Telling stories in dance – Susie Crow reviews and reflects on recent narrative works

On Sunday 5^th May I joined a long queue outside Oxford’s New Theatre; lots of little girls, many in pastel princess dresses and net petticoats, with their mothers.  Inside the auditorium much excitement finding seats, fidgeting to get comfy, sweets and fruit drinks, plastic tiara and fluffy glow wand merchandise.  For this was one of a weekend clutch of performances of My First Cinderella, English National Ballet’s latest initiative to catch a new young and family audience.

 

balletLORENT in Rapunzel at Oxford Playhouse, 5th April 2013 – Lizzy Spight reviews

Opening picture – adults and children playing with big white and red balls, a big metal tree, white long ropes, children dancing a maypole dance.

The stage set for Rapunzel of tall iron railings is dominant throughout the whole piece with clever variations of the same set to create different scenes and atmospheres. That concept is introduced right at the beginning. Aesthetic to look at one moment, restricting and dark the next, there is effective play with black and white shades of the metal by the lighting design.

 

balletLORENT in Rapunzel at Oxford Playhouse, 5th-6th April 2013

From the company behind the magical Underneath the Floorboards, comes this stunning new adaptation of the classic Grimm fairy-tale, Rapunzel by company balletLORENT.  Written by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy and choreographed by award-winner Liv Lorent, this enchanting new production combines beautiful movement, stunning costumes and original music.  A family show for all children aged 7 and over, Rapunzel tells the story of the wicked witch who tricks a mother to give up her child and the handsome prince who rescues the girl.  Ten young people from the local community have been chosen to dance on stage alongside the professional cast in the opportunity of a lifetime.