Jan McNulty Posted July 25 Share Posted July 25 Varna International Ballet presents stunning classical ballets to UK audiences RG Live presents the return of the celebrated Varna International Ballet and Orchestra to the UK following a breathtaking debut tour in 2023. The company will visit 20 venues around the UK in 2025 with beloved classicsSwan Lake, The Nutcracker and Romeo and Juliet. Founded in 1947 and renowned for its award-winning soloists and magnificent corps de ballet, Varna International Ballet has been delighting audiences for decades at home in Bulgaria and abroad with performances of the highest quality. Led by Artistic Director Daniela Dimova, with Music Director and Chief Conductor Peter Tuleshkov, Varna International Ballet presents much-loved classics to charm audiences who are new to ballet and balletomanes alike. The tour begins in Manchester on 2 January 2025, and visits Buxton, Bristol, Liverpool, Blackpool, Edinburgh, Basingstoke, Ipswich, Southend, Brighton, Nottingham, Reading, Oxford, Darlington, Wimbledon, Norwich, Hull, Sheffield, Leicester and Northampton, where it finishes on 5 March. Artistic Director Daniela Dimova said: “We are thrilled to be bringing our highly talented company of dancers and musicians back to the UK. We can’t wait to perform for British audiences again and to bring these magical ballets to life on stage.” The Nutcracker begins as night falls on Christmas Eve. When midnight strikes, we are swept away to a fairy-tale world where nothing is quite as it seems: toy dolls spring to life, the Mouse King and his army battle with the Nutcracker Prince and we travel through the Land of Snow to an enchanted place where the magic really begins. The spellbinding ballet features Tchaikovsky’s timeless score, and stunning choreography by Vasily Vainonen, revised by Sergey Bobrov. Often considered the greatest romantic ballet of all time, Swan Lake is brought to life by Tchaikovsky’s haunting and unforgettable score, with choreography by Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov, Sergey Bobrov and Natalia Matus-Marchuk. From the impressive splendour of the Palace ballroom to the moon-lit lake where swans glide in perfect formation, this compelling tale of tragic romance has it all. Shakespeare’s tale of primal passion and timeless tragedy Romeo and Juliet is set to Prokofiev’s soaring score, with emotionally-charged choreography by Sergey Bobrov and Bakhytzhan Smagulov that befits the world’s greatest love story. From the grandeur of the masked ball to the intimacy of the lovers’ balcony, this story of duels, bitter family feuds and love that cannot be is unmissable. Full tour details: MANCHESTER The Bridgewater Hall Bridgewater-hall.co.uk 2 Jan Nutcracker 2.30pm & 7pm 3 Jan Swan Lake 2.30pm & 7pm BUXTON Opera House buxtonoperahouse.org.uk 4 Jan Swan Lake 2pm & 7pm 5 Jan Nutcracker 2pm & 5.30pm BRISTOL Hippodrome atgtickets.com/Bristol 7 Jan Romeo and Juliet 7.30pm 8 Jan Nutcracker 2.30pm & 7.30pm 9 Jan Swan Lake 7.30pm LIVERPOOL Empire Theatre atgtickets.com/Liverpool 10 Jan Swan Lake 7.30pm 11 Jan Nutcracker 2.30pm & 7.30pm BLACKPOOL Grand Theatre blackpoolgrand.co.uk 13 Jan Romeo and Juliet 7.30pm 14 Jan Swan Lake 7.30pm 15 Jan Nutcracker 2.30pm & 7.30pm EDINBURGH Playhouse atgtickets.com/Edinburgh 16 Jan Romeo and Juliet 7.30pm 17 Jan Swan Lake 7.30pm 18 Jan Nutcracker 2.30pm & 7.30pm BASINGSTOKE The Anvil anvilarts.org.uk 21 Jan Nutcracker 7.30pm 22 Jan Swan Lake 7.30pm IPSWICH Regent Theatre ipswichregenttheatres.co.uk 23 Jan Romeo and Juliet 7.30pm 24 Jan Swan Lake 7.30pm 25 Jan Nutcracker 2.30pm & 7.30pm SOUTHEND Cliffs Pavilion thecliffspavilion.co.uk 26 Jan Nutcracker 2pm & 5.30pm 16 Feb Swan Lake 2pm & 5.30pm BRIGHTON Theatre Royal atgtickets.com/brighton 27 Jan Romeo and Juliet 7.45pm 28 Jan Swan Lake 7.45pm 29 Jan Nutcracker 2.30pm & 7.45pm NOTTINGHAM Royal Concert Hall trch.co.uk 30 Jan Romeo and Juliet 7.30pm 31 Jan Swan Lake 7.30pm 1 Feb Nutcracker 2.30pm & 7.30pm READING The Hexagon whatsonreading.com 2 Feb Nutcracker 2pm & 5.30pm 3 Feb Swan Lake 7.30pm OXFORD New Theatre atgtickets.com/oxford 5 Feb Nutcracker 7.30pm 6 Feb Swan Lake 2.30pm & 7.30pm 7 Feb Romeo and Juliet 7.30pm DARLINGTON Hippodrome darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk 8 Feb Nutcracker 2.30pm & 7.30pm 9 Feb Swan Lake 2.30pm 10 Feb Romeo and Juliet 7.30pm WIMBLEDON New Theatre atgtickets.com/Wimbledon 13 Feb Swan Lake 7.30pm 14 Feb Swan Lake 7.30pm 15 Feb Nutcracker 2.30pm & 7.30pm NORWICH Theatre Royal norwichtheatre.org 17 Feb Romeo and Juliet 7.30pm 18 Feb Nutcracker 2.30pm & 7.30pm 19 Feb Swan Lake 2.30pm & 7.30pm HULL New Theatre hulltheatres.co.uk 20 Feb Romeo and Juliet 7.30pm 21 Feb Swan Lake 7.30pm 22 Feb Nutcracker 2.30pm & 7.30pm SHEFFIELD City Hall Sheffieldcityhall.co.uk 23 Feb Swan Lake 3.30pm 24 Feb Swan Lake 7.30pm LEICESTER De Montford Hall demontfordhall.co.uk 27 Feb Nutcracker 7.30pm 28 Feb Romeo and Juliet 7.30pm 1 Mar Swan Lake 2.30pm & 7.30pm NORTHAMPTON Royal & Derngate royalandderngate.co.uk 3 Mar Romeo and Juliet 7.30pm 4 Mar Swan Lake 7.30pm 5 Mar Nutcracker 2.30pm & 7.30pm Tickets available from rg.live Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaM Posted July 26 Share Posted July 26 I won’t be wasting my money on these shows … poor quality in every way. Many UK ballet school productions are as good or better, and for a fraction of this ‘professional’ price. