On the 12th January 2019 I celebrated my 70th birthday with a surprise outing to Sadler’s Wells to see Mathew Bourne’s production of The Red Shoes. Little did we know then this would be our last theatre outing for 17 months. How fitting, that our first visit to the theatre was to Sadler’s Wells to see ENO’s World Premiere of REUNION
EncoreEast is delighted that Brendan Keaney, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of DanceEast has been awarded the OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
It was spring and the first UK lockdown, life curtailed in many aspects, some minor, some final. Into these times, this project arrived and life got lighter.
Matthew Bourne’s swans are male, at times funny, always powerful, make dramatic use of gravity and ultimately vicious. Learning short sections of the repertoire was magical, inspiring and proved the transformative power of dance.
Arielle Smith is young, vibrant, talented, fun. She emanates enthusiasm and positiveness. She is
easy to work with. After a session with her I am energised, I feel my youth!
I felt compelled to brace against the sting of abusive words, the frenzied movements of the dancers, their energy and exhaustion caught so starkly by the camera’s eye.