Dance on Christmas and New Year TV and radio 2023-24

[Guest oncnp]

Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty only dance I could find on BBC Christmas 

 

BBC Christmas 2023 TV and iPlayer line-up brings the festive spirit to the UK

 

Edited November 28, 2023 by oncnp

[NiniGabriel]

1 hour ago, oncnp said:

Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty only dance I could find on BBC Christmas 

 

BBC Christmas 2023 TV and iPlayer line-up brings the festive spirit to the UK

 

 

If I'm correct, there will be also

 

"Rambert Dance in Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby"

 

on BBC4. 

 

It's mentioned in the "TV Series" section...

[alison]

Is the Bourne a repeat, or has it been re-recorded?  Must admit, I was hoping for an RB Cinderella, or something.

[jmhopton]

I'm pretty sure the Bourne SB was shown on Christmas TV about 5 years ago. Didn't like it then and if that's the best the BBC can do I'm glad I've got a good collection of dvds.

[Scheherezade]

15 minutes ago, jmhopton said:

I'm pretty sure the Bourne SB was shown on Christmas TV about 5 years ago. Didn't like it then and if that's the best the BBC can do I'm glad I've got a good collection of dvds.

I’m not sure what was previously shown on TV but, if it helps, the Bourne SB is the vampire version. 

[alison]

It definitely has been shown once - I was querying whether it had been re-recorded with a different cast, or whether I'm just remembering the wrong cast.

[CHazell2]

Think that it has been re-recorded with a brand new cast. I quite like it, adds a new perspective to the story. 

 

Would love to see a gay version of the story - should be interesting to see. 

[RMM1]

Unless someone presses the wrong button (😅) it will be the recording made this year of Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty.

 

The previous 2013 recording was last shown on New Years Day 2017.

[jmhopton]

Oh, I didn't realise it was a new recording. Perhaps I'll give it another go. I seem to remember it as being quite gothic but the only strong memory I have is this rather creepy, sinister 'baby' crawling about and that seemed to have blotted out everything else about the production. I really didn't like that baby! I'm not a massive fan of Matthew Bournes full length ballets but about 10 years ago I saw a programme of his short ballets and loved them.

[Stevie]

22 hours ago, jmhopton said:

Oh, I didn't realise it was a new recording. Perhaps I'll give it another go. I seem to remember it as being quite gothic but the only strong memory I have is this rather creepy, sinister 'baby' crawling about and that seemed to have blotted out everything else about the production. I really didn't like that baby! I'm not a massive fan of Matthew Bournes full length ballets but about 10 years ago I saw a programme of his short ballets and loved them.

I believe it is the 2022 production starring Ashley Shaw in the title role. Otherwise the same as the production previously released on DVD.

Ashley Shaw appears to be Bourne's preferred option at the moment in most things.

Clips courtesy of the Matthew Bourne youtube site.

https://youtu.be/fu5rQiC8IMw?si=XMeZBChzxFtz0U0w

https://youtu.be/nCmOCzwzv3I?si=2uxchxtSw342vWXV

 

[Guest oncnp]

More dance related on New Years Day - BBC 4

• Peaky Blinders: How We Made Them Dance   21:00
• Darcey Bussell on The Magic of Dance            23:10
• The Magic of Dance                                          23:20
• Darcey Bussell: My Life on the BBC                 00:20 2 Jan 24

[jmhopton]

Just got my Christmas double issue Radio Times and though I haven't had chance to go through it yet I see the Margot Fonteyn Magic of Dance programme which starts at 11.20pm on BBC4 as oncnp says, also has a brief introduction by Darcey at 11.10pm but is billed as the first of 6 programmes, so it looks as if they're broadcasting the entire series from 1979 which is great. About 10 years ago the BBC had a dance day at Christmas and showed one episode,  featuring Fonteyn and Nureyev dancing Marguerite and Armand so it will be interesting to see what gems the entire series contains. I think I'll have to record it.

 

There is also the New Year's Day concert from Vienna in full on BBC2 at 10.15am-12.45 hosted by Petroc Trelawney with an edited highlights version at 7pm BBC4 just before Peaky Blinders programme about making the ballet at 9pm, followed by the ballet itself at 9.25pm. So quite a full dance day on BBC. 

