Jan McNulty

Tiler Peck and Jennifer Garner dance a song from Grease:

https://edition.cnn.com/videos/entertainment/2020/08/23/jennifer-garner-tiler-peck-grease-dance-ballet-eg-orig.cnn/video/playlists/atv-trending-videos/

8 hours ago, Peony said:

Out of interest was the mask a requirement in your classes or personal choice? Just interested as I haven’t heard of other classes requiring masks yet. 

If you look at "The future starts here" banner photograph on BRB's website you'll see that the dancers are wearing masks...

https://www.brb.org.uk

Links - Monday 24 August, 2020

Live Review - The Grange Festival, Precipice, Hampshire:  David Karlin, Bachtrack

Streaming Preview - Akram Khan, Until the Lions:  Teresa Guerreiro, Culture Whisper

Streaming Review - Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company, SJD Shorts - Contagion:  Charlotte Kasner, Seeing Dance

Opinion - The new chairman of the Royal Opera House:  Catherine Bennett, Observer

7 minutes ago, glowlight said:

Thankyou all.  It's reassuring to know I'm not the only one taking it slow.

 

And I really feel for those of you living on your own.  That must be so much harder.

 

@johns - what a fantastic picture.  

 

 

I think it's also hard for people who are not used to living together 7/24!  One of my chums put a status on FB a couple of months back that he was having the most dreadful day ... he and his wife had had a major row and his 3yo was having one of those days...

Most of us have had a heck of a lot of adapting to do.  And we're going to take a heck of a lot to adapt to more normal times hopefully in the not too far distant future.

I thinks it's very hard for a lot of us.

I live with my dog and he has been keeping me sane!!  I wouldn't have had the same motivation to go out for allowed exercise for him when lockdown first started.  In terms of shopping, I'd only been to my local Tescos till recently.  I have to say it was very well organised and I felt fine going there.  I felt guilty about going to Waitrose because it was a 7 mile drive away.  I have started going back there recently.  I felt guilty at Easter dropping Easter eggs off to my nieces - socially distanced and I had a solitary birthday.

I've got to say though that living on my own means I haven't had physical contact with another human being since March and it is hard to see when that will change.  I nearly flipped when someone accidentally brushed into me in the supermarket a few weeks ago.  The poor lady was absolutely mortified but it happened because she had had difficulty getting past the ignorant oafs who were having a natter and blocking the aisle.  I got changed from top to bottom when I got home!

My first social "outing" since March happened 4 weeks ago when the lady who runs the mosaic workshops I have been going to had a dry run in her garden.    I cried with joy all the way home because I had done something normal!!  Having got through that OK, I have continued going to the resumed workshops and have had lunch at a local micro pub with my cousin and I've been to tea with my nieces at great nephew at a Toby.

I haven't thought about "going away".  I was meeting friends in Nice in a couple of weeks but we decided to put that on hold and are now hoping all will be well and we can meet there in September 2021.

Life is very far from what was previously normal and I am not in a hurry to change things for myself (I worry about my nieces who are meeting up with other people) but I am excited to have booked for BRB at the Rep at the end of October.  I am already worrying about needing the toilet while I am out though!!

It must be very disheartening and disconcerting that new restrictions have been introduced in your area Glowlight but when things ease again just take it slowly and expect to feel emotional when you do something that would have been commonplace before lockdown.

And yes ... come on here and rant away!

1 hour ago, Lizbie1 said:

As for the perception of ROH as elitist - is there a serious risk of many first timers Googling the chairman?

I suppose that depends on how "visible" he may be.  I took the article as a "jobs and kudos for the boys" type dig at friends and donors getting prestigious positions.  (Let's hear it for the British Museum!!)

Links - Sunday 23 August, 2020

Film Review - Summer Shorts - the dance films of Alice Pennefather:  Oksana Khadarina, Fjord Review

News - Retirements and departures at the Royal Danish Ballet:  Eva Kistrup, Danceview Times

Feature - At home with Royal New Zealand Ballet’s Kate Kadow:  Britt Mann, Stuff

“Redux” Review - Royal Ballet, Manon - recollections from 2011 and English National Ballet, Manon streaming 2020:  Ka Bradley, Exeunt

Streaming Review - Sydney Dance Company, Cuatro:  Michelle Potter, ... on dancing

6 hours ago, FionaE said:

perhaps you could explain?  
 

