Ballet on the big screen

Watch The Royal Ballet at their most luminous in a magnificent evening of three short works, live from Teesside University on Wednesday 7 June at 7.30pm, as part of the 2017 BP Big Screens

This trio of ballets by Royal Ballet Founding Choreographer Frederick Ashton, The Dream, Symphonic Variations and Marguerite and Armand are three of The Royal Ballet's best-loved legacy pieces.

The Dream is a delightful interpretation of Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. The piece captures the comic confusions of Shakespeare's play with Oberon's mischievous plot to teach Titania a lesson, the high-spirited misadventures of the two pairs of mortal lovers all combined with the humorous cavorting of Bottom, played by a male dancer who dances en pointe. Felix Mendelssohn's witty, and famous score, is the perfect partner for the charming choreography.

Symphonic Variations is a seminal piece of Royal Ballet Founder Choreographer Frederick Ashton’s repertoire. A masterpiece on the beauty of pure movement, it was the first work Ashton created for the company when they moved to the Covent Garden stage after the Second World War. Created for just six dancers, the choreography quickens and slows, whilst retaining a sense of serenity and spaciousness.

Ashton created Marguerite and Armand for the celebrated partnership of Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev. A passionate ballet, it tells the story of Marguerite, a Parisian courtesan, who lies on her deathbed. She recalls her tragic love affair with Armand in a series of feverish flashbacks. The powerful pas des deux and the score set to Franz Liszt's famous Piano Sonata in B Minor, will ensure there is not a dry eye in the audience.

The Dream, Symphonic Variations and Marguerite and Armand are a wonderful introduction to The Royal Ballet and its heritage, and the Royal Opera House is delighted to be able to broadcast its content live and free of charge to Middlesbrough.

---