Ballet Ireland

Carmen Autumn 2013

anne — Wed, 22 May 2013 09:44:11 +0000

‘Carmen’

Set to Bizet’s passionate score, Carmen tells the story of the downfall of Don José, a
naive soldier who is seduced by the wiles of the fiery gypsy Carmen. José abandons his childhood sweetheart and deserts from his military duties, yet loses Carmen’s love to the glamorous toreador Escamillo after which José kills her in a jealous rage. Passion, drama and colour in abundance. Ballet Ireland’s talented dancers will sizzle in this highly charged ballet. Don’t miss this fabulous new production for 2013. gaiety Theatre dates november 5th & 6th. National dates to be announced shortly.

Cinderella – Spring 2013

anne — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 10:21:34 +0000

Cinderella after the Ball.

Choreography Morgann Runacre-Temple

Ever wondered what happened to Cinderella and Prince Charming after they got married? Well Ballet Ireland takes up the story when the pair return from their honeymoon! Our Ballet starts after the Ball and the most famous incident of a lost shoe in history. We meet the not quite so ‘happily ever after’ Cinderella and Prince Charming. The ballet opens with hilarious scenes as Buttons and the ‘Ugly Sisters’ prepare for the homecoming of the couple. Home come the ultimate fairytale couple, struggling to overcome their different backgrounds and Cinderella’s humble beginnings as she settles in to being a ‘Princess’.

What Cinderella doesn’t realise is that the Prince is bankrupt and he plans to auction off The Glass Slippers! Her fairy Godmother comes to the rescue once again and needless to say all’s well that ends well and the pair truly are on the road to happily ever after.

April

Saturday     13         Navan               Solstice Arts Centre         046 9092300
Tuesday      16         Roscommon      Arts Centre                     090 6625824
Thursday     18         Kilkenny           Watergate Theatre           056 7761674
Saturday     20         Letterkenny       An Grianan                     074 9120777
Wednesday 24 Bray                 Mermaid Arts Centre      01 272 4030
Thursday     25         Blanchardstown Draiocht                         01 885 2622
Friday         26         Tallaght             Civic Theatre                  01 4627477
Saturday     27         Tallaght             Civic Theatre                  01 4627477

May

Wednesday 1 Thurles             Source Arts Centre   0504 90204
Friday         3          Ennis                Glor                               065 684 3103
Saturday     4          Galway             Town Hall Theatre           091 569777
Sunday       5          Castlebar           Royal Theatre                 0818 300 000

Summer School 2013

anne — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 09:45:21 +0000

Ballet Ireland Annual Summer School 2013: The Bluebird and Princess Florine

Once again, Ballet Ireland embarks on the ever popular and award-winning summer school, now in its thirteenth year. As ever, each week will be filled to the brim with ideas, laughter and creativity, with workshops full of dance, music and mime, and copious quantities of joy and inspiration. This year we are going to centre our show on the story of “The Bluebird and Princess Florine”; participants will explore aspects of the tale and decide how these can best be expressed and translated into performance.

15th-19th July ………………..The Civic Theatre, Tallaght 01 462 7477

22nd-26th July …………….Glór Irish Music Centre, Ennis 065 684 3103

29th July-2nd Aug ………………An Grianán, Letterkenny 074 912 0777

5th-9th Aug ……..Burnavon Arts Centre, Cookstown 028 867 69949

12th-16th August ……………………….Moat Theatre, Naas 045 883030

Ballet Ireland rehearse Romeo & Juliet

anne — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 20:12:58 +0000

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anne — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 22:12:14 +0000

Romeo and Juliet Rehearsal

anne — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 20:43:58 +0000

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Dame Ninette de Valois at the Abbey Theatre

awesome — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 02:02:08 +0000

Company Director, Anne Maher in her position as Chairperson of Irish Ballet Forum is delighted to report on the huge success of the De Valois Symposium at the Abbey Theatre on October 14th 2012. There was a great turnout of the ballet world in Ireland. Guest speakers were very warmly welcomed and we were held spellbound by Monica Mason’s coaching session with Zoe Ashe Browne. Check out our great photos. There will be a review of the day in the Dancing Times written by Gerald Dowler next month.

