Sleeping Beauty is the third in Matthew Bourne's trilogy of ballets inspired by Tchaikovsky's original scores and this rates up with his masterpiece reworking of Swan Lake.


This year is the twenty-fifth anniversary of choreographer Matthew Bourne's ballet company and he has pulled a blinder out of the bag yet again.  His telling of the Brothers Grimm's tale of Princess Aurora's one hundred year sleep, is the culmination of that celebration. 
Calling itself a `Gothic Romance', Sleeping Beauty's story begins in 1890 (the original ballet's first outing) and has her waking a century later in the present day. 

Everything about this ballet was interesting and original, I was gripped from start to finish.
The story was re-worked to include vampires (very clever Matthew) because vampires have that uncanny knack of rendering anything in which they are present to be sexy, scary as well as deeply seductive.  Well I would think that being an old goth.

The show opens with a translucent screen covering the entire stage with the words "Once Upon a Time" and as soon as you hear the opening music from Tchaikovsky's beautiful score - you know instantly that this is going to be an intelligent, witty and very grown-up reworking of this strange tale.

Bourne has become more interesting with his choreography and it works a treat.  Some reviews have labelled this piece as being cold and lacking any heart, but what they are failing to see that that is exactly how MB has planned it - the vampires the fairies, all of it is ice cold, even Aurora and gloriously so.  There is a scene in the enchanted castle which is difficult to watch as we have a host of red satin clad vampires dancing in a neon purple lit room.  Genius!  It is cold, sinister and menacing - we are never meant to feel comfortable with these deathly creatures.  This was a highlight in the show for me.

There is a wonderful scene-stealing moment early on in the ballet with a puppet of Aurora as a baby, beautifully operated by a semi invisible puppeteer and the scene was enchanting as she interacted with the fairies dancing around her. So tender and subtle were her actions, the expertise of this element reminded me of the talent of the puppeteers in the stage version of Warhorse. 

Check this link for info about tickets, venues and even a video clip!  
http://www.new-adventures.net/productions/sleeping_beauty

Show continues at Sadlers Wells Theatre until 26th January

Hello lovely readers
As most of you will know, the next Open Studios is nearly upon us and I had to pre-warn you that as well as new oil paintings, there will also be something entirely new to the studios - an extensive collection of handmade soaps!

They are all made with beautiful moisturising and nourishing ingredients, essential oils for fragrance, cocoa butter, shea butter, mango butter  for luxurious moisture and Vitamin E, Evening Primrose Oil etc for maturing skin and all sorts of wonderful stuff.  When you come along you'll see what's what, It is a truly multi-sensory experience walking into my studio with smells, colours and visuals like you've never seen and the studio smells gorgeous!

There will also be a small number of pieces by guest artist Tanya Church.  She will be showing an exquisitely hand crafted and painted wooden shelf, a box and a couple of paintings.  Her style refers to William Morris and the Art Nouveau period. I feel very lucky that she agreed to be included in this Open and I can't wait for you to see her beautiful work.  

Come along and enjoy the feast! 

See you there
Juliet x

PS. Being that its coming up to that time of year, I have packaged them to look like presents if anyone wants to buy them as such! Prices will vary between £2.50 and £10.00. There will also be soap fairy cakes!
God I love making these!



Next Open Studios will be 22-25th November  2012

Morven Press, who publish this book contacted me a few months ago to say that I had been recommended for inclusion, and if interested, could I provide them with my professional and personal history.  That is exactly what I did, and they contacted me to let me know I am now a `Who'.  Wonderful!

Their website is:  www.whoswhoinart.co.uk
The publications date will be in October 2012,  ISBN No: 978 0 9536039 1 6
If anyone wants to know more details, cost etc, please let me know.  

Juliet

Danny Boyle – the key figure in the Cool Britannia's wave of 1990s cultural reinvigoration, with his first films Shallow Grave and Trainspotting – was never going to settle for standard-issue pomp and pageantry. Zhang Yimou’s dazzling Beijing opening in 2008 was about automaton-like synchronicity and majestic spectacle, Boyle’s epic opera of social and cultural history was a vibrant work of unfettered imagination that celebrated a nation, but even more so, its people..

Before the kickoff, farm animals milled in pens on the grassy fields of a  village green, as agricultural workers tended their veggie patches, a waterwheel slowly turned, maypole dancers twirled and cricketers in period uniforms played  a gentlemanly match. Dominating the visual field was a replica of  Glastonbury Hill. Its grassy slopes – dotted with dandelions and daisies – evoked the British pastoral tradition (as well as Middle Earth and Tellytubby
land)  with a simplicity that grew even more beautiful as the show progressed.  A lone boy soprano sang William Blake’s “Jerusalem” , which set a serene tone and weight.  The by the end became home to the flags of the 204 participating countries.