I only thought you might not be aware there were already discounted tickets for students?

I took Rob to mean that a minimum ticket price (for non-students) would put these tickets out of many people’s price range and he was suggesting another price level named in the same spirit as those already listed!

1 hour ago, LBC said:

The full report on the talk by Brandon Lawrence is now online here: 

https://www.tlbc.org.uk/resources/126-in-conversation-with-brandon-lawrence

 

Watch this space for news of upcoming guests!!!!

The irony of having an empty diary and then all of a sudden something cropped up that I could not get out of meant that I was unable to attend Brandon's talk.

Thank you so much for publishing the notes from the talk, I've really enjoyed reading them.

Along with his recent Open Barre podcasts this proves that Brandon is one of the brightest stars in the ballet firmament both on and off the stage.

A great rehearsal/talk clip from Tyrone Singleton and Max Maslen rehearsing SDB's The King Dances (Birmingham Royal Ballet)

9 hours ago, SheilaC said:

 On reflection, though, I'm wondering if Acosta is planning to use the Rep theatre the way Rojo uses Sadler's Wells, to show more diverse, contemporary work while programming classical and heritage ballets in the Hippodrome (assuming it reopens!)

Ooooo that might be an interesting proposition...

I enjoyed the performances at the Rep some years ago when the Hippo was being refurbished.

To cheer us up ... or just make us downright jealous ... Marianela Nunez has posted on Instagram that she is appearing on stage at the amphitheatre in Taormina this weekend;

Thanks for the information.

7 minutes ago, MAX said:

This programme is a real disappointment for me !

 

Vincente Nebrada and Valery Panov are choreographers who seem particularly old-fashioned to me.

 

They are so many living choreographers whose works are more interesting !

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well it won't be an issue for you as all 4 performances in Birmingham are already sold out and the rest of us who've already booked can go ahead and enjoy it.  Given the current circumstances I think we are lucky to be getting a live performance at all and I applaud BRB for that.

I am giving them the benefit of the doubt for the time being in terms of programming.

Not that I have anything to do with the dance world other than as a watcher of performances, your thoughts seem good to me.

A couple of adult friends who have gone back to swimming and pilates are already togged up before they go and then just dry off and get home as quickly as possible.

I've just seen on Facebook that Birmingham Royal Ballet has cancelled the outdoor event planned to take place in Bourneville next Monday or Tuesday.  It's sad but sensible under the circumstances.

"In light of Birmingham City Council's serious concerns regarding the rise in Covid-19 cases, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Rowheath Pavilion and

have decided to postpone the outdoor dance display due to take place next week. We are very disappointed but feel this is the responsible action to take at this current time."

I've just checked the Birmingham Rep website and all 4 BRB performances are showing as SOLD OUT!!!

It shows how desperate we all are to see a live performance again and must be a real boost for the company.

Scottish Ballet has rescheduled The Nutcracker to next winter:

https://www.scottishballet.co.uk/articles/rescheduling-of-our-2020-season?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=Rescheduling_Article

I asked on twitter about the Sadler's Wells dates and BRB have responded to say that details about Sadler's Wells will be issued soon.

I assume the dates may be different as SW has already stated they are closed until next year.

6 minutes ago, bangorballetboy said:

Would have been nice if they had told us about Sadler's Wells before I booked for Birmingham, but hey ho.

I've just queried that with the PR man.  Sadler's Wells had previously announced closure until January 2021.

PRESS RELEASE

20 August 2020

NEW CREATIVE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN

BIRMINGHAM ROYAL BALLET AND BIRMINGHAM REPERTORY THEATRE LAUNCHED WITH NEW SOCIAL DISTANCED BALLET FOR LIVE AUDIENCES

WORLD PREMIERE: CARLOS ACOSTA COMMISSIONS NEW BALLET INSPIRED BY ‘SOCIAL DISTANCING’. LAZULI SKY CHOREOGRAPHED BY WILL TUCKETT USES AUGMENTED REALITY AND TECHNICAL INNOVATION AS PART OF A TRIPLE  BILL WITH LIVE MUSIC

WORLD PREMIERE: CITY OF A THOUSAND TRADES WILL CELEBRATE THE DIVERSITY, INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE, AND MULTICULTURAL CREATIVITY OF THE CITY OF BIRMINGHAM IN 2021

A brand-new partnership has been confirmed between Birmingham Royal Ballet and Birmingham Repertory Theatre, which will see the two established companies combine creative ingenuity to stage new dance works in the heart of Birmingham city centre. The partnership will be launched with four shows for live audiences in October, following the recent announcement by the government allowing socially distanced performances to happen in theatres.  

