Swan Lake at the Hexagon

Karen Neville

Posted on

Genre

Karen Neville

, ,

Daniela Dimova, artistic director of Varna International Ballet, shares her thoughts ahead of Swan Lake and The Nutcracker at the Hexagon in February

Founded in 1947 and renowned for their award-winning soloists and magnificent corps de ballet, the Varna International Ballet team have been delighting audiences for decades at home in Bulgaria and aboard with quality performances.

Led by artistic director Daniela Dimova, with music director and chief conductor Peter Tuleshkov, Varna International Ballet presents much-loved classics to charm audiences who are new to ballet and balletomanes alike.

“Ballet is a universe where roles constantly change,” Daniela tells us. “Without an audience, a ballet performance cannot take place. The audience with their applause feed the artists with positive energy, which gives strength for new achievements.

“Varna International Ballet is a troupe that is young, energetic and have lots of performing experience, with a long history. Sixty years ago, the world’s first international ballet competition was held in Varna, which immediately made this city one of the ballet capitals of the world.

“The National Opera and Ballet Theatre in Varna has been trying to keep the ballet bar high. Thanks to Bulgaria now being within the European Union, it is possible to invite talented dancers from all over the world more actively, and nowadays the company includes dancers from 10 counties.

“Today Varna International Ballet is one of the most active and creative European companies, with seven ballet premieres in the last year. All three productions the company is bringing to the UK (Swan Lake, Romeo & Juliet and The Nutcracker) are audience favourites and all three of them have a special place in my heart.”

Shakespeare’s tale of primal passion and timeless tragedy Romeo and Juliet is set to Prokofiev’s soaring score, with emotionally charged choreography by Sergey Bobrov and Bakhytzhan Smagulov that befits the world’s greatest love story. From the grandeur of the masked ball to the intimacy of the lovers’ balcony, this story of duels, bitter family feuds and love that cannot be is unmissable.

“Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet has a powerful music score and original choreography,” adds Daniela. “We follow activity and new productions of ballet companies worldwide with great interest. We are thrilled to be bringing our highly talented company of dancers and musicians back to the UK. We can’t wait to perform for the British audiences again and to bring these magical ballets to life on stage.”

The Nutcracker is on at 2.30pm & 5pm on 2nd February, and Swan Lake 7.30pm on the 3rd. Book your tickets for this & more at What’s On at The Hexagon | What’s On Reading

Latest posts

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Choose which newsletter:

Be bold, be you

Round & About

Posted on

Genre

Round & About

, ,

Fearless Girls Club launches in Chobham and Sunninghill this month empowering girls to be bold and live fearlessly as founders Elle & Kate tell us

Fearless Girls Club is a non-profit organisation founded by two Chobham mums last year with the goal of providing an innovative solution to a significant social problem.

The club offers a supportive and nurturing environment for girls aged 8 to 11 to boost their confidence, self-esteem and resilience so they can go on to thrive in an increasingly complex modern world. Elle Wilks and Kate Cooper’s mission is for every girl to be bold and live fearlessly.

They explain: “We want this to be the club we always wished we could have joined as young girls! Built on personalised support our girls can’t easily access anywhere else and encouraging meaningful peer relationships, we’re helping our girls to build a toolkit of critical thinking, curiosity, resilience and confidence to carry with them throughout their lives.

“We know that girls can struggle socially, emotionally, and academically in the later years of primary school (Years 4 to 6; age 8 to 11) in direct correlation with well documented plummeting levels of self-esteem, confidence and resilience, and a huge increase in poor mental health.”

• The Good Child Report (2021) identified that there are significant differences in wellbeing between boys and girls, with girls more likely to report lower wellbeing across a range of factors, including confidence and resilience.
• The report also identified that by the age of 13, girls are significantly less satisfied with their appearance, body and self-confidence than boys in England.
• A Mighty Girl research published in February 2024 shows girls’ confidence drops by 30% between the ages of 8 and 14.
• The Dove Global Girls Beauty and Confidence Report (2017) showed only 39% of girls in the UK reported high levels of self-esteem.
• A Girlguiding study in 2023 reported that girls’ happiness is at a 15-year low.