ROYAL BALLET FOUNDER CELEBRATED AT HOME IN IRELAND

Dame Ninette de Valois celebrated at daylong symposium ‘COME DANCE WITH ME’
presented by Irish Ballet Forum

Marks 85th anniversary of the establishment of
The Abbey Theatre School of Ballet

The first-ever symposium celebrating the Irish-born figurehead of world ballet Dame Ninette de Valois who founded both the Royal Ballet in Britain and the Abbey Theatre School of Ballet, will take place on Sunday, October 14th, 2012 at the Abbey Theatre.

Presented by Irish Ballet Forum, ‘Come Dance with Me’ is a long overdue celebration of one of the most influential figures in the history of ballet is in acknowledgment of the 85th anniversary of the establishment of The Abbey Theatre School of Ballet and will see leaders from the world of dance gather at the symposium.

Highlights of the daylong symposium, tickets for which go on sale today, include:

·       the first-ever Irish coaching session with Dame Monica Mason, and a rare chance to see her coach in a professional capacity live on stage – on Checkmate, one of De Valois’ ballets withZoe Ashe Brown, principal dancer with Ballet Ireland,

·       the Irish premiere screening of the film of the recreation of the W B Yeats/Ninette de Valois dance-drama, The King of the Great Clock Tower (1934), written for two singers, two actors, a dancer (originally De Valois) and a small musical ensemble. Re-created and directed by Prof. Richard Cave, with composer Craig Fortnam, and choreographer Will Tuckett, and with the role of The Queen danced by Deirdre Chapman, First Soloist of The Royal Ballet,

·       the Irish premier screening of the documentary film directed by Lynn Wake, inspired by Ninette’s biography Come Dance With Me, which contains fascinating insights from Dame Beryl Grey, and David Bintley, director of Birmingham Royal Ballet.

Featured at the Symposium will be the recently retired director of the Royal Ballet, Dame Monica Mason; current director of the Royal Ballet, Kevin O’Hare; Anna Meadmore, Curator, White Lodge Museum & Ballet Resource Centre; Professor Richard Allen Cave (M.A., Ph.D. Cantab.), Professor Emeritus in Drama and Theatre Arts at Royal Holloway University of London; Dr. Geraldine Morris, Senior Lecturer, Dance Programme, School of Arts Froebel College; Cristina Franchi, Exhibitions Manager of Royal Opera House; Dr. Victoria O’Brien, author of A History of Irish Ballet from 1927 – 1963; Fiach MacChonaghail, Director of the Abbey Theatre; and Aideen Howard, Literary Director of the Abbey Theatre.

Ninette de Valois – fondly known as ‘Madam’ – founded The Royal Ballet, one of the world’s foremost ballet companies, in 1931. Among many other remarkable achievements, she established the Birmingham Royal Ballet; established the Royal Ballet School; danced professionally as a Soloist with Serge Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes, widely regarded as the greatest ballet company of the 20th century; established the State Ballet in Turkey; studied with acclaimed teachers including Edouard Espinosa and Enrico Cecchetti; mentored younger dancers, among them the iconic Margot Fonteyn who became a Prima Ballerina Assoluta of the Royal Ballet; and founded the Abbey Theatre School of Ballet.

Ninette de Valois’s legacy to ballet worldwide is almost unquantifiable. In Ireland, the leading dancers of the time emerged from the Abbey Theatre School of Ballet, as did the teachers of many generations of current Irish dancers, among them Ballet Ireland director and chairperson of the Irish Ballet Forum, Anne Maher, and Katherine Lewis, director of the Irish National Youth Ballet.

‘Come Dance with Me’ is presented by Irish Ballet Forum in association with the Abbey Theatre and Dance Ireland, funded by the Arts Council of Ireland.

