Behind-the-scenes at Cork City Ballet shown in upcoming documentary
Tickets have been selling like hotcakes for a behind-the-scenes glimpse of life at the renowned Cork City Ballet in a fascinating documentary to be screened at the city’s Opera House next week.
The 90-minute film, , which covers the ups and downs of the organisation over its 25-year history, including the financial crisis precipitated by the withdrawal of Arts Council funding in 2011, will be screened on Tuesday, September 11.
It boasts spectacular footage of dancers in the company, including child performers from its classes in Clonakilty, Skibbereen, Bantry, and Carrigaline, and provides an insight into the rarely-seen aspects of the daily life of a professional dancer.
Excerpts from favourite ballets such as Swan Lake, Giselle, Le Corsaire, The Dying Swan, The Sleeping Beauty as well as The Nutcracker, which the company presents at the Cork Opera House in November, feature in the documentary.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for all dance lovers,” enthuses the company’s artistic director Alan Foley, whose career as a dancer and whose work with the company is featured.
I saw a documentary some time ago about the life of Joan Denise Moriarty and I felt it was a bit dark.
“I believe that ballet is not dark.
“I am always trying to find ways of getting everyone involved in ballet because a lot of people just assume it is for the privileged.”
He said the repertoire of the company mirrors this philosophy in its selection of modern and contemporary music from performers such as Enya, Prince and Paul Simon, as well as the great classical ballets such as or .
“We did a remake of some years ago and, for this, we used music by Clannad and Enya,” he said.
The film also discusses the crisis which ensued after the company lost crucial Arts Council funding in 2011.
“This was one of the main breaking points,” Mr Foley said, adding that while the company had survived, the Arts Council funding has not been reinstated.
“I agree that you have to be new and innovative in any art form.
However, it is considered by the Arts Council that our repertoire is not sufficiently new and innovative.
“But we are innovative while we also perform many of the classical ballets that have been successful for 250 years.”
The company runs classes in several Cork towns and over the years, emphasises Foley, several of his former students have carved out good careers in dance around the world:
“These guys are now all over the world choreographing, directing and producing.
“This is what I love to do — bring ballet out and make it accessible to everyone which is why I decided to open all these schools outside the city.”
About 30 junior and senior students from the company’s training schools can be seen performing in the film, which is built around an extended interview with Foley comprising 25 questions about the company.
The documentary traces the very beginnings of the Cork City Ballet, and Foley, who began dancing at age eight and started to train in ballet at 13, talks about his own childhood and his love of dance.
The camera crew follows him everywhere from his old school to his modern-day dance classes and even features his first dance teacher, Helen O’Sullivan.
Tánaiste and minister for foreign affairs and trade, Simon Coveney, and eminent prima ballerina Lucia Lacarra feature in the film as well as many people closely connected to the ballet.
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