A break from Nutcrackers

See some ballet and do your Christmas shopping in Paris! The Royal Ballet of Flanders' recently announced season includes performances in Paris in December, allowing me to create another potential trip. If a break from non-stop Nutcrackers in December might suit you, do let me know:

Sunday December 4 - Monday December 12
Paris 3 performances
Paris Opera Ballet: Onegin
Cinderella (Rudolf Nureyev's version set in the golden age of Hollywood)
here's a clip, but you really have to see the beautiful pas de deux!
Royal Ballet of Flanders: Impressing the Czar (Forsythe)
See the RBF's great promo video for this season here:

I estimate this trip would cost about $3000 plus airfare.

Great video from the Royal Ballet of Flanders

Alessandra Ferri and Sting

Check out this video of the exquisite Alessandra Ferri performing to Bach played by Sting:

Onegin pictures

Lovely pics of Royal Ballet of Flanders new production of Onegin here.
Onegin: Wim Vanlessen
Tatiana: Aki Saito
Olga: Yurie Matsuura
Lensky: Wei Chen
Gremin: Ricardo Amarante
New sets and costumes: Thomas Mika

London October trip

Tours en l'air

Ballet Holidays

escorted by

Canada's Word Lady, Katherine Barber

London

4-10 October 2011

7 days, 6 nights, 5 ballet performances

A chance to see all four English ballet companies in one week of masterpieces by

MacMillan, Ashton, Balanchine, Cranko, and others,

performed by the

Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Northern Ballet, and English National Ballet

Tuesday 4 October

Arrive London; check in to the 4-star boutique hotel Flemings Mayfair.

Wednesday 5 October

Morning: Visit to “Degas and the Ballet: Picturing Movement” special exhibit at the Royal Academy of Art. Evening: Two-course welcome dinner and performance of Royal Ballet, Jewels (Balanchine)

Thursday 6 October

Daytrip by private coach. Visit the White Lodge Museum at the beautiful historic palace that is home to the Royal Ballet Lower School in Richmond Park, then continue to the sumptuous residence of Henry VIII, Hampton Court Palace. After visiting the palace, transfer to Woking for a three-course dinner before the evening performance of Northern Ballet: Cleopatra, choreographed by their Canadian artistic director, David Nixon. Return by private coach from theatre directly to hotel (about 45 minutes).

Friday 7 October

Daytrip by private coach to Birmingham. Three-course lunch and afternoon performance of Birmingham Royal Ballet, Symphonic Variations (Ashton), Checkmate (de Valois), and the Gilbert & Sullivan-inspired Pineapple Poll (Cranko). Post-performance talk with a BRB dancer. Return by private coach from theatre directly to hotel.

­Saturday 8 October

Dayat leisure. Evening: Royal Ballet, Limen (McGregor), Marguerite and Armand (Ashton), Requiem (MacMillan).

Sunday 9 October

Daytrip by private coach to Oxford. Walking tour of Oxford colleges and gardens. Three-course lunch before afternoon performance of English National Ballet, Strictly Gershwin (Deane). Return by private coach from theatre directly to hotel.

Monday 10 October

Check out of hotel.

Morning: Guided tour of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. Depart London

REGISTRATION DUE DATE: 21 JULY 2011
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, IT IS WORTH CHECKING EVEN AFTER THE SIGNUP DEADLINE IN CASE SPOTS MAY STILL BE AVAILABLE.

LAND-ONLY PACKAGE allows you the flexibility of arranging travel from your most convenient departure point, on the dates and times you prefer and to extend your stay if you wish.

Total Package price $2999 (Cdn); single supplement $850.

Package price includes:

6 nights twin share accommodation in the centrally located Flemings Mayfair Hotel with daily breakfast (travellers wishing to share will be put in touch with one another)

Three 3-course meals, one 2-course meal

Best available orchestra seats for 5 performances

Admission to “Degas and the Ballet: Picturing Movement” special exhibit at the Royal Academy of Art

Guided tour of the Royal Opera House

Day excursion by private coach to White Lodge, Hampton Court Palace, and Woking

Visit to the White Lodge Museum at the Royal Ballet Lower School

Admission to Hampton Court Palace

Day excursion by private coach to Birmingham

One-year membership in the Friends of Birmingham Royal Ballet, including two issues of the magazine Entrechat

Birmingham Royal Ballet Dancer Talk

Day excursion by private coach to Oxford

Private walking tour of Oxford

Ballet enrichment program: ballet notes and informal pre-performance talks and post-performance reviews with tour leader

All taxes, service fees, and surcharges

Not included:

Airfare

Items of a personal nature, e.g. phone calls

Meals and transfers not specifically mentioned in this itinerary

Beverages with meals

Cancellation and hospital/medical insurance

Terms and Conditions:

Non-refundable initial deposit payment of CA$1500 per person is required at time of registration, no later than 21 July 2011, to secure your space for this package**.