“Fearless Girls Club focuses on boosting confidence, resilience, and self-esteem through its innovative Confidence Quests – fun, research-based activities that help girls embrace their boldness and develop leadership and communication skills. 

“Fearless Girls Club also incorporates an innovative mentoring programme where older girls can step into leadership roles as Quest Leaders and Junior Quest Leaders, gaining valuable experience while inspiring younger girls. You can find out more about these volunteer leadership positions for girls aged 12 to 18 on the club website.” 

For more information or to join the club, please visit fearlessgirlsclub.co.uk or email [email protected]. 

Fearless Girls Club is opening its first two weekly after-school clubs in Chobham and Sunninghill.  

• Wednesdays (6pm-7.30pm) at St Lawrence Church Hall, Chobham
• Thursdays (5pm-6.30pm) at St Michael’s Church Hall, Sunninghill

Latest posts

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Choose which newsletter:

Entente Cordiale?

Karen Neville

Posted on

Genre

Karen Neville

, ,

The newspapers are currently full of the activities of Russian, Chinese of Iranian spies in Europe but the European countries have never been too averse to spying on each other either as author & journalist Michael Smith explains

One of the most scandalous cases occurred nearly a hundred years ago in December 1925 when John Leather, the Paris representative of the Burndept Wireless Company, two young Frenchwomen were arrested by French police and charged with espionage. The French press revelled in the sensational story of the British spies and their two French “Mata Haris”, who were tasked by Leather and his assistant William Fischer to befriend French officers and obtain details of military aircraft bases for MI6.

One of the two women, a 24-year-old model called Marthe Moreuil, had been seduced by Fischer, while the other, a dancer named Andrée Lefebvre, was run by Leather himself. He, Fischer and their colleague Oliver Phillips all denied espionage, but it emerged in the French press that both Leather and Fischer had links to British intelligence. The Foreign Secretary Sir Austen Chamberlain insisted in the House of Commons that the British government had absolutely no knowledge of “the activities of the firm in question”, sidestepping the fact that it was not the company, but the employees, who were being accused of espionage.

The deliberately misleading denial did not fool many MPs, not least because it well known within the British establishment, and probably the French counter-espionage service as well, that Leather was a cousin of Desmond Morton, a senior MI6 officer. The service’s “Chief” Hugh Sinclair had made too many enemies within Whitehall to expect any help in covering up the scandal.

Clearly well-briefed, the Labour MP Ernest Thurtle told the House of Commons that Chamberlain’s denial was a ‘diplomatic falsehood’. Ordered by the Speaker to withdraw his remarks or be suspended, Thurtle refused to do so and walked out to cheers from the Labour benches.

Leather was sentenced to three years in jail and handed a 3,000-franc fine, Fischer and Phillips received two-year jail sentences and 2,000-franc fines and the two women lesser sentences of six months and 500-franc fines each. The Foreign Office subsequently made very clear to Sinclair that it had made “a gentlemen’s agreement” with the French that neither country should spy on the other. It is an agreement that is unlikely to have held for any length of time.

Michael Smith’s book Six: The Real James Bonds in published in paperback by Biteback.

Want to chat spies or book with Michael? Get in touch at [email protected]

Latest posts

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Choose which newsletter:

One to watch: musician Baby Maker

Liz Nicholls

Posted on

Genre

Liz Nicholls

, , ,

Millie Deere interviews Oxford alt-indie musician Baby Maker who will star at Common Ground on 14th March

“Moody” alt-indie musician Baby Maker released his first album last year: From the Desk Of. Dry-wit lyrics toying with evocative rhymes make him one to watch on Oxford’s up-and-coming music scene.

Q. Your SoundCloud profile tells us you “cherry pick and prod at the carcass of influence”. Where do you look to find your influence in your music?
“I think I had a few jobs doing gardening and stuff, where I was just mowing lawns; I could just have albums on all day. And there’s that book: One Thousand and One Albums Before you Die. There’s a website version of it; it auto-generates a new one each day if you just listen some randomly. Also, I was just a big history music buff growing up I suppose, reading a lot of Wikipedia articles.”

