Happy Xmas!

Wishing you a happy Christmas!

Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty

This week we saw Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty gothic style. It was a visual spectacular, beautifully staged with sets drapped in luscious curtains, fairy lights, decadent props that surround the dancers wearing the most stunning costumes bright red, modern, creative and simply astounding.

Earlier, I saw a quick headline review that said something along the lines of 'Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty is style over substance'. While I don't recall the journalist, and didn't feel compelled to look it up, I walked into the theatre with this in mind and I walked about thinking that whoever wrote this doesn't understand Matthew Bourne and his work, doesn't seem to understand that the style is the substance. That dance and ballet can be uber cool, shocking, funny, cute, raunchy and even with minimal choreography it speaks to a new generation in the way that traditional ballets or contemporary dance needs to.

Looking around at the audience at Sadler's Wells Theatre - we were in the cheap seats - everyone was young, under 18 and absolutely loved the production. They laughed, they cheered, they applauded as loud as they screamed their joy. There aren't many productions and ballets that engage so many, the 'youth', as Matthew Bourne does.

I've seen most of Bourne's productions and they always present a new visual staging perspective that is unexpected, dazzling and awe-inspiring. The costumes are always over the top colourful, dramatic, bright and beautiful. The sets are modern, gorgeous, large, immense. The scale of the production, from the lighting, to the music, the narrative conveyed through the dance is like watching a dancical - a bit like a musical but ballet instead of signing.

Bourne takes you off to another world, he invites you to let go, immerse yourself, indulge and mostly enjoy. And yes there's a lot less actual ballet or dance, and a lot more running around, always a waltz, a definite hand gesture or movement that defines the story, like the wings worn by the angels in Sleeping Beauty matched by their hand movements of wings.

Matthew Bourne is a visionary, he is a genius, a stage production spectacular and with a full house filled with the next generation of ballomanes and theatre-goers yelling for another curtain call, we can only hope that he continues to bring his magic to the ballet world for many years to come.

Have dancers become too flexible?

Recently we've posted amazing photos of dancers with almost unbelievable flexibility, which has generated a great deal of comments from our Wonderful Members on Facebook.

So we ask, have dancers become too flexible? Is flexibility more important than emotion and technique? Do we expect our prima ballerinas to be ultra-flexible, and are we disappointed if they're extensions, developes and grande jetes aren't 180 degrees with pointe shoes positioned near their ears?

Some of our Wonderful Members have commented that they feel dancers have become too gymnastic, promoted for their dazzling flexibility rather than their technique perfected over years of hard work. While others are in awe of this unique physical gift and desperately wish they too were born with hyper-extension, in the same way they wish for perfect arches, strong ankles, perfect turn out, flexible back.

There is something undeniably awe-inspiring in a perfect 180 degree penche, think La Sylphide, Odile's developes, Svetlana Zakharova in Don Quixote, Sylvie Guillem, Darcey Bussell, Polina Semionova.

Dancers from a very young age push their bodies and their minds to the limit in the pursuit of perfection. The picture on my dance studio wall when I was young said it all "strive for perfection that can never be attained". And although audiences are dazzled by the high leg, they are moved by the emotional connection and story the dancers share with their audience - every time Juliet dies and Odette is betrayed the audience cries.

Ballet and all other forms of dance constantly evolve as does the training that helps our dancers execute more complex and challenging positions and performances. Dancers, choreographers and teachers all push the boundaries of the possible, which creates a beautiful emotional experience both on and off the stage. Dance is an art that requires heart, strength, passion, dedication and devotion - and the height of an extension will never replace the emotion of dance because it is the dancer's emotions that makes them dance.

Do you agree? Share your view with us.

It's beginning to look a lot like Xmas!

London is a glow with Xmas lights, the days are cold and dark, xmas trees are being trimmed up and down the street. With Xmas comes The Nutcracker and this year The Royal Ballet's production has already sold out! For those lucky enough to have tickets, The Royal Ballet's production sets to dazzle and entertain, bringing Xmas cheer to all! Enjoy The Nutcracker wherever you are around the world! Read more about The Royal Ballet's Nutcracker.

Introducing Patricio Melo - dancer and photographer

Introducing Patricio Melo - dancer and photographer - he is the official photographer of Prima Ballerina Luis Ortigoza of the Santiago Ballet and Wonderful Member! Before going behind the camera, Patricio was himself and dancer with the Santiago Ballet Company, under the direction of Ivan Nagy. During this time he worked with choreographers such as Glen Teatly, Ben Stevenson, Peter Wright, Ronald Hynd, Natalia Makarova and Ismael Ivo. Patricio danced with Marcia Haydee, Richard Cragun, Alessandra Ferri, Luis Ortigoza, Marcela Goicoechea, Julio Bocca, to name a few. His main roles were Romeo and Juliet, Onegin, John Cranko of Initial RBME; Serenade, Balanchine's Four Temperaments; Contact Trey Mctire; Gaite Parisienne de M. Bejart; Art Birds based Neruda poems. Patricio began his dance career studying at the School of Ballet Teatro Municipal in Santiago. He is now an actor and studying photography and has produced some inspiring photos of Prima Ballerina Luis Ortigoza of the Santiago Ballet. We love his photos and words: “One of the reasons I love photography is that it strikes the power of capturing a fraction of time and keeps it forever a magical encounter.” See more of Patricio Melo’s photos of Luis Ortigoza. www.patriciomelo.com

Wonderful wintery day watching inspiring dance videos

London has been freezing and today it was too cold to go outside, so I spent the day answering messages and comments from our Wonderful Members on our facebook page. One of our Wonderful Members on our forum on our website asked a question about improving her grande battement so I started looking on Youtube for a video to help answer her post. I found a short video from The Royal Ballet showing the perfect grande battement - then I found another video about develope, then arabesque, and then I watched a series of performances with Svetlana Zakharova, Polina Semionova, Darcey Bussell, Roberto Bolle and then a full episode from The English National Ballet's Agony and Ecstasy. By the time I looked up, the entire afternoon had passed and it was dark outside but luckily I finished just in time to put the Xmas tree up! I haven't had much time to blog lately, but my New Year's resolution (being made in advance!) is that I'm going to write more frequently. So after a perfect day full of dance and ballet, xmas trees and cup of teas, I'm going to put my feet up and write about one of our Wonderful Members, Patricio Mello who is an amazing photographer - look out for my next blog on his work as official photographer to Prima Ballerina Luis Ortigoza of the Santiago Ballet! You can watch the videos I watched today on our Youtube Channel!