Insight events. If you are familiar with the story, you may wonder how cooking and sexual scenes will be portrayed in a ballet. Well, there was a demonstration by Mr. Wheeldon and dancers where a piece of cloth was used as dough and Tita (leading role) and Nacha (house maid) knead it on the table dancing. I thought it was really a clever and beautiful presentation. There was also a presentation of an intimate scene where touching was expressed without touching. Hands were like 10cm off while feeling out the body which I also thought very symbolic and serve the purpose without actually groping the dancers. I don’t know if this was a result of an intimacy coordination.

It looks like they are still working on the details, and the demonstrations were actually like trials and the making process, where they are literally trying out several ways of movements in front of us. Throughout the three days, many dancers were participating namely, Frankie, Marci, Matt, and many others mostly First Artist and above. Both Marci and Matt told us that it was quite a challenge to characterize themselves to their roles by reading the book and watching the movie, which was quite different from rehearsing a prince role in a classical piece.

The staging will be minimalistic with a big backdrop of Mexican textile and many tables in one of the three acts.

On the music side, Mr. Talbot, the composer, told us that he tried to make it sound as authentically Mexican as possible by using folk instruments “properly” with advice from Mexican artists including the conductor Alondra de la Parra who is a Mexican native and we’ve seen her already in Romeo and Juliet. I loved her conducting by the way.  I'm looking forward to listening the music with the full orchestra and these instruments. 

The Linbury theatre is very small and all these were happening right in front of us. I felt like participating in the making process. It was really worth visiting.

Anyway, the events will be uploaded to YouTube at some point for your enjoyment and you’ll discover a lot more than this.