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Private Notes
BalletBoyz directors Michael Nunn and William Trevitt take you behind the scenes of the making of their first feature film Young Men, a reworking of the company's hugely successful stage production of the same name that premiered at Sadler's Wells London in 2015. The documentary follows the BalletBoyz team as they reimagine the stage show for camera and features interviews with the creative team and cast, including choreographer Iván Pérez and composer Keaton Henson.
Darcey Bussell, for twenty years Britain's premier dancer with the Royal Ballet, was documented at regular intervals throughout her ballet career by BBC cameras and also appeared on many of the corporation's biggest entertainment shows. Darcey tells her own story through a carefully woven choice of archive from her debut appearance on Blue Peter as a 16-year-old in the early 80s to jiving on Strictly Come Dancing following her retirement from the Royal Ballet in 2007. Packed with historic archive performances from the stage of the Royal Opera House and beyond, combined with candid documentary interviews from behind the dressing room door filmed at intervals during her stellar career, this is a celebration and a history of the ballet dancer who grew up in public and conquered television on the way.
This Christmas, step into the magical world of The Nutcracker. For the first time in many years, the Royal Ballet has given full access behind the scenes for a landmark 90-minute documentary as they prepare for this season's yuletide production. This year's Nutcracker marks the debut of one of Britain's brightest young stars, Francesca Hayward, in one of the most famous roles in ballet (and every little girl's dream) - the Sugar Plum Fairy. Stepping into the shoes of the greatest dancers ever to grace the stage - from Darcey Bussell to Margot Fonteyn - we follow her as she prepares to dance the role that made her want to be a ballerina when she was just three years old. The production also sees the debut of numerous young dancers across the company, from its youngest stars at the Royal Ballet School playing the roles of party children and battling mice to the final year students dancing as snowflakes on the journey to the Land of the Sweets. With unprecedented access to the creative departments, from set designers to tutu makers, and including beautiful performance sequences, this film takes the viewer directly into the Royal Ballet during the busiest and most magical time of the year. In so doing, it reveals not just the talent of the dancers, but also the extraordinary team behind the scenes that makes The Nutcracker one of the world's most spectacular ballets.
West Side Story is one of the best-loved musicals of all time. A modern-day Romeo and Juliet, its timeless story and exhilarating dance and music continue to excite audiences around the globe. Songs such as Maria, Somewhere, Tonight and America have all become some of the biggest hits in showbusiness. And yet, West Side Story had an uneasy birth and was even turned away by producers when it was first put together in the 1950s by Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jerome Robbins and Arthur Laurents. Now, as the world prepares to celebrate the 60th anniversary of West Side Story in 2017, dancer Bruno Tonioli and broadcaster Suzy Klein go in search of the true stories behind the inception of this classic show. For the first time on television, they hear first-hand from those involved in the show when it opened on Broadway in September 1957, including Sondheim himself, producer Hal Prince and original cast members from both show and movie, including Chita Rivera Carol Lawrence and Rita Moreno. With the BBC Symphony Orchestra and specially cast singers, we re-live some of the wonderful music and, in the company of Suzy and Bruno, we discover how West Side Story placed the 1950s phenomena of racial tension and teenage gangs centre stage to create a hit that changed musical theatre forever.
Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev star in a television performance of Sir Frederick Ashton's ballet Marguerite and Armand, which was inspired by Dumas's tragic love story La Dame aux Camelias. The Music is the B minor piano sonata by Lizst and the ballet is designed by Sir Cecil Beaton. Marguetite and Armand is performed by the partnership for which it was created and is introduced by Dame Margot Fonteyn.
A full-length ballet created by choreographer Christopher Wheeldon for the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. The ballet is based on Lewis Carroll's famous story of Alice, an ordinary girl who one summer afternoon falls down a rabbit hole and finds herself on an extraordinary adventure. The music is by Joby Talbot, with designs by the internationally acclaimed Bob Crowley. Alice is danced by the Royal Ballet's Lauren Cuthbertson, and actor Simon Russell-Beale plays the cameo role of the Duchess.
Choreographer Matthew Bourne's haunting new scenario is a gothic tale for all ages. The traditional story of good vs evil and rebirth is turned upside down, creating a supernatural love story across the decades that even the passage of time itself cannot hinder. Perrault's timeless fairy tale about a young girl cursed to sleep for one hundred years has been turned into a supernatural tale of vampires, fairies and decadent gothic opulence. Yet in the end, young love finally triumphs over all as Aurora is rescued by her one true prince.
Carlos Acosta presents his first work for The Royal Ballet - an entertaining new dance adaptation of the classic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Carlos brings to life the adventures of the bumbling knight Don Quixote and his ever-faithful squire Sancho Panza with help of leading West End designers and Ludwig Minkus's score is re-imagined with on-stage flamenco guitars and castanets. Introduced by a look behind the scenes with The Royal Ballet Company, this production establishes Carlos as an exciting choreographic talent.
