A fast-paced and light-hearted show exploring the history of ballet is coming to Frome this month.
Bluffing Your Way in Ballet takes audiences on an entertaining journey ‘beyond the tutu’, featuring stories and dances inspired by ballet legends including Václav Nijinsky, Margot Fonteyn, Rudolf Nureyev and Isadora Duncan.
The production is led by Alexandra Pickford, a former dancer with The Royal Ballet and English National Ballet, who draws on her extensive experience to bring to life the personalities and performances that shaped her career. And Alexandra is no stranger to Frome, she was born in Frome Community Hospital!
Presented by Seizing The Day Company, a troupe of mature professional performers founded by Alexandra in 2021, the show is at the Merlin Theatre on Thursday 27th November.
“If you love ballet or are a complete novice, you’ll be in safe hands!” said Alexandra. “We’ll bring you the tragedy and magic of ballet’s greatest stars, past and present, and hear the stories from my life in ballet including my time with The Royal Ballet, dancing with some of ballet’s greatest stars.
“Our six members boast more than 350 years of experience, and three of us are in our mid-70s, so please come and see us while you still can! We’ll manage our naps, sciatica and snacks to creak into action!
“I still live in the West Country and I always love coming back to Frome, even more so this time as I’ll be performing. It’s a case of ‘local girl makes good!’”
Following a successful eight-night run at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe, Bluffing Your Way in Ballet has been selling out shows on its tour of Wales and West Country this year.
Audience feedback has praised the show’s humour, saying it appeals to both ballet enthusiasts and newcomers alike. “A brilliant night of theatre,” said Jessica Campbell, Senior Producer, Bristol Old Vic, and Tim Wilcock, Edinburgh Fringe said it’s “an enjoyable and informative canter through the history of ballet, touching on all the greats known to twentieth and twenty-first century audiences as well as a few of the less well-known faces from ballet’s inception around half a millennium ago. And not an elastic support in sight.”
Tickets and more details are available from the Merlin Theatre website. A minimum age of 14 is suggested due to some mildly risqué stories.
