En pointe: Behind the scenes of Birmingham Royal Ballet’s majestic The Sleeping Beauty
Plus: Our City Council story causes a stir
Dear Patchers — what a response to our Birmingham City Council deep-dive at the weekend. It’s already become one of our most-read pieces to date.
The former producer of Panorama and Newsnight investigations Meirion Jones reposted the piece on X/Twitter, saying: “This is really good, balanced reporting, digging into court documents and putting allegations to the individuals involved.” Elizabeth Shuck called it “great local journalism” and @BrumGreenJoe said: “This is really good reporting! Horrible to read all the gory details of this disaster unfolding.”
We also received feedback about things that readers think we should have included. Claire Spencer, who was a Labour councillor at the time, said it was a “detailed and thoughtful piece” but she found it “horrid to go back to those days” and said we should have mentioned that John Clancy’s deal would have un-suspended a man accused of bullying. Birmingham Live’s political editor Jane Haynes tweeted that it was a “great read” but criticised “people here who are keen to present themselves in a positive light that abdicates their own responsibility.”
We want our journalism to spark conversations and impact the public debate in Birmingham, so seeing so many responses to this story was gratifying. If you want to share the story, please retweet it here or share our Facebook post. And if you have information that might help us with our next story on this topic, please get in touch. Also, if you have insight into what went wrong with Oracle, we would be very keen to hear from you — and we’re happy to speak off the record.
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Our big story today is about the Birmingham Royal Ballet’s current major production at the Hippodrome, The Sleeping Beauty. The Dispatch was given behind-the-scenes access to the costume department and a rehearsal of two of the principal dancers to get a taste of the incredible amount of work that goes into preparing a world-class show like this one.
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Weather
☁️Tuesday: Cloudy and dry in the morning. Little bit of rain in the afternoon. Max 8°C.
⛅Wednesday: A bright start but turning cloudy in the afternoon with spells of rain. Max 8°C.
🍃Thursday: Windy, with more rain in the morning. Max 10°C.
🌨️Friday: Blustery showers and a cooler temperature – potentially snow in the hills. Max 9°C.
⛅Weekend: A mixture of clear and cloudy with some bright spells. Max 10°C
We get our weather from the Met Office and the BBC.
Big story: Behind the scenes of major production The Sleeping Beauty at Birmingham Royal Ballet
Top line: The Dispatch had an insight into the painstaking work that goes into preparing for a major show — and even watched a rehearsal by two of the principal dancers.
The backstory: Created by choreographer Marius Pepita and composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, The Sleeping Beauty premiered in 1890 in St Petersburg where it was hugely popular with audiences. Despite its glorification of the monarchy, writes Gerald Dowler, the ballet survived the Russian Revolution a few decades later, albeit with some adaptations.
It has continued to be performed ever since, with successive producers bringing the same steps and pageantry that wowed in the 19th Century to modern audiences.
Sir Peter Wright’s version premiered by the Dutch National Ballet in 1981, is on at the Birmingham Hippodrome until 2 March.
A stitch in time: The costumes worn by the dancers are a piece of history themselves. They are the very same garments that were used in The Sleeping Beauty premiere in 1981. The Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) recently raised £61,000 to have them restored. Whenever the show is performed, the costumes are carefully packed and flown to destinations around the globe.
Working with 40-year-old garments is no easy feat though. Costume technician Lucy Cook explained that careful adjustments have to be made:
With The Sleeping Beauty, we are [adjusting] because of how small the costumes are. And it's important with the guys because they have to lift [the women] and if they can't move their arms, there’ll be an accident…It's important that they get a costume that fits. And a lot of the time we are putting gussets in the armpits which just gives the boys a bit more movement because they will go to the gym a lot and make themselves bigger!
Pas de deux: With BRB’s UK tour continuing until late April, there are several principal dancers taking on the roles of Aurora and the Prince. Beatrice Parma and Tzu-Chao Chou debuted in these roles in Southampton on Saturday 10 February and will continue in Salford on Friday 8 March.
The Dispatch sat down with the pair recently and asked them what it feels like just before they step out on stage, after months of rehearsals. Parma said:
I feel like the waiting before stepping on stage for me is the worst part. I actually feel a bit paralysed almost – I have no thoughts. And then you step out of stage and you forget all the nerves.