[Balletfanp]

That’s great news about the Magic of Dance. I really enjoyed the series when it was on.

[jmhopton]

SkyArts Sat Dec 30th 6am Royal Ballet in Cuba.

 

SkyArts Sun Dec 31st 6-8.20am Mariinsky La Bayadere. Photo appears to show Vladimir Shklykarov as Solor but with Sky that's never a guarantee.

 

I'm not at all an opera devotee but after an (admittedly very quick) flick through the Radio Times I didn't see any opera on BBC or SkyArts, apart from ENO HMS Pinafore on SkyArts (Wed 27th Dec 6pm so it does get an evening slot at a time when people actually might want to sit down and watch it instead of recording it for later viewing). Pinafore is great but hardly grand opera. I might have missed some but still doesn't seem great coverage. You wonder where the future opera audiences will come from if children aren't exposed to it either at school or on TV which will only perpetuate the myth that opera is exclusive and not for the majority of people, especially as this may result in prices rising even more.

[Ondine]

45 minutes ago, jmhopton said:

You wonder where the future opera audiences will come from if children aren't exposed to it either at school or on TV

 

 

When I was a child, Amahl and the NIght Visitors on BBC TV was a regular.  Quite how we afforded one I will never know, however, we had a TV, a Pye, bought c 1952 or 3, and watching this was all part of the Christmas excitement. Imagine that now. So I saw that first BBC production, and yes that was the year Father Christmas brought me the pink tutu, see the 'Nutcracker' thread.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amahl_and_the_Night_Visitors

 

BBC productions

The BBC made several productions of Amahl and the Night Visitors in the 1950s. The first performance was broadcast on December 20, 1953, with Charles Vignoles as Amahl, and Gladys Whitred as his mother. The Three Kings were sung by John Lewis (Kaspar), Scott Joynt (Balthasar), and John Cameron (Melchior). Edric Connor was the Page and Josephine Gordon was the dancer. The opera was produced by Christian Simpson and the conductor was Stanford Robinson.^[13] This performance was so successful that it was repeated on Christmas Eve 1954 with substantially the same cast apart from the Page sung by John Carvalho and the dancer, Betty Ferrier.^[14] Both performances were broadcast live. A telerecording of the 1954 performance was broadcast on Christmas Eve 1956 but this recording seems to have been discarded. An audio recording of the 1954 performance exists in private hands.^{[citation needed]}

Further performances followed in subsequent years.^{[citation needed][15]} The 1955 performance was also produced by Christian Simpson, starring Malcolm Day as Amahl, with Gladys Whitred as Amahl's mother. Music was provided by the Sinfonia of London. It appears that this performance was also broadcast live. It was either not recorded or the recording was discarded. It does not exist in the BBC Archives. The second production was broadcast on December 24, 1959. This version exists as a 35 mm telerecording in the BBC Archives. This version was again produced by Christian Simpson and starred Christopher Nicholls as Amahl and Elsie Morison as Amahl's mother. This time music was provided by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

 

 

The original 1951 US telecast is actually on YouTube

 

Kevin Kalaka

 

Amahl and the Night Visitors 12-24-1951

 

The original 1951 historic telecast with Chet Allen as Amahl. The first ever made opera for TV. Aired on NBC Christmas Eve 1951. The composer, Gian Carlo Menotti comes on television before the opera explaining his childhood memories around Christmastime and the program was sponsored by Hallmark Cards.

 

 

[Guest oncnp]

Apologies if already mentioned...

 

Available now on iPlayer .....Matthew Bourne Nutcracker.BBC iPlayer - Matthew Bournes Nutcracker!

 

and the BRB DonQ still available  BBC iPlayer - Don Quixote from Birmingham Royal Ballet

 

.....and if you need a ballet break and are looking for an hour of joyous music  BBC iPlayer - The Alehouse Sessions

 

 

Edited December 17, 2023 by oncnp

[Lynette H]

6 hours ago, oncnp said:

Apologies if already mentioned...

 

Available now on iPlayer .....Matthew Bourne Nutcracker.BBC iPlayer - Matthew Bournes Nutcracker!