Single supplement, optional airfare (price available on request) and optional cancellation and hospital/medical insurance are also payable at this time.

Final payment due 17 August 2011, and total package price is fully non-refundable.

All cancellations must be received in writing at Uniglobe Plus Travel Group to the attention of Kimberley Hillier.

RBC out-of-province health insurance and trip cancellation insurance are available through Uniglobe Plus Travel Group and STRONGLY RECOMMENDED. Price will vary according to birthdate. Premium must accompany the deposit and is non-refundable.

Uniglobe Plus Travel Group TICO Registration Number : 4372512

For more information contact Katherine Barber: 416.693.4496 toursenlair@gmail.com

**The deposit is fully refundable in the event of cancellation of the trip by the travel agent

For all our possible 2011-12 trips, please click here.

ENB's Daria Klimentova

Nice article about English National Ballet ballerina Daria Klimentova here.

June in New York!

Two great articles about the June ballet season in New York:
American Ballet Theatre's The Bright Stream (Alexei Ratmansky)
Royal Danish Ballet
I'm going to see them both and I can't wait!

Dance DVD launch

For more information, click here.

great Dutch National Ballet Don Q rehearsal video

4 companies, 5 performances, 6 days

Join me in London for a fabulous opportunity to see all four major English ballet companies in less than a week! This ballet trip is shaping up nicely. Some details and price yet to be confirmed (should happen in the next three weeks). This is how it's looking at this point in the planning process:
Tuesday 4 October

Arrive London; check in to centrally located hotel near Royal Opera House

Wednesday 5 October

Afternoon: Guided tour of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. Evening: Two-course welcome dinner and performance of Royal Ballet, Jewels (Balanchine)

Thursday 6 October

Daytrip by private coach. Transfer to Richmond Park and visit the White Lodge Museum at the beautiful historic palace that is home to the Royal Ballet Lower School in Richmond Park, then continue to the sumptuous residence of Henry VIII, Hampton Court Palace. Late afternoon: transfer to Woking for a three-course dinner before the evening performance of Northern Ballet: Cleopatra, choreographed by their Canadian artistic director, David Nixon. Return by private coach from theatre directly to hotel.

Friday 7 October

Daytrip by private coach to Birmingham. Two-course lunch and afternoon performance of Birmingham Royal Ballet, Symphonic Variations (Ashton), Checkmate (de Valois), and the Gilbert & Sullivan-inspired Pineapple Poll (Cranko). Post-performance talk with a BRB dancer. Return by private coach from theatre directly to hotel.

­Saturday 8 October

Daytime at leisure. Evening: Royal Ballet, Limen (McGregor), Marguerite and Armand (Ashton), Requiem (MacMillan).

Sunday 9 October

Daytrip by private coach to Oxford. Walking tour of Oxford colleges and gardens. Three-course lunch before afternoon performance of English National Ballet, Strictly Gershwin (Deane). Return by private coach from theatre directly to hotel.

Monday 10 October

Check out of hotel and depart London

Royal Danish Ballet conquers America

The buzz is growing about the Royal Danish Ballet as they are rapturously greeted by ballet lovers in California:
… the way the US audience greeted the company:
“We got a standing ovation. YES. And Gene Kelly’s widow gave me a kiss afterwards for having such lovely male dancers. She said: ‘Gene would have gone bananas over these incredible male dancers’." - Nikolaj Hubbe
"Mid-way through the last ballet a baritone voice calls out ‘THAT’S MY MAN!’ during Thomas Lund’s final solo." - dancer Constantine Baecher.
You can follow their fun tour blog at http://rdballet.blogspot.com/
I am so looking forward to seeing them in New York!