Q. Do you have a favourite line of lyrics that you’ve written?
“Full Metal Jacket; I quite like that song. It’s story-esque, rather than just verse-chorus-versus. The lyric in that I like is: An old flame burned eternal entwined within his tribal sleeve.”

Q. Watching you perform, I really enjoyed those tinges of that dead-pan British delivery. In your music, how important are lyrics and their meaning?
“It’s definitely not an afterthought; I like good lyricists. It’s a good way that you can conjure up a world or a different take on stuff. And I get a bit of a kick out of trying to come up a cool stuff. It’s just nice hearing people mess around with words and come out a bit off the wall, essentially.”

Q. Tell me a bit about your writing process.
“It varies. I’ve had a baseline going around for a while that I like, and I want to try and finish it. I do all of it recorded at home, make it myself. My brother and I did a lot of the drums on the first album that’s out. He’ll come down and just record a bunch of stuff randomly and then I’ll sample it in a sense. Sometimes I like writing to like drum grooves, rather than sitting down with an acoustic guitar, ‘four chords and the truth’.”

Q. Has Oxford influenced your music at all?
“Wherever you live I think it’s gonna be an influence. There’s a couple that I’ve done about stuff that has happened to me in Oxford. But yeah, one hundred percent, I’ve been there a whole Olympic cycle now.”

Q. How has your relationship with your past work changed?
“I mean it is what it is, I suppose. I think it’s nice to have even if you’re not mad on it. It’s a nice snapshot of where you were… if you have stuff to look back on. And it’s nicer to have something to look back on than nothing at all. I listened to The Blindboy Podcast with Johnny Mar from The Smiths. He was saying that a lot of people’s musical identities are forged when they’re fourteen. And what you liked then will echo throughout the rest of your life.”

Q. What are you listening to right now?
“I took this straight off The Guardian’s top albums of the year list, but Cindy Lee. The album’s called Diamond Jubilee. They’re a bit of an outsider artist. I think it’s like the drag persona of this person. If you hear me crying is really good. It sounds like girl groupy stuff from Motown. It’s thirty-two tracks, so it’s a bit of an opus.”

Baby Maker will be in Common Ground on 14th March.

Spotify: Baby Maker | Spotify
SoundCloud: Stream Baby Maker music

Latest posts

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Choose which newsletter:

Godalming Operatic Society celebrates 100 years

Karen Neville

Posted on

Genre

Karen Neville

, ,

Enjoy the splendour of Gilbert and Sullivan with Godalming Operatic Society’s production of The Yeoman of The Guard, February 19th to 23rd at Godalming Borough Hall

Godalming Operatic Society is going back to where it started to celebrate its centenary with its upcoming show The Yeoman of The Guard.

Widely regarded as one of the country’s leading Gilbert and Sullivan societies, GOS was founded in 1924 and had its first production, The Yeoman of the Guard, on February 19th, 1925. Now exactly 100 years later, February 19th, 2025, the curtain will rise again.

Set in the Tower of London, The Yeoman of The Guard tells of the arrival of a travelling troupe of performers sparking forbidden romances, fantastical plots and unrequited love. It’s full of delightful tunes including When a Wooer goes-a-Wooing, and Free from his fetters grim.

Yeoman is considered by many to be Gilbert & Sullivan’s finest work, a view also expressed by both of them. Darker than many of the other G&S operas, the pathos is well balanced by much joyous and colourful music which ‘bubbles with wit and good humour’.

This special production will be accompanied by a professional orchestra, this year expanded to 24 players, under the direction of Musical Director, David Wright. The production will be fully staged with spectacular costumes and scenery.

With the exception of the war and Covid, Godalming Operatic Society has put on a major Gilbert and Sullivan production every year, including the more rarely performed works such as The Grand Duke and Utopia Ltd.