I like to get into a concentration zone where I'm not focusing on any step in particular, I’m just thinking of the performance as a whole. I try to get my head in the moment rather than anticipating worries of what's coming up.
What did we make of it? It’s a while since we’ve seen such a theatrical ballet and The Sleeping Beauty truly brings home the power of storytelling (something we are very keen on at The Dispatch) through dance. It’s a classic tale of good triumphing over evil, but evil stands out: Carabosse the evil fairy who curses Princess Aurora is performed with perfect, camp extravagance and her scurrying minions are delightfully creepy.
Elsewhere, it’s clear why the role of Princess Aurora has a reputation for being one of the most challenging in ballet. During the notoriously tough Rose Adagio in Act 1, she balances en pointe as four princely suitors present her with a rose and slowly turn her in a circle, one by one. Principal dancer Miki Mizutani’s poise is breathtaking.
Photo of the week
Birmingham photographer Stacey Barnfield posted this shot of Great Western Arcade late on Sunday evening. The Grade II listed Victorian arcade is home to multiple independent businesses. I think it offers a slice of calm in the city centre and Stacey’s shot captures exactly that.
Brum in brief
Joe Lycett, Duran Duran and Napalm Death (a strange trio, admittedly) have joined a growing coterie of Birmingham artistic voices hitting back against the 100% cut to city council arts funding. Lycett compared the cuts to the bailouts the banks received after the 2008 financial crash, saying: “We have a brilliant and unique art scene; thankfully much of it does not rely on council money. But there is no denying these cuts are a short-termist national disgrace.” For a full list of those taking the council to task over cuts, here.
Death threats have become the “norm” in British politics, according to Birmingham Edgbaston’s Labour MP Preet Gill. Speaking on BBC Politics Midlands, Gill said it was especially bad for women in parliament: “The level of misogyny and hatred and that people can actually sit down and write a direct threat to you without feeling there are going to be [any] consequences, has really become part of the work that we do." She added that being shouted at in the street had become a regular occurance.
While the abandoned northern leg of HS2 has driven recent headlines, less focus is on those impacted by ongoing works on the London-Birmingham stint. But villages just outside Coventry say construction has created ongoing noise pollution and decimated the local landscape and wildlife populations. As one local told Coventry Live: “We used to have woodpeckers here and owls. They've all gone.” More information at a click.
Home of the week
This Grade II listed cottage in Acocks Green has a garden office and a huge conservatory. It’s available for £320,000.
Media picks
📽️Award-winning playwright and theatre director Sam Grierson’s dystopian debut short film — The Programme — was shot in Digbeth. The work explores themes of grief and loneliness (Grierson took two-years off writing before making The Programme due to a friend’s suicide) while challenging preconceptions about neurodivergence . You can watch the trailer here.
🎧For some light relief, check out legendary rapper and musician Mike Skinner’s recent appearance on Alan Carr’s comedy podcast ‘Life’s a Beach’. The West Heath-hailing wordsmith regales listeners with stories about his most memorable holidays and discusses his new album. Skinner also reflects on performing The Streets tracks 20 years on from when they first exploded in 2003 with Original Pirate Material.
Things to do
Tuesday:
🎶 If award-winning cellists are your thing, then Sizhe Fang is playing for free on Tuesday lunchtime at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Booking here.
🎤 For fans of spoken word poetry, Birmingham Poetry Night Overcoat is turning one year old and celebrating at Kings Heath’s Kitchen Garden cafe at 7pm. The Dispatch has heard that the night is incredibly inclusive and welcoming. More details on Overcoast’s Instagram.
Wednesday
💃 On the usual last day of February, the Hippodrome is hosting a double-bill dance special that delves into the themes of migration and domestic abuse using South Asian bodily expression in its classical form. Tickets on the theatre’s website.
🍛 From Wednesday the South Birmingham Curry Club starts a five-week residency at Longbridge’s much-talked-about Herbert’s Yard. Check out their social media for a taster.
Thursday
🗣️Hockey Social Club is hosting a panel with Professor Helen Wood and Dr Mhairi Brennan, who will be talking about the duties of care in reality TV and how participants are treated through their media exposure. Details here.
🎤If you fancy a late-week chuckle, then head to the award-winning Comedy Carousel night at The Glee Club. Three comedians will take part and you can pre-order food. Winner, winner, chicken katsu burger dinner. Times and prices here.