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smallhobbitI 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:
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:
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Date: 2023-01-06 09:57 pm (UTC)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.
no subject
Date: 2023-01-06 10:22 pm (UTC)New Adventures Nutcracker! is on iPlayer at the moment if you wanted to watch it.