Vienna Festival Ballet celebrate their 30th anniversary with a UK tour from October to December 2010 bringing two of the most famous classics The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake to life. Newsquest Northwest has joined forces with VFB to promote their competition. Our lucky readers have the chance to win ne of five pairs of tickets to see the 7pm performance of The Sleeping Beauty on November 2 at King Georges Hall, Blackburn in this easy to enter giveaway.
The celebrated Austrian dancer Peter Mallek founded the company after his illustrious career as a dancer of international renown in 1980.
Notable for the continued freshness and strength of their dancing casts VFB have top-talented dancers including graduates from the Royal Ballet School, British, Australian and Italian soloists, and guest stars from Vienna and Japan. Also with the company is VFB’s leading English ballerina, Melanie Cox, who has just recorded The Dying Swan for a new British film.
A strong suit for VFB is their beautiful and lavish hand made costumes and head dresses. Their productions have all the sparkle and glamour associated with the best of ballet.
This year, VFB’s casts and productions are sure to thrill against the glorious music background of ballet’s best loved composer Tchaikovsky.
The Sleeping Beauty shows off the technique and precision of the dancers in their version of the great classic. A classic fairy tale set to Tchaikovsky’s magnificent score, stunning choreography and beautiful costumes combine to portray the struggle between good and evil.
The wicked fairy Carabosse lays a curse on Princess Aurora, proclaiming that she will one day pierce her finger and die. But the Lilac Fairy intervenes and on that fateful day, the princess and the entire palace instead fall into a deep sleep. A century later, when Prince Florimund awakens the princess with a kiss, the palace awakes and a parade of fairytale characters attends the royal wedding.
VFB’s Swan Lake has the glamour of royalty with the palace and lakeside sets enhancing the experience of ballet’s most popular story. One of the greatest of love stories it stands alongside Romeo & Juliet but with a different twist because only the company producer decides if evil is to triumph over good – or the other way round.
Will Prince Siegfried perish for his love of swan-princess Odette, or will sorcerer Baron Rothbart and his accomplice Odile, impersonating Odette, pay for their trickery? See the ever-popular VFB in ballet’s ultimate classic to find out.
Vienna Festival Ballet, will also be running a workshop for children prior to their Blackburn performance. Starting at 4pm, the Vienna Festival Ballet Workshop is available to children who either attend a ballet or dancing school or classes, or simply have an interest in ballet in general.
The children can join in the warm up if they so wish, or simply watch and learn how dancers prepare themselves and warm their muscles before the performance.
After a simple warm up, there will be an informal chat, explaining about the origins of ballet, the story of the ballet that night, costumes and pointe shoes will be shown. They can then ask questions, and even try a shoulder lift or a pirouette with the dancers. Tickets cost £10 and include a ticket to the evening performance.
HOW TO WIN!
To be in with a chance of winning, simply answer the following question and email your answer, together with your name, address and daytime contact telephone number (please mark VIENNA in your subject line). Closing date is 9.00am on October 27, 2010. Usual Newsquest Northwest rules apply. See competition rules section for details. No purchase necessary.
Question: Who awakens Princess Aurora with a kiss in The Sleeping Beauty?
Terms and Conditions:
The editor's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Employees of Newsquest Northwest, their families and anyone connected with this competition are not eligible to enter. Usual Newsquest Northwest rules apply. Winners will be notified by email wherever possible and Newsquest Northwest take no responsibility for unread emails which leads to prizes being untaken.
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