Ballet Cymru Bring Roald Dahl Magic To The Stage

AWARD-WINNING company Ballet Cymru is set to present an extraordinary vision at Newport Riverfront next weekend – two stories from the mind of the most popular storyteller in the world, Roald Dahl.

Roald Dahl was born and grew up in Cardiff, and to celebrate the centenary of this famous author, two of his hugely popular stories are coming home to Wales in ballet adaptations. Ballet Cymru has been granted permission from The Dahl Foundation to produce two works based on sections of the wonderful Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes, Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs. This outstanding classical ballet was choreographed by Darius James and Amy Doughty, inspired by the outstanding and internationally recognised musical scores by composer Paul Patterson.

Gwen Davies of Ballet Cymru
Photograph: Sian Trenberth Photography

Cardiff born Gwen Davies is one of the newest members of Ballet Cymru and recently answered questions put to her by Seren Howells.

How long have you been dancing?
I started dancing when I was 4 years old so that’s 14 years!

Have you always been passionate about ballet and what inspired you to become a dancer?
When I was younger I always used to love dancing around to music and a nursery teacher suggested to take me to ballet classes. I started and never looked back from there! I don't think I really understood that it can actually be a career properly until I was in full time training at Elmhurst and then I was more inspired by the dancing that you are constantly immersed in from older students to professional dancers. I think it’s then you see performances and think that one day you would really like to be doing those parts on stage.

How did you get involved with Ballet Cymru?
I got to know the company through the summer schools they run in the Riverfront in Newport. I've been going since I was 8 years old and have been every year up until now! When I was 15 I also started to dance in company classes and then this year auditioned for the company as I was in my graduate year in school.

A Scene from Red Riding Hood:
Photograph: John Bishop

Where did you train as a dancer and how long have you been on point?
I started training locally in Cardiff with the Mandy and Shirley Morris school of dance. When I was 8 I auditioned for The Royal Ballet's Junior Associates in Bristol and was successful, so I also took fortnightly classes there too. At ten I started dancing on pointe and the same year I auditioned for Elmhurst in association with Birmingham Royal Ballet for their associate program, so I also took fortnightly classes here, alternating between all three! When I was 11, I auditioned for Elmhurst vocational school and was offered a scholarship so I started training full time in Birmingham. I stayed here until March of this year when I moved to Ballet Cymru.

Do you do any other styles apart from ballet and if so, which ones do you enjoy?
I have trained in many different styles like contemporary, jazz, flamenco, a bit of tap and recently have learnt a bit of Welsh clog dancing for Ballet Cymru's production of Romeo and Juliet. I enjoy trying a bit of everything really, but out of those other than ballet my favourite is contemporary and we use a lot in the productions we are performing at the moment. It’s also been really useful to have tried lots of different styles as the different skills often come in handy in choreography!

Who are you playing in the forthcoming Ballet Cymru presentation?
At the moment in Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs I'm playing a sheep, a grandma and a forest sprite. In Romeo and Juliet I'm performing Lady Capulet. You couldn't really get much more of a contrast between the two! Having said that I'm learning pretty much all the roles, just in case of any injuries or change of casts.

Are you a fan of the work of Roald Dahl and is it exciting presenting the medium of his work through ballet?
Yes, I've always been a fan of his writing from a very young age and I think I've read all his works! Its definitely a change to Romeo and Juliet which is obviously a lot more serious. His storyline and characters are so much fun to perform and play.

Ballet Cymru's Red Riding Hood

What piece of work has given you the most joy as a performer?
Most recently I performed Sugar Plum Fairy in various competitions but also in a performance where I returned to my old dance school so I have really fond memories of the piece. It’s also such an iconic piece, which is pretty tough to do well the whole way without getting tired, but you get a real sense of achievement from doing it. For me I think it’s also the pieces I've performed with a live orchestra like Romeo and Juliet with Birmingham Royal Ballet. The sound is just incredible you can almost feel your hair stand on end! It allows you to really lose yourself in the performance and it doesn’t really feel like your acting.

What advice would you give to aspiring young dancers who are thinking of becoming professional?
Lots and lots of hard work and determination! It’s always important to enjoy what you’re doing but also to be strong enough to keep going through any setbacks. Also try as many different styles and also other art-forms as possible and to watch as many professional dancers as you can and learn from them!

• Catch Ballet Cymru at Newport Riverfront on May 20 and 21. Visit welshballet.co.uk for further details.

On Stage: The Snow Maiden, St David's Hall, Cardiff, 2015

If you are already tiring of the stressful clutter of the Christmas season be it present buying or Christmas parties and longing for some genuine magic then St David’s Hall’s ballet season featuring The Russian State Ballet and Orchestra of Siberia is an ideal place to start.

