London Coliseum

Getting up at 5.30am is never usually fun. But on Sunday, being up, with my hair in a bun and my dance bag packed, all before 6am, seemed wonderfully exciting. Just a few hours later, I was in London, on the beautiful Coliseum stage, for an ENB Swan Lake masterclass.

We did class work to warm up, then learnt the Swans' Entrance (which, as it happened, I had already learnt twice before!). Having done the same masterclass two years ago, it was fabulous to be back at the Coliseum, knowing that I'd made progress since last time. Then, we got to watch company class. The stage became a dazzling array of dancers in vivid warmups- it was fascinating to see how they did whatever they needed to do to warm up; even though exercises were given at the barre, they didn't necessarily do the enchainement as it was taught. One dancer particularly stood out; the gorgeous Tamara Rojo, whose exquisite lines and yearning passion made her seem, even in class, as if she were Odette.  Her movements flowed like silk, with effortless grace and dynamic. 

In the afternoon- having had a delicious lunch at Zizzi- I went shopping for pointe shoes. It wasn't the most successful shopping trip; we started in Bloch, who were fully booked for pointe fittings- I tried flat shoes, but wasn't completely sure that I liked them. So, on to Dancia- who stocked Gaynor Minden, Grishko, Capulet, Merlet and Bloch Triomphe, but not my trusty Capezio Glisse or Bloch Aspiration! Next stop; Sansha..... Who didn't do pointe shoe fittings without an appointment! No time wasted, we dashed to Freed- but we barely even got into the shop, it was packed with people!!! (At this point, mum began to get slightly tired- but I was on a pointe shoe mission, and wouldn't be deterred!!!) Capezio, too, were fully booked- so guess what? 

We went back to where we started, Bloch! The Bloch shop reminds me a bit of the Harry Potter movies, when he went to choose a wand- the walls at Bloch are filled, almost from floor to ceiling, with boxes of shoes! I couldn't get a pointe shoe fitting (but fortunately i do have enough pairs of pointes to last until my next trip to London, in 3 weeks time!) but did get some lovely soft shoes. It was an excellent day out, I'm looking forward to my next trip to London :D

Why?

To a non-dancer, my obsession with ballet probably seems quite strange, so I will try to explain.....

Wanting to be a dancer, isn't something I think about occasionally. I think about it constantly. That desire, for the freedom yet perfect sense of control in dance, and to inspire, is always with me, in every breath, in every heartbeat. 

It's, walking in to college, seeing the steeple of St Mary's church in the distance, and thinking "I can see that steeple from the studio, I'd give anything to be there now". 

It's every night, when I can't sleep, thinking "what if? What if I got in?" Then suppressing the tiny glimmer of sheer joy that only appears at the daydream possibility of a destiny achieved.

 It's imagining- how would I really feel, if I had to live 385 miles from my family, just to go to ballet west- and thinking that I wouldn't even have time to miss them, because I'd be so busy, and happy- and if I was stressed, well I could spend 7 hours a day dancing the stress away.

You know if you were grieving, how you would feel almost a physical pain, beneath your ribs, as if there was an open cavern of longing, an emotional pain so powerful it felt like a physical pain? That was what I felt, last year on the night that I found out I didn't get in to the school of ballet theatre UK. And that feeling never really went away- but now the cavern of longing is full, full of passion. It is that passion that keeps me alive- that passion is why sometimes even at lunchtime at school, I go to the dance studio, to relieve the emotions, finding beauty through the expressiveness of movement. It is why, I take fifteen hours a week of ballet classes- and spend at least a further fifteen hours a week at the gym, yoga or swimming, doing anything- everything- that I can, to build up my strength, so that one day, the judges at a vocational school audition will see me and think "She isn't perfect, but she has strength, grace, and an undeniable passion. We'll give her a chance."

It's that feeling, in class, feeling as if you have at last found the place where you belong. Somewhere where you are valued, your passion is nurtured, and you can develop as a unique artist, not confined to society's ideals.

The school day, 9 till 3, is, and has been for a long time, a mere inconvenience, a formality that I can go through without thought. 

The real day starts in the evening- when I am with Miss Kaye or Miss Angela, learning, and being grateful to learn. 

I'm not naive any more (but was I ever?!); I don't expect it to be easy- the reality is, that ballet looks pretty, but the training regimes, rehearsals and performances, are somewhat gruelling. Being a dancer, means working twelve or thirteen hours a day, relentlessly, pushing our bodies to their limits to achieve ethereal grace and perfection. Burning the candle at both ends- but the flame of passion inside me will never burn out. 

