Ballet Theatre UK and Ballet Cymru

[Pulcinella]

Apologies for putting reviews of these two companies together but I couldn't see any other threads for them and having seen them within two days of each other it made sense to review them together. Living in Mid Wales, as I now do, we don't get very much live ballet in the area so it's a little irritating to have the two companies performing so close together. First was Ballet Theatre UK at the Wyeside Arts Centre in Builth Wells. They were performing The Wizard of Oz with choreography by their director Christopher Moore with a cast of twelve (8 female and 4 male). The company apparently has twenty dancers but the stage at the Wyeside must be one of the smallest they perform on, if you're sitting in the front row you can literally touch the dancers. There was no programme or cast list so I was only able to identify some of the dancers from their website. All the dancers were good but I particularly liked those dancing Dorothy, the Wicked Witch of the West and the Cowardly Lion. I have great admiration for this company coping with one night stands on all sorts of stages and always try to see them when I can.

Two nights later it was travel in the opposite direction to the Hafren Theatre in Newtown to see Ballet Cymru in Roald Dahl's Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs with choreography by Dariusr James and Amy Doughty. In a way this company is even smaller the Ballet Theatre UK as they only have eight dancers many of whom have to double up roles. For this ballet one of the dancers, Robbie Moorcroft acted as a narrator and had a BSL signer, Liz May, alongside him. Based on Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes this was the well known stories with a twist. Kotone Sugiyama was a feisty and unusual Red Riding Hood. Effective use is made of projections for the scenery with three "houses" for the Three Little Pigs. There was an appreciative and enthusiastic audience with a lot of children who were all well behaved.

[jmhopton]

Thanks, Pulcinella. I hope to see Ballet UKs Wizard of Oz at the Lowther Pavilion, Lytham next Feb. I really enjoyed their Beauty and the Beast (saw it twice) and think they are a very creative and talented Company. Well worth seeing if they're performing near you. 

[ChrisG]

I’ve seen Ballet Cymru a number of times, both here in Chester and at Theatr Clwyd in Mold, most notably in their wonderful Child’s Christmas in Wales with a recorded Cerys Matthews reciting Dylan Thomas’ words. They’re a wonderful little company who deserve greater recognition, as do their contemporary equivalent, the National Dance Company of Wales who I think are one of the best contemporary dance companies in the UK

[zxDaveM]

3 hours ago, ChrisG said:

most notably in their wonderful Child’s Christmas in Wales with a recorded Cerys Matthews reciting Dylan Thomas’ words.

 

We were even luckier in London - when they perform in the Lilian Baylis at Sadlers Wells, Cerys will perform live with them. Which is doubly marvelous. I will always make every effort to see them when they do come to London, for sure (as you might be able to guess from my avatar!)