Archive for dance
June 29, 2007 · Filed under Chilterns, Cole Porter, dance, Grace Kelly, High Wycombe, myChilterns competitions, Wayne Sleep, Wycombe Swan, Wycombe Swan productions
High Society by Cole Porter. Directed by Ian Talbot. I know what I like in a musical: attractive set, well-drilled chorus line, good dancers, rhythm, nostalgic love songs, humour and intrigue. You get all this is the new production of Cole Porter’s High Society. It’s at the Wycombe Swan until Saturday June 30 and then continues on tour.
Theatregoers of a certain age remember the film in the fifties. It was Grace Kelly’s final screen appearance before leaving the States for Monaco to marry Prince Ranier. The rich setting would suit her – the Lord family mansion in Oyster Bay, Long Island. The daughter of the house, Tracy Lord (Isla Carter) is preparing to marry the self-made, humourless, George Kittredge (Daniel Crowder) and her ex-husband – Dexter Haven (Mike Sterling) – a regular guest, unexpectedly arrives at the wedding weekend. There are many highlights in this delightful score. To see more of this review please go to the Theatre Reviews section of www.mychilterns.co.uk
April 3, 2007 · Filed under Chilterns, dance, General Stuff, High Wycombe, myChilterns, Wycombe Swan, Wycombe Swan productions
Le Grand Cirque at the Wycombe Swan. March 27 to 31. Le Grand Cirque is an example of the new type of circus started off in Canada by the internationally-known Grand Cirque du Soleil. No more jungle animals or sequinned bareback riders dancing on a circling horse. Modern audiences see breathtaking feats of muscular control, normally associated with qualifiers for the Olympic Games and performed in a huge gymnasium.
By contrast, Le Grand Cirque is a continuously colourful spectacle with a series of dramatic sets glinting with a myriad lights, enhanced by music and sound effects. Excitingly dressed female dancers come on from time to time to relieve the tension. The young performers are so athletic they seem to come from another planet. In fact the cast of 40 or so have been specially selected from all over the world for their circus talent. They are at the peak of physical fitness and they perform breathtaking feats, individually or in well-drilled teams, which are beyond what you’d expect of the human body. A measure of the dangerous nature of one or two acts was that a gymnast hovered alongside in case of an accident.
For more of the review please visit the Theatre Reviews section of www.mychilterns.co.uk
March 17, 2007 · Filed under Chilterns, dance, General Stuff, myChilterns, Wycombe Swan, Wycombe Swan productions
Australian Dance Theatre performance of “Held” at the Wycombe Swan on March 13th, under the artistic direction of Garry Stewart. Combining the look of Mad Max with classical ballet moves, a live photo shoot and an earthy Australian soundtrack ensured that the Australian Dance Theatre left their mark at the Swan Theatre.
In this production called “Held”, Garry Stewart, the Australian Artistic Director teamed with Lois Greenfield, the New York based photographer, to create a modern dance experience which was enhanced by dramatic, split second shots of the dancers. The dancers performed in a real life photo shoot as Lois joined them on stage with a state of the art digital camera. The dramatic action photos were projected on two large back projection screens on both sides of the stage. The camera managed to capture many of the exciting dance moves greatly enhancing the overall experience for the audience. The best pictures caught several of the dancers suspended in the air as if they were skydiving with flailing multi-coloured hair. The rest of the review can be found at www.mychilterns.co.uk
March 7, 2007 · Filed under Chilterns, dance, General Stuff, Wycombe Swan, Wycombe Swan productions
Spiegel dance and movement experience performed by Ultima Vez at the Wycombe Swan, March 2nd under the artistic direction of Wim Vandekeybus.
It was an evening of concentrated energy, emotions and imagery as the international Ultima Vez dance company performed excerpts from Wim Vandekeybus’ collective works over the last 20 years.
Dressed throughout in street clothes on a bare stage, the extremely fit, mixed eight member dance troupe stunned the audience with a series of dramatic movements propelled by the recorded music of Thierry de Mey and Peter Vermeersch. It was a tight production lasting 1 hour 20 minutes which required tremendous stamina and split second timing from the dancers. Read more about this performance at the myChilterns website at www.mychilterns.co.uk Theatre Reviews
February 8, 2007 · Filed under Aylesbury, dance, General Stuff, myChilterns
This summer will see a series of free-live-music events take place in Aylesbury Town Centre under the promotional banner of “Aylesbury Showcase”. This includes the free live-music festival in Market Square, affectionately known as “Hobble on the Cobbles” on Sunday August 27th.
In partnership with Mix96 and in association with the Town Centre Partnership, Aylesbury Showcase is working alongside a number of local companies (including Jam Central Records, Crash Records, Queens Park Centre) to bring a series of live-music events to Aylesbury town centre throughout the summer.
For more information on this event see www.mychilterns.co.uk
January 31, 2007 · Filed under dance, drama, General Stuff, ice skating, myChilterns, Wycombe Swan productions
The Imperial Ice Stars spectacular performance of Swan Lake on Ice, featuring over 20 Russian ice skating champions, earned a well deserved standing ovation from the Wycombe Swan audience last night.
Incredibly their triumph was achieved with great speed and daring on a portable ice rink one quarter the size of the championship rinks. We were mesmerised by the breathtaking choreography and artistic interpretation of this famous ballet performed these world class skaters.
It was fortunate that Tony Mercer, the artistic director and driving force behind this production was on hand to see his stars triumph. He has produced a show which seamlessly combines the familiar music of Tchaikovsky with the most advanced theatrical skating moves ever attempted. Using every inch of the available ice, the stars performed breathtaking moves complemented by excellent lighting effects and scenery.
To see the full review please visit http://www.mychilterns.co.uk and see a promotional video of the show and more photos at http://www.imperialicestars.com
