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Birmingham Royal Ballet visit one of the best theatres to see ballet and dance in the country - the Lowry's Lyric Theatre in Salford Quays. In particular, those who like watching ballet from above will have a ball, as at The Lowry the First Circle gives wonderful sight lines and is close to the stage, being above row 12 or so of the stalls.

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<small>Birmingham Royal Ballet's "Coppelia"</small>

First up is Sir Peter Wright's "Coppelia" from 21-23 January. Details of the Lowry performances can be found here

Here is a preview "did you know" about "Coppelia":

Coppelia revealed
from Manchester online

A FEW things you might well not know about Sir Peter Wright's spectacular Birmingham Royal Ballet production of Coppelia include:

Coppelia has a cast of more than 60 and more than 120 hand-sewn costumes which are dry-cleaned before every season at the cost of £4,000-£5,000. The preparation of the costumes can begin six to seven weeks before opening night. In December last year, the costumes used in this production were appearing on stage nightly in Buenos Aires as they had been leased to a ballet company in Argentina.
Coppelia was originally created in 1870 and Birmingham Royal Ballet's current production of the world-famous ballet received its premiere on March 3, 1995 at the Birmingham Hippodrome. The first night cast consisted of Sandra Madgwick, as Swanilda, and Sergiu Pobereznic and her fiance Franz. Sergiu is still with the company as a principal dancer.

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<small>Birmingham Royal Ballet's "Way out West" triple bill</small>

More interesting for this ballet watcher is the triple bill of Fancy Free (Robbins) / Western Symphony (Balnchine) / Concert Fantasy (Bintley) from 25-25 January. More details can be found here

Manchester online has an interview with the wonderful Robert Parker:

Robert takes lead in Ballet’s Lowry return
from Manchester online


THE Birmingham Royal Ballet are returning to the north west with two programmes at the Lowry.

Sir Peter Wright’s highly-acclaimed production of Coppelia is followed by Way Out West! which includes two great American classics - Fancy Free, choreographed by Jerome Robbins, and the George Balanchine-choreographed Western Symphony - as well as a new ballet, called Concert Fantasy, choreographed by the BRB's David Bintley.

Taking the lead in both is principal dancer Robert Parker, who joined the Manchester Evening News Theatre Award-winning company in 1994.

To him, there isn’t really a different approach to preparing for a new piece than a popular classic such as Coppelia.

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<small>[ 18 January 2003, 02:22 PM: Message edited by: Stuart Sweeney ]</small>

Review of Coppelia in The Telegraph.

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Copellia @ The Lowry
By Robert Beale for Manchester Online

SIR Peter Wright's 1995 production of Coppelia is a wonderful pick-me-up for dark days and it is a joy to have Birmingham Royal Ballet bring it here.

The care lavished on the production still shows in a myriad of tiny details, and the combination of visual colour and the technical accomplishment of every member of this company make for a marvellous experience.

And Wright's exhilarating mix of rustic and courtly enlivens the innocent take on a tale of Hoffmann, which is the traditional basis of the ballet.

For soloists we were rather spoiled. Nao Sakuma, whose expressive face and gestures are as fascinating as her style is virtuosic, projected a Swanilda everyone had to love.

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Coppélia
By Jann Parry for The Observer.

Birmingham Royal Ballet opened its new season at the Lowry with Coppélia, a sunny old ballet calling on reserves of stamina from corps and principals alike. No strain on the audience, though, who chortle happily at the comic antics and take Nao Sakuma's perfect balances as Swanilda for granted. Swanilda has total faith in herself as the village belle, leader of the girls' pranks and tough-minded fiancée of flighty Franz (the duo danced by Rachel Peppin and Tiit Helimets in the alternative cast).

BRB's female corps are in good shape, though they no longer have the innate co-ordination of head, arms and hands that the Cecchetti-based choreography requires.

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Way out West @ Lowry
From manchester online

THE zest of the American West, with its rodeos, hoedowns, two-steps and the rest, is the trigger for this hugely enjoyable triple bill, which leaves you gasping in admiration at the exuberance and athleticism of BRB's virtuoso dancers.

On the way to this whirlwind Western climax, we have Jerome Robbins' Manhattan escapade, Fancy Free, music by Leonard Bernstein, which inspired On The Town.

Remarkably, David Bintley's new ballet, Concert Fantasy, to Tchaikovsky's music, acts merely as a curtain-raiser.

He has created a work requiring his versatile dancers to reflect beautifully the changing moods of the music. Lead dancer Chi Cao shows his classical strength and is paired well with Nao Sakuma. Pianist Jonathan Higgins was outstanding.

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