Cock a Doodle Doo - Rambert's Rooster

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The Alhambra, Bradford, Rambert, 23 Oct 2015

It is often said that dance companies struggle to fill theatres outside London with new or less known works (see Arts Council England’s analysis of its investment in large-scale opera and ballet) but it all depends on the content. Rambert had no difficulty whatsoever in filling The Alhambra last Friday with Mark Baldwin's Dark Arteries, Shobana Jeyasingh’s Terra Incognita and Christopher Bruce's Rooster.

Dark Arteries opened with a brass band on stage. I don't suppose I was the only member of the audience to expect a march or hymn but that is not what we got. The music began softly and built up steadily. Lots of percussion and staccato. Girls in long blue dresses entered followed by the men also in blue. Complex, frenetic movements accompanying Gavin Higgins's score. The bandsmen were not the Rambert's regular musicians but Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band.  There were three moods in the dancing, Two lively ones at the beginning and end with some intricate duets in the middle. Performed by figures in red the duets were soft and poignant. Only later when I read the commentary on Rambert's website did I realize that Dark Arteries had been inspired by the miners' strike. I remember the strike as though it were yesterday. It is hard to think it occurred over half a lifetime ago.

Earlier in the year I saw Shobana Jeyasingh's  La Bayadère - The Ninth Life at the Linbury.  That work blended contemporary and Indian classical dance to a score by Gabriel Prokoviev.  Terra Incognita was another  collaboration by the same choreographer and composer. It also seemed to include what to my untrained eye were Indian dance movements. But it had quite a different feel to La Bayadère - The Ninth Life and perhaps it was intended as an antithesis.  La Bayadère - The Ninth Life focussed  on the arrival of Indian dancers in Paris and the sensation that they created in Europe which led in time to the Indian themed ballet. The title Terra Incognita (unexplored territory) suggests exploration. Maybe the arrival of Europeans in Asia and the far greater and more disruptive impact that they made on the recipient culture.

Visually the work was dramatic. Both men and women were in kilts - the men in mauve and the women in orangey brown.  In my notebook I wrote "cats' eyes" which I think must relate to a scene change where there were reflections in the backdrop and the reminiscently feline dancing. I also wrote down "Dane Hurst". I can't remember why he impressed me more that day than he usually does but he did. That is not to say that the other dancers were not impressive for they were. Readers can get a flavour of Terra Incognita from this YouTube clip.

The triple bill was called Rooster - the title of the last of the works - and that was the treat of the show. This is a lovely period piece full of nostalgia for people like me (and looking around the theatre the bulk of the audience who grew up in the sixties). I remember those primary coloured shirts and jackets and mini-dresses. The piece starts with Little Red Rooster with the boys moving proudly like, well, the cock of the roost. It then proceeded to Lady Jane and the other Stones classics. I last saw Rooster at The Lowry just over a year ago and loved it then (see Rooster ................ :-) 4 Oct 2014). I think I enjoyed it even more last Friday. The work has been in Rambert's repertoire for over 20 years but it was not created for that company. Bruce choreographed it for the Geneva Grand Theatre Ballet which I mentioned last Sunday (see Geneva Nutcracker 25 Oct 2015).

On the 7 Nov 2015 Hannah Rudd will lead a workshop on Ruby Tuesday which is easily the most lyrical of the dances in the piece. Imagine dancing in that long, red dress! The workshiop takes place on the stage of Sadler's Wells Theatre between 10:00 and 12:00 and is open to intermediate to advanced dancers aged 16 or over. If only I were good enough!  For those who are good enough to take part, here is the link to the booking page. The cost is £15. 

Dance Food I - Healthy Happy Chips!

Every time I attend a talk given by a dancer, choreographer or artistic director I try to find out what he or she likes to eat. The reason for my interest is that dancers do a lot of jumping, turning and lifts. They have to get their energy from somewhere so they must eat. But they also have to think about their bodies so they have to be careful.

I cook but I also like to dance. I enjoy watching dance but I want my dancers to eat. To encourage them I shall try to contribute an occasional article on food for dancers. I am starting with chips. Happy healthy chips. I think Xander and Demelza Parish, Brandon Lawrence, Thomas Whitehead, Dominic North and David Bintley and Abigail Prudames who also come from God's own county might appreciate these.

Last night I fancied some chips but not from the fish and chip shop (or "chippy" as we call it in Yorkshire). So I made my healthy, happy chips at home. Here is my recipe that I'd like to share with you.

