#the sadler legacy

[pocketfullofsimshine]

summer fun

[backjustforberena]

Corlys and Rhaenys at their daughter's wake, with their grandchildren. DO NOT REPOST.

[im-an-aqua]

introducing my... PERCY JACKSON IR/DR

NAME: Olivia Lindsay Bowen

NICKNAMES: Livy, Liv, Bowie, berry

AGE: 14

ZODIAC: Aquarius

GENDER: female

GODLY PARENT: Dionysus / cabin 12

ABILITIES: vine manipulation the ability to control / destroy / invoke madness communication with big cats (leopards, tigers, etc.) making wine out of any liquids

BEST FRIENDS: Annabeth Chase, Grover Underwood, Silena Beauregard, Scarlet Holland (OC), Emma Sadler (OC), and Quinn Blackburn (OC)

S/O: Perseus Jackson

↳ BACKSTORY

My mom is a half blood, a legacy of Apollo and Aphrodite. All my life, it has been a huge secret. my grandparents moved to northern Canada when they left camp, and because there were not many monsters there. my mom didn't learn she is a half blood until she was 18. Many years later, while going through a divorce, her and some friends went on a girls trip to Vegas, where she had a one night stand with a random guy in a bar.

what she didn't know, is that the random guy was Dionysus, God of insanity, wine, and fertility. She found out she was pregnant and assumed it was her soon-to-be ex-husband, James's child. they got back together, and had me. three years later, she ended up getting the divorce. although I experienced many attacks and strange occurrences over the years, I believed James was my father. That was until, while at the mall, I was attacked again. this time, my friends were with me. I learned that 2 of them were also half bloods, one who already knew, and one who didn't. together, the three of us traveled to camp, where I was claimed at the camp fire, when Mr. D saw me for the first time, pointed at me, and said 'Mine.' Ever since then, Cabin 12 has been my home.

[akitasimblr]

sadler legacy by @pocketfullofsimshine because one of the cutest vanilla gameplays is back. yay!!

elissa by @britechester because i had a good laugh this week with elissa's adventures in the university 😂

clementine by @simoleonions because that baby girl is determined and she's gonna do something - what? i'm not sure, but i'd follow her just in case 😉

foster legacy by @simlypixies because both faces are absolutely perfect 😂

baby man! by @tittytrait because this was the first baby horses i saw around 🐴

tara & alex by @aridridge because you gotta love a bit of sibling rivalry, right? 🤭

[pipperoni32-blog]

Begin Again

By Emma Lord / 4.5 stars

Alright Emma Lord, it's official. I'm reading any book you write from now on. There's something about Emma's writing that just lifts me up from any black mood and makes me smile. Maybe it's the banter and sweetness between main characters, the weird food combinations and quirky family run restaurants, or even the struggle the main character has at finding themself, always at a crossroad in their life.

Andie Rose has finally made it to the college of her dreams, the one her deceased mom went to. She's ready to honor her mom's memory, maybe follow in her footsteps, and finally be back in the same town as her boyfriend Connor. Her mid-semester transfer was a surprise, but she's sure it will be a good one. That is, until she learns that Connor also transferred - back to their home-town community college.

She tries to make the best of it, determined to carve her place out at Blue Ridge State. Her roommate, Shay, is a bookstagrammer and they instantly hit it off. The RA Milo may be eternally sleep deprived and sarcastic, but he's also helpful in quiet, steady ways, like hooking her up with a work study place when she thinks the task is overwhelming. Andie makes changes right away, getting her fellow dorm room students to bond over a game of Werewolf, like Mafia but with more gruesome deaths and giggling.

Then there's the ribbons. A school tradition that helps you get into a secret society, one that her mom took part in. Andie's never known which society her mother was a part of, so the only option is to get enough of all of them to qualify for all three. And collect enough so that Connor can have his choice too, when he transfers back at the end of the year. At least, that's the plan.

Even with Shay's help in collecting ribbons, Andie finds herself falling behind in her classes. Namely, in her statistics class, with her unyielding professor who thinks the ribbons are a waste of time. Andie starts to question her place at the college - it's always been her dream, but what about after? Did she get in just on her mother's legacy? Is she smart enough to get through her classes? Will she ever fit in with the other students, the ones who don't have to worry about tuition?

A perfect balance of existential angst, slow burn romance, college drama, reconnecting with her dad, and forming lasting friendships, Begin Again is a must read!

I listened to the audiobook, and at first I wasn't sure if I'd be able to stick out the whole story with Georgina Sadler. but soon I fell into the rhythm. Plus, I adored the way she portrayed Milo, Val and Shay. A great listen if you prefer audiobooks!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy through NetGalley.  

[softersinned]

policies.

I like having exclusives and mains! I think it’s a nice way to build a coherent canon for my character, and to let dynamics develop extensively.

