BALLET - ZURICH, MUNICH AND PRAGUE, PLUS THE BALLERINA: AMANDA CLERKE-MOULDS
Ballet - Zurich, Munich and Prague, Plus The Ballerina: Amanda Clerke-Moulds - Luxury Travel Magazine
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Beautiful at the Ballet | |||||
| By: Nella Scott, Issue 41 – Summer 2010 | |||||
| (Ballet – Zurich, Munich and Prague, Plus The Ballerina: Amanda Clerke-Moulds) | |||||
| AN ENCHANTING TOUR LEAD BY AUSTRALIAN BALLERINA AMANDA CLERKE-MOULDS WILL TAKE BALLET LOVERS BEHIND THE SCENES AT BALLET PERFORMANCES IN FOUR GLAMOROUS EUROPEAN CITIES OVER 12 MAGICAL DAYS. NELLA SCOTT STEPS THROUGH THE BEYOND THE CURTAIN 2010 TOUR ITINERARY. | |||||
| As the Australian Ballet’s four-year celebration of the legacy the Ballet Russes left on Australia draws to a close, ballet lovers can look forward to a new historical dance experience – a tour of the continent where ballet was born with an Australianbased luxury travel tour company, Beyond the Curtain. Tour guests will be granted an all-access pass to slip behind the scenes of some of Europe’s premier dance companies to watch ballets in rehearsal, attend receptions with the stars of the ballet world, and take the best seats in the house for the performances. To add to the glamour and privilege, tour guests stay in grand hotels close to the theatres in every city, dine in top-class restaurants and first-class transport from city to city. With experience and knowledge gleaned over 35 years in the ballet world, Amanda Clerke-Mould’s passion for dance and her desire to share it has led her to create a tour that explores the inner workings of some of Europe’s greatest ballet companies. “What goes on behind the scenes to create a perfect performance is often as fascinating as the performance itself,” she said. “With this tour I wanted to inform, educate and share what a truly amazing art form classical ballet and the world of classical ballet in Europe is.” Inspired by friends who loved ballet and wanted to know more about the inner workings of a company, she created Beyond the Curtain Ballet Tours to give ballet lovers the chance to totally immerse themselves in the world of European ballet. “There is so much more to ballet than the performance. Seeing an artist perfect their craft… to enter their world, to see the incredible commitment, passion and unrelenting drive that makes one in a million succeed. I think it is inspiring.” The tour begins in Zurich. | |||||
| ZURICH | |||||
| An evening cocktail party kicks off the 12 days on the continent where ballet was born. Zurich’s restored Widder Hotel is the location, and as cocktails are sipped and introductions made, the conversation will turn to ballet and the shared glimpse into the world of dance that lies ahead. Ranked the sixth most expensive city in the world, the picturesque city of Zurich is home to one of Europe’s most respected Ballet companies, the Zurich Ballet. Director and Chief Choreographer, Heinz Spoerli catapulted the company to world fame when he took over in 1996, and it has been receiving accolades for its performances ever since. After a night of rest and a leisurely breakfast at the Widder’s open-air Breakfast Pavilion, the business end of the tour begins with a private backstage tour of the Zurich Opera House, a building gilded with a history of famous composers and their immortal music. The Zurich Ballet is at home here, when it is not touring the globe, and tour guests can witness a pre performance warm-up class and meet the dancers before taking their seats for the company’s production of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, a quintessential classical ballet, followed by a post performance reception with company members. | |||||
| MUNICH | |||||
| Leaving Zurich behind, a first-class train journey will take the tour through the Swiss Alps and the quaint Bavarian countryside on the way to the German city of Munich. Here, the perfection of Bavarian hospitality is exemplified at Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski, a five-star hotel that overlooks Maximilianstrasse – a royal avenue known for its art galleries, designer stores, luxury boutiques and its proximity to the National Theatre. Another all-access pass provides an insider’s view to the ballet world, this time to probentag (rehearsal day) for The Munich Ballet Festival. The Bayerische Staatsballet (the Bavarian State Ballet) is preparing for the weeklong festival, and the pass gives you the opportunity to spend the day wandering from studio to studio observing various performances in rehearsal. Pina Bausch’s contemporary ballet, Mazurka Fogo is another of Munich’s contributions to the Beyond The Curtain tour. The choreographer, who has astounded audiences all over the world with her individual interpretation of the classical art form, sadly died in June 2009, but her legacy lives on in her memorable choreography which is part dance, part theatre and always avant-garde. | |||||
| PRAGUE | |||||
| A four-day stay at the Four Seasons Prague, with its opulent furnishings and views of Prague Castle, is plenty of time to explore the Czech capital and take in the local flavour. High on your to do list is a tour of the National Theatre where a private backstage tour grants access to areas rarely viewed by the public. You’ll also have a highly coveted opportunity to watch dancers perfect their technique in a company class. The fairytale city could be the setting for many a famous ballet, but the performance highlight in this city has a more modern and exotic flavour. While Prague evokes a bygone era with its opulent architecture and gothic atmosphere, the Prague Opera Ballet’s performance of Causa Carmen is a sultry, contemporary interpretation of the operatic classic. | |||||
| THE BALLERINA: Amanda Clerke-Moulds | |||||
| Sydney-born ballerina Amanda Clerke-Moulds began her ballet training at the Scully-Borovansky School of Ballet, the school founded by Edouard Borovansky, one of the original stars of the Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo. At the age of 15, she gained a scholarship to the Australian Ballet School in Melbourne, and after the completion of an intensive two-year training program with Dame Margaret Scott, successfully auditioned for the Australian Ballet. Under the direction of Sir Robert Helpmann and Dame Peggy van Praagh, she danced alongside such luminaries as Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev, performing with the company in the UK, USA and the Philippines. In 1979, Amanda travelled to Germany to join the prestigious Bayerische Staatsballet in Munich, where she worked with world-renowned choreographers including William Forsythe and Jiri Kylian, and performed as a soloist in Taming of the Shrew, The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, Onegin and Swan Lake. She was also a regular guest artist with the award-winning, avant-garde Jessica Iwanson Company. Returning to Australia in 1984, Amanda started her own dance academy, Dance North Academy, and as director of the school, she choreographed classical and contemporary dance for local and international competition. Many of her students have gone on to have professional dance careers in Australia and overseas. Clerke-Moulds says a highlight of her career was dancing with Dame Margot Fonteyn in The Merry Widow. “ I was very young and very nervous and had only been dancing with the Australian Ballet Company for a few months,” she said. “My character was Hanna (Margot Fonteyn’s character) as a younger girl. I missed my entrance and rushed onto the stage in a panic and proceeded to send the legend, Dame Margot Fonteyn sprawling across the stage.” “I was sick with worry but she was incredibly charming and forgiving. I will never forget this experience and what a gracious lady she was.” | |||||
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