Edinburgh Spotlight loves living in ‘Festival City’ and already has all these dates in its calendar – here’s the rundown of 2012′s festivals.

Mary King’s Ghost Fest TBC for 2012

Paranormal investigations, celebrity ghost hunts and other spooky goings on at The Real Mary King’s Close.

Ceilidh Culture 16 March – 25 April

Edinburgh’s traditional arts festival, featuring music, dance, storytelling and more.

International Science Festival 31 March- 13 April 2012
The International Science Festival features a host of fun and educational events, lectures and attractions celebrating all things scientific.

Beltane Fire Festival 30 April 2012
Beltane is an ancient Celtic festival and Edinburgh plays host to some colourful and exciting celebrations to mark the date.

Imaginate Festival 7 – 14 May 2012
The Imaginate Festival is Edinburgh’s children’s festival and has loads of plays, activities and fun things to do for youngsters of all ages.

Leith Festival 8 -17 June 2012
Come and celebrate all things Leith at this festival, featuring music, dance, art and other exciting events.

Edinburgh International Film Festival 20 June – 1 July
The Edinburgh Film Festival is an internationally-renowned event on the movie festival circuit and attracts premieres and stars from all over the world.

Edinburgh International Magic Festival 29 June – 6 July 2012

2012 will see Edinburgh host the third International Magic Festival with a range of performers show-casing their magical talents.

Edinburgh Art Festival August 2 – September 2
Edinburgh Art Festival celebrates the visual arts in all its diversity, from world-class exhibitions to strikingly original installations.

Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival 28 July – 6 August 2012
Get your gladrags on and party to the sounds of the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, a popular event which attracts international talent.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 3 - 27 August 2012
Getting bigger, better and – some may say – weirder every year, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the highlight of many a festival-goer’s calendar.

Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo 3 – 25 August 2012
Selling out months in advance, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is a spectacular event taking place on the Castle Esplanade.

The Edge Music Festival TBC 2012
Adding alternative music to the August festival mix, The Edge Music Festival attracts A-list bands as part of its programme.

Festival of Spirituality and Peace TBC 2012

The Festival of Spirituality and Peace features music, dance, talks and other events highlighting humanitarian issues and causes.

Edinburgh International Festival 10 August – 2 September 2012
The one that started it all, the Edinburgh International Festival is a feast of world-class music, dance and theatrical performances.

Edinburgh International Book Festival 11 - 27 August 2012
This literary event attracts major names in the writing, publishing and political fields to the serene Charlotte Square Gardens setting.

Edinburgh Mela Festival 31 August  - 2nd September 2012

Celebrating the cultural diversity of the city, the Mela Festival brings colour and exotic flair to Edinburgh in August.

Scottish Story Telling Festival 19-28 October
Celebrating the great Scottish oral tradition, the Story Telling Festival showcases the talents of national bards, poets and tale-spinners.

Edinburgh’s Christmas TBC – late November – End Dec 2011
Edinburgh sparkles at Christmas and features events, attractions and shows for all the family to enjoy during the festival season.

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay 30 December 2012 – 2 January 2013
End the year with the biggest street party in the world!

By choosing to focus on the surreal nature of Lewis Carroll’s classics, Scottish Ballet’s original production of Alice drips with imaginative visual flair and contemporary design, but as a result sacrifices a little in its narrative direction and clarity.

Conceived by Ashley Page and designer Antony McDonald, Scottish Ballet’s Wonderland is a mysterious, colourful and at times unsettling place. With a set filled with angular forced perspectives; video projections which pay homage to Buñuel and Dali (with a little bit of Gilliam thrown in); and costumes which range from the Baroque stylings of the White Rabbit to the burlesque allure of the Chesire Cat: this is undeniably a visually-striking production.

Young Alice (Sophie Martin) sits posing for a photograph for Lewis Carroll (Erik Cavallari). As the land of imagination and dream begins to take hold, she finds herself entering Wonderland not through a rabbit hole, but via a gigantic camera – the first indication of Scottish Ballet’s original and creative interpretation of the tale.

Once on the other side of the lens, the production is then played as a series of vignettes, where Alice meets the roll-call of familiar characters, each with Scottish Ballet’s unique twist.