If you’re interested in becoming exclusives or mains with Astoria, please feel free to message me! If I’m already exclusive with a particular portrayal, please do not approach me to write with other versions of these characters on this blog. Please also know that I’m unlikely to drop exclusivity for any reason besides extensive inactivity, or breaking mutuals. Threads which ignore or disrespect my exclusivity will be dropped. 

exclusives.

Aleksander Morozova | Grishaverse — tmiina.

Arthur Pruitt (Pendragon) | Arthuriana — valiantsword.  

Baldwin Montclair | All Souls — balldwin.

Daemon Targaryen | House of the Dragon — dralgon. 

Dane Whitman | Marvel — endlight.

Dracula | Dracula — dracui.

Ellis Cousland | Dragon Age (M!Cousland) — xfindingtrouble.

Harry "Opie" Winston | Sons of Anarchy — reaperlost.

Harvey Dent | DC — acidcaught.

Hope Mikaelson | The Originals / Legacies — serendpitous.

Jax Teller | Sons of Anarchy — gaveldefy.

Jess Mariano | Gilmore Girls — literarist.

Marcel Gerard | The Originals — lovemaim.

Marcus Whitmore | All Souls — mortedoc.

Pamela Isley | DC — ecopoison.

Percival de Rolo | Critical Role — xfindingtrouble.

Rhaenyra Targaryen | House of the Dragon — queenborn.

Robert Langdon | Robert Langdon series — sumbolus.

Rory Gilmore | Gilmore Girls — gilmor.

Rosalie Hale | Twilight — denieddeath.

Steve Rogers | Marvel — shieldrevive.

Talia al Ghul | DC — pitborn.

mains.

Alina Starkov | Grishaverse — serendpitous.

Ben Callahan | Original — corpatrem.

Desiderius Mathieu | Original — aeternals.

Diana Bishop | All Souls — sheswoven.

Hale Ashwood | Original — aeternals.

Matthew Clairmont | All Souls — cllairmont.

Matthew Murdock | Marvel — murdcck.

Peter Parker | Marvel — boywebbed.

Shay Sadler | Original — aeternals.

Solas | Dragon Age — arsuledin.

[nimblespindle]

1.119

The beautiful weather the following day lets Astrid and Lorena do some more outdoorsy activities.

[silly-fox-in-sox]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Coolmore Stud (@coolmorestud)

coolmorestud

GALILEO 1998 - 2021

Regretfully our world-renowned Champion Sire Galileo was put to sleep earlier today on humane grounds owing to a chronic, non-responsive, debilitating injury to the left fore foot.

“It is a very sad day,” said John Magnier, “but we all feel incredibly fortunate to have had Galileo here at Coolmore. I would like to thank the dedicated people who looked after him so well all along the way. He was always a very special horse to us and he was the first Derby winner we had in Ballydoyle in the post M V O’Brien era. I would also like to thank Aidan and his team for the brilliant job they did with him. The effect he is having on the breed through his sons and daughters will be a lasting legacy and his phenomenal success really is unprecedented.”

Following Galileo’s strikingly impressive Epsom Derby success the front-page headline in the Racing Post was the single word ‘PERFECTION.’ It could not have been more apt.

Bred in the purple by Sadler’s Wells out of ‘Arc’ heroine Urban Sea and unbeaten in his first six starts, Galileo proved an immediate success at stud siring Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Nightime from his first crop. Appropriately he became the most successful Group 1 sire of all time when his daughter Peaceful won the same race in June of last year.

His total of individual Group 1 winners now stands at 91 while no less than 20 of his sons have sired Group 1 winners on the flat, headed by Frankel and Australia.

[sleepyskunk]

List of Movies / 2020 Movie Trailer Mashup

* * * PART I - LET’S ROCK * * *

0:10 - Wander

0:11 - The Wild Goose Lake (double shot)

“I don’t know who you are, but I’m coming for you.” - Aaron Eckhart, Wander

0:13 - I’m No Longer Here

0:14 - Freaky

0:15 - The Rental

0:16 - Deerskin (double shot)

“What do you want?” - Chris Messina, The Secrets We Keep

0:17 - 15 Years

“It’s not what I want, it’s what I need. And I need you to learn... what a bad day really is.” - Russell Crowe, Unhinged

0:19 - Unhinged

0:20 - Fatman (double shot)

0:22 - Alone (double shot)

“Whoa.” - Lesley Manville, Let Him Go

0:24 - Let Him Go

0:27 - Becky

“I did something... unexpected today.” - Haley Bennett, Swallow

0:28 - Shortcut (double shot)

0:29 - Promising Young Woman

0:30 - The Mortuary Collection

0:31 - The Craft: Legacy (double shot)

“Don’t try to understand it. Feel it.” - Clémence Poésy, Tenet

0:33 - Swallow (double shot)

0:35 - The Rhythm Section

0:36 - 1BR

0:37 - The Grudge

“Repent, and you will find salvation.” - Jarred Atkin, The Lodge

0:38 - The Lodge

0:39 - Saint Maud

0:40 - Behind

0:41 - The Call

0:42 - Come Play

0:43 - Saint Maud

“Repent.” - Jarred Atkin, The Lodge

0:44 - The Lie

0:45 - Freaky

“It wants to take over us.” - Elle Lorraine, Bad Hair

0:46 - Bad Hair (triple shot)

