Sadler’s Wells welcomes in the Birmingham Royal Ballet for a mixed bill of three new and much loved pieces.
The mixed bill begins with with Arcadia – the ancient god Pan is unleashed in Birmingham Royal Ballet’s first artist Ruth Brill’s new work, with a new score by saxophonist John Harle. Ruth trained at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts and at English National Ballet School. She danced with English National Ballet before joining Birmingham Royal Ballet in 2012 and was then promoted to First Artist in 2014.
Michael Corder’s Le Baiser De La Fée is a beautiful interpretation of this classic fairy-tale, originally composed by Igor Stravinsky. The ballet is based on the story of The Ice-Maiden by Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen which was written in 1861. Michael is one of Britain’s most renowned choreographers. Trained at the Royal Ballet School, he went on to dance with The Royal Ballet, Sadler’s Wells, Royal Danish Ballet, Dutch National Ballet and Australian Ballet. He has created over 60 works including the Olivier Award-nominated The Wand of Youth.
Finally, a morris-dancing flea, a ballroom-dancing ram and many more endangered animals seek shelter from the storm in Still Life At The Penguin Café. The ballet choreographed by David Bintley and feautres music composed by Simon Jeffes, founder of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. The ballet received its debut in 1988 when it was performed by The Royal Ballet. The production received a nomination for Outstanding Achievement In Dance at the Olivier Awards 1988.
Alongside The Royal Ballet and the English National Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet is considered one of the UK’s three major ballet companies. Originally founded in 1948 as the Sadler’s Wells Theatre Ballet, it was the sister company to the earliest incarnation of Sadler’s Wells. The company toured the UK and the world before relocating to Birmingham in 1990 and become the resident ballet company at the Birmingham Hippodrome.
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