In addition to a fully-staged opera each February, in June or July they put on a smaller scale work, often at a smaller local venue such as the Wilfrid Noyce Centre in Godalming. Previous summer productions range from a concert version of Aida to The Zoo by Arthur Sullivan and most recently the 2019 Summer concert A Night at the Opera featuring a wonderful selection of grand opera arias, ensembles and chorus pieces.

Over the years the Society has won many awards and accolades from NODA for its productions, costumes and more.

New members are always very welcome. Previous experience is not necessary – it is enthusiasm that counts! The Society has a very active social side too with regular events and trips to see other shows, supporting other amateur operatic and musical theatre groups in the local area and further afield. The first point of contact is Chairman, Lee Power, at: [email protected]

To book tickets for Godalming Borough Hall, February 19th to 23rd, please go to Godalming Operatic Society event tickets from TicketSource. or call 0333 6663366.

The Yeomen of the Guard will also run February 27th to March 1st at The Leatherhead Theatre. Visit Events from January 3, 2025 – December 10, 2025 – The Leatherhead Theatre or phone 01372 365141.

Latest posts

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Choose which newsletter:

FREE FIZZ Friday at The Ivy!

Round & About

Posted on

Genre

Round & About

, , , ,

The Ivy introduces Ivy Green Friday, offering complimentary bubbles to all diners on the day.

This January, The Ivy Collection launches its first-ever Ivy Green Friday to brighten spirits as the festive season comes to an end.

On Friday, 10th January, Ivy restaurants nationwide* will offer diners a complimentary glass of bubbles, whether they’ve made a reservation or are stopping by spontaneously.

Guests can choose between The Ivy Cuvée or Wild Idol Naturally Alcohol Free Sparkling Wine, making Ivy Green Friday a perfect opportunity to connect with loved ones and shake off the winter blues.

Laura Mills, Managing Director at The Ivy Collection, said: “After December’s festivities and the first full working week of the New Year, a little treat is well-deserved. A glass of bubbles has a way of making any day feel special, and with options like The Ivy Cuvée or Wild Idol Alcohol Free Sparkling Wine, there’s something for everyone – even those doing Dry January. It’s the perfect excuse to get out, catch up with friends, or enjoy quality time with family, despite the chilly weather.”

Ivy Green Friday will take place on Friday, 10th January, from 11.30am until close. Guests can enjoy a complimentary glass of bubbles with the purchase of a main course.

To book a table, visit https://ivycollection.com/book-a-table/.

To become a member of The Ivy Premier Rewards App, join here: https://theivycollection.app/

The full menu for our restaurants can be viewed here: https://ivycollection.com/menus/

*The Ivy Green Friday offer will not be available at The Ivy West Street, The Ivy Buchanan Street, Glasgow and The Ivy On The Square, Edinburgh.

**One complimentary glass of either The Ivy Cuvée or Wild Idol Naturally Alcohol Free Sparkling Wine per person can be redeemed with the purchase of a main meal from 11:30am. Booking is not required; however, walk-in’s will be subject to restaurant availability. One glass per person (18+) at managers discretion. While stocks last.

Latest posts

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Choose which newsletter:

Haggis highlight for Burns Night

Liz Nicholls

Posted on

Genre

Liz Nicholls

, , ,

Enjoy a Burns Night supper in Gerrards Cross on Friday, 31st January, and raise funds for Gerrards Cross Community Association (GXCA), a charity which formed in 1947

Burns supper is a celebration of the life and poetry of Scottish poet Robert Burns (25th January 1759 – 21st July 1796).

One of its traditions is the address to the haggis and this speciality (plus a veggie option) will be served at The GXCA supper, along with neeps and tatties, served with whisky and redcurrant gravy. Guests can also tuck into starters of smoked salmon with prawns and avocado mousse or grapefruit and watermelon salad with rocket and mozzarella and pudding is a trio: raspberry and Drambuie trifle, double chocolate brownie and lemon tartlet.

GXCA was formed in 1947 to promote the wellbeing of the community and “to advance education, to provide a meeting place… for recreation and social, moral, spiritual and intellectual development and to foster a community spirit.”