0:49 - Come Away

0:49 - Kindred

0:50 - Nocturne

“No one... loves their kid more than I do.” - Sarah Paulson, Run

0:51 - Run (double shot)

0:53 - Brahms: The Boy II

0:55 - Host

0:55 - Vivarium (double shot)

0:57 - Come to Daddy

“I don’t go in that part of the house.” - Brooklynn Prince, The Turning

0:58 - First Cow

0:59 - The Turning

1:00 - The Owners (double shot)

“If I don’t make it... the world needs to find out about this place.” - Tongayi Chirisa, Antebellum

1:02 - The Devil All the Time

1:03 - The Invisible Man

1:04 - The Wretched

1:05 - The Secrets We Keep

1:06 - The Platform (double shot)

1:08 - Fantasy Island

“It’s just the color.” - Nicolas Cage, Color Out of Space

1:09 - Gretel & Hansel

1:10 - Color Out of Space (double shot)

1:11 - Blood Machines

1:12 - Nocturne

“Who wants to party? Without smiling.” - Anna Kendrick, Trolls World Tour

1:13 - Trolls World Tour (double shot)

“Let’s rock!” - William Sadler, Bill & Ted Face the Music

1:18 - Bill & Ted Face the Music

1:19 - Trolls World Tour (double shot)

1:20 - Monster Hunter (double shot)

1:22 - Tenet (double shot)

1:23 - The Invisible Man

1:24 - The Empty Man

“Come out or I’ll do it!” - Christopher Abbott, Possessor

1:25 - Old Guard

1:26 - Sonic the Hedgehog

1:27 - Bad Boys For Life

1:28 - The New Mutants

1:29 - Parallel

1:29 - Spree

1:30 - The Wild Goose Lake

1:31 - Monster Hunter (double shot)

1:32 - Birds of Prey (triple shot)

1:35 - Echo Boomers

1:36 - Spontaneous

1:37 - Train to Busan 2: Peninsula (double shot)

1:38 - Guns Akimbo (double shot)

1:40 - Extraction (quadruple shot)

1:41 - Train to Busan 2: Peninsula

1:42 - Capone

1:43 - Underwater

1:44 - Greyhound (double shot)

1:45 - I’m Your Woman

1:46 - Greenland

1:46 - Bloodshot (double shot)

“I can’t hear anything.” - Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal

1:48 - Sound of Metal (double shot)

“Hey Winnie, it’s me. Can you tell me if you’ve ever heard this sound before?” - Sierra McCormick, The Vast of Night

1:54 - The Vast of Night

* * * PART II - HOW MANY DAYS WHILE THE SUN SHINES * * * 

2:06 - On the Rocks

2:08 - The Invisible Man

2:09 - Earth and Blood

2:10 - Promising Young Woman

2:11 - The Rental

2:13 - The Burnt Orange Heresy

2:14 - Relic

“Hey Winnie, it’s me. Can you tell me if you’ve ever heard this sound before?” - Sierra McCormick, The Vast of Night

2:16 - The Assistant (double shot)

“I just want you to know that, I know that I failed you. And I hope that, one day, you can see in me, the man that you once hoped I would be.” - Ben Affleck, The Way Back

2:19 - Relic (double shot)

2:20 - The Roads Not Taken

2:23 - Downhill

2:25 - Another Round

2:26 - Nomadland

2:28 - Artemis Fowl (double shot)

2:30 - The Nest

2:31 - The Photograph

2:33 - The Way Back (double shot)

“I’m on the verge or forgiving you.” - Juliette Binoche, La Vérité

2:36 - Artemis Fowl

2:39 - La Vérité

2:40 - Love and Monsters (double shot)

“Now I understand... how much that means to you.” - Yifei Liu, Mulan

2:41 - To All the Boys PS: I Still Love You (double shot)

2:44 - Rebecca (double shot)

2:46 - The One and Only Ivan (double shot)

“It is my daughter... that means everything to me.” - Tzi Ma, Mulan

2:49 - Mulan (triple shot)

2:55 - Come Away

2:56 - Over the Moon (double shot)

“I need your help, I can’t do it alone.” - Ibrahima Gueye, The Life Ahead

2:59 - The Life Ahead (double shot)

3:02 - Looks That Kill

“What if I’m not supposed to be healed?” “Don’t say that. - Ibrahima Gueye, I Still Believe

3:03 - I Still Believe (double shot)

3:06 - Zombi Child

“I didn’t get to say goodbye.” - Marina Domingues, Vitalina Varela

3:07 - Papicha (double shot)

3:10 - Ordinary Love

3:11 - Minari

3:12 - Only

“You try harder than anyone I’ve ever met.” - Leah Lewis, The Half of It

3:14 - The Half of It (double shot)