These chips are made from 1llb (500g) of potatoes and just 2 teaspoons of oil. 

For my recipe you need to peel the skins off or give them a good scrub as I have done. I like mine fairly chunky but I will leave that up to you. I would recommend a floury potatoes that enables a softer centre and and a crispier skin. Varieties I suggest are Maris Piper and King Edward varieties. 

So, you will need:

Ingredients

• 500g gm of potatoes  or sweet potatoes which give an even slower release of energy
• 10 ml of vegetable oil
• Salt and vinegar to taste or  spices if you prefer.

Method:

1. Heat the oven and the baking tray to at 200C 
2. Prepare the potatoes into chips or wedges
3. Place them in a bowl and pour over the oil, using your hand to coat them evenly and then sprinkle over a little salt.
4. Place them on the hot baking tray and spread them out evenly. 
5. Cook for  for 25 mins. 
6. Open the oven once half way through cooking  and give them a turn. 
7. As soon as they are golden and crispy on the outside and soft in the middle they are ready. 

You can eat  them as they are but, if you want that chip shop style  feeling, wrap the chips in cat paper or grease proof paper and place them back in the oven for 5 mins (switched off) . Sprinkle some more salt and vinegar. 

Alternatively try this spice combination to jazz up those spuds and have them with spicy mayo for which you will need a large dollop of good low fat mayonnaise. Mix in a pinch of smoked paprika, salt and pepper, crushed roasted cumin and coriander seeds and small pinch of nutmeg and glove and touch of cardamom.

Enjoy!

PS. Did you know: Did you know that potatoes contain a little of most of the macro and micro nutrients.

Geneva Nutcracker

View of the Foyer of the Grand Theatre of Geneva

Author Moumou82

Source Wikipedia

Every year at this time of the year I go to Geneva for a meeting of domain name dispute resolution panellists at the head office of the World Intellectual Property Organization, the UN specialist agency for intellectual property. Accordingly this is when I think about ballet in Switzerland. As I wrote two years ago, there is a lot going on in Switzerland but, sadly, never when I am there for a meeting.

Geneva has a magnificent opera house a few streets from the Rhone known as the  Grand Théâtre de Genève. Opened in 1876 it is said to have the largest stage in Switzerland. Dance has been staged at the theatre since the beginning of the last century. Isadora Duncan and Vaslav Nijinsky danced there as did the Ballets Russes. However, it was not until 1962, when it re-opened after substantial rebuilding works following a disastrous fire, that the theatre established its own resident ballet company.  It now has over 20 dancers under artistic director Philippe Cohen.  Though classically trained they can dance neo-classical and contemporary works as well as the classics.  Each year they offer two new works as well as revivals from their repertoire and workshops.

Last year the company commissioned the Belgian choreographer, Jeroen Verbruggen, to create a new version of The Nutcracker and I am sure you will agree when you see this video clip that it is unlike any Nutcracker that you have ever seen in your life. I would just love to see it. The production has been revived this year and it will be performed at the Grande Théâtre between the 21 and 29 Nov 2015. The costumes look amazing!  Particularly that spiky red headdress.  The video Avant le lever de rideau - Casse-Noisette - Les ateliers shows how those costumes were designed and made and there are interviews with the creative team and dancers in Avant le lever de rideau - Casse-Noisette - Le Ballet.

The Geneva Ballet seem to do a lot of touring, some of it very long distance. They have just come back from Brazil and are about to go to France, Italy and China.  Unfortunately, the nearest they are coming to England is Caen where they will dance Tristan and Isolde, Salue pour le monde, Lux and Glory.

1984 Second Time Round

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Northern Ballet, 1984, Palace Theatre, Manchester, 17 Oct 2015, 19:30

As I had expected, I liked Northern Ballet's 1984 very much more the second time around. There are two reasons for that. The first is that I knew what to look out for having seen the show in Leeds on 11 Sept 2015 (see My First Impressions of 1984 12 Sept 2915). The second is that Isaac Lee-Baker and Dreda Blow came very close to my picture of Winston Smith and Julia.

There is only so much that the senses can absorb when one attends the theatre.  The first time I saw the show I concentrated on the plot in order to understand the ballet rather than the sound and movement through which the story was expressed.  There was a lot of movement in this ballet - the choreography, of course, but also spectacular electronic displays on a massive "telescreen". Knowing the sequence of the ballet I was better able to appreciate Jonathan Watkins's choreography, Andrzej Goulding's telescreen, Simon Daw's sets and costumes, Alex Baranowski's score and some exquisite dancing.