Today, the team offer educational classes in partnership with Buckinghamshire County Council and other adult education providers.

Gerrards Cross Community Association in East Common, SL9 7AD, is home to clubs, societies, adult education groups, a youth centre and leisure facilities. Rooms can be booked for a variety of social functions (clubs, parties, weddings etc) and for business meetings.

The charity is financed by subscriptions, rentals and various fund-raising activities throughout the year, including the February Attic Sale and the Jumble Sale in September. More local members are welcome. To find out more or to book your Burns Supper tickets (£60pp) please visit Community Events l Venue Hire l GXCA or you can call 01753 883759.

Latest posts

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Choose which newsletter:

Go wassailing at Jealott’s Hill

Karen Neville

Posted on

Genre

Karen Neville

, ,

Claire Wallen, a director of Jealott’s Hill Community Landshare, explains a very ‘south of England tradition’ of blessing apple trees to ensure a good harvest with just a touch of ‘weirdness’ thrown in. Join the wassailers in Warfield

Have you heard of traditions that include hanging toast in a tree and shooting a robin? They are just one part of the traditional apple wassail ceremony that dates back to the 16th century. It traditionally occurs on twelfth night, the 5th or 6th of January.

The word wassail is descended from the Anglo Saxon ‘waes hail’ meaning ‘be well’. The ceremony is very much a south of England ritual and was designed to ensure a good apple harvest for the cider makes.

So what does it involve? It’s a bit bonkers, actually. There is singing, a ceremony and cider drinking. The idea is to bless the apple trees and drive away evil spirits in the hope of a bountiful autumn apple harvest.

The ceremony usually starts with singing of traditional songs. Then a holly king and oak king are nominated. A wren, which symbolises the Holly King (who rules to mid-winter), is then hunted down and shot (metaphorically of course) as part of the handover to the Oak King (who rules from mid-winter to mid-summer). The ceremony continues by choosing a Queen of the Bean.

Now comes the really weird part! The robin, which represents the Oak King is the guardian of the trees. The Queen of the Bean buries the poor little robin under a chosen apple tree. Then a piece of toast is placed in the tree and cider poured over the tree roots.

More singing ensues. Then in order to scare away evil spirits everyone starts banging trays and pots, blowing instruments and shouting loudly. Off go the evil spirits. And then it’s time for apple juice and cider drinking.

There has been a bit of a revival in wassailing in recent years and you can find events around Berkshire in January to enjoy this unusual tradition. One of the best ones is held at Jealott’s Hill Community Landshare in Warfield (North Bracknell) which has an apple orchard of over 300 trees, quite rare these days.

Maidenhead Morris group Ellington Morris (Ellington Morris) have carried out the ceremony at Jealott’s Hill for quite a few years. This year the event is on Sunday, 19th January from 1pm. More details via the website, Jealott’s Hill Community Landshare – Jealott’s Hill Community Landshare.

Please do come along and join us for the ceremony – we will have pumpkin soup made with our site grown pumpkins, hot apple cup, home-made cakes and children’s activities – it’s a great thing to do in the depths of winter. And it will help us reap a good harvest.

Latest posts

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Choose which newsletter:

Hazlemere expo for Amani UK charity

Liz Nicholls

Posted on

Genre

Liz Nicholls

, ,

You’re all welcome to find out more about the lift-changing work of humanitarian charity Amani UK at Holy Trinity Church in Hazlemere, HP15 7PZ, between 10am & 3pm on 8th February

Amani UK is a humanitarian charity which has been operating in rural west Kenya for 25 years, supporting and assisting development across a whole range of community activities.

After nearly 15 years or working at grassroots level in Kenya, Elizabeth Feliden founded Amani UK as a Charity Commission registered charity at the height of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Amind many challenges, it became the foundation on which the charity grew, harnessing the motivation of the rural community to form groups through which Amani UK was able to channel help and support.