 

and the BRB DonQ still available  BBC iPlayer - Don Quixote from Birmingham Royal Ballet

 

.....and if you need a ballet break and are looking for an hour of joyous music  BBC iPlayer - The Alehouse Sessions

 

 

 

 

And a few more items from BBC iPlayer

 

 

Animated Coppelia

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001gq32/coppelia

 

Documentary on making an early BRB Swam Lake

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p026dy85/exs

 

Irish Dance

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0015f6r/steps-of-freedom-the-story-of-irish-dance

 

Ballet Black recent productions

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001crvg/then-or-now

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001crvd/the-waiting-game

 

[alisonruss]

Sunday 31 December BBC2  18:55 - 20:25 Free Your Mind: The Matrix Now

 

According to the BBC programme information ...' Specially created to celebrate the opening of Aviva Studios, the new home of Factory International in Manchester, Free Your Mind is a journey into the classic sci-fi film through dance and immersive design, presented throughout the building’s spaces.'

 

I watched the imagine... documentary about the The Factory: Made in Manchester on BBC1 last week and, from the snippets shown. although the show is under the overall direction of Danny Boyle, the dance element seemed to be quite dominant. The choreography is by Kenrick Sandy and the score by Michael "Mikey J" Assante.

[SugarPlumpFairy]

For those who get the London Live channel they seem to be showing several of the London Children’s Ballet shows this week, in 6am-ish slots. 

[alison]

So, trying to put this together in chronological order:

 

Sky Arts, Christmas Eve, 7 am: George Balanchine's The Nutcracker (unsure whether this is the film or a broadcast)

 

BBC1(!), BBC2, Christmas Day, 1.15 pm: Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty

Oh, and West Side Story on BBC4 at 11.25 pm, choreography by Jerome Robbins

 

Technically the morning of Friday 29th December, 3.45 am(!!), but:

Sky Arts - Queen and Béjart: Ballet for Life

 

SkyArts Sat Dec 30th 6am Royal Ballet in Cuba.

 

SkyArts Sun Dec 31st 6-8.20am Mariinsky La Bayadere.

 

More dance related on New Years Day - BBC 4

• Peaky Blinders: How We Made Them Dance   21:00
• Darcey Bussell on The Magic of Dance            23:10
• The Magic of Dance                                          23:20
• Darcey Bussell: My Life on the BBC                 00:20 2 Jan 24

"There is also the New Year's Day concert from Vienna in full on BBC2 at 10.15am-12.45 hosted by Petroc Trelawney with an edited highlights version at 7pm BBC4 just before Peaky Blinders programme about making the ballet at 9pm, followed by the ballet itself at 9.25pm. So quite a full dance day on BBC."

 

Magic of Dance 

• The Ebb and Flow.  Episode 2 of 6   Sun 7 Jan 2024 21:30
• What Is New?  Episode 3 of 6           Sun 7 Jan          22:30

 

As the Radio Times has come out so late, I've only got as far as Boxing Day thus far, so if anyone else has spotted other dance-related items please post!  (And thank you to all those who have, and whose posts I've copied)

[alison]

Someone also mentioned, although it must be in another thread, that last week there were performances by the London Children's Ballet(?) being shown early morning on London Live (which is only available in the "London" area, whatever that may be).  My LL schedule is too miserly to be certain, but I think from the programme titles that these may be showing on weekdays this coming week too. 

[alison]

Oh, and by the way, which is the Mariinsky Bayadere?  They did a reconstructed, longer, version a couple of decades ago, didn't they?  I don't know if that's still the version they perform.

[RobR]

A few members of the RB and other companies appear in the various productions. 
 

The showings appear to be between 0615-0800, if anyone is up that early 

[Guest oncnp]

21 minutes ago, alison said:

Someone also mentioned, although it must be in another thread, that last week there were performances by the London Children's Ballet(?) being shown early morning on London Live (which is only available in the "London" area, whatever that may be).  My LL schedule is too miserly to be certain, but I think from the programme titles that these may be showing on weekdays this coming week too. 

25 Dec 6:20 am—8:00 am

The Prince and The Pauper - Two identical boys, one a prince, one a pauper, who are fascinated by each other switch clothes for fun and find themselves living the other's life.

 

26 Dec 6:15 am—8:00 am

The Secret Garden - The story of Mary Lennox, a spoiled little English girl who is orphaned in India and sent to Yorkshire to live with her uncle where she discovers a garden.