The world premiere performances of Lazuli Sky, choreographed by Will Tuckett, as part of a triple bill of ballet with live music from the Royal Ballet Sinfonia will take place at The REP on 22 – 24 October, with 150 tickets on sale to the public for each of four shows. The show will also be filmed at The REP for broadcast in November via ‘pay per view’ media to audiences unable to attend the live shows.

This new partnership has enabled Birmingham Royal Ballet and The REP to work together to find a way to entertain audiences and help revive Birmingham’s cultural life after lockdown.

Carlos Acosta, Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, says:

‘After joining Birmingham Royal Ballet at the beginning of the year, I set about making new friends in the city, knowing that collaboration was key to a successful and creative art form. Sean Foley, also new to the job of Artistic Director of The REP, and I spoke about an exciting cross-sector partnership, using the best of our creative networks in theatre and in dance to develop new work. It became clear that we shared a vision and commitment to making Birmingham the greatest city in the Arts.

This year, Birmingham Royal Ballet celebrates 30 years of working in the heart of Birmingham. Whilst the Company continues to enjoy strong bonds with its home venue, Birmingham Hippodrome, our work to bring back large-scale, classic ballets with them is not yet complete, and will require government approval. The new partnership between Birmingham Royal Ballet and The REP will complement the relationship with Birmingham Hippodrome, and enhance creative development throughout this great city.

Sean Foley, Artistic Director of The REP says:

Carlos Acosta and I are both honoured to be leading amazing cultural institutions in a great international city. It is part of our job to amplify, celebrate, and create work about that city, delivering excitement and artistic excellence for the people of Birmingham and wider afield - both nationally, and internationally.

Particularly now, in order to survive and thrive, the Arts must find new and inventive ways to collaborate and create new works. The REP has an unrivalled pioneering history in UK theatre - from staging the world’s first modern dress Shakespeare, to being a national leader in community development and creative learning, it has always been a theatre that seeks the cultural collisions that make extraordinary art for ordinary people. This is the beginning of an exciting partnership that will encompass full-scale productions, and new ways to create audiences together. Combining The REP’s own history with Birmingham Royal Ballet’s reputation for world-class ballet gives us both hope that we can help establish Birmingham as the very best city for theatre, for dance and the creative arts.

LAZULI SKY

Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Autumn Mixed Bill will be staged at The REP from 22 - 24 October, with tickets on sale via birmingham-rep.co.uk, before heading to Sadler’s Wells in London from 29 - 31 October, with further information and booking details available in mid-September from sadlerswells.com.

Family groups will be able to sit together, but will be protected by taking neighbouring seats out of commission.

The performance will be filmed at The REP for broadcast in November, with more information to be confirmed soon.

World Premiere of Lazuli Sky, choreographed by Will Tuckett

Lazuli Sky will be the first one-act ballet to be commissioned and presented by Carlos Acosta as Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, a role which he started in January 2020 shortly before the COVID-19 crisis hit. At the beginning of lockdown, Carlos turned to British choreographer Will Tuckett and asked him to create a new work for Birmingham Royal Ballet that is inspired by, and utilises, ‘social distancing’.

In response to the evolving way in which dance and live performance can once again be staged, Tuckett and his fully collaborative team, including designer Samuel Wyer and projection designer Nina Dunn, are creating a unique piece set to Shaker Loops by John Adams, which will be performed live by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia conducted by Paul Murphy. The ballet will be performed within a projected environment and will use architectural forms as part of the costuming that will help ‘socially distance’ the 12 dancers. In addition, an augmented reality experience is being created in collaboration with James Simpson to provide an alternate to the ‘live’ experience, using elements of volumetric capture and a digitally altered version of sections of the choreography.