3:16 - Wild Mountain Thyme

3:17 - Hillbilly Elegy

“I’m sorry but I can’t put you through that.” - Charlie Plummer, Words on Bathroom Walls

3:19 - Words on Bathroom Walls (double shot)

3:21 - All My Life

3:23 - Endless

3:24 - Ordinary Love

3:25 - Life in a Year

3:26 - A Perfectly Normal Family

“How many days do we have while the sun shines?” - Emily Blunt, Wild Mountain Thyme

3:28 - The Call 콜

3:29 - Weathering With You

“It’s not shining.” - Jamie Dornan, Wild Mountain Thyme

“I believe that it is.” - Emily Blunt, Wild Mountain Thyme

3:31 - Wild Mountain Thyme (double shot)

3:33 - Hala

3:34 - Kindred (double shot)

“Dad... told me to give you this.” - Chris Pratt, Onward

3:34 - Onward (quintuple shot)

“Do I have to keep listening to Beethoven or can we f*cking get on with it?” - Betty Gilpin, The Hunt

3:39 - The Hunt (double shot)

* * * PART III - YOUR LIFE IS ABOUT TO START * * *

3:52 - She Dies Tomorrow

3:53 - Hope Gap (double shot)

“Without really knowing, I wasn’t worried about what would happen if I lived. I was worried about what would happen if I wouldn’t. What I would miss. I worried about not remembering. Not remembering that there are bright places, even in dark times, and that if there isn’t... you can be that bright place.” - Elle Fanning, All The Bright Places

3:56 - Project Power

3:59 - The Photograph

4:02 - Yellow Rose

4:05 - Uncle Frank

4:06 - Yellow Rose

4:08 - She Dies Tomorrow (double shot)

4:11 - I’m Thinking of Ending Things

4:14 - Beans

4:17 - All the Bright Places

4:20 - The Broken Hearts Gallery

4:21 - The Midnight Sky

4:22 - The Burnt Orange Heresy

4:23 - Monsoon

4:25 - The Lie

4:27 - Wander Darkly

4:28 - Babyteeth

4:30 - Life in a Year

4:32 - Nocturne

4:34 - Come Away

4:35 - Love and Monsters

4:36 - Gagarine

4:37 - Ammonite (double shot)

4:39 - Kajillionaire

4:40 - Call of the Wild

4:41 - And Then We Danced (double shot)

4:43 - Dolittle

4:44 - Emma.

4:46 - Summerland (double shot)

“That place.. will never abandon you.” - Paul Raci, Sound of Metal

4:47 - Dolittle (double shot)

4:49 - On the Rocks

4:50 - Black Beauty

4:52 - Stargirl (double shot)

4:53 - Mank

“There’s so much in there that the world needs to hear.” - Lil Rel Howery, Clouds

4:55 - Clouds (double shot)

4:57 - Palm Springs (double shot)

“Get ready... Your life is about to start.” - Jamie Foxx, Soul

5:00 - Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (double shot)

5:02 - Soul (double shot)

5:04 - The Secret Garden

5:05 - All My Life (double shot)

5:07 - Undine

5:08 - Unpregnant

5:09 - Wonder Woman 1984 (triple shot)

5:11 - Over the Moon

5:12 - The Croods: A New Age

5:14 - The High Note (double shot)

5:15 - Prom

5:17 - Birds of Prey

5:18 - Eurovision

5:18 - Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey

5:19 - The Witches

5:20 - Borat Subsequent Movie Film

5:20 - Valley Girl

5:21 - Life is Beautiful

5:22 - Wolfwalkers

5:23 - Bill & Ted Face the Music

5:24 - The Midnight Sky

5:25 - Jiang Ziya

[leeandlow]

The Beauty and Power of Children’s Book Illustrations: Sonia Lynn Sadler Award 2019

The Beauty and Power of Children’s Book Illustrations: Sonia Lynn Sadler Award 2019

The third annual Sonia Lynn Sadler Award (SLS Award) took place on Saturday, April 27th at Salisbury University’s Children’s Book Festival in Salisbury, Maryland. The award honors the legacy of Sonia Lynn Sadler, an artist and children’s book illustrator who passed away in 2013. Sonia illustrated the picture book Seeds of Changeand images from that book will be incorporated into a forthcoming…

[pocketfullofsimshine]

cc free makeovers for the legacy families :) haven't played with this family since last year :/ oh how i've missed them

[gramilano]

Margot Fonteyn as Ondine 1958 Photo Roger Wood

Last night, 8 June 2019, The Royal Ballet celebrated the centenary of the birth of its most famous ballerina, Dame Margot Fonteyn, who was born on 18 May 1919.

A performance of The Firebird, currently in a triple bill, was followed by a gala of extracts from ballets representing some of Fonteyn’s most celebrated roles.

Another dame, Dame Darcey Bussell, also appeared on stage last night for the first time since her retirement, 12 years ago.

