Edinburgh International Festival
The Edinburgh festivals are well under way, and there have been lots of dance events to shout about.
Edinburgh International Festival started in 1947, making this year its 69th birthday - that's 69 years of bringing people together to celebrate the performing arts! This year, a few dance events have already passed, including a performance from classical ballerina Natalia Osipova, who has taken a step into contemporary dance.
But for us, the most exciting event is still to come. From Thursday 18th - Saturday 20th August, the Scottish Ballet will be taking the stage at the Festival Theatre in the heart of Edinburgh, and performing a hypnotic double bill.
For the first performance, a group of thirty eight dancers (yes, thirty eight!) will be swarming the stage with their combination of classical ballet moves and crazy insect interpretations. Crystal Pite's 'Emergence' is set to stun the audience with something unique, as the ballet dancers transform themselves into buzzing bees for the production. It sounds kind of crazy, but it also sounds like a lot of fun and pretty mesmerising, so we're excited to see how it turns out!
The second part of the show is Angelin Preljocaj’s 'MC 14/22', with a much smaller group. The twelve male dancers will portray the ennobling of masculinity, celebrating the male body and mind, through a biblical performance. The twelve dancers will be representing Jesus's apostles and exploring the religious themes throughout, but tender sensuality and firm brutality will not be left behind.
The performances sound interesting and unique, and we're willing to try anything once. It's not quite the classic Swan Lake, but performing arts isn't just about the classics - and what better way to express this than at a festival for the performing arts?
If you're interested in seeing the Scottish Ballet buzz their way across the stage, you can grab yourself some tickets here from just £12 - and you might even be able to bag yourself a large discount!