Darcey Bussell introduces edited highlights of Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty, created especially for television by producer/director Margaret Dale in 1959 and featuring the then stars of the Royal Ballet, Margot Fonteyn and Michael Somes. This rarely seen film gives viewers a glimpse of an authentic 1950s style of ballet, transporting them back to the living rooms of post-war Britain. The performance features footage previously feared lost, but now able to be seen for the first time since the original broadcast over 50 years ago. This recently rediscovered archive includes the 'lost kiss' - the awakening of Sleeping Beauty by a kiss from her handsome prince.
Shakespeare's late, great romance The Winter's Tale is brought to exuberant and colourful life by The Royal Ballet in choreographer Christopher Wheeldon's full-length production, which had its world premiere at the Royal Opera House in 2014. This classic story follows the destruction of a marriage through all-consuming jealousy, the abandonment of a child and a seemingly hopeless love. Yet, through remorse and regret - and after a statue comes miraculously to life - the ending is one of forgiveness and reconciliation. Wheeldon continues his highly successful collaboration with designer Bob Crowley and composer Joby Talbot to bring this striking and poignant production to the stage, with a cast of world-class dancers interpreting one of Shakespeare's most moving plays.
A group of young men brought together by the indiscriminate brutality of war struggle to maintain their humanity in an unending cycle of combat and death. A potent combination of music and choreography, this film without words is an immersive emotional journey into the reality facing young men at the extremes of human experience. These young men succumb to the terror of their situation in a myriad of ways. The ruthless, indiscriminate brutality of war takes its mental and bodily toll on these comrades, as they struggle to survive one day's destruction, only to wake to another's mortal threats. Based on the hugely successful stage production of the same name that premiered at Sadler's Wells Theatre, London, in 2015, it is choreographed by Iván Pérez with a commissioned score by composer Keaton Henson.
Orwell's dystopian novel 1984, reimagined by Jonathan Watkins for Northern Ballet
The radical ballet Parade was created in 1917 by the combined genius of Erik Satie, Jean Cocteau and Pablo Picasso. It broke new ground, bringing performers onto the street and imprisoning dancers in huge cardboard costumes. The score included the sound of a mop, a typewriter and a gun. Now, National Dance Company Wales and the artist Marc Rees reimagine the piece on an epic scale for our own times. The immersive performance, staged both inside and out, includes political unrest, fake news and a renegade robot. The rarely seen Parade is choreographed by NDCWales's artistic director Caroline Finn, and Satie's score is performed by BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Martin Yates. P.A.R.A.D.E is part of the Russia '17 season that marks the centenary of the Russian Revolution with a range of events which capture the social and cultural explosion of the era and Wales's historic connections with the Russia of the time.
Created by Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young, the award-winning Betroffenheit is a boundary-stretching hybrid between theatre and dance that explores the psychological states of trauma, grief and addiction. The title of the piece is a German word that simply translated means shock, bewilderment, dismay and is based on Young's own experience - his teenage daughter, niece and nephew died in a fire whilst on a family holiday in 2009. Combining tap, salsa, spoken word, song and puppetry with Pite's emotionally charged choreography, Betroffenheit is an ambitious yet witty and tender-hearted exploration of disconnection, isolation and what it means to come to terms with such a tragedy. Described as both raw and riveting, this genre-busting dance-theatre hybrid was the dance critics' top pick of 2016, and won the 2017 Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production. Jonathon Young was also deservedly awarded Outstanding Performance in Modern Dance at the Critics' Circle National Dance Awards. Betroffenheit was recorded during its sold-out performances at Sadler's Wells Theatre, London in April 2017.
The Royal Ballet performs Tchaikovsky’s classical ballet in a new production by the choreographer Liam Scarlett, with designs by John Macfarlane
Wife, mother, lover, empress. The extraordinary story of Queen Victoria, brought to life by Northern Ballet and choreographed by Cathy Marston. Premiered on 9 March 2019, and coinciding with the year that marks the 200th anniversary of Queen Victoria's birth, Northern Ballet’s Victoria captures the passions, tragedies and fierce devotion of the life of one of Britain’s most memorable monarchs. Victoria’s diaries revealed intimate details of a life so fascinating that her daughter Princess Beatrice tried to rewrite history, removing any detail that might embarrass the royal family. The ballet is the story of Victoria’s amazing life, seen through the eyes of her youngest child and lifelong companion Beatrice as she relives her memories of her mother as a secluded widow before discovering sides to her that she never knew. As she transcribes her mother’s diaries, Beatrice comes to discover Victoria’s progression from a lonely young princess to a confident ruler, her passionate love affair with Albert and her descent into all-consuming grief after his untimely death. Victoria was a mother, lover, wife and empress, and Beatrice, her ever-loving daughter, has left us with this incredible story to tell. This performance of Victoria was filmed live at Sadler's Wells, London during the ballet's 2019 world premiere tour.