Thus the Caterpillar (Adam Blyde) is a dashing tango instructor; whilst Humpty Dumpty (Lewis Landini) looks as though he has danced straight from the imagination of Leigh Bowery. The Queen of Hearts and her faithful suit are a little more traditionally interpreted, but the overall mood is one of a mashup of styles and influences, which does work well to create and maintain the piece’s striking design.

Alice is a modern contemporary ballet, with a great deal of the dance being expressive and interpretative, matched by Robert Moran’s structured and minimalist original score. Traditionalists will find themselves most drawn to the pas de deux between Martin and Cavallari: the former’s fluid grace representing the innocence of her character; and Cavallari’s tender strength also captivating to watch.

This, the debut of Alice, is a brave and bold production from Scottish Ballet, filled with inventive design and clever interpretation. Yet, with its surreal emphasis and contemporary direction, its narrative cohesion and emotional impact is lessened, leaving us at times as confused as Alice herself as the White Rabbit scampers past and leads her deeper into Wonderland.

Alice runs until Saturday 23 April at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre.

As the curtain rises, the familiar setting of Swan Lake unfolds; Prince Siegfried dances with his princess-turned-swan lover … who has chest hair?!

The Trockadero is an all-male cast of professional ballet danseurs playing both male and female characters from famous ballets. Their embodiment of the characters is complete with tights, tutus, pointe shoes and humorous Russian ballerina names like “Katerina Bychkova”.

It’s the perfect burlesque of ballet, as the tongue-in-cheek humour will keep even the most ardent balletophobes entertained. Don’t be fooled, however – the dancers’ incredible technique and artistry does justice to the ballets they seek to parody. Men dancing ‘en pointe’ doing spins, jumps and lifting other men (some as tall as 6ft 4inches) is hardly the same as partnering a 5ft 4inch tall ballerina weighing as little as 50 kilograms.

The show gives a good range of ballet repertoire to suit various ballet tastes. From the classic Swan Lake to Balanchine’s neo-classical Concerto Barocco; a technically daunting ‘pas de deux’ (partner dance) Gran Pas Classique; the Dying Swan solo that screams, “Eat your heart out, Pavolva!” and a bit of ethnic flair from the ballet Raymonda’s Wedding to end the show.

The ‘Trock’ is a joy for balletomanes as well as for those less keen on the ballet – you’ll never think of Swan Lake the same way ever again!

Review by Ingrida Dornbrook

A revival of Scottish Ballet‘s 2005 interpretation by Artistic Director Ashley Page, Cinderella is a visually striking and beautifully choreographed production of the classic fairytale – with the welcome addition of some humour as wicked as Cinders’ evil stepmother herself.

Cinderella

Set in a mashup of 18th century France, pop art styling and modern references, the world of Cinderella is a unique and immediately appealing one. Costumes spill from shoulders like flamboyant day-glo wedding cakes, whilst Anthony McDonald’s design and staging have some clever touches which evoke the magic of the tale in all the right places, enhanced by Peter Mumford’s catwalk-style lighting.

The Prince and Cinderella

Into this world dance the colourful cast of familiar characters, from the fragile grace of Sophie Martin’s Cinderella, to the prancing posturings of her maliciously vain stepsisters (Kara McLaughlin and Sophie Lambert). Performances from all the principals are good, Vassilissa Levtonova’s gliding en pointe Godmother another standout. Adam Blyde as the Prince also impresses, particularly in those scenes where he and Martin dance together, the fluidity and grace of their movements capturing the fairytale romance of their pairing.

The ensemble pieces are also strong: from the well-choreographed ballroom scenes featuring the entire company; to the ethereal and evocative sequence where Cinderella realises she shall go to the ball after all, aided by the Godmother, the turning Cogs of time and the fairies of the seasons (Tomomi Sato’s performance as Spring a highlight, filled with all the energy and bursting vibrance of the season she depicts).

The humour is a welcome addition, helping to make the production accessible to young and old; ballet veterans and newcomers alike. The preposterous preenings of the Stepmother (Eve Mutso) and her daughters is a constant joy to watch and one or two fourth wall-breaking moments of self-reference generate much laughter from the audience.