Tickets and Listings

Come Dance With Me

Dame Ninette de Valois celebrated at the Abbey Theatre, presented by Irish Ballet Forum

Sunday, October 14th, 2012 |

Registration @ 10:30am/Starts @ 11am/Ends @ 6pm | €55 incl. lunch | Booking on 01 87 87 222 and http://www.abbeytheatre.ie/whats_on/event/come-dance-with-me/

About Dame Ninette de Valois
Ninette de Valois was born Edris Stannus in 1898 in Blessington, Co Wicklow, and spent her childhood there in Baltiboys House. She developed a love of dancing through performing traditional Irish jigs. Her family relocated to England on her Father’s death, when she was aged 7, and subsequently, she began ballet lessons aged 10. An invitation from William Butler Yeats in 1927 saw her return to Ireland to establish the Abbey Theatre School of Ballet. There she collaborated with Yeats on his Plays for Dancers, with regular performances staged until 1933 when she returned to London.

About Irish Ballet Forum
Irish Ballet Forum was established in 2009 by individuals working in professional ballet around the country. It was created to aid the development of Irish ballet and to strengthen the fundamental framework and essential infrastructure needed for a ballet dancer to progress from student to professional. Irish Ballet Forum was founded on the belief that the building and maintaining of solid partnerships, the sharing of resources and knowledge, and the complementing of existing resources would enable ballet in Ireland to reach unprecedented levels of achievement and success.

For further information, visit www.irishballetforum.com.

/ends

For press information and images, please contact:

Nik Quaife, Zoetrope Arts PR | e: nik [at] zoetrope [dot] ie

Summer School 2012

anne — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:19:03 +0000

‘Tommy Town Mouse’; Ballet Ireland Annual Summer School 2012

Since 2001 more than three thousand boys and girls have taken part in the Ballet Ireland Annual Summer School, a week filled to the brim with creativity and self-expression, workshops centred in dance and a performance held onstage, fully lit and dressed and open to friends and family. Participants work and perform alongside professional dancers from Ballet Ireland, and in collaboration with them, decide how each week’s show develops. With emphasis on all the component arts that combine to make a ballet; drama, music, painting and dance, the Ballet Ireland summer school week is filled with laughter, joy and inspiration.

This year we will explore the ancient story of The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse, a fable that has been doing the rounds for at least 25 centuries! A town mouse pays a visit to his country cousins and enjoys the clean air and simple food and, of course, all the country dancing. He misses, however, the sophistication of the city and invites the cousins to stay with him there. They too can sample the delicacies at the dinner table and the latest trends on the dance floor. But which will prove the better environment in which a mouse can thrive?

To discover what happens next and how we can translate the story into a ballet, come join in with our week of theatrical fun. We will develop and utilise all your performing skills and you may discover many you never thought you had. Participants will also be encouraged to create masks and headdresses and properties, and these will be incorporated into the performance held onstage on Friday. Self-confidence and motivation are available in copious quantities and the only limitation is your imagination. The summer school is open to all, boys and girls, young adults, dancers and non-dancers alike. Start age is six years. This is a hugely popular programme, many participants return year after year, and early booking is advisable.

9^th-13^th July Glór Irish Music Centre, Ennis 065 684 3103

16^th-20^th July The Civic Theatre, Tallaght 01 462 7477

23^rd July – 27^thMermaid Arts Centre 01 272 4030

30^th July -3^rd August An Grianán, Letterkenny 074 912 0777

6^th-10^th August Burnavon Arts Centre, Cookstown 028 867 69949

13^th-17^th August Moat Theatre, Naas 045 883030

The Nutcracker Autumn 2012

awesome — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 00:29:54 +0000

We are delighted to announce details of our sparkling, timeless Christmas classic;

Ballet Ireland's Nutcracker

The Nutcracker

The Sunday Business Post said of Ballet Ireland “I doubt if any show this year – in any field of the arts – will provide better value for money. This production was bursting with ideas and sparkled from start to finish”

It’s Christmas and at a party in her home, young Clara receives a Nutcracker doll as a Christmas present from her favourite uncle Drosselmeyer. Her brother Fritz breaks it but Drosselmeyer puts it back together again. All too soon it’s time for the guests to depart and Clara and Fritz are put to bed. Unable to sleep with the excitement, Clara goes downstairs to get her Nutcracker doll and falls asleep under the Christmas tree. The stroke of midnight sounds and the magic begins! With all of the time-honoured elements in place, Clara is swept along into a world of mice and soldiers, to the snowflake scene, on to the kingdom of the sweets and the delectable Sugar Plum Fairy. This timeless Christmas classic will to enthrall all who see it.