And I know that if I got in, I'd probably be the worst in the class! I know that if by a miracle I got a company contract somewhere, I'd be on the back row forever; Swan #30, not Odette, Villager, not Kitri, Flower Waltz, not Lilac Fairy. But that is fine! Because I would be dancing every day! I suppose, to me, ballet is what socialising is to you. Imagine that you're not allowed to talk to or hug anyone for a day. Imagine the feeling of oppression, of anger, of "this isn't right, can't they see that I'm not supposed to be like this" That's how I feel if I have a day without ballet- that's why, in the holidays, I worked constantly on pirouettes, adage and core strength, just because the need for movement, for expression, is as important to me as the need to breathe is. 

"Ballet isn't just a hobby, a passion, an obsession- it is life."

Festive fun; part 2

I know it's taken me forever, I meant to write this post about 3 weeks ago- sorry!!! 

Anyway; Nutcracker. I first saw BRB's Nutcracker three years ago and it was amazing, so I was excited to see it again- it certainly didn't disappoint!!! 

The technical aspects of the performance were superb; Drosselmeyer appeared in a puff of smoke and sparkles, to perform magic tricks, and then of course repair Clara's doll- the doll's head slid effortlessly back into place, without even being touched! 

The set was luxurious, with lavish burgundy curtains and furnishing, that made the Staulbaum home seem like the perfect place for a cosy Christmas party. In Act 2, the corps de ballet showed good unison and artistry in the Snow Dance, also in the second half the Arabian dance was particularly dynamic and graceful. (As the music began, someone behind me loudly whispered "is this the Turkish dance? Yes, it's the Turkish one!!" I believe you are mistaken.....)

However, I felt that at times some of the principals lacked expression, particularly in the sugar plum fairy pas de deux. 

The coda wasn't quite as dazzling as one would've hoped- the dancers seemed tired, as such their fouettés weren't quite of Principal standard, also the gargouillades in the sugar plum solo lacked precision and height at times. All in all though, it was a lovely festive treat, that seemed to get everyone in a Christmassy mood! 

Festive Fun (Part 1)

On Sunday 13th December, me and my friend Chantelle went to Birmingham, to see Birmingham Royal Ballet's production of The Nutcracker. Also, as a special treat, the assistant director, Marion Tait, had very kindly allowed us to watch Company Class before the show. When she introduced herself to us, I was completely in awe of her; she was tiny and neat, yet had an amazing sense of quiet authority; a non-dancer walking past her in the street probably wouldn't give her a second glance, but in our world, she is like royalty.

Class was absolutely fascinating; we watched as around twenty five female dancers stretched, dressed in a dazzling assortment of warmups. Miss Tait gave class; she taught the enchainements very quickly, and the dancers looked, surprisingly, as if they were barely paying attention, yet they danced exquisitely. It was interesting to see how each dancer adjusted the class very slightly to fit their own needs; for example, First Artist, Ruth Brill, (who, to my delight, having taught me two years ago at Midland Theatre Ballet, still recognised me!), took all of her barre exercises on a croise alignment to the barre, so that she could see herself more clearly in the mirror. There were four dancers in Royal Ballet School uniform; judging by their burgundy cap-sleeved leotards, I believed they were in the Graduate Year of Upper School. They danced beautifully, the epitome of the British style. One girl in particular had spectacular feet, her demi pointe was phenomenal!

In the centre work, it was hard not to be captivated by the graceful lines and confidence of Soloist, Celine Gittens. Her pirouettes were amazing; her projection and dynamics made her seem as if she could effortlessly dance Principal roles with any company in the world. 

However, it was reassuring to see how all of the dancers messed up a step once or twice; even the best dancers in the world make mistakes occasionally! 

It was also comforting to see that even though the enchainements were long and complex, the steps were no more difficult than those that I regularly do in class- although the brises and entrechats six in the very fast petit allegro looked challenging! To my surprise, not every dancer did every enchainement in the centre- my instinctive thought was that if I were in their position, I would be very tempted to miss out the petit allegro every day, but I then realised that I would need to be a lot more strict with myself, or else my batterie steps would begin to look even worse than they do now! ;)

The class finished with a dazzling grand allegro enchainement with one of my favourite steps, sissones, that I wished I could join in with!!!

We had a while to explore the very busy German Christmas Market, before heading back to the theatre for the Nutcracker performance.

We took our seats, in the upper circle- the view of the stage was a lot better than I had expected! The overture began, and the curtain rose, to take us on our Christmassy adventure.... 