All of this is backed by an accomplished performance of Prokofiev’s atomspheric score by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra, under Richard Honner’s conductership, adding the final musical flourishes to an enjoyable whole.

A joyful and visually stunning production with ever-watchable performances and staging, Cinderella is well worth skipping the household chores for, before the magic disappears from the stage of the Festival Theatre on Saturday.

Cinderella runs until Sat 15th January at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre. Further information and tickets are available online.

The Mating Ritual

A boisterous and fun romp through the ages, The Mating Ritual explores the time-honoured relationship between man and woman via a series of brilliantly-choreographed burlesque routines, songs and dance.

Performed by burlesque superstars Gypsy Charms and Chris Wilson, Blond Ambition’s show is a titillating treat from start to finish.

We were fortunate enough to catch this show at a successful run at London’s Brickhouse recently and can attest to it being big, bold, bawdy – and brilliant.

So, why not spend Thursday evening in the company of some of the biggest stars of the UK’s ‘cabaret explosion’ and learn all about the birds and the bees, burlesque style?

The Mating Ritual is at The Voodoo Rooms on 22nd July, 7.30-9.30pm. Tickets can be booked online here and are £8 in advance or £10 on the door.

We love covering fabulous events at Edinburgh Spotlight and although the wonderful Linlithgow Scotch Hop is technically out of town, we wanted to draw your attention to the dancing evenings over the coming weeks.  The dancing takes place in the courtyard, inside the majestic Linlithgow Palace.    The schedule for this summer  is as follows:

Wednesday 14^th July  at 7.30 pm

Wednesday 21^th July  at 7.30 pm

Wednesday 28^th July  at 7.30 pm

Wednesday 4th August at 7.30 pm

Wednesday 11th August at 7.30pm

Photo courtesy of www.scotchhop.org.uk

Now in its 21st year, the Linlithgow Scotch Hop has a caller, a live band, tea, juice and shortbread and a whole lot of enthusiasm for popular dances such as the Gay Gordons and Dashing White Sergeant.  There is a full list of the dances covered each night.  All ages, nationalities and abilities join in the fun.

All the information you need regarding the Hop Scotch events can be found here and there are even alternative arrangements in the event of rainy weather.

The first event of the season starts next week, so dust off your dancing shoes and head through to Linlithgow!

Tickets on the door

Adults £7.50      Concessions £5  Children under 12 years FREE

Season Tickets:  Adults £22  Concessions £15

Tea and Shortbread included.  Dancing finishes approximately 10pm.

Photo courtesy of www.scotchhop.org.uk

Suitable for disabled?  Yes, both of the venues are accessible with suitable bathrooms.

The Professionals

Strictly Come Dancing, The Professionals

Back in December, I purchased my tickets for the professionals only tour of Strictly Come Dancing for my mum’s birthday and we were both very excited leading up to this evening’s dance extravaganza.   Not a lead-footed celebrity in sight as the  team of ten professionals took to the stage to showcase their talents.  There were many glitzy outfits and slick costume changes to marvel at throughout the two hour show.  The live music was provided by a seven-piece orchestra and three excellent vocalists with tunes from Van Morrison, and The Beatles  to current artists such as Kings of Leon and Lady Ga Ga.    

The choreography in the stunning new routines was outstanding and the professionals blew the audience away with their one-armed lifts, romantic rumbas and the ensemble jive had most of the theatre wanting to get out of their seats and join in.     

My personal favourite was Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace’s mesmerizing and passionate Argentinian Tango which was flawless and demonstrated their world class.    

The female professionals looked outstandingly beautiful in the flesh from my third row seat and the men oozed masculinity as they danced in their (sometimes shirtless) outfits – much to the delight of some audience members.    

The performances were linked with clips of the television judges on giant screens explaining the background of each dance and the quality to expect from the professionals.  Unfortunately, the introductions were sometimes live by the professionals themselves – which were on the slightly cheesy side for me (I’m talking to you Vincent), but the general audience seemed to like it. 

Runs until Saturday, tickets still available.   The show finished at 9.35pm with a short interval break.   