Katie Derham introduces highlights from the past ten years at the Royal Ballet. Presented on location in Covent Garden at the iconic Royal Opera House, Katie weaves the history of ballet through carefully curated excerpts from the past decade of performances and goes behind the scenes to see what it takes to be a dancer in the company of the Royal Ballet as they prepare to take to the stage. From the great classics of The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker to the exciting frontiers of contemporary dance, Katie takes us on a romp through the repertory, showcasing the diversity of the UK’s biggest ballet company. With stunning solos, passionate pas de deux and jaw-dropping numbers for the corps de ballet, it is a chance to see your favourite dancers up close, including Carlos Acosta, Marianela Nuñez, Natalia Osipova and Steven McRae, alongside rising stars like Francesca Hayward and Matthew Ball, who will introduce their favourite ballets and share stories of their life on the stage. The ballets featured include the classics Giselle, La Bayadere, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker while the 20th-century heritage of the Royal Ballet is explored in works by Frederick Ashton and Kenneth MacMillan. The contemporary life of the company is showcased in works by Liam Scarlett, Christopher Wheeldon and Wayne McGregor.
A glittering winter fairy tale from Scottish Ballet celebrating love, friendship and the festive season. This new production, inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s much-loved tale, brings life and colour to the story, transporting audiences to a place of wonder. From the bustle of a winter’s market to the shivers of a fairy-tale forest, the enthralling production breathes life into a colourful cast of characters. Take a journey to the Snow Queen’s palace and find her surrounded by the icy fragments of an enchanted mirror. Choreographed by Christopher Hampson – the artistic director and CEO of Scottish Ballet – and designed by award-winning Lez Brotherson, The Snow Queen is a treat for the whole family. The production was filmed live at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre and celebrates the company’s 50th anniversary year.
Phoenix Dance Theatre performs Sharon Watson’s Windrush: Movement of the People, a contemporary dance work exploring the narrative of the arrival of SS Empire Windrush that brought the first Caribbean migrants to the UK. The work is a lively celebration of the rise of multicultural Britain and features an uplifting soundtrack, which draws on calypso, jazz, gospel and reggae, with original music created by Christella Litras. Set and costume design is by Eleanor Bull. Commended by audiences and critics since its premiere at Leeds Playhouse in 2018, Phoenix Dance Theatre’s production has toured UK venues to sold-out auditoriums and festivals. This production was supported by The Space and was filmed at Production Park in December 2018.
Darcey Bussell and Ore Oduba introduce Kenneth MacMillan’s Mayerling from the Royal Ballet. Based on the true story of the death of Crown Prince Rudolf and his young mistress Mary Vetsera in 1889, Steven McRae and Sarah Lamb take on these challenging roles in a dark and intense ballet. Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria-Hungary is emotionally unstable and haunted by his obsession with death. He is forced to marry Princess Stephanie. Soon afterwards, his former lover, Marie Larisch, introduces him to a new mistress, Mary Vetsera, a young woman who shares his morbid fascination. At his hunting lodge in the village of Mayerling, Rudolf and Mary form a suicide pact. They make love before Rudolf first shoots Mary and then himself. The royal family desperately covers up the tragedy. Since its premiere in 1978, Mayerling has been one of the most technically and emotionally demanding roles for male dancers, with choreography that pushes the boundaries of classical ballet.
A performance capture of Revisor, the critically acclaimed dance-theatre production created by award-winning choreographer Crystal Pite and playwright Jonathon Young, based on Nikolai Gogol’s play The Government Inspector. Young and Pite revise an archetypal comic plot to serve as the basis for a production that blends contemporary theatre and dance. Revisor explores conflict, comedy and corruption in the potent relationship between language and the body. Revisor reunites the creators of the international theatre hit Betroffenheit (winner of the Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production 2017 and named Best Dance Show of the 21st century by The Guardian) with director Jeff Tudor, who won the Rose d’Or (Arts), Golden Prague Czech Crystal, and the Dance Screen and San Francisco Dance Film Festival awards for his capture of Betroffenheit for the BBC. Revisor was recorded during its run at Sadler’s Wells, London, in March 2020, just days before the production’s world tour was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The legendary vampire's insatiable thirst for blood knows no bounds. Until he encounters Mina. Bram Stoker’s gothic romance is brought to life on stage in this gripping ballet, performed by the exceptional dancers of Northern Ballet to music by Schnittke, Rachmaninov, Pärt and Daugherty. Choreographed by David Nixon OBE and recorded at Leeds Playhouse on Halloween, 2019.