Class

I regularly blog about performances and special classes, however perhaps I have overlooked the beauty of a regular class. To dancers, a daily class is vital; to keep our bodies supple and agile, but also for the joy of dance. I do find it frustrating that at least five hours a day during the week I am expected to attend academic school; I walk to school listening to ballet music, visualising the enchainements, and as such, feel very stifled when I have to endure a lesson on poetry, when I just want to dance! But in the evening, when I take class, it feels as if my day is just beginning.

 I particularly enjoy Thursdays; I have an hour and a half of pointework, followed by an hour of Intermediate ballet, and a further hour and a half, of Advanced 2 ballet. I love how, in the space of four hours, I explore every aspect of classical technique, from the simple beauty of single pirouettes en pointe, to the new, challenging steps such as gargouillades and double pirouettes in attitude or arabesque. Even though a full day of school followed by 4 hours of ballet can be tiring, being in class is the time at which I feel most alive; I have done the Intermediate class for a few years so I know every intricate detail of the syllabus, yet the class is far from boring, there is always a new nuance to find in the music, or a different dynamic to the steps. In contrast, the Advanced 2 syllabus is still quite unfamiliar, yet it feels amazing to dance.

One of my other classes, is the Classical Award 2 IDTA syllabus. In my private lesson on Tuesday, my teacher spoke to me about that class; she said that since I joined, the other girls have paid more attention, she thinks they envy me, they are working harder because they admire my dedication and ability in dance. I felt surprised yet completely honoured to hear that, it is the most incredible thing to know that I have inspired people, that they watch my work in class and it makes them want to work harder.

Its hard to explain to a non-dancer why we dance, why we consistently work, why every atom of our refined, graceful physique longs for that surreal moment, when we can do what makes us happy in the way that nothing else can. There’s just something incredible about how when music and movement reach their perfect fusion, and the body is challenged yet comforted by the movements. Perhaps only dancers will understand; the feeling that I am trying to describe is that of the exhilaration in double pique turns, the perfect second of poised stillness as an arabesque penche reaches its peak, even the long-awaited catharsis, the sense of relief and release to be dancing, that comes with an exercise as simple, as ritualised, as plies at the barre. I suppose that as I have grown older, I have learnt that it isn’t just performances that are special; every class is a unique phenomena, we are given the gift of knowledge and skill, to refine our art, to achieve and accomplish, and that is a gift for which I am so grateful.

Swan Lake

Having already been thoroughly inspired by the School of Ballet Theatre UK’s Open Day, I was very excited to see the company’s newest production, Swan Lake. I wasn’t expecting it to be a replica of the traditional Bolshoi version, I knew there was going to be something unique- but the intricate plot twist and creative character interpretations were more phenomenal than I ever imagined possible. The overture began, and the theatre seemed to shiver in anticipation; we knew that we were going to be treated to a stunning performance by, what I consider to be, one of the best touring companies in the world.


The curtain opened, to reveal a backdrop of silhouetted trees, glimmering with white moonlight, hinting at a serene, secluded lakeside scene that was both eerily still yet breathtakingly beautiful. Natalie Cawte, in her portrayal of Odette, displayed an incredible sensitivity and vulnerability in her first pas de deux with Prince Seigfried, played by Vincent Cabot. His sissones de cote had an extraordinary level of ballon, and his tours en l’air were immaculate, portraying a great deal of technical accomplishment as well as artistry. The choice of costume was fascinating; Natalie wore a simple white dress, showing her as a young maiden, before she was destined to live as a swan. Traditionally, Odette and Odile are portrayed by the same dancer, making it one of the most challenging roles in the classical repertoire.


However, Clair Corruble, as Odile, joined the scene, her perfect extensions in arabesque penche and grands battements giving a definite sense of authority and assurance. Clair seemed to be the perfect casting choice for Odile; the character was interpreted as sly and feisty yet not as villainous as the traditional Odile, as she was subtly, enchantingly beautiful, enticing the audience to fall in love with her precise lines and stylised movements. In the traditional version, Odile is Von Rothbart’s daughter, who willingly agrees to manipulate the Prince, so as to keep Odette traped under the curse. However, in this spectacular version, tradition was broken away from, to form a new, thought-provoking dynamic. Von Rothbart told Odile of his plan, and she was horrified. Her reluctance to comply led to Rothbart becoming intimidatingly violent- threatening to kill her, showing Rothbart’s definite status as a particularly merciless villain. This violence created a sense of ambiguity; as Von Rothbart didn’t blatantly mime ‘Kill, Swan’, but instead simply mimed death- did he mean that he wanted Odile to lure Odette to be killed? Was he threatening to kill her for not complying? Or was he implying that by Odile manipulating the Prince, she would condemn Odette to life as a swan, a fate to her worse than death? All was to be revealed later, after the interval….


