Brentwoodian 2019

34 The Royal Ballet On the 19th October 2018 I was lucky enough to visit the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden to watch the Royal Ballet’s Mayerling . We were able to watch a dynamic cast consisting of Steven McRae and Akane Takada to name but two. I have been able to visit the Opera House before to watch shows like The Nutcracker and Alice in Wonderland , but Mayerling was unlike anything I have ever seen before. It was dark and dramatic and I think everyone was intrigued through every moment of the daring choreography by Kenneth MacMillan. The ballet was set in Austria and it followed the emotionally unstable life of the Hungarian prince who had been haunted by his obsession with death. The prince is later introduced to Mary Vetsera, a woman who shares his morbid fascination. It was clear to see the typical movement style of the company, ballet. But it was also interesting to see the addition of contemporary dance which I think really helped take the ballet to another level of drama. Along with the historically-accurate costumes and the incredible score of Franz Liszt the neoclassical ballet was a fresh, innovative insight into how the ballet world is changing and adapting to all the new styles being created and it was a wonderful opportunity to be a part of it. It was also so inspiring to be able to watch such technical yet artistic dancers who really drew the audience in and asked them to be part of the drama too. I have to say Steven McRae really did stand out for me; his amazing control combined with his clear passion created an utterly stunning performance. By Sophie Farquhar This year the First and Second Years put on an unforgettable rendition of Oliver. This production featured many varied dances including lots of talented dancers and young individual artists. It was very enjoyable and a good experience to work with fellow actors and be involved in one of our first shows at Brentwood School. Everyone was so friendly towards each other and participants couldn’t wait to begin and perform the long-awaited show to our audience. We started off with Food Glorious Food . This was an energetic piece and the audience thoroughly enjoyed watching the opening of the show. Then with a speedy change in the wings, we performed Consider Yourself , which was a high energy and happy piece. My favourite dance we performed was Who Will Buy ; this featured a lyrical solo performed by myself and an exhilarating group piece to close the number off. In total I performed five dances and although it was really tiring, my peers and I loved every minute of it and really enjoyed performing to everyone to show what we had been working on for so long. One of the highlights of the show was being able to dance with all of my friends and make new friends as we each encouraged and helped each other during each and every performance and rehearsal. By Isabella Colvill Oliver!