Darcey Bussell, Gary Avis in Fascade, photo Andrej Uspenski ROH

The Royal Ballet Director, Kevin O’Hare said,

The full Company has come together to celebrate the legacy of our Prima Ballerina Assoluta, Dame Margot Fonteyn, born a century ago on 18 May. We are delighted to welcome back another cherished Dame for this important occasion, Dame Darcey Bussell.

Darcey gave her retirement performance as a Principal dancer on the Royal Opera House stage 12 years ago to the very day which makes her appearance this evening all the more touching. She was partnered then in Kenneth MacMillan’s Song of the Earth by Principal Character Artist Gary Avis and they appear together again this evening in Frederick Ashton’s Tango from��Façade.  Fonteyn gave a wonderful account of this witty number for her 60th birthday gala with Robert Helpmann so it’s very special to revive it for this event that has resonance for both Company ballerinas.

  Margot Fonteyn Roger Wood

Margot Fonteyn in dressing room Photo Roger Wood.tif

Margot Fonteyn as Odette in the Sadler’s Wells Ballet production

Margot Fonteyn by Roger Wood (3)

Margot Fonteyn as Princess Aurora in the Sadler’s Wells Ballet p

Margot Fonteyn in the Sadler’s Wells Ballet production of ‘Scèn

Margot Fonteyn as Princess Aurora in the Sadler’s Wells Ballet p

Margot Fonteyn as Ondine in The Royal Ballet production of ‘Ondi

  THE ROYAL BALLET

MARGOT FONTEYN

A CELEBRATION

SATURDAY 8 JUNE 2019

THE FIREBIRD

THE FIREBIRD – ITZIAR MENDIZABAL

IVAN TSAREVICH – NEHEMIAH KISH

THE BEAUTIFUL TSAREVNA – CLAIRE CALVERT

THE IMMORTAL KOSTCHEÏ – CHRISTOPHER SAUNDERS

THE ENCHANTED PRINCESSES

TARA-BRIGITTE BHAVNANI, MICA BRADBURY, ANNETTE BUVOLI, YUHUI CHOE, HELEN CRAWFORD, LETICIA DIAS, HANNAH GRENNELL, ISABEL LUBACH, KRISTEN MCNALLY, ROMANY PAJDAK, GINA STORM-JENSEN, LARA TURK

INDIANS, KOSTCHEÏ’S WIVES, YOUTHS, KIKIMORAS, THE BOLIBOTCHKI, MONSTERS, ATTENDANTS, PAGES, CAVALIERS

ARTISTS OF THE ROYAL BALLET, STUDENTS OF THE ROYAL BALLET SCHOOL

  INTERVAL

Thomas Whitehead and Marianela Nunez in The Sleeping Beauty photo by Andrej Uspenski ROH

THE SLEEPING BEAUTY

THE ROSE ADAGE

PRINCESS AURORA – MARIANELA NUÑEZ

ENGLISH PRINCE – GARY AVIS

FRENCH PRINCE – NICOL EDMONDS

INDIAN PRINCE – NEHEMIAH KISH

RUSSIAN PRINCE – THOMAS WHITEHEAD

KING FLORESTAN – ALASTAIR MARRIOTT

HIS QUEEN – CHRISTINA ARESTIS

Marianela Nunez in The Sleeping Beauty photo by Andrej Uspenski ROH

NOCTURNE

BEATRIZ STIX-BRUNELL

  THE WISE VIRGINS

ROMANY PAJDAK

Romany Pajdakin The Wise Virgins, photo by Andrej Uspenkie ROH

BIRTHDAY OFFERING

VARIATION

FUMI KANEKO

PAS DE DEUX

SARAH LAMB, RYOICHI HIRANO

Sarah Lamb and Ryoichi Hirano in Birthday Offering, photo by Andrej Uspenski ROH

ONDINE

FRANCESCA HAYWARD, EDWARD WATSON

Francesca Hayward in Ondine, photo Andrej Uspenski ROH

Francesca Hayward in Ondine, photo Andrej Uspenkie ROH

Francesca Hayward in Ondine, photo Andrej Uspenski

SYLVIA

MAYARA MAGRI

ANNETTE BUVOLI, CLAIRE CALVERT, YUHUI CHOE, LETICIA DIAS, HANNAH GRENNELL, CHISATO KATSURA, GINA STORM-JENSEN, LARA TURK

Mayara Magri in Sylvia, photo Andrej Uspenski ROH

DAPHNIS AND CHLOË

ANNA ROSE O’SULLIVAN, ALEXANDER CAMPBELL

Alexander Campbell and Anna Rose O’Sullivan in Daphnis and Chloe, photo by Andrej Uspenski ROH

ROMEO AND JULIET

NATALIA OSIPOVA, DAVID HALLBERG

David Hallberg and Natalia Osipova in Romeo and Juliet, photo by Andrej Uspenskie ROH