Meanwhile, in the castle ballroom, Odette and Odile were present at the Villagers’ dance; Von Rothbart caught hold of Odette’s dress as she performed a flawless sequence of chaine turns en diagonal- the dress unravelled, to reveal her exquisite white Odette tutu. This intelligent costume design effortlessly showed Von Rothbart’s spell over Odette, and her transformation from innocent young woman to vulnerable swan. In the village scenes, the traditional Villagers’ pas de trois first solo was transformed into an elegant and exciting pas de trois, performed by Vincent Cabot, Julia Davies and Sarah Mortimer. Their exquisite performance sense and neat footwork made it a pleasure to watch. A clever use of set design, involving four moveable castle doors, allowed for rapid yet effective scene changes between the castle and the lake.


Returning to the lakeside scene, the Cygnets began their pas de quatre. Although the traditional music was used, with elements of the traditional choreography such as echappes and entrechats, the pas de quatre was danced by two males- in seemingly Matthew Bourne inspired swan costumes, with two females, forming a double pas de deux. David Brewer demonstrated excellent dynamics and style as he performed the pas de deux with a delightful confidence. When the performance resumed after the interval, the whole audience seemed to be captivated by the sheer beauty that the company created. Anything could happen in the final scenes; would Von Rothbart kill the Prince? Or would Rothbart be killed by the Prince? It was impossible to predict which version the Artistic Director, Christopher Moore, would choose to bring to life in his sublime choreography.


Act 2 commenced with the Brides’ solos; a scene in which the Queen presented Prince Seigfried with princesses of different nationalities, to choose his bride. But he longed only for Odette. Von Rothbart entered with Odile- who had been forced to manipulate the Prince into believing she was Odette. Odile danced a dazzling solo, but the traditional coda with fouettes had been omitted. The technical bravura of the fouettes simply wasn’t necessary, as the phenomenal choreography and storyline easily rivalled the fouettes of even the most accomplished ballerinas, so that the audience had no sense at all of disappointment- in fact the omission of the fouettes seemed an intelligent artistic decision, to take the trademark features of Swan Lake and recreate it in an entirely new manner.


When Prince Seigfried came to choosing his bride, and mistakenly pledging his love to Odile, Von Rothbart asked through mime ‘You will marry her?’ and Seigfried agreed. However, even the most intricate details were adhered to; Odile barely responded, except to very subtly cross her wrists- indicating death. Perhaps this was her warning to Seigfried, she knew exactly what was happening, and wanted to prevent it. Her sense of truth, and doing what she knew was right, gave the character an incredibly thought-provoking air of inner beauty, that is never usually explored. But Seigfried didn't realise until it was too late- Odette appeared, leaving Seigfried to gasp in horror at his mistake. The hauntingly beautiful Swan theme highlighted Odette’s lamentation- however instead of sorrow, she seemed to resign herself to her fate, appearing frustrated yet not angry at Seigfried.


Duly, Seigfried arrived at the lake as Odette and her swans grieved for what could’ve been. Surely now Von Rothbart should arrive, for the moment of truth, the final battle of love versus evil…. But no! Odile reached the lake, and, with a sense of incredible remorse never usually seen in a villain, seemed to send a warning to Seigfried. She wielded a sword- and presented it sorrowfully to Seigfried. Odette cowered in terror as Von Rothbart intimidatingly swooped across the stage, to unleash the ballet’s breathtaking, genius finale. I don't think I can adequately describe in words the sensational plot twist, but it was something that easily made the ballet the most incredible thing I have ever seen. When the final curtain fell, the whole theatre seemed completely speechless- and rightly so. If the Company continue their unique, spellbinding interpretations of the classic ballets in this way, then soon enough, Hinckley will be known worldwide as the home of Ballet Theatre UK, just as Covent Garden is renowned for the Royal Ballet.

Back to School

Hope everyone's enjoying the first few weeks back at school :) This year, I'm studying A-levels in Dance, Drama and English; I'm really enjoying being able to continue drama, and also developing my contemporary dance skills. On Sunday, I had my first Associates class at the new Ballet Theatre UK studios- it was amazing! Also, I've got tickets to see BRB's Nutcracker at Christmas- I saw it a few years ago and it was phenomenal, so I'm looking forward to seeing it again!! :)