The support grew rapidly, through the community groups, to focus across the essentials of life; food, water, housing, health and education. From the initial basis of support, the priority moved progressively to development of the groups through self-help projects. With an ever-increasing flow of annual youth group and adult trips from the UK, the support and interest base in the UK grew rapidly. This enabled the development of a strong trustee base, centred from 2003 on Hazlemere and Derby, with age and gender balance and growing Kenya experience.

Peter Fish of the charity says: “From these trips came totally unexpected and inspired initiatives, of which you will be able to hear more at the Expo; the creation of the Ted Rayner Memorial Clinic; the launching of the Keep a Girl in School (KaGiS) project, both now 10 years on and mature beyond any expectations; the establishment of the Schools Link project in 2008 and currently linking 19 UK and Kenyan schools.

“Visiting the Expo will enable you to hear how we are funding a medical clinic, supporting thousands of schoolgirls with sanitary needs, supporting communities through agriculture and business development. And working with local schools to help partner and create links with Kenyan schools to enable mutual learning. “You will meet our team of UK volunteers and learn about the Kenyan NGO team we helped establish in 2007 and have partnered with ever since; learn how you can support children to receive an education, enable families and community groups to become self-sufficient and ensure rural communities can access vital medical care. “See how our young adults are fundraising for a trip of a lifetime to Kenya, an experience already enjoyed by hundreds over the years, and find out how you can get involved and maybe even plan a visit too!”

Refreshments will be available and car parking immediately adjacent. Plan a visit between 10am and 3pm. To find out more about getting involved please email [email protected] or visit AmaniUK – AmaniUK

Latest posts

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Choose which newsletter:

Join Wycombe Orpheus Male Voice Choir

Liz Nicholls

Posted on

Genre

Liz Nicholls

, , ,

Phil Thomas tells us more about why you should join the local members of Wycombe Orpheus Male Voice Choir, whether you’re a beginner or a pro!

Most men can sing. Whether you are a complete beginner or a seasoned singer, Wycombe Orpheus Male Voice Choir invites you to become part of something special.

You’ll be able to enjoy singing in a welcoming, fun and relaxed atmosphere with a non-judgmental, supportive group. Also connect with fellow singers and make lifelong friendships, take part in vibrant concerts that will leave you feeling inspired, and benefit from expert leadership provided by our musical director. There are no voice tests.

You’re not too young or too old. We have members bringing up young families who view the choir as a mindful, relaxing, but purposeful break from their busy lives… and members who have been in the choir for 50+ years!

So why not be our guest for four weeks to see if you enjoy the experience and would like to become a member? We’ll ensure you’ll be seated next to an experienced member to guide you and answer any questions. Should you then decide “this is for me!” you’ll be enrolled to full membership (see our contact details at the end of this article).

Founded in 1923, Wycombe Orpheus Male Voice Choir are a vibrant group of enthusiastic singers who come from all walks of life. We meet at 7.30pm on Wednesdays at the Wesley Methodist Church in Priory Road, HP13 6SE, to rehearse for various concerts and events that we perform for the public. In many cases our concerts are in support of local or national charities.

Male voice choirs are generally arranged in four-part harmonies. Two tenor sections (higher voices) and two bass sections (lower voices), each sing their own part. Members join the section most suited to their range, which they will be helped to assess when they join.

We enjoy singing both well-known traditional pieces but also popular songs from musicals, films and the pop world. Some random examples are; Angles, One Moment In Time, The Rose, God Only Know, Do You Hear The People Sing, Morte Criste, What Would I Do Without My Music and songs from the Beatles, Abba, Queen and Coldplay, to mention but a few.

Although reading music is helpful, it is absolutely not a requirement. Sheet music is provided to all singers, but each tenor and bass part is fully supported by easily downloadable mp3 recordings via our excellent website.

New members will also be assigned a ‘buddy’, being a more experienced member of the choir, who would be happy to answer any questions and help you to find your way around.

The next step is to get involved: email [email protected]. Or why not come to our next rehearsal? No auditions required, just show up and either listen or join in… see if our choir feels like the right fit for you. Visit Wycombe Orpheus Male Voice Choir

Latest posts

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Choose which newsletter: