Better than Potato Salad - or even Carrot Juice - 2014 Big Dance Tour by Hack Ballet

Last month we supported Hannah Bateman and Kenneth Tindall's campaign on Kickstarter to raise funds for Stephen Lally to film Tindall's new baller "The Architect". Their campaign was successful and we rejoiced at their success in They Made It on 20 June 2014. This month we support another great project: Hack Ballet's  2014 Tour in the The Big Dance Bus.

The Big Dance Bus carries a mobile dance stage for free open air dance performances. Between the 25 July and 30 Aug the bus will be take Hack Ballet to Poplar, Hounslow, Stratford and Paddingtom where they will perform extracts of Briar Adams's latest works To the Edge and Conflux.  Hack Ballet is Adams's company and I can tell you that she is an excellent choreographer. I saw MurleyDance perform The Marks We Leave which she had choreographed in Leeds last year and as you can see from my post it was my favourite work of the evening.

Hack Ballet are raising £1,240 on Kickstarter to fund their tour and so far they have raised £541 with just under 3 days to go. This tour will take ballet to new audiences around London which must be good; but they can only do that if they raise enough to cover their basic expenses such as travel, costumes and rehearsals. So please help them. I can think of few projects that are more deserving of support and I certainly know of one - and perhaps more than one - that is a good deal less. By the way Mel's other campaign on go fund me is one of the other projects that really does merit a modicum of moulah.

They Made It!

Kenneth Tindall

Over the last few days I have been beating the drum for Hannah Bateman and Kenneth Tindall who have been raising funds on Kickstarter for the filming of Tindall's new ballet The Architect. (see  "Tindall's Architect - How to Get a Piece of the Action - Literally!" 7 June 2014 and "Ballets beginning with "N" and a Bright Patriotic Romp for a Monday Morning" 9 June 2014).

Mel Wong and I have each contributed £10 to this project and were two of the first backers.  I am delighted to say that Bateman and Tindall exceeded their target with 5 hours to spare and that the film will  now be made.

In making this film Tindall will collaborate director Stephen T Lally and designer Christopher Giles.

Mel has already seen the ballet and reviewed it for BalletcoForum. I am looking forward to seeing it tomorrow.  As I have greatly admired Tindall's other work I have high hopes for The Architect.

I should like to congratulate everyone involved in this project and to thank Janet McNulty for bringing it to Mel's and my attention.

Ballets beginning with "N" and a Bright Patriotic Romp for a Monday Morning

Bronislava Nijinska

Last night my dear ballet teacher texted me for the names of ballets beginning with "N". Why she asked me Lord knows because I am the most useless ballet student who ever shuffled up to a barre as she will be reminded when I turn up to her class in Sheffield tonight. However, she did and I came up The Nutcracker, Napoli, Noctambules, Les Noces (hence the photo of Bronislava Nijinska) and London Children's Ballet's Nanny McPhee but then I ran out of ideas.

Not even my friend Mel who has forgotten more about ballet than I will ever learn could add to the list. No doubt one of those bright sparks in London who put me in my place for daring to praise Christopher Marney and Kenneth Tundall could help but, as I say, they are in London.  So if anyone can think of any other ballet beginning with "n" please tweet me or send me an email and I will pass it on to Fiona.

I had a look at the George Balanchine Foundation website because he was so prolific and if anyone had choreographed a ballet beginning with "n" it would have been him. I didn't find any but I did find "Who Cares" danced by the glorious Dutch National Ballet of whom I am now a Friend.

I also found this lovely patriotic romp Union Jack which was one of Balanchine's last works. It did not get a particularly good press from the critics at the time but as you can see from the applause the crowd in the auditorium loved it. When the flags came down at the end of the ballet a patriotic lump stuck in my throat.

And talking about lumps in the throat the magnificent Janet McNulty reported one when thanked by Kenneth Tindall for supporting his Kickstarter campaign to raise £3,000 to film The Architect:

"@Tindallkenny @nipclaw Gosh Kenny, I've got a lump in my throat now! Just hope we can help in some small way, it's a privilege to do so
— Janet McNulty (@JanMcN) June 7, 2014"

 They are nearly half way there with 18 backers and £1,441 in the pot including £10 each from me and Mel. So ONE MORE HEAVE like Balanchine's Jolly Jack Tars in Union Jack.