Boyle then turned sombre with the arrival of the Industrial Revolution, heralded by Kenneth Branagh in top coat and tall hat, playing pioneering British civil and mechanical engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Accompanied by dozens of drummers, Branagh read the “Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises” speech from Shakespeare’s The Tempest, which was the inspiration for Boyle’s Isles of Wonder title and the show’s incorporation of dreams as a central element.

As the farmers and villagers rolled up the turf, the scene made way for 
towering smokestacks that sprouted from the ground as the arena filled with  factory workers, suffragettes, war veterans. Blacksmiths toiled away at their furnaces to forge the Olympic  rings, which were then hoisted above the stadium, raining down a shower of golden sparks in one of the show’s most awe-inspiring moments.

The biggest surprise and possibly the most memorable event in the entire ceremony was an actual acting cameo from HRH The Queen herself. She greeted a tuxedo-clad and eternally gorgeous Daniel Craig as he marched up the corridors of  Buckingham Palace trailed by  the monarch’s pet corgis: “Good evening, Mr. Bond.” she said, convincingly, (no wooden acting for our Queenie).  A sly switch with a body double followed as they boarded a chopper, with  her majesty dropped into the Stadium dangling from a Union Jack parachute to the 007 theme music. Genius!

The next segment which followed, was dedicated to the NHS and Great Ormond Street children's  hospital.  The hospital has been largely financed by royalties from J M Barrie's Peter Pan, an exceprt from which was read out by J K  Rowling. What followed next was in recognition of the importance of Britain's input into children's literature. We'd seen earlier, characters from Wind in the Willows, Winne the Pooh and Harry Potter. Kids were  now being  tucked up under their illuminated duvets, their bedtime reading conjured villains from Cruella de Ville to Captain Hook to the Queen of Hearts to Voldemort, all of  these nightmarish oversized monsters  eventually banished by a gorgeous flock of Mary Poppinses swooping down, holding umbrellas aloft.  They then proceeded to `tuck them in' their illuminated beds - one of my favourite moments in an evening full of favourite moments.

In amongst all this was a nod to the British film industry and its depiction of sports. The iconic Vangelis theme from Chariots of Fire was led by Rowan  tkinson in Mr. Bean guise, hammering away at a single synthesizer note while dreaming of his own athletic glory. This managed simultaneously to provide a daffy centerpiece while acknowledging the vital role of British humor in the popular culture – fart joke included.

Among the pearls of the evening, galvanizing use was made of The Clash’s “London Calling” and The Jam’s “Going
Underground.” The third element to the evening served as a decade-by-decade salute to the British music
industry.  From The Who and The Rolling Stones through The  Kinks and The Beatles and then on into the glam-rock years with Mud, David Bowie and Queen, the choices were wonderful. The Specials popped up, as did more Pistols as we moved into the punk era, then came New Order, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Soul To Soul, The Eurythmics, The Prodigy and Amy Winehouse - pure bliss. There were many left out, but then where to start with a country so full of musical talent.

The concluding fireworks backed by Pink Floyd’s  “Eclipse”, were truly spectacular.  David Beckham was seen belting up the Thames by speedboat  (another nod and wink to Bond), delivering the final torch.  The Queen then announced formally that the 2012 London Olympics were now open and all heaven was let loose with the most dramatic and spectacular fireworks this country has ever seen.  I watched the fireworks from the hill outside my flat which is over 5 miles away.   A truly spectacular and inpspiring opening.

My new work sees the welcome return of the thick beautiful brush strokes in oil paint, but also now, combined with the on-going expression of ther stone metaphor .

(For new readers who are not so familiar with my work this is an on-going development that started with the `Remembering Memory' Series, please check out that section of work on my `Art' tab, and for the reasons why I depict it please read my Statement).

This new series combining both elements is going to be known  as the `Intrusion Series' and I can see this growing and developing for a good long time as I have tons of ideas.  It is a fantastically challenging and thrilling experience to bring together two entirely opposing and different elements into one painting and to make them balance - much like life really!
(For the time being, this series will be under the New Abstracts tab, but after  the shows are over, will have its very own web page).

There is also a new 3D element to my new work, including a painted pair of Gamba Pointe ballet shoes!

Come and see.........I look forward to meeting you.


Juliet Rose Studio 228 - 10th - 13th May at Wimbledon Art Studios 
please see Contacts Page for more info.