Guest blog by Emily Shaw
On Saturday the 17th of December I had the honour of attending the world premiere of “Beauty & the Beast,” the second of the two full length ballets by Northern Ballet to open this year. The Company’s Artistic Director is David Nixon OBE, who has now created 12 full-length ballets for them since he joined in 2001.
The atmosphere in the audience was bustling with anticipation, as many ballet enthusiasts waited eagerly to witness the first public performance of the latest adaptation, despite having to battle the British weather of bitter winds and icy pavements. It was clear as soon as the curtain rose that “Beauty & the Beast” would be no exception to the Northern Ballet’s usual high standards, with superb dancing and storytelling. David Nixon clearly put his own unique, modern twist on the traditional fairytale. Many elements were kept classical, though I particularly enjoyed how the ballet could easily have been set in a very modern era, with edgy costumes and set pieces that belonged in the 21st century. It was a pleasure to witness the outfits that I had recently seen on mannequins brought to life by flawless dancing, and exaggerated by the seamless set changes.
The setting of the Grand Theatre in Leeds was very fitting, as it is very intimate and allowed the audience to really feel like a part of the ballet. The blend of traditional and modern elements entertained all of the generations gathered in the theatre, as even young children seemed to enjoy the awe-inspiring dancing taking place in front of them. A huge part of the atmosphere was owed to “Northern Ballet Sinfonia,” who were incredible at creating atmosphere for each part of the performance, playing brilliant live music. Also contributing to the experience was the lighting, which altered depending on the characters on stage, and really enveloped the audience into the story.
Martha Leebolt shone as Beauty, however, Ashley Dixon (starring as the Beast in this showing) really stole the show. His animalistic dancing perfectly expressed the pain of a creature trapped midway in the transition between man and beast, and when he was on stage it was hard not to feel empathy, even towards the character of the Beast.
In all, this is a fabulous ballet that has elements of humour, sadness and hope, which will entertain all the family, and truly is the greatest ballet that I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. To book tickets for this brilliant ballet, go to the Leeds Grand Theatre website
Don’t miss out. Last performance 31st December.
Nice post. You are in google rss reader now so I can read more from you down the road.