The Professionals in the show were:     

Ola and James Jordan, Natalie Lowe and Ian Waite, Kristina Rihanoff and Brian Fortuna, Aliona Vilani and Matthew Cutler, Flavia Cacace and Vincent Simone.

Dust off your dancing shoes and head to Disco Fever at the George Street Assembly Rooms on Friday 26th March.  This 60s, 70s and 80s disco event is to raise money for Edinburgh Cyrenians who help the Edinburgh Homeless.

Charity Disco

Get ready to strut your stuff or simply come along to soak up the atmosphere. Fancy dress optional but definitely recommended … best dressed will win an Ipod shuffle.

Cheap drink for George St ….alll alcoholic drinks £2.50 inc mixers (eg Magners, Malts, Wine). Excludes doubles

Tickets – £9 full price/£6 concessions are available:

Online: www.hubtickets.co.uk
By phone: 0131 473 2000
In person: The Hub (top of Royal Mile, near the castle)

Any queries, email events@calcadoo.com

6th February 2010

The 2010 Middle East Festival One World Peace Concert celebrates the cultural diversity of Scotland and the Middle East. The concert takes place at the Roxy Art House from 7-11pm on the 6th Feb. Doors open at 6pm. £12/£10 (concessions).

The running order on the evening is:

• 6pm-7pm: Food and drink provided by Susie’s Diner
• 7pm-7.45pm: Waa Sylla – African rhythms and dance
• 8pm-8.45pm: Samba Sene and Diwan – charismatic Sengalese singer
• 8.45pm-9.15pm: Interval for food and drink provided by Susie’s Diner
• 9.15pm-10.05pm: GOL – ‘UK & Iranian nu-jazz world electronica’!
• 10.20pm-11pm: Babylon Arabic Band – a multi-nationality band playing Arabic tunes

Tickets for the event are available from Tickets Scotland and are also on sale from:

• Susie’s Diner, 51–53 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9DB. 0131 667 8729;
• Hilary’s Bazaar, 297 The Royal Mile, Canongate, Edinburgh, EH8 8BD. 0131 225 7103. www.hilarysbazaar.com;
• Yekta, 96 South Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1HN, 0131 225 9706.

Last week we ran a competition to give away tickets to both the Family Hoog and the Main Hoog event.

Our winner was Julia Forsyth and she has kindly sent us a report of her experience there, with a fabulous review from her son Logan.  Click the link below to listen to what he had to say on his first Hoog experience!

The Family Hoog (audio review by Logan, aged 7)

Dancing at the Family Hoog

Mum says…..

We took our 2 oldest children (aged 7 and 9) to the family Hoog at the Assembly Rooms.  It was a fantastic night and we all really enjoyed ourselves.  The venue itself was spectacular, beautifully lit to create a very festive atmosphere. The band had a great energy and really “rocked up” the traditional ceilidh sounds.  We danced Strip the Willow. The Gay Gordons, The Dashing White Sergeant, we even attempted an Eightsome Reel.  All the dances were called, and walked through first and there were enough people there who knew what they were doing to ensure the dances didn’t fall apart. The Hoog is recommended for children older than 9.  Our 7 year old coped very well though, and had a great time.  There were a few even younger children there, the venue was very spacious so I think had my nearly 4 year old been able to stay awake that late I would have felt comfortable taking her along too.  Lots of swirling tartan, friendly faces, tasty stovies and an Auld Lang Syne to finish the evening off. Kids home and tucked into bed by 10.30.  Perfect!

Dancing the Gay Gordons

Looks like you had a fabulous time Julia !

Tickets for The Professionals Tour 2010 at the Edinburgh Playhouse are on now on sale.  There are 8 performances from 14th – 19th June 

Strictly Come Dancing

This is not to be confused with the normal Strictly Come Dancing Tour with selected celebrities and a judging panel, which is in February at the SECC, Glasgow.

Ten of the tv favourites, including James and Orla Jordan, Vincent Simone and the fantasic newcomer, Natalie Lowe will be dazzling the audience with their world class dance skills.

Anton and Erin have their own show at the Usher Hall on February the 14th (would make a great Valentine’s present !) – details of Steppin’ Out 

Edinburgh Spotlight has their tickets for both and can’t wait!