October

Friday 26 Letterkenny An Grianan Theatre 074 9120777
Saturday 27 Coleraine Riverside Theatre 028 7032 3232

November
Thursday         1              Cavan Ramour Theatre                 049 8547074
Friday 2 Roscommon Arts Centre                        090 6625824
Saturday          3 Cookstown Burnavon Arts Centre 028 8676 9949
Wednesday     7              Newtownabbey Theatre at the Mill              028 9034 0202

UK Dates
Saturday 10 Aberystwyth Arts Centre 01970 623232
Tuesday 13 Kirckaldy Adam Smith Theatre 01952 583302
Friday 15 Keswick Theatre by the Lake 01768 774411

Irish Dates
Saturday          17            Cashel                     Festival 062 62511
Tuesday 20 Dublin Gaiety Theatre 01 677 1717
Wednesday 21 Dublin Gaiety Theatre 01 677 1717
Thursday 22 Dublin Gaiety Theatre 01 677 1717
Friday 23 Dublin Gaiety Theatre 01 677 1717
Saturday          24 Dublin Gaiety Theatre 01 677 1717
Wednesday     28 Portlaoise Dunamaise 057 8663355

December
Saturday          1              Kilkenny Watergate Theatre              056 7761674
Tuesday 4              Blanchardstown      Draiocht 01 885 2622
Thursday 6              Tallaght                   Civic Theatre 01 4627477
Friday 7              Tallaght                   Civic Theatre 01 4627477
Saturday          8 Tallaght                   Civic Theatre 01 4627477
Tuesday          11 Castlebar                 Royal Theatre 0818 300 000
Thursday 13 Limerick Lime Tree Theatre              061 774772
Friday 14 Ennis                      Glor Irish Music Centre 065 684 3103
Saturday 15 Tralee                      Siamsa Tire Theatre 066 712 3055
Tuesday          18 Bray                        Mermaid Arts Centre 01 272 4030
Thursday         20 Dublin                    The Helix 01 7007000
Friday 21 Navan                     Solstice Arts Centre 046 9092300
Saturday          22 Navan                     Solstice Arts Centre 046 9092300

Guest Stars Melissa Hamilton and Dawid Trzensimiech

awesome — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 00:26:53 +0000

Ballet Ireland's Nutcracker

Born in Belfast, Melissa trained there at The Jennifer Bullick School of Ballet. At the age of 16, she joined Elmhurst Ballet School where she was taught by Masha Mukhamedo, who, after she left the school, trained her privately.

She won the Youth American Grand Prix in 2007. She joined The Royal Ballet in 2007 and was promoted to soloist in June 2010. In the 2009/10 season, while still a first artist in the corps de ballet, Melissa made her debuts as Mary Vetsera in Kenneth MacMillan’s Mayerling, in the pas de deux of Balanchine’s Agon alongside Carlos Acosta, and as the lead female role in Christopher Wheeldon’s Tryst.

Melissa’s repertoire also includes La Bayadère, Romeo and Juliet, Emeralds (Jewels), Les Patineurs, The Nutcracker, Sylvia, Summer Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty, Serenade, Homage to the Queen, The Dream, 5th Song Couple in L’invitation au voyage, DGV: Danse à grande vitesse and Carmen.

She has created roles in Ernst Meisner’s What If (Linbury Studio Theatre, 2008), Wayne McGregor’s Infra (2008), Acis and Galatea ( 2008 with The Royal Opera) and Limen (2009) and she created a principal role in Alastair Marriott’s Sensorium (2009).

She won the 2009 Critics Circle ‘Most Outstanding Female Performance’ Award and was nominated for the Times Breakthrough Award at the South Bank Show Awards. In November 2009, she was ranked by The Sunday Times as one of the ‘Top 30 Power Players under 30’.