Lee-Baker as Smith and Blow as Julia were perfect casting in my recollection of Orwell's novel. Smith is a young chap, very impressionable and somewhat naive - the sort who might have been turned by Stalin had he worked in the Foreign Office in the late 1940s rather than the Ministry of Truth in 1984. Such a role requires a young dancer but one with considerable ability. A role tailor made for Lee-Baker who had triumphed as Friar Lawrence in Maillot's Romeo and Juliet earlier in the year (see Northern Ballet's Romeo and Juliet - different but in a good way 8 March 2015) and as Wilson in Gatsby last year (see Northern Ballet at its best: The Great Gatsby in Bradford 16 Nov 2014).

As I recall the novel, Julia is a temptress and I intend it as a compliment when I say that Blow was a very sexy lady. She is another dancer that I began to appreciate for the first time in Romeo and Juliet.  When I saw her as Juliet I wrote:

"Casting Blow for the role was an inspiration. She was a perfect Juliet. Playful and feisty. Loving but conflicted. Brave but fearful. Blow is elevated to my pantheon of favourites."

Julia is a very different role from Juliet but Blow was an excellent choice. She is perhaps Northern's best actor. She was sultry. She was seductive. She was my idea of Julia.

The third leading character in Watkins's ballet is O'Brien, the senior apparatchik who tricks Smith and Julia into dropping their guard and then betrays them. Javier Torres danced that role in September and he was excellent. He saved that show for me on that occasion.  Last Saturday it was Ashley Dixon who was a very different O'Brien but no less convincing. He projected menace and oiliness even in the privacy of his apartment when entertaining his young quaries with a silent telescreen.

It was good to see some of my favourites in the company - Hiranao Takehashi as Charrington, Jeremy Curnier as O'Brien's assistant, Victoria Sibson as the lead female prole and Rachael Gillespie, Abigail Prudames and Mlindi Kulashe who danced in the crowd scenes as party faithful and proles but still shone - as did all in the cast last Saturday night.

Orwell's satire is not an obvious choice for a ballet. In the Q & A that followed the show in Leeds on 11 Sept 2015 Watkins was asked why he had chosen that work as the subject of a ballet. He replied that

"he had read the book as a teenager and had been affected by it. He had contemplated how it could be translated into dance for some time. The same had happened with the Ken Loach film Kes which he first saw about the same time. That film resonated with him because it was set in the area in which he had spent his childhood. Last year he had the chance of stage it for The Crucible in Sheffield. By staging Kes and 1984 he had achieved two longstanding ambitions."

As you can see from the synopsis Watkins followed Orwell pretty faithfully. The sets, costumes, music, choreography, dancing came together beautifully. I don't think that this will ever be one of my favourite ballets but it it one that I now understand, appreciate and recommend.

The company will perform 1984 today in Sheffield for one last time in the North before they take it to the rest of the country. I had hoped to see it in Sheffield with Giuliano Contadini and Antoinette Brooks-Daw in the leading roles but they were dancing on the nights when Jane Tucker teaches the improvers and I was due to see Rambert at The Alhambra. Perhaps I can catch that cast at Sadler's Wells in May. Londoners tend to like Northern Ballet perhaps even more than we Mancunians and I am sure they will enjoy this show.

This is why I love the Dutch National Ballet so much

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I mentioned the Dutch National Ballet's production of Giselle yesterday (see Dutch National Ballet's Giselle 22 Oct 2015). They have now published this wonderful animation. It is in Dutch but I doubt whether any foreigner will have any trouble following it.

I love the facial expressions - particularly those of the wilis.  A combination of malice and purpose. We all know jobs worths who look and behave like them.  Also, just look at the jealousy on Hilarion's face.  Normally I can't help feeling sorry for Hilarion, especially as one of my favourite people in ballet once danced that role. Hilarion lost the girl to some toff from a Scots baronial castle. Then it was Hilarion rather than the two-timing toff who broke Giselle's heart who was driven to his death.  But I have no sympathy for the cartoon Hilarion. He reminds me of Will Grundy from The Archers who is also a gamekeeper.

This is not the first brilliant innovation from the Dutch National Ballet.  They inspired and helped to develop and market a video game called Bounden recently (see Bounden - Something that appeals to my Interests in Technology and Dance 17 Dec 2013). Companies on this side of the North Sea could learn a lot from our good friends in Amsterdam.

