Mindpoke dance

Q: What would happen if real life ballet dancers dance to the music we regularly enjoy at modern jive dance venues? Well, I found out at an entertaining night out at the Peacock Theatre in Holborn a week or so ago. Ballet Revolución - a Cuba ballet company were in town for a two week run under the auspices of Sadler's Wells. They had enjoyed success last year and so the two week run was eagerly awaited though it was my first time in front of a proper ballet ensemble. In truth this was ballet-lite - classical ballet did figure in the first half and mightily impressive it looked. The remainder was a mix of dance styles and stylistic centre was the troop's response to the music of the company's homeland. A Cuban sound applied by the live band to popular tracks by Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, Ricky Martin and the like - some already betraying latin roots but not all. There was some pre-recorded music too and in the first half a long instrumental track of heavy ...

I coughed and wheezed my way through this dance weekend and didn't make it to the end, surrendering to practicalities and the all too evident feeling of being at the limits of my scant energy most of the time  It's the ultimate frustration starting out a dance with an intention of giving your all and then finding the energy leaves you and the opportunity is lost.  I should start, therefore, with an apology to all those lovely dancers assembled on the South Coast that I didn't dance more and I didn't dance better. That said I was glad I went because the highlights were considerable and the alternatives much less interesting. And to some extent one always feel a little better as one dances. Early March is a tough time to hold an event like a weekender.  The weather was bad on arrival, calm on Saturday, cold on Sunday and snowy on Monday.  I was really impressed with the commitment of many of the people who work hard to make these weekenders.  Stu Bassie's in...