FAÇADE

TANGO

DARCEY BUSSELL, GARY AVIS

Darcey Bussell and Gary Avis in Fascade photo Andrej Uspesnski

Darcey Bussell and Gary Avis, Facade photo by Andrej Uspenski ROH

LE CORSAIRE

YASMINE NAGHDI, VADIM MUNTAGIROV

Vadim Muntagirov and Yasmine Naghdi in Le Corsaire, photo Andrej Uspenski

APPARITIONS

LAUREN CUTHBERTSON, MATTHEW BALL

MICA BRADBURY, ANNETTE BUVOLI, ISABEL LUBACH, JULIA ROSCOE, LETICIA STOCK, GINA STORM-JENSEN, LARA TURK, YU HANG, DAVID DONNELLY, TÉO DUBREUIL, KEVIN EMERTON, TOMAS MOCK, ERICO MONTES, AIDEN O’BRIEN, FRANCISCO SERRANO, JOSEPH SISSENS

Lauren Cuthbertson and Matthew Ball in Apparitions

Photos and full programme of Margot Fonteyn, A Celebration with The Royal Ballet Last night, 8 June 2019, The Royal Ballet celebrated the centenary of the birth of its most famous ballerina, Dame Margot Fonteyn, who was born on 18 May 1919.

[bournefan]

Matthew Bourne interview: Swan Lake’s choreographer on his high-flying reboot

As Matthew Bourne’s fabulous Swan Lake gets a reboot, he tells David Jays how he has hand-reared a new generation of male cygnets

The Sunday Times, December 2 2018, 12:01am

You know you’re ageing when swans, like policemen, are getting younger. So imagine how Matthew Bourne feels as he revives his landmark production of Swan Lake with its all-male swans. “It’s the first time we’ve done the show where quite a large amount of the cast were not born when we made it,” he tells me during a break in rehearsals in east London. He sighs self-deprecatingly. “It feels a bit weird. I’m some sort of historical figure to them.”

This Swan Lake soared straight into dance history when it premiered in 1995. It whirled Tchaikovsky’s tragic romance into a modern British context: the prince struggles with the expectations of an icy royal family and is overwhelmed by a magnetic wild bird. It’s like The Crown, but with added hot boy swans. Bare-chested, ferociously charismatic, those swans became instant icons, and the production reached the West End, Broadway, film, DVD and student curriculums. No one had expected it to run, let alone fly with such irresistible force.

Bourne has more silver in his beard these days, but, almost 25 years on, he’s delighted that the work still acts like catnip to charismatic young dancers. “The piece has an amazing legacy of inspiration for young guys,” he says. “For virtually everyone in it, it’s the thing that made them want to dance and it’s their dream to be in it. They have a big emotional relationship with it — you can’t buy that.”

For many spectators, too, Bourne’s Swan Lake is the gateway drug that gets them hooked on dance. But it was his first large-scale show, so he is pleased that the by now “knackered” sets and costumes gave him an opportunity to rework it. “I’d be happy to lose a lot of the humour,” he reflects. “I’ve grown more involved in the dark psychology. The prince is a mind in turmoil. For me, it’s very simple — it’s about someone without love in their life who wants to be held.

“We’ve questioned everything,” he continues. He was tempted to make the Fergie-like royal girlfriend a bit more Meghan, but it was “too late in the day” for such radical changes. But he has stripped things back: the rackety Soho club sequence, for example, originally home to Quentin Crisp and Joe Orton, is simplified to focus on dance.

Fresh eyes for the creative team were provided by Paule Constable, Bourne’s inspired go-to lighting designer for more than a decade, but a newcomer to this piece. “Classical ballet is not my comfort zone,” she admits. “But this is engaging and overwhelming. It’s about loss, and it’s profoundly painful.” She was especially taken by “the emotional impact of the ending. It really hits you.”

Constable also praises Bourne’s “narrative muscle”. “It’s fascinating, as an early show for Matt. It has big dance sections — the complexity is very different from the contemporary choreography of The Red Shoes. Matt’s reinvented it. A lot of people say it feels more grown-up this time.”

She had asked herself if seeing these young men dancing as swans would still feel radical, but she isn’t wondering now. “I had no idea it would feel so resonant and pertinent. We are sitting on a massive crisis in mental health, particularly for young men. Twenty-three years ago, Matthew was already engaged in these struggles.”

Does Bourne never resent his iconic Swan as being more of an albatross round his neck? “No, I’ve never felt it. It’s the biggest show we do, so there’s always a big influx of new people. Many of them have never acted before. Developing talent is a huge part of the show now.” For a lot of the cast, this is their first professional gig. In fact, many of the show’s fledgling swans were hand-reared. Some had performed in Bourne’s Lord of the Flies, a production that recruits local young men at each venue, many of whom have never set foot in a theatre.

More intriguing still, several dancers emerged from the company’s “Swan School”. Hold on, Swan School?

“We started it to give people a better chance of getting into the show,” Bourne explains. It was prompted by watching unpolished talent at auditions. “We invited people who we thought had potential, but who, left to their own devices, may just have come back a year later without the means to be cast.”

