Sky’s the limit for Ballet West international launch
A FLASH mob made up of more than 300 dancers will give Ballet West’s official Malaysian launch of Swan Lake just the lift it needs.
Principal of Taynuilt-based vocational ballet school Gillian Barton flew to Asia on Tuesday to make her new international touring company centre-stage.
Worldwide media interest is expected at the Genting resort launch event today (May 31) to announce the dates the new professional company will be performing its touring production of Swan Lake.
The dates are August 24 and September 2, with plans to perform at other venues in the Far East later – Seoul and China could be next.
Principal dancers Jonathan Barton and Natasha Watson have choreographed a flash mob dance and invited representatives from schools across Malalysia to join them in a performance of it.
During the ‘spectacular’ launch, big screens will also be showing scenes from Swan Lake while leading dancers Jonathan and Natasha rise high above the crowd on a giant sky lift.
‘It will be spectacular. This will be the first piece of ballet they have had in Genting,’ said Ms Barton.
And she added: ‘It’s an exciting time in Malaysia at the moment, the country is undergoing lots of change. They have removed hefty VAT and people are very happy. People are spending money again and are optimistic for the future; we hope that will translate into ticket sales.’
Swan Lake was requested by Ballet West’s production partners after Malaysian market research showed it was the most popular ballet in Asia.
‘People are getting very excited about it over there and here. We have our principal dancers, 10 of our own graduates, and we are auditioning in Glasgow for another 20 dancers to join us in August,’ said Ms Barton, adding: ‘It is the talk of the school. Our students are thinking if they work hard, it could be them one day.’
One of those students is 27-year-old Rahul Pradeep from Bangalore whose dancing impressed Ms Barton so much that she agreed for him to start at the school while he still tries to find the £30,000-plus he needs to pay for the next two years of study. Ballet West has now heard from some potential sponsors.
Rahul hopes that once he graduates he will get a full-time job as a teacher, choreographer or best of all as a dancer – possibly with Ballet West’s international touring company. ‘The eye is always on the prize,’ he said.