The deep, speckled blue of the treasured Lapis Lazuli gemstone formed the base for the most precious and expensive of colours in the Renaissance painter’s palette. It created the beautiful expanse of Leonardo da Vinci’s sky. During the recent period of lockdown, the creative team has been drawn to the open clarity of sky, wind-shaped landscapes, and birdsong, without the distractions of normal everyday living. These form the inspiration and backdrop to this outward looking, hopeful and regenerative piece.

Our Waltzes, choreographed by Vicente Nebrada

To be performed by ten dancers from Birmingham Royal Ballet, this Latin infused collection of neo-classical work celebrating love and romance by Venezuelan choreographer Vicente Nebrada has been performed for over 40 years. Filling the stage with fluid movements, love, romance and passion, Our Waltzes was created for the International Ballet of Caracas in the late 1970s and has since appeared in the repertory of many international companies.

The score for Our Waltzes draws together music from the late 19th and early 20th centuries by a Who’s Who of Venezuelan composers of the period: Teresa Carreño, Salvador Llamozas, Manuel Guadalajara, Isabel de Maury, Sofia Limonta, Ramon Delgado Palacios and Heraclio Fernández. 

Liebestod, choreographed by Valery Panov

Wagner’s powerful music from Tristan and Isolde inspires emotive and dextrous dance in choreographer Valery Panov's visceral solo piece. Little movements grow to explosive athleticism before subsiding to stillness. 

NEW WORK IN DEVELOPMENT: City of a Thousand Trades

World Premiere performances at Birmingham Repertory Theatre will be on 6, 7 & 8 May 2021; on sale details to be announced.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary season of Birmingham Royal Ballet’s move to the City in 1990, Birmingham Royal Ballet and The REP are delighted to reveal initial details for City of a Thousand Trades, a new one act abstract ballet in development, inspired by and celebrating the richly diverse cultural and industrial heritage of Birmingham.

Commissioned as part of Birmingham Royal Ballet’s ‘Ballet Now’ programme which, under the new direction of Carlos Acosta, seeks to find exciting, diverse, international creative talent, City of a Thousand Trades will be brought to stage by choreographer Miguel Altunaga, with music by Mathias Coppens, designs by Guilia Scrimieri, and lighting by Michael Lee-Woolley.

Birmingham became known as the City of a Thousand Trades at the height of Britain’s Industrial Revolution, thanks to the exponential growth of businesses using the central location and vast water network for transport and manufacturing. As the city grew into the second largest in the UK, highly skilled workers and tradespeople migrated to the city from throughout the Commonwealth including Ireland, India, the West Indies, and from all over the world, creating a melting pot of cultures.

The international creative team of City of a Thousand Trades is using pre-recorded interviews with a cross section of the Birmingham community as a reference, to make connections and to tell its residents’ stories. Their voices and opinions, tone, music and ambitions will greatly influence this work: Where have they come from? Where are they now? What are their hopes and desires for the future of the great city of Birmingham?

Havana-born choreographer Miguel Altuanaga has created work for Rambert, The Royal Ballet (as part of the Deloitte Ignite Festival 2014), Danza Contemporanea de Cuba, Tate Modern, and for bands Simply Red and The Zutons, and for Raindance an award-winning film Love Tomorrow, and previously for Carlos Acosta (Memoria). As a performer he is twice winner of the Cuban Best Male Solo Award, and a Critics’ Circle of London National Dance Award nominee.

ENDS

LISTINGS:

LAZULI SKY

WORLD PREMIERE OF LAZULI SKY

CHOREOGRAPHY: Will Tuckett

MUSIC: John Adams (Shaker Loops, for small string orchestra)

VIDEO DESIGNS: Nina Dunn

COSTUME DESIGNS: Samuel Wyer 

CONDUCTOR: Paul Murphy

OPENING NIGHT CAST: Damen Axtens, Ryan Felix, Haoliang Feng, Tori Forsyth-Hecken, Kit Holder, Yu Kurihara, Gus Payne, Rachele Pizzillo, Emma Price, Tom Rogers, Eilis Small, Yuki Sugiura

OUR WALTZES

CHOREOGRAPHY: Vicente Nebrada

MUSIC: Teresa Carreño, Salvador Llamozas, Manuel Guadalajara, Isabel de Maury, Sofia Limonta, Ramon Delgado Palacios and Heraclio Fernández

LIEBESTOD

CHOREOGRAPHY: Valery Panov

MUSIC: Richard Wagner

Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham B1 2EP

Thursday 22 October 2020 (7.30pm)

