Sunderland Ballet

We had a lovely pre-season reception for our adult community last night. A chance to re-connect after the summer, share a glass of fizz and learn about the Incomparable Anna Pavlova 🧑🏼‍🩰🩰Thanks everyone for coming, it was a great night. Now on to another term of beautiful ballet 😍

Our adult classes are also back next week, and we've got new class descriptors:

Level 1 complete beginners (no class yet this term but we're taking names!)
Level 2 those with a year or so of experience - around early/mid grade level
Level 3 those with a bit more experience, able to do pirouettes and all the usual allegro steps
Pointe - recommended only for level 3 students
Low impact - a more gentle pace, kinder on the joints, fewer jumps and turns, and particularly aimed at mature dancers (55+ - but open to all)

Our classes are back next week! And there is still time to book a trial. Our children's classes this year go from age 4 upwards, starting Wednesday 9th September.

Please note there have been some time changes from last year. We know the very early start of 3.45pm for our youngest dancers doesn't suit everyone, and we are working on a solution to this, but for now it is 3.45pm for those who can make it.

We're gearing up for a new term of classes here at Sunderland Ballet. The new season is now up which means anyone waiting to book trials can now do so through our website. From September we have classes from age 4 (reception) upwards to adults, retired adults and beyond . Here's a snapshot from backstage at our summer show to whet the appetite 🩰😃

And that concludes our summer workshops! Well done to this amazing bunch who danced for 2 hours on a really hot evening, while wearing big tutus 🤣🩰 It was lovely to recreate Les Sylphides to Chopin's wonderful music alongside such dedicated dancers. Well done all! We are taking a short break now and will be back soon with news about the new term.

We had a great time throwing ourselves into Les Sylphides this morning 🧑🏼‍🩰🩰🧚🏼‍♀️ There is one final opportunity to join us tomorrow night (Thursday 13th) 7pm. Book through the website - just follow the Pay As You Go link

Ah Les Sylphides! Sigh! We will be having fun recreating this early 20th century classic (featuring a classic Chopin score) on Wednesday morning (low impact) and Thursday evening (general adult level). Get your romantic tutus out and come and join us! Book through the website.

Images are of Tamara Karsavina and Vaslav Nijinsky, programme detail of Anna Pavlova from 1909, and Dame Alicia Markova.

If you want to get some homework done before the workshops, check out BBC iPlayer where you can see Tamara Karsavina (original cast) introducing Alicia Markova amongst others in a made for TV production from 1953

We've hosted 2 busy adult workshops this week celebrating the Cecchetti work. We welcomed dancers from different traditions, at different levels and all different ages and abilities, and gave ourselves permission to just have a go! In fact we were far too busy to take photographs, and this is the only one we got! Next week we give Les Sylphides the Sunderland Ballet treatment. Get the romantic tutus out and get yourselves along 🩰😍🧑🏼‍🩰

We are looking forward to welcoming students for a whirl wind tour of the basics of Cecchetti Classical Ballet next week!

While this will be a refresher for many, we also welcome dancers less familiar with the Cecchetti work. Studying Enrico Cecchetti's theory, method and his many different arrangements and exercises is fascinating for anyone with an interest in ballet.

We have 2 different levels on offer next week: a daytime, low impact class aimed at the over 55s but open to anyone who wants to take things a bit slower; and a general adult level open to anyone with a couple of years of experience (including teenage students). All exercises will be adapted to suit participants. Both workshops are at St John's church, Ashbrooke.

**About Cecchetti**
Enrico Cecchetti 1850-1928 devised a thorough and systematic training method still in use all over the world. As well as being a virtuoso dancer in his performing days, he was the ballet master with the legendary Ballets Russes and was Anna Pavlova's teacher. He worked with all the great dancers of his day, and it was said that no dancer had really completed their training until they had passed through Cecchetti's hands. The Cecchetti work is known for its purity of style and holistic quality, without affectation.

**Summer workshops for adults and teens! **

(General level - those with a bit of experience - work will be adapted to suit participants)

Thursday 6th August 7-9pm Cecchetti principles
Thursday 13th August 7-9pm Les Sylphides workshop

Book by following the PAYG link through the website 🩰💃