Monday 26 May 2014

Danse á Grande Vitesse
Prompted by the absolutely horrendous weather forecast for the bank holiday, I changed my plans for the weekend and at about midnight on Friday booked a last-minute ticket for the Royal Ballet's triple bill this afternoon. Good decision .. it was chucking it down by the time I set out.
There was Balanchine's Serenade - sublime music and lovely Sarah Lamb dancing. (Here's a clip from another company.)
There was Liam Scarlett's Sweet Violets, about Walter Sickert and street girls and Jack the Ripper ... Didn't do it for me, the story is too convoluted and messy, but the Bedford Music Hall set was fabulous.
And then there was DGV:Danse à Grande Vitesse which was the reason I'd booked. I've been wanting to see this for ages ...
And it was fast and exhilarating and full of verve and even better than I'd hoped. And worth the ticket money for this alone. In the silence at the end, you could hear the dancers' great gasping breaths. I wish I could wind back the clock to lunchtime and see it again.

4 comments:

Cosy Books said...

The Serenade clip is beautiful...then I thought about what it would look like if I gave it a whirl.

What a lovely way to spend a rainy day, Mary!

mary said...

It does make you want to get up and dance, Darlene - though the effect wouldn't be quite the same!

callmemadam said...

Your blog provides vicarious London living for provincials. I love to read about your outings.

We are starting to benefit from screenings of London plays; perhaps that will be extended to ballet and exhibitions.

mary said...

Did you know that there's a Matisse screening, on next week, I think? Strangely, it's on in cinemas all over London - and as cinema tickets aren't cheap, I'd have thought Londoners would be far better off seeing the real thing! Good for anyone who's unsteady on their feet. though.