I can’t help imagining a feathery Hogwarts, but the reality is more focused: learning the choreography, getting feedback, exploring the show’s mix of styles. As Bourne puts it, “a crash course in being a swan”.

Swanning, he insists, is trickier than it looks — he drops a starry ballet name he didn’t think was right for it. As for the complete newbies: “There’s always been room for people who have a good standard of dancing but no performing experience — they learn through doing the show.” Later, in rehearsal, I watch the least experienced Prince: James Lovell, who came via Swan School. “He’s the youngest guy in the company, and he’s playing the Prince,” Bourne marvels. “He’s an actor, perfect for us. He’s holding his own completely.”

As for the new swans, they were lured from West End musicals and big ballet companies. Matthew Ball, rising star of the Royal Ballet, told Bourne that, when young, he had the show poster on his wall. He even had the T-shirt. He has taken leave from the RB to dance the Swan; and Max Westwell left English National Ballet altogether. “I’d auditioned for Swan Lake before,” he says, “but it wasn’t the right time. This time I really went for it.” Meanwhile, the contemporary-trained Will Bozier was performing in Wicked, but leapt at a chance to audition. He, too, was a devoted fanboy: “I grew up watching Swan Lake.”

To inform the performances, Bourne shares film clips via Facebook and tries to make everyone watch The Birds. Bozier and Westwell — one sweet, one springy, both with close-cropped hair — describe their all-enveloping preparation. Bozier browses YouTube for footage of swans attacking people (Bourne’s birds are far from house-trained); when he isn’t needed in rehearsal later, I see him practising wing things at the back. Meanwhile, Adam Cooper, who originated the role, came in to coach them. How was that? “Insane,” Bozier says. “He’s still amazing — the speed of his movement. It all clicked into place.”

Each dancer must put their own stamp on the dual role of the Prince’s beloved wild bird and the wicked buck who humiliates him at the palace ball. Bourne explains what he needs: “In the same way that [the traditional ballet] is a challenge for the ballerina, these two roles are very different. You can’t just be a beautiful Swan. As the Stranger, you’ve got to come out and be a bit of a sexpot. It doesn’t work if you have only one of those things.”

In rehearsal, Bourne is a soft-voiced authority, the kindest of historical figures. “It’s difficult, this piece,” he tells the company. “A lot of different characters, and you have to keep changing styles.” How do the dancers themselves assess the challenge?

“Coming from a classical background, the range in the movement was tricky,” Westwell says. “And it is a big role, you have to pace yourself.” With multiple casts throughout the tour, each Swan will wrap itself around the heart and body of three Princes. “It feels different each time,” Westwell says. “So many scenarios. You have to respond in the moment. We’re working flat out.”

If this Swan Lake welcomes a new generation of artists, Bourne’s next show, based on Romeo and Juliet, goes further, involving a raft of young creatives. “We’re working with lots of younger artists,” Constable says. “We’re all bringing on young associates. I’m working with a lighting designer called Ali Hunter. She has a voice in the room, not just as an assistant. This project feels like it has incredible possibility.”

Swan Lake is at Sadler’s Wells, London EC1, until Jan 27, then touring until May 25: new-adventures.net/swan-lake

[haitianhistory]

I don’t hear much about Jean-Claude Duvalier, most of the conversation is usually about his father, do you think you will ever post about him and ‘jeanclaudisme’? Also, is there anything you recommend I read about him?

Hi, many thanks for your question!

First, my apologies for this long delay! 

Now, I understand this frustration you may be experiencing. It is true that most of the conversation about Duvalierism focuses on François Duvalier but I suppose it is understandable as he is/was, after all, the main architect of that political ideology.

Now, as for sources on Jean-Claude Duvalier and jeanclaudisme, I would suggest any (serious) scholarship about the Duvalier era. Jean-Claude Duvalier was president for longer than his father and it is during his regime (although this was started during his father’s tenure) that Haiti developed such a close relationship with the United States. Elsewhere, I was suggested books/articles on this period. I will copy them below with a few additional resources. Here are they:

Haiti: The Duvaliers and Their Legacy by Elizabeth Abbott

Haiti: A Shattered Nation by Elizabeth Abbott (this is a more recent take on her previous book)

“Language, Culture and Power: Haiti under the Duvaliers“ by Anthony Lewis

Haiti, State Against Nation: The Origins and Legacy of Duvalierism by Michel-Rolph Trouillot  

“Haiti: The rise and fall of Duvalierism” by David Nicholls

“Conceptualizing the Duvalier Dictatorship“ by Alex Dupuy

Les Duvaliéristes après Duvalier by Gérard Barthelemy

From occupation to Duvalier : a history of United States-Haitian diplomatic relations, 1915-1986 by Paul Richard Sadler

Haiti’s Predatory Republic: The Unending Transition to Democracy by Robert Fatton Jr. (the first few chapters)

“The Effects of the Cold War on U.S.-Haiti’s Relations” by Jean-Claude Gerlus (offers good context for the migration of Haitian “boat people” to the United States)

The military and society in Haiti by Michel S. Laguerre (relevant sections)

Le pouvoir politique en Haïti de 1957 à nos jours by Etzer Charles

For a more complete list on the Duvalier era (1957-1986) see here. Anyways, I hope this helps for now. Have a great day!

