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Coming away from yesterday's general rehearsal and walking up Kingsway, a stream of Little Princesses were descending on the Peacock Theatre to see ENB and ENB Ballet School's, My First Ballet: Coppelia.  Narrated this time by Dr Coppelius the little ones should be following the story of Coppelia. Here is a picture from the rehearsal.

 

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 Archie Sullivan - Franz, Olivia Lindon - Swanilda and Friends 
 
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Lovely pictures :)

 

I was in town today and looking for something to do, so thought I'd try this.  Went on the Sadler's Wells site and discovered there weren't any performances today, despite it being the second day of the run :(

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Shame. I saw it last Saturday when it opened. It was fab! The set was excellent, the dancers very professional and the children in the audience silent, so riveted were they by what was happening on stage! The only moment of restlessness was in the long pause in the dark when the set was being changed back from toy shop to village. A lovely introduction to Coppelia for a young audience.

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I am taking my little grandson and his mum to see the show at The Peacock on Sunday.  I am really looking forward to it.  I only wish I could take the lad to see Three Little Pigs too but they are not coming anywhere near Blackheath.

 

PS Margaret

 

The brochure and website suggest 3 and upwards. The little lad I just mentioned will be 4 in December.

 

I think it goes on for an hour and there is at least one break but I will let you know after I get back from the Smoke.

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Many thanks for your information, my granddaughter is only just 2, so will have to wait a year or so.  At the moment she loves my DVD of the original Beatrix Potter ballet.  Hope you all enjoy it.  The pictures were lovely as usual.

 

Margaret

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We took our almost 3 yr old daughter to this today and I thought it was excellent. The audience was bursting with children (we didn't take our 5 week old) there were all ages there. Some were worried by the inside Dr Cs shop set but we didn't really notice as we were engrossed. I have no aspirations for my daughter to follow in my footsteps but hope she will enjoy ballet - she was hooked!! It was clever to have Dr C as the narrator as it made him a friendlier figure. Archie Sullivan whom I know from other connections was a super Franz and he threw himself around the stage with fantastic enthusiasm! The whole cast have one hundred percent energy and professionalism and it was beautifully acted. Olivia Lindon was really very charming, very easy to watch, gorgeous feet and beautiful clean technique from all the students. I really felt they were embracing such a fabulous opportunity. Definitely worth every penny. Long may 'my first' continue!

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I also attended this afternoon's performance with the nearest I have to a daughter and her 3 year old and I loved it. I hate to say it but I had a much better time at the Peacock this afternoon than I had had at the Royal Opera House the previous evening. 

 

This was a ballet for children and the 3 year old thought it was awesome. "What did you most like about it?" Asked his mum. "Oh the jumping" he replied. "Do you want to see another ballet?" I asked. A big smile crossed his face.

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In staging the "My First Ballet" series English National Ballet and English National Ballet School had two objectives: to introduce children to ballet and to give students and young dancers stage experience. Each year they take a popular ballet and present its essentials with a spoken narrative. This year the company and school chose Coppélia and I took my former ward who is the nearest I have to a daughter together with her 3 year old son, Vladimir, to see it at the Peacock Theatre on 13 April 2014.

 

We three loved it though perhaps for different reasons. Vladimir pronounced it "awesome". When his mum asked him what he enjoyed most he replied "the jumping". His mum was happy that he was quiet and enthralled. When Dr Coppelius introduced himself as an inventor I launched on a forensic reverie.  Daniel Kraus who danced Dr Coppelius reminded me so much of the hopefuls who patronize my pro bono clinic or attend my Northern inventors' clubs Was putting Coppélia on show an enabling disclosure? I asked myself. From the law of patents my mind wandered to the criminal law. When Franz and his rowdy pals roughed up Dr Coppelius after their stag night and caused hum to drop his key I thought about the distinction between common assault and ABH.  As Swanilda's hen party ransacked he old boy's laboratory I thought of the law of trespass and conspiracy. And when Franz climbed up the ladder I was reminded of R v Collins [1973] QB 100.  "How about a ballet based on the facts in Collins?" I thought to myself. An amorous young man ascending a ladder to a young girl's bedroom clad only in socks.  My pupil master's wife who worked for the Courts Service was in court for the appeal.  She told me she was in stitches throughout the hearing and dropped books on the floor deliberately so that she hide her guffaws from the Lord Justices as she retrieved the books  Surely Collins is a story screaming for a choreographer.

 

Why did these thoughts spring to my mind? Perhaps it was because I had seen a trial of the marsupial variety in The Winter's Tale the night before.  Whereas The Winter's Tale went on and on and on this version of Coppélia was just the right length. The kids got the story and a proper taste of choreography as well as some excellent dancing.  Michelle Chaviano was a lovely Swanilda. A convincing actor as well as an attractive dancer, her indignation at the sight of Franz (Jordan Bautista) eyeing up the doll (Olivia Lindon) was palpable. All the dancers delighted us, particularly Sophia Elbishlawi, the youngest dancer, who was raised to shoulder height in the last scene and had such a winning smile for us at the end.

 

I had promised Vlad an ice cream subject to the condition that he would be good.  As he skipped along Long Acre to the gelateria I asked him whether he would like to dance like Franz.  "Oh yes" he replied.  At the very least English National Ballet and the English National Ballet have sparked a love of ballet in the boy. Maybe they have also inspired a dancer. 

Edited by terpsichore
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Was putting Coppélia on show an enabling disclosure? I asked myself. From the law of patents my mind wandered to the criminal law. When Franz and his rowdy pals roughed up Dr Coppelius after their stag night and caused hum to drop his key I thought about the distinction between common assault and ABH.  As Swanilda's hen party ransacked he old boy's laboratory I thought of the law of trespass and conspiracy.

 

Don't you just *hate* it when your day job intrudes on your time off like that?  Happens to me all the time, especially when I go to the opera :(

 

Anyway, wouldn't you need to be able to see the mechanism or something for it to be enablingly disclosed? :)

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That was exactly the conclusion I reached. The intrusion of my day job had occurred the night before with the trial of Hermione.

 

Vlad is to have a free taster class after he returns from holiday so the main point of going to Coppelia has been achieved.

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I saw the 2 o'clock performance on the final Saturday of the Peacock run. It was fab! Having seen one of the opening shows in Shrewsbury, it was lovely to see how the students have really grown into the roles. Some excellent performances and super technique. Well done ENBS.

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