Dance Studio Leeds Beginners' Ballet Class

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This video for Dance Studio Leeds shows every style of dance except ballet but the Dance Studio Leeds actually does offer adult ballet. Katie teaches beginners on Monday morning and evening and Nathalie  the advanced class on Friday evenings.  As I  am trying to compile a guide to all the adult ballet classes in and around Holmfirth I turned up to Katie's evening class last Monday.

Dance Studio Leeds is in Mill 6 of a converted mill complex just north of Leeds city centre known as Mabgate Mills. It is not very far from Quarry Hill but it is not easy to find at night. I circumnavigated the block twice before I found the entrance to a courtyard surrounded by 19th century buildings.  One of the advantages of that studio is that you can park in the courtyard free of charge whereas you have to fork out at least £2 to park anywhere else in central Leeds between 18:00 and 22:00.

The studios are on the first floor and compared to many other dance studios that I have visited in my time it is the lap of luxury. It is bright, well decorated and comfortably furnished and there is more than enough room to swing a cheetah never mind a cat in the changing room. My friend, Beverley, who attends the advanced class on Friday tells me that there is complimentary tea and coffee on offer but I did not discover that on Monday.

I arrived at the Studios after listening to The Archers in my motor and sat down on an easy chair near one of the studios. A dance class was taking place and students seemed to be having a lot of fun.  A lady entered shortly the waiting area afterwards and asked me whether I was waiting for ballet. I said I was and she asked me whether this was my first class.  I replied that it was but I added that I had done two years ballet with Northern Ballet's Over 55 class and that I had also had a lot of classes with a teacher in Huddersfield who had danced with the Queensland Ballet. The lady welcomed me to the class, showed me the changing area and told me that our fellow students were a very friendly, welcoming group which I found out to be the case.

Katie arrived a few minutes later and introduced herself to me and some other new students. She asked me whether I had done any ballet before and I said that I had.  At 19:45 we entered the studio and took our places by the barre. The room had a mirror at front and was very well lit and ventilated. It was also quite warm which was hardly surprising given the energy that must have been discharged in the dance class. There was room for 3 on each side of each travelling barre. Katie placed me and the other newbies between experienced students.

We started with a gentle warm-up facing the barre followed by pliés and tendus.  We skipped glissés but I soon found out why. Katie got us to do échappés facing the barre which of course incorporate that movement. Katie had several other exercises which were new to me including a fondu combined with a plié which I found very difficult. Katie had a word for everybody - encouragement here, a correction there - almost like a private lesson.

We had a few minutes to catch our breath and take a swig of water and then we started on the adagio. Katie concentrated on arms movements first and then some simple steps and turns. The movement was quite lovely.

Pirouettes followed for which Katie divided us into three groups.  One group which included me practised our retirés en plat. Another group did the same exercise on demi. A few of us tried full turns.  As we found our balance and got more confidence we tried complete turns. Even I managed one or two.

The next session included jumps of various kinds - simple sautés to start, then échappés and changements - then a variation if the temps levés in groups of three and finally a hop on one leg with the other extended.  As you can imagine I got into one hell of a pickle.

Before we knew it it was 21:30. The class was advertised to end at 21:15 but Katie gave us an extra 15 minutes because we were enjoying ourselves so much.  At the end of the class she gave us a very thorough cool down. Almost as through as the ones that Jane Tucker gave us at the end of a day's dancing in The Swan Lake intensive. There was no reverance as such because we were on the floor but Katie wished us all a very pleasant evening and we clapped her enthusiastically. I thanked Katie for the class as I always do, She was pleased I enjoyed it and invited me to come again which I  certainly will.

There were a lot of pluses about this class. Obviously a good teacher and a very civilized environment, easy parking and a friendly crowd. The only minuses were that the rooms were not very large - two temps levés  and we were almost across the studio - there was no pianist and we had to use travelling barres. Minor niggles really.

I wouldn't dare risk the advanced class but Beverley says that's good too, There is a good spread of classes and I shall try some of the other genres by and by.

Dutch National Ballet's Giselle

The Dutch National Ballet have just released a trailer for their production of Giselle on YouTube and it looks very special indeed. The season opened last Tuesday with Anna Tsygankova in the title role with Maia Makhateli, Anna Ol and Igone de Jongh also dancing that part.  The trailer shows some interesting choreography,

The show has received some very favourable reviews  from Theaterkrant and Noordhollands Dagblad.

The production will tour the major Dutch cities before returning to Amsterdam on 12 Nov 2015 for another two performances.