[hardaslightningsoftascandlelight]

~   Dame Gillian Lynne the Original choreographer for Phantom of the Opera has passed away. Her legacy is too vast to cite here - beginning as a ballerina with Sadler's Wells Ballet - but her genius will be more alive than ever with each performance ...

[stewblog]

Jurassic World: Dominion

When going into a movie, it’s vital that the viewer manage their expectations. After all, most films will fail to live up to whatever preconceived notions you maintain going into it. This remained true for me with Jurassic World: Dominion, just not in the way you might be thinking. 

You see, I expected Dominion to be bad. The first Jurassic World was worthless (I skipped the second) and Colin Trevorrow is a director whose capabilities as a writer and director, charitably, leave much to be desired. What I couldn’t have expected, however, even with expectations so thoroughly muted is just how thoroughly this movie would fall short even then. The bar was so low as to be halfway in the ground. Dominion manages to slip, trip over the bar and tumble haplessly into a pit, flailing wildly on its way to the bottom. 

Frankly, I’d rather sit through Trevorrow’s artless “original” Jurassic World twice before I ever have to watch a frame of Dominion ever again. It may have been a cacophonic swirl of largely idiotic imagery (a T-Rex literally walks away from an explosion like any run-of-the-mill action hero), but it at least ostensibly had something to say about the state of modern blockbusters and the audiences who gobble them up. Trevorrow may have completely undercut that thesis at every turn possible while lacking any semblance of self-awareness, but at least he had something on his mind while delivering the very thing he was criticizing. (See also: Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch.) Dominion, on the other hand, has a moment so impossibly stupid (that is played entirely straight) it made me want to walk out that instant. 

But even taken on its own merits as a purely visceral, sensorial experience Dominion never even reaches the heights of The Lost World, a movie many consider to be the nadir of the entire Jurassic Park franchise. The Lost World isn’t a good movie, but it at least has a personality and manages to deliver a couple superb setpieces. Dominion wishes it had anything half as good as the cliffside T-Rex attack in The Lost World, but instead settles for “mostly decent” with scenes like the motorcycle chase in Malta or dino-induced plane crash. If you’re not going to even try to say something with your movie about evil corporations (it’s literally called BioSyn, I wish I was making this up) while having the audacity to give it a runtime of two-and-a-half hours, that thing better burst at the seams with cackle-worthy dinosaur carnage and fun character moments. The good stuff in here couldn’t even fill a barebones 90 minutes. Instead, I hope you like Apple CEO Tim Cook knock-offs and giant locusts because that’s what this movie is really about. 

Perhaps if Dominion could figure out which movie it wanted to be, things might be a bit more engaging. The problem is, Trevorrow couldn’t decide if he wanted to make a movie about parents desperately trying to rescue a baby raptor and their kidnapped surrogate daughter, or  a movie reuniting the Jurassic Park band for one last hurrah. Instead, he smooshed both together resulting in a lumbering monstrosity that ironically resembles one of the genetically fabricated dinosaurs that are found throughout this secondary trilogy. 

Adding insult to injury, the legacy characters of Ian Malcolm, Alan Grant and Ellie Sadler are all so atrociously written and feel so completely out of character that had there not been a cavalcade of meaningless callbacks to it, I’d question whether Trevorrow had even seen the original Jurassic Park at all. This feels especially true of Alan Grant. Sam Neill looks borderline embarrassed to be there and who could blame him. There’s not a single thing that character does or says that feels true to the character to the point where you could have subbed in someone named Grant Alan and no one would have known the difference.

Meanwhile, I don’t need or want a movie where Chris Pratt travels halfway across the planet because he made a promise to a velociraptor. I’ve joked since the first movie that Pratt is only capable of playing Owen Grady like he’s inhabiting his Burt Macklin persona from Parks & Rec. But “I promised a velociraptor I’d rescue her baby” is such a patently absurd premise that I am now convinced the Burt Macklin thing is his intended approach. Owen Grady is a 10 year old’s conception of a cool action adventure hero, but I’m not even sure a 10 year old would be dumb enough to follow through on a promise to a dinosaur. 

Maybe I shouldn’t have seen this in a double feature with the first Jurassic Park. Or maybe my animosity is due in large part because I came to it having just recently watched two incredible blockbusters: Top Gun: Maverick and the Indian-language historical epic RRR. The former a legacy sequel that is good in every way that this (quasi) legacy sequel is bad, and the latter one of the most electric, energizing feats of populist filmmaking I’ve seen in close to a decade. I finished those films immediately wanting to watch them again. If I see a frame of Jurassic World: Dominion ever again it’ll be too soon.