Fannish Fifty: Snowflake Challenge #2 - Fandom Promo

[smallhobbit]

I adore Sir Matthew Bourne's New Adventures dance company and their productions.  It's not traditional ballet, although it incorporates certain moves.  It's highly professional (in a positive sense), the dancers, costumes, set and lighting all combine into the production, so it's enjoyable just to watch of itself.

But above all, it's story telling.  Maybe not everyone in the audience takes away exactly the same story, but that's what good story telling is all about, speaking to each person as an individual.  And it is the dance equivalent of fan fiction - it takes a well-known story: Swan Lake/the Nutcracker/Sleeping Beauty etc, and retells it, in the same way many here write AUs - only on a considerably grander scale.

On top of which the company is keen to develop young talent, and has various schemes in place, works with both school children and older people in homes, because their view is that dance is for everyone and is first and foremost to be enjoyed.

And here is the official promotional footage of their current production of Sleeping Beauty:

Watch on YouTube

Comments

[misbegotten]

This is SO COOL! I love that you describe it as the dance equivalent of fan fiction -- alternative modes of storytelling are fascinating. I look forward to finding out more.

[smallhobbit]

Thank you very much - it's just ideal for me!

[corvidology]

I love that you wrote a promo for Bourne! ♥

[smallhobbit]

I was planning to do a post on him for Fannish 50 (and I'm still going to do the original one at some point), so the Snowflake Challenge seemed tailor made for him.

[kingstoken]

That looks beautiful!

[smallhobbit]

It is, really well put together, just wonderful.

[sister_raphael]

Wow, that looks so cool!

[smallhobbit]

It was wonderful, so very different from other dance companies.

[ruric]

I'm off to see this tonight *G*

[smallhobbit]

Enjoy it!

[silveradept]

The promotional minute certainly looks interesting enough that the full production must look and sound beautiful.

[smallhobbit]

Yes, it was lovely. And each act was a surprise (I had carefully avoided reading Bourne's plot before watching)

[shipperslist]

Thank you for the link! It never ceases to amaze me just how MUCH one can tell with one's body language and in how many ways the same story can be interpreted.

[smallhobbit]

Yes, I find dance such a great medium for telling a story when it does enable body language to speak so clearly. This is certainly a different version of the story, but it's encouraging to feel that we're all entitled to tell our own story.

[rusty_armour]

After watching that trailer, I really want to see Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty! It looks like a very imaginative and thrilling retelling of this story, and the production values look amazing!

I like the idea that the audience members can take away what they want from a Matthew Bourne production. It's also nice to know that the company is so inclusive in terms of its schemes and its willingness to develop young talent.

[smallhobbit]

It is definitely worth seeing - as are all his productions. The production values are always very high.

[aome]

Wow, that looks amazing!

[smallhobbit]

It really was!

[debriswoman]

This looks fabulous:-)

[smallhobbit]

It was!

[pensnest]

That looks fabulous. I'm quite tempted!

I utterly adored the New Adventures Swan Lake. I've never been interested in ballet (and tried watching my MIL's Fonteyn/Nureyev Swan Lake video but got so bored I nearly fell asleep) but I guess wanted to see this one because I'd become a slash reader and thought it would be cool. Reader, I *sobbed*. Absolute, heart-wrenching sobs. I've never been so moved in a theatre before.

[smallhobbit]

It's wonderful! Yes, we saw Swan Lake a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it too.

New Adventures Nutcracker! is on iPlayer at the moment if you wanted to watch it.