The season began on Saturday afternoon with a presentation of The Snow Maiden, a breathtaking re-adaption of Alexander Ostrovsky’s story set in freezing mid-winter which was ultimately the inspiration for the Disney film success Frozen.

Protected from the outside world by Father Frost, the exquisite Snow Maiden plays innocently amongst the dancing snowflakes in the mesmerising Land of Frost. The fantastical seasonal tale follows the beautiful girl as she dances from the wintry overtones of her snowflake world into the colourful village inhabited by the humans who live there. Venturing too far into her new territory and the Snow Maiden becomes swept away by feelings of both temptation and betrayal.

Anatoly Cherpurnoy conducts The Russian State Ballet of Siberia Orchestra to perfection as the atmospheric music of Tchaikovsky acts as the narrative for the unfolding drama on stage. Ekaterina Bulgutova heads the cast as the elegant and delicate Snow Maiden while Demid Zykov is both colourful and debonair as Mizgur.

There is strong support from Olesya Aldonina as Kupava, Yuriy Kudryavstev as Lel and Alexei Balva as Father Frost, but ultimately it’s the combined work of the dance ensemble can orchestra that make The Snow Maiden the ultimate in seasonal treats for the family.

The Snow Maiden runs until December 21, with further presentations of The Nutcracker and Swan Lake over the Christmas season. To book your seats, please visit stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk or call the Box Office on 029 2087 8444

On Stage: Ballet Cymru's Cinderella, Newport Riverfront

Ballet Cymru’s latest take on a traditional fairy tale is a bilingual interpretation of The Brothers Grimm story Cinderella. Untouched by the constraints of a pantomime plot, stereotypical characterisations are stripped away to return Cinderella’s rags to riches tale to its darker roots told amid spectacular and dramatic choreography by Darius James & Amy Doughty superbly timed to Jack White’s musical score.

The ugly sisters are dispersed with in favour of a matriarch stepmother, Aerona an oppressed father and two step siblings Seren and Cas for Cinderella to contend with.

The production maintains an air of its tradition through carefully crafted costumes by Steve Denton including Cinderella’s rags and Aerona’s distinctive evil stepmother look. This contrasts somewhat to the modern props including sofa, chair, newspaper and Seren’s spectacles which bring an additional surrealism to the productions darker edges.

While Allegra Vianello (Cinderella), Daniel Morrison (Madoc) and Natalie Debona (Aerona) keep the audience focused on lead characters through classic dance moves there is much to be savoured by Krystal Lowe(The bird) and the rest of the company who perform circus elements combined with the finest classical dance.

Lydia Arnoux and Robbie Moorcroft performances as Cinderella’s siblings Seren and Cas are particularly the shows highlight for not only delivering a polished ballet performance but also for adding comedy (and some audience laughter) to what could have been potentially dark scenes when their mother attempts to maim them with a meat cleaver in the second half.

If you have any preconceptions of what ballet is throw them out the window, Cinderella is a live presentation that can be appreciated by the whole family.

• For more details on Ballet Cymru visit welshballet.co.uk
• A version of this review appeared in The South Wales Argus entertainment supplement The Guide on May 15, 2015

Review: The Nutcracker, St David's Hall, Cardiff

Christmas stories don’t come much more traditional than The Nutcracker currently presented by The Russian State Ballet of Siberia at St David’s Hall as part of their ballet season.

The ballet, set in the 19th Century Germany focuses on the magical events surrounding a Christmas party at the Drosselmeyer House on Christmas Eve and how an eccentric inventor and toymaker gives the gift of a toy called The Nutcracker to the party host’s young daughter, Marie.

As the clock strikes midnight, Marie goes to the living room to look in on her new toy but the inventor appears Marie is whisked away into a magical land which sees her doing battle with an army of mice and fighting alongside her Nutcracker who has transformed into a handsome prince.

It was not to difficult for audience members of all ages to be pulled into the action  of this  dramatic presentation with Tchaikovsky’s music provided with plenty of  charisma by The Russian State Ballet Orchestra.

Vasily Vainonen and Sergei Bobrov’s exciting choreography is brought to life by a magnificent cast of dancers lead by Maria Kuimova as Marie,  Kiril  Litveinenko as The Prince and Alexey Zevin as Dr Stahlbaum. The chemistry created between Kuimova and Litveinenko on stage is as elegant and magical as the characters they portray. The production is further enhanced by Christina Fyodorova’s colourful and vibrant costumes including flowing gowns, dresses, uniforms and mouse costumes.

As traditional as the tale is, The Nutcracker still remains very contemporary, its story displaying elements of heroic battles and fantastical escapism. A production for all the family to enjoy The Nutcracker runs until December 24.

• To book tickets for St David's Hall's ballet season visit St David's Hall's website.