The Covent Garden Dance Company stages the International Stars of Ballet and Dance in the heart of Wiltshire every summer. The beautiful 17th Century walled Dutch garden at Hatch House, with its verdant and fragrant herbaceous borders, is enveloped by a bespoke canopy where guests gather to enjoy not only the setting but breath taking ballet.
This event has grown in to an established part of the summer social calendar. It offers three nights of world class ballet and dance performed by some of the greatest names the art has to offer from all over the world.
Ballet Under the Stars 2018 will celebrate and showcase the ‘Best of British’ talent with dancers, choreography, design and music from all over the kingdom. The dinner, wines and venue will have a very British theme and flavour, as will the choreography with works by two of ballet’s greats, Sir Frederick Ashton and Sir Kenneth MacMillan.
This year is the 30th Anniversary of the death of Sir Frederick Ashton, one of ballet’s greatest choreographers. His nephew has given the Covent Garden Dance Company permission to perform The White Pas de Deux from ‘Marguerite and Armand’. The ballet was created for the famous dancing partnership of Dame Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev after his defection from the USSR in 1961. The work takes its inspiration from the 19th Century novel, La Dame Aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas as did the famous opera La Traviata by Verdi. ‘Marguerite and Armand’ was first performed in 1963 by The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden with music by Franz Liszt and set and costume designs by Cecil Beaton.
Dame Margot wore a dress designed by Cecil Beaton and this is being replicated for Ballet Under the Stars 2018. The new dress will be for Mara Galeazzi (Guest Principal The Royal Ballet) and is being made by world famous costume designer Cécile Van Dijk.
This is an incredibly exciting collaboration as Cécile has been working in theatre and film since 2001. Her credits include the films Star Wars, Suite Française, Tulip Fever and The Duchess and most recently has worked with Mark Bridges on Phantom Thread, who won both a Bafta and Oscar for Best Costume.
Mara Galeazzi will perform the White Pas de Deux with Vito Mazzeo (Principal Dutch National Ballet). She is thrilled to be given the opportunity, “When I was at The Royal Ballet I understudied the role but never got to perform it so I am very excited, it’s an incredible honour to dance such a role.”
Mara will perform two other works as part of the ‘Best of British’ programme, a solo from ‘Requiem’ and the Farewell Pas de Deux from ‘Winter Dreams’ both by Sir Kenneth MacMillan. The programme is always a beautiful mix of classical, neo-classical and contemporary ballet and 2018 will be no exception. Matt Brady, founder of the Covent Garden Dance Company, has commissioned new pieces for this year from young choreographers Daniel Davidson and George Williamson and two dancers from the Ballet Rambert will join the dancing line-up.
Hatch House ballet is a truly unmissable event for ballet lovers as well as those who have never seen dance before. No one leaves without falling in love with this magical evening, it’s spellbinding and bursts every misconception, no wonder it’s the ‘Glyndebourne of Ballet’. How quintessentially British Ballet Under the Stars is, under canopy on a summer evening in a beautiful English country garden with friends and family. This sumptuous dinner gala is one of the South West’s best kept secrets just waiting to be discovered.
You can join this enchanted evening in one of the South West’s most romantic gardens by taking advantage of this exclusive offer we have created for The Lady 10% discount on Sunday night ticket bookings for them to email us quoting The Lady Offer on events@coventgardendance.com
For more information visit: www.coventgardendance.com