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art_enthusiast Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 Really? I thought they had a good reputation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pulcinella Posted July 28 Share Posted July 28 Although I'm not particularly interested in seeing this company I notice there are no performances at all in Wales or N. Ireland and only one in Scotland. Is England considered the only country interested in ballet in the UK? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAB Posted July 28 Share Posted July 28 Llandudno used to be a regular venue for touring companies, though perhaps it's felt it's too close to Liverpool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted July 28 Author Share Posted July 28 17 minutes ago, MAB said: Llandudno used to be a regular venue for touring companies, though perhaps it's felt it's too close to Liverpool. Sadly MAB the Liverpool theatres think, on the whole, that Liverpool audiences don't want to see ballet! We get ENB once a year (if we are lucky and this year we are). That's why I have to travel. Llandudno is twice as far from Liverpool as The Lowry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaM Posted July 28 Share Posted July 28 On 27/07/2024 at 13:55, art_enthusiast said: Really? I thought they had a good reputation You should always make your own assessment. I don’t know where the ‘good’ reputation is reported. I’ve seen this company twice now … in 2023 and 2024. I didn’t want to go again after the first experience. The second time I went only because I was given free seats. This is a rebranding of the Siberian ballet company that used to tour the UK before 2022. They had to abandon their Spring 2022 tour due to the Russian Ukrainian war. Ditched all their Russian dancers. Changed name. Hired young European dancers. The owners/directors are Bulgarian, hence the new name Varna. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaM Posted July 28 Share Posted July 28 (edited) This schedule is brutal. 7-8 shows every 6 days including travelling to next venue. 1 day of non-performing each week. And it’s the same dancers on stage for every show … rotating roles. Edited July 28 by FionaM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryrosesatonapin Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 I saw them last year in Northampton in a travesty of Giselle. They were dire - a collection of (I assume) out-of-work dancers who weren't anything to do with Varna as far as I could see. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akh Posted July 30 Share Posted July 30 On 28/07/2024 at 23:10, FionaM said: This schedule is brutal. 7-8 shows every 6 days including travelling to next venue. 1 day of non-performing each week. And it’s the same dancers on stage for every show … rotating roles. When I saw them they looked very tired and seemed just to go through the motion of performing with little artistry. I did feel very sorry for the dancers. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryrosesatonapin Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 On 30/07/2024 at 09:37, akh said: When I saw them they looked very tired and seemed just to go through the motion of performing with little artistry. I did feel very sorry for the dancers. I wonder if any of the troupe sign up for the following year, or if it's too horrible for them? There are so many - particularly female - dancers who long to be on stage but aren't taken on by any of the established companies, that I suppose it is tempting to have the opportunity to dance a major role in front of a paying audience, most of whom aren't able to discern poor performances from excellent ones unfortunately. It makes you wonder if they are looked after properly behind the scenes - with appropriate medical support, decent places to stay and so on. I feel sorry for them too, although I suppose they do choose to do this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaM Posted August 2 Share Posted August 2 On 29/07/2024 at 10:24, maryrosesatonapin said: I saw them last year in Northampton in a travesty of Giselle. They were dire - a collection of (I assume) out-of-work dancers who weren't anything to do with Varna as far as I could see. Some that I follow do perform at Varna Opera House in Bulgaria inbetween tours to UK and other places. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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