The year so far

An Enchanted Evening

It was always an ambitious project to hire Eastbourne’s 1700-seat Congress Theatre for a school performance, but on Monday 6th December, St Bede’s Legat School of Dance gave us over two hours of such outstanding music theatre and dance that the project did not seem audacious in the slightest.

The cast included pupils from the Prep School as young as six and the show – An Enchanted Evening – was all the more enjoyable in that it brought the whole St Bede’s Trust together.

The evening opened with a performance of Ophelia – an original contemporary work choreographed by Christine Blewer and set to the haunting music of John Taverner. The work opened with the display of John Everitt Milais’ iconic work, setting the scene for a deconstruction of the tragic tale of Ophelia and Hamlet. This was danced with fluidity and precision by dancers from the Sixth Form, giving the audience a glimpse into the tortured psyches of Ophelia and Hamlet. Throughout this thought provoking piece, scholars of the Bard were treated to references taken directly from Shakespeare’s seminal work – all interpreted in dance and movement.

Then it was time for some fantastic magic as Captain Beaky took to the stage with his band – Timid Toad, Reckless Rat, Artful Owl and Batty Bat.

From Captain Beaky we moved on to Musical Theatre with a selection of favourite songs from the musicals: Supercalifragilistic, Truly Scrumptious, Castle on a Cloud, I Could Have Danced All Night, Adolfo and Step in Time.

The climax of the evening however, was Act II of Giselle, performed by the Legat dancers. The audience were transported to a misty, moonlit forest for one of ballet’s most romantic favourites. The scene opened with Hillarion (Oliver Cooper), a gamekeeper and Albrecht (Alex Drew), a German count, lost in the forest. Ghostly figures that appear to them are led by their Queen (Lydia Bannister) and are spirits of dance loving maidens who have died before their wedding day. They force Hilarion and Albrecht to dance and keep dancing until Hilarion, in desperation to escape, drowns in the lake. Giselle’s (Tamara Ledermann) spirit dances with Albrecht and in so doing keeps him alive until dawn breaks and the spirits evaporate.

This, the archetypal Romantic ballet, was a true tour de force! The scenery, costumes and atmospheric lighting, coupled with a live orchestra ably conducted by Andrew Barclay, our musical maestro, made for a performance that was truly astonishing, given the age of the young dancers. Lead roles were superbly performed by students Lydia Bannister, Zoe Epstein, Lydia McKenzie, Alex Drew and Oliver Cooper, together with Tamara Ledderman. The corps de ballet, all Legat dancers, were suitably ethereal in their role as ghosts of dead brides, and performed in perfect harmony to create the enchanted scene.

It was a truly magical performance

An Enchanted Evening was the concept of Mary Goodhew who resigned from the St Bede’s School Trust prior to the start of the Autumn Term 2010, giving the correct notice period.

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