Friday 23 October 2020 (7.30pm 

Saturday 24 October 2020 (2.30pm) 

Saturday 24 October 2020 (7.30pm)

Tickets £15, £25, £35

birmingham-rep.co.uk/whats-on

Details of all COVID measures that Birmingham Repertory Theatre has in place for these performances can be found here https://www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/our-place/

Sadler's Wells, Rosebery Ave, London EC1R 4TN

Thursday 29 October 2020 - Saturday 31 October 2020

Details of performances at Sadler's Wells, London will be published on 10 September

CITY OF A THOUSAND TRADES

CHOREOGRAPHY: Miguel Altunaga 

MUSIC: Mathias Coppens

DESIGNS: Guilia Scrimieri

LIGHTING: Michael Lee-Woolley

Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham B1 2EP

Thursday 6 May 2021 (7.30pm)

Friday 7 May 2021 (7.30pm)

Saturday 8 May 2021 (2.30pm & 7.30pm)

birmingham-rep.co.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Birmingham Royal Ballet

Based at Birmingham Hippodrome, Birmingham Royal Ballet is the United Kingdom’s leading touring ballet Company, performing a range of traditional, classical and heritage ballets, as well as ground-breaking new works with the aim of encouraging choreographers of the future.

The Company’s Director since January 2020 is the internationally renowned Carlos Acosta.

Birmingham Royal Ballet performs at Birmingham Hippodrome for approximately ten weeks of the year, and the remainder of the year tours throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. On average, the Company performs 175 shows a year nationally and internationally.

The Royal Ballet Sinfonia is Birmingham Royal Ballet’s permanent orchestra. It is also Britain's busiest ballet orchestra. The Sinfonia also plays frequently for The Royal Ballet and other leading ballet companies, including performances with: The Royal Ballet, Paris Opéra Ballet, New York City Ballet, Australian Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, the Kirov, Norwegian Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and La Scala Ballet.

Birmingham Repertory Theatre

Birmingham Repertory Theatre is the only producing theatre in the UK’s Second City.

The oldest building-based theatre company in the UK, The REP has an unparalleled pioneering history and has been at the forefront of theatre in this country for over 100 years. It is a registered charity (number 223660).

The REP’s mission is to create artistically ambitious popular theatre for, by and with the people of Birmingham and the wider world.

The commissioning and production of new work lies at the core of The REP’s programme and over the last 15 years, the company has produced more than 130 new plays. As well as presenting over 60 productions on its three stages every year, the theatre tours its productions nationally and internationally. The REP’s acclaimed learning and outreach programme is one of the largest and most diverse of any arts organisation in the country. Every year we have over 70,000 contacts with young people and adults in the community on projects from drama or writing workshops to large-scale productions. The REP is also committed to nurturing new talent through its youth theatre groups, and it offers training for early career writers, directors, and artists through its ground-breaking REP Foundry theatre makers programme.

Many of The REP’s productions go on to have lives beyond Birmingham. Recent tours and transfers include The Lovely Bones, Brief Encounter, Nativity! The Musical, What Shadows, LOVE, The Winslow Boy, The Government Inspector, Of Mice and Men, Anita and Me, Penguins and The King’s Speech. The theatre’s long-running production of The Snowman celebrated its 25th anniversary as well as its 22nd consecutive season at London's Peacock Theatre in 2019.

BOOKED!!!!!  So excited, even if the website wasn't hugely user friendly for booking and my blood pressure was sky high!!  (I'd been keeping this secret till we got the seats but somebody spilled the beans!!!)

We're only going to the Saturday matinee.

Not that I am in any way condoning teacher/student relationships when you have students of 17/18 and teachers of 21/22 you can see how this can arise. 

When I was at school many moons ago one of our young teachers was in the same tennis club as one of our older girls.  

When she left school after her A levels he resigned and left at Christmas.  He explained that they had got to know each other through tennis but it would not have been appropriate to have a relationship until she finished school.  The next thing we heard they had got married and when he retired as a head teacher from somewhere there was an article in the paper.  They were still married 40 years later.

When you say the whole thread comes up do you mean that the whole thread is sent to the recipient of the text?

The whole thread shows up on Apple too but only the latest text is sent to the recipient which preserves the thread but doesn't irritate the recipient.