Ballet
-
Christmas Magic with The Nutcracker
Christmas really came to town in Birmingham on Friday with the opening night of The Nutcracker, Tchaikovsky’s yuletide classic at the Birmingham Hippodrome. A full house for the Birmingham Royal Ballet’s production showed that this evergreen classic shows no sign of losing its ability to enchant, with this particular production stunning in both dance and visually through the incredible sets. The Nutcracker tells the story of a wonderful family Christmas Eve, with the initial scenes dominated by a wonderful Christmas tree. This is a picture box Victorian Christmas scene, one that could’ve come from a Christmas card, or the top of a quality street tin, the tableaux is so vivid…
-
BRB2 Carlos Acosta’s Classic Selection
Birmingham Royal Ballet tried something new and exciting this afternoon in a new venue, as the BRB2 – Carlos Acosta’s selection entertained a packed house at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre. This venture was a chance to see some new, fresh dancers just starting what should be illustrious careers, in a glorious showcase featuring some much loved dances, with a few very special guests offering their support, including Celine Gittens and Ryan Felix. The whole feel of this show was a brilliant introduction to ballet for those attending for the very first time, and a real treat for everyone else too. The showcase started cleverly showing the dancers warming up at…
-
The Nutcracker – Christmas Magic In Birmingham
The most iconic ballet of all time last night re-opened at the Birmingham Hippodrome, following a extensive rebuild of John Macfarlane’s famously beautiful sets. Yes, Birmingham Royal Ballet’s ‘The Nutcracker’ is back in all its glory, as sparkly and new as it looked in 1990, and totally ready to enthral audiences once again. As wonderful as the London production was in 2021, this is the visual treat that always signifies the start of Christmas in Birmingham, and last night, with Sir Peter Wright in the audience, the snow fell on the stage, the rats were led back to their cage, and the magic was truly a joy to behold. The…