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Feel the emotion from dazzling dance premiere
BRITAIN'S leading contemporary dance company is making a welcome return to the region this month. MARISSA CARRUTHERS caught up with top choreographer Christopher Bruce to find out more.
RETIREMENT is usually a time for winding down, relaxing and leaving behind the hectic working lifestyle.
But retirement for Christopher Bruce couldn't be more further from the truth.
Rambert Dance Company's former artistic director stepped down from the position he held for more than a decade in 2002.
But that certainly didn't mean leaving his working life behind him and now, in his 60s, Christopher is still busy creating masterpieces.
In fact, it was his retirement present from Rambert orchestra associate Mark Stephenson that inspired him to create Hush for Houston Ballet back in 2006.
And now, after a bit of remastering from Christopher, Hush is heading to the region for its UK revival premiere.
"I was given a leaving present when I retired. It was this wonderful disc player with a disc called Hush," he said.
"Martin said he hoped it would give me some ideas and it certainly did.
"I took seven of the tracks and put them together in a way I thought would work – the inspiration all came from the music.
"The music was fairly magical and with the seven tracks I created a celebration of life featuring the child that is in all of us.
"It's a story about a family travelling through the night. There's the parents and all the brothers and sisters merged with a group of travelling players, clowns.
"They are telling this story like it's a lullaby, it's very poetic."
Christopher trained as a ballet dancer in Scarborough and at 13 went on to train at the prestigious Rambert Dance Company, becoming the last major choreographer to be trained under the wings of Marie Rambert.
In 2002, he handed over his role as head of Rambert to pal and former dancer at the company, Mark Baldwin.
Mark is choreographing the tour's title piece, Eternal Light.
"I've been pretty busy since retiring," Christopher said.
"I'm still working with various companies and am enjoying still being able to work with Rambert, which is one of the world's most exciting."
Renowned for their charisma, unique dance moves, colour and ingenuity, Rambert Dance Company has been wowing audiences across the globe for more than eight decades.
And now Mark Baldwin's new piece of work, Eternal Light, accompanied by Christopher's Hush and the endearing Carnival of the Animals by Siobhan Davies, is heading to the region.
Described as emotional and touching, Eternal Light is a major new collaboration between Baldwin and composer Howard Goodall.
Set to a sensational new score, this dazzling new work is played live by London Musici and features the Tyne Valley Youth Choir.
As always, the costumes, from production designer Michael Howells, are stunning and feature sparkling crystals donated by Swarovski and striking headdresses from fashion milliner Stephen Jones.
The Eternal Light tour can be seen at Newcastle's Theatre Royal from Wednesday until Friday.
Tickets cost between 9.50 and 24.50 and can be bought by phoning 08448 11 21 21 or by visiting www.theatreroyal.co.uk
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Friday 10 February 2012
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