Thursday, 11 July 2024
Saturday, 2 December 2023
The Nutcracker - English National Ballet
The ticket fairy flew by and dropped an invitation in my lap, so I got to see the English National Ballet's 'The Nutcracker' last night and it was worth it for the last six minutes alone. Helicopter view first. When the opening curtains parted the set was dripping in richness, luxury and elegance, and this continued with every set change throughout the performance. The art of set designing has improved beyond description since my theatre days in London. If like me for quite some, you haven't been to the theatre, I urge you to try again. It's so much more immersive.
The first act caught me by surprise, there were about 25 ballet dancing children as the mice or skating soldiers, and they were really good, I didn't see a single mistake. How do they get all those children off school and performing around the country? All of them transformed into real mice at one point with collective fingers waggling like the whiskers and paws twitching as mice eat. However I was anticipating the grown ups to take over and to be candid, I didn't see the kind of performance I was expecting. Now, it might have been the view I had or the excessively hot theatre, or even the version being watched, but the only performance worth noting was the lead female dancer. I believe her name is Fernanda Oliveira from Brazil. Where Yijing Zhang of Birmingham Royal Ballet was magnetically tall, Fernanda's Sugar Plum fairy was diminutively hypnotic. Precision, levitation and elegant symmetry all rolled into one. Superb stuff.
The second act was closer to my expectations. More Corp de Ballet, more Batterie and an astonishing Coda. I think it says more about me than anything but I don't understand why Swan Lake, not The Nutcracker is most popular in the United States. I've also come to the conclusion that if there's no orchestra I'm not going to attend. The richness of sound, in this case the ENB Philharmonic, is something no sound system can come close to. When I went to see Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty earlier this year I didn't write it up as I thought it was crap for various reasons but more expensive tickets and no Philharmonic Orchestra will suffice. Anyway, the wrap up Coda of ENB's The Nutcracker was a dazzlingly baroque, twisting Rubik's Cube of light, shadow and writhing bodies, internally-externalising with the mechanism and precision of a watch. I'll add close examples to the post below. It was worth every penny just for that and I left delighted.
Saturday, 30 September 2023
1. the prefix meta- comes from a Greek word meaning “beyond” or “change.” 2. the root morph comes from a Greek word meaning “shape.”1. the prefix meta- comes from a Greek word meaning “beyond” or “change.” 2. the root morph comes from a Greek word meaning “shape.”
Heaps of talent
— CFX (@C__F__X) September 30, 2023
Ms Greta is the #StarWars
by far
cfx pic.twitter.com/GTSH9geyVL
mast studios/South Hamptons
Friday, 28 April 2023
Kyiv City Ballet
Wednesday, 8 February 2023
Birmingham Royal Ballet - Swan Lake
Wednesday, 7 December 2022
The Swiss & NHS Operating Theatres
Thursday, 27 October 2022
Sir Christopher Robert Chope OBE MP - "Wouldn't Touch A Booster With A Barge Pole"
“Many people now wouldn’t touch a booster with a barge pole and I include myself amongst those
— Janey (@_Janey_J) October 25, 2022
They’re not only counterproductive but also dangerous”
Sir Christopher Chope’s full remarks at Westminster Hall
24.10.22
4 clips ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/dQLOoStS9k
Those are his exact words. The video is embedded below if that helps.