Make ballet your September resolution

By Catherine Bromley, Festival and King’s Theatres, Edinburgh

In many respects, the start of September feels like the end of things as well as a new beginning in the Scottish arts world.

We’ve just had the blow out of the Festival Fringe and gorged our appetite for all things cultural – it felt a bit like Christmas and New Year’s Eve all rolled into one! So, September could be seen to be the January of the arts world here in Scotland.

This month is a time for cultural resolutions and to reassess what you want from your leisure time. Maybe it’s time to think about trying something new like signing up for an arts class or learning a new language. You can also find new ways of broadening your cultural horizons and spending time with the family as the darker nights draw in.

One thing I’d urge people to put on their September resolution list is booking into watch a ballet. Many see this form of dance as a little elitist and stuffy or old-fashioned and too long - certainly not something to take the kids to see. But the reality is that watching ballet is a vibrant and electrifying experience for audiences of all ages and there’s a venue easily accessible in the heart of Edinburgh where you can see some of the very best performances.

The Festival Theatre on Nicolson Street is the capital’s destination venue for world-class theatre, music and dance. All year round, it’s a powerhouse of live entertainment, and the autumn/winter 2014/15 line-up includes some great shows from the UK’s leading dance companies.

Scottish Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, balletLORENT and Northern Ballet are all presenting new versions of classic titles this season, all of which will create a magical on-stage world for adults and children alike.

Contemporary dance theatre company balletLORENT is bringing its adaptation of the classic fairy tale Rapunzel to the Festival Theatre on September 19 and 20. The Times dubbed this show ‘the next Matilda’ and a show full of dark wonder and beauty as well as a must-see for both adults and kids
aged seven and above.

Over the Christmas period, Scottish Ballet is presenting The Nutcracker at the Festival Theatre between December 13 and January 3, 2015. This classic ballet transports audiences to the Land of Ice and Snow where snowflakes come to life, and to the Kingdom of Sweets, the enchanted realm of the beautiful Sugar Plum Fairy. More than 40 years since it first premiered, Peter Darrell’s classic production has been lovingly reimagined, adding sumptuous layers of plush Victoriana and traditional
festive fare.

The magic continues into next year, with the Birmingham Royal Ballet performing Coppélia at the Festival Theatre between February 4 and 7, 2015. Later that month, audiences will be treated to Sir Peter Wright’s breath-taking choreography in the Northern Ballet’s acclaimed adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet.

If ballet just isn’t for you, there are plenty of other dance shows on offer in the Festival Theatre’s autumn/winter programme. You can find street dance performances, physical theatre and contemporary dance shows at the venue throughout September, which will help broaden and brighten your horizons as we head into Edinburgh’s autumn.

To find out more about the shows at both the Festival and Kings Theatres, visit the website or the box office on 0131 529 6000.