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Ballet Cymru A Child's Christmas and Terms and Conditions Pontio Centre, 2 Dec 2022 19:30
Last week I was lucky enough to see the Royal Ballet in Mayerling at the Royal Opera House on Tuesday, Ballet Black in Say it Loud and Black Sun at the Lowry on Thursday and Ballet Cymru in A Child's Christmas and Terms and Conditions at the Bryn Terkyl auditorium in Bangor on Friday. These were very different productions by very different companies in very different locations but each of those shows was outstanding in its own way.
Ballet Cymru created A Child's Christmas in Wales as part of a Dylan Thomas double bill in 2018. I saw that show several times and actually learnt some of the choreography in a workshop that Powerhouse Ballet hosted for Ballet Cymru (see More than a Bit Differently: Ballet Cymru's Workshop and the Launch of the Powerhouse Ballet Circle 28 Nov 2022). When I reviewed it in Ballet Cymru's Dylan Thomas Programme: The Company's Best Work Ever on 13 Dec 2018 I described it as the company's best work ever. I an still of that opinion even though the company has staged new productions of Giselle and Midsummer Night's Dream which I like very much in the meantime.
I noticed a few changes in the show since 2018. A different group of children seem to have been asked about their experience and expectations of Christmas or, in the case of one child, Eid. There seem to have been a new set of projections. Also, there is an almost entirely new cast. Robbie Moorcroft, Beth Meadway and Isobel Holland are the only dancers who performed in the 2018 show. One thing that has not changed is the mellifluous voice of Cerys Matthews, The laughter in her voice as she mimics the dialogue of kids fantasizing as to how they would deal with a hippopotamus in their street never fails to induce giggles. I used to associate Dylan Thomas with Richard Burton, Now I associate him with Matthews.
I noticed a few changes in the show since 2018. A different group of children seem to have been asked about their experience and expectations of Christmas or, in the case of one child, Eid. There seem to have been a new set of projections. Also, there is an almost entirely new cast. Robbie Moorcroft, Beth Meadway and Isobel Holland are the only dancers who performed in the 2018 show. One thing that has not changed is the mellifluous voice of Cerys Matthews, The laughter in her voice as she mimics the dialogue of kids fantasizing as to how they would deal with a hippopotamus in their street never fails to induce giggles. I used to associate Dylan Thomas with Richard Burton, Now I associate him with Matthews.
Ballet Cymru paired A Child's Christmas with Terms and Conditions, new work by Marcus Jarrell Willis. Marcus is an American who spent 8 years with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. As one who makes a living from drafting and construing terms and conditions, I was bemused by the title. I could not envisage how contract terms could possibly be spun into a 40-minute ballet. The answer is that these terms and conditions are about the negotiations that humans enter when experiencing love. Several aspects of love were explored, Each topic was introduced by the projection of a typewriter typing words on a screen punctuated occasionally by a voiceover. I will have to see the piece at least one more time in order to understand it properly but it seemed to work.
Before the main show, we were treated to a performance of Snow Day by pupils of Llanllyfni Primary School who had taken part in the Duets programme. This is an initiative by the Arts Council of Wales, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and regional community dance organizations to introduce dance to schoolchildren in inner city and rural communities throughout Wales. It is important work. At the very least it should generate an informed audience for the performing arts, For a few highly talented children it may be the first step of a career in the theatre.
I have seen Ballet Cymru four times this year, They have performed in very different venues: a medieval cathedral, a university arts centre, a municipal theatre and the studios of two major dance companies. Audiences in those venues will have had different experiences of dance but there was no difference in the warmth of the reception. The company has had a good year and it can look forward to the future with confidence.
I have seen Ballet Cymru four times this year, They have performed in very different venues: a medieval cathedral, a university arts centre, a municipal theatre and the studios of two major dance companies. Audiences in those venues will have had different experiences of dance but there was no difference in the warmth of the reception. The company has had a good year and it can look forward to the future with confidence.
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