Enter a shadowy establishment where residents attempt to create order from the chaos of life. Carers become patients, memories fracture and relationships collide. Physical theatre company Gecko has a reputation for generating unique worlds, intoxicatingly beautiful scenes and breathtaking choreography. Based on their internationally acclaimed production by Amit Lahav, this film is a visually captivating and poetic dissection of the way we nurture and care for ourselves and each other.
Matthew Bourne’s triumphant adaptation of the legendary film has won two Olivier Awards and dazzled audiences across the UK and the USA. This production is a recording of the stage performance made at Sadler’s Wells. The Red Shoes is a tale of obsession, possession and one girl's dream to be the greatest dancer in the world. Victoria Page (Ashley Shaw) lives to dance, but her ambitions become a battleground between the two men, Boris Lermontov (Adam Cooper) and Julian Craster (Dominic North), who inspire her passion.
Romeo and Juliet is a drama feature film shot on location in Hungary, starring the dancers of the Royal Ballet in Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s classic ballet. The film is set to Sergei Prokofiev’s original score for Romeo and Juliet, and is unique in telling this classic story through dance. The score was adapted especially for the film. It was recorded at AIR Studios in Hampstead, London, with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, in early 2019. The 85 players were conducted by the renowned Royal Opera House music director Koen Kessels, and the leader was Vasko Vassilev.
Dance so thrilling, imaginative and rich, it packs auditoriums nationwide. Cassa Pancho's hugely popular Ballet Black presents a mixed bill full of lyrical contrasts and beautiful movement. The Royal Ballet’s Olivier Award-winning choreographer, Will Tuckett, blends classical ballet, poetry and music to explore ideas of home and belonging. Expect sensational solos, seductive duos and fiercely dynamic pieces performed seamlessly by the group. Ballet Black is transforming the dance landscape by giving a platform to artists of Black and Asian descent, as well as to new and established choreographic voices whose unexpected stories and themes come from the heart to resonate with modern audiences.
Dance so thrilling, imaginative and rich, it packs auditoriums nationwide. Cassa Pancho's hugely popular Ballet Black presents a mixed bill full of lyrical contrasts and beautiful movement. In this piece, Olivier Award-winning choreographer Mthuthuzeli November contemplates the purpose of life. Expect sensational solos, seductive duos and fiercely dynamic pieces performed seamlessly by the group. Ballet Black is transforming the dance landscape by giving a platform to artists of Black and Asian descent, as well as to new and established choreographic voices whose unexpected stories and themes come from the heart to resonate with modern audiences.
With family-sized helpings of Matthew Bourne’s trademark wit, pathos and magical fantasy, Nutcracker! follows Clara’s bittersweet journey from a darkly comic Christmas Eve at Dr Dross’s Orphanage through a shimmering, ice-skating winter wonderland to the scrumptious candy kingdom of Sweetieland, influenced by the lavish Hollywood musicals of the 1930s. Tchaikovsky’s glorious score and Anthony Ward’s newly refreshed delectable sets and costumes combine with Bourne’s dazzling choreography to create a fresh and charmingly irreverent interpretation of the classic.
When everyone in town falls under the spell of charismatic cosmetic surgeon Doctor Coppelius, feisty Swan must act to save her sweetheart Franz before his heart is used to spark life into Coppelia - the 'perfect' robot woman the doctor has created. Through Swan’s quest to uncover Coppelia's secret, the townspeople come to learn that in an increasingly image conscious culture, it’s never been more important to be yourself. Enchanting animation and live-action dance in a modern twist on the much-loved ballet.
Birmingham Royal Ballet perform Don Quixote in a production by Carlos Acosta. Based on Spain’s most famous novel, the classic ballet follows Don Quixote’s extraordinary adventures as he helps young lovers Kitri and Basilio find happiness. Filmed at the Birmingham Hippodrome, Don Quixote features some of ballet’s most iconic and virtuosic dance moments. Starring Momoko Hirata as Kitri, Mathias Dingman as Basilio and Tom Rogers as Don Quixote.
Rambert’s thrilling stage adaptation The Redemption of Thomas Shelby, written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, with direction and choreography by Rambert’s artistic director Benoit Swan Pouffer. Opening in the trenches of Flanders, a personal story unfolds in postwar industrial Birmingham as the Shelby family navigate the decisions that determine their fate, and Tommy is intoxicated by mysterious newcomer Grace. While Tommy is building his empire, Grace is operating as an undercover agent for Special Branch on a mission to get close to the heart of Tommy’s gang. As the story unfolds, hearts are broken, and revenge is sought.