 

27 Dec 6:15 am—8:00 am

The Canterville Ghost - The story of a ghost who is faced with a new set of inhabitants who refuse to be scared by him.

 

28 Dec 6:15 am—8:00 am

The Scarlet Pimpernel - During the French Revolution a daring Englishman known as the Scarlet Pimpernel rescues noble families from the guillotine.

 

29 Dec 6:15 am—8:00 am

A Little Princess - Sara, a kind and wealthy girl is left in boarding-school by her father. When her father dies the cruel, greedy Headmistress makes Sara the school slave.

Edited December 23, 2023 by oncnp
tidy

[LinMM]

A rather lovely picture of a certain young lady dropped into my Facebook page about an hour ago Rob R! 
It appeared to have been chosen by a certain School of Dance. The picture was taken by Andrej Uspensky who I think takes a lot of ballet pictures. 
I have saved it but can’t post here of course. 

[Guest oncnp]

1 minute ago, LinMM said:

 The picture was taken by Andrej Uspensky who I think takes a lot of ballet pictures. 
 

 

....aka @dancersdiary. 

[David G]

May I recommend a ballet which has just been added to the Arte TV website. It is a performance of “A Christmas Carol” recorded on the 9th December by Finnish National Ballet with choreography by David Bintley and music by Sally Beamish. It is thanks to seeing a production of David Bintley’s “Still Life at the Penguin Cafe” on ITV that I first became interested in the ballet in 1988 and it was the first ballet video which my then 4 year old daughter watched 10 years later…. (I think we only had the opportunity of seeing it performed live once when my daughter was a little older.) Christmas Carol shows that David Bintley has not lost any of his magic. One of the Royal Ballet School 2023 graduates has his name mentioned at the end, George Edwards. Perhaps it was the prospect of working on a new David Bintley ballet which tempted him to join the Finnish National Ballet Youth Company! Apparently David Bintley has already choreographed a Cinderella for the Finnish National Ballet…. Perhaps ROH might extend an invitation to them to perform both ballets during the summer  break….if we can cope with a performance of Christmas Carol during the summer!! Does anyone know what is planned for the summer break in 2024? Hopefully the success of the Australian National Ballet will encourage the management to invite another ballet company to perform here…..

[Guest oncnp]

3 minutes ago, David G said:

May I recommend a ballet which has just been added to the Arte TV website. It is a performance of “A Christmas Carol” recorded on the 9th December by Finnish National Ballet with choreography by David Bintley and music by Sally Beamish.

 

The link to the performance is in the events calendar. 

[bridiem]

Not sure if this has been posted somewhere else, since it's radio, but just in case not: seen on Twitter: 'Christmas morning - How to Play 8.30am @BBCRadio4  - the Royal Ballet Sinfonia @BRB invite us into their rehearsals as they prepare for their Christmas performances of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. Producer Chris Taylor. Whole series @BBCSounds'

[AnneMarriott]

22 hours ago, alison said:

Oh, and by the way, which is the Mariinsky Bayadere?  They did a reconstructed, longer, version a couple of decades ago, didn't they?  I don't know if that's still the version they perform.

I wouldn't bother about which version it is - from my TV listings it's the usual RB performance with Muntagirov/Nunez/Osipova, and I find I have four recorded it four times, once when it was supposed to be Acosta/Rojo/Nunez ...

[RobR]

23 hours ago, LinMM said:

A rather lovely picture of a certain young lady dropped into my Facebook page about an hour ago Rob R! 
It appeared to have been chosen by a certain School of Dance. The picture was taken by Andrej Uspensky who I think takes a lot of ballet pictures. 
I have saved it but can’t post here of course. 

Those were happy days - and nice to see how many of them actually joined the RB 😀

[LinMM]

It was posted by “Silvia Lais”

It only shows a picture of Julia not of anybody else! 
She’s posing on pointe in a very pretty pink tutu. Could be from Nutcracker waltz of the flowers? 

[loveclassics]

No one has mentioned Christopher Wheeldon's version of "An American in Paris", a musical but with plenty of dancing and featuring Robbie Fairchild and the former RB dancer, Leanne Cope.  Sky Arts Christmas Eve with a repeat at 10:10 a.m. Sky Arts (free to view).