Hoofing It! Ballet on Saddle and Stage at Astley’s Circus
When: 3pm, Saturday 15th June, 2019
Where: The Channel, The Arts Centre, Melbourne
Tickets: Free. Book via The Arts Centre’s website
Theatre Heritage Australia (THA) has invited me to share my research on ballet at Astleys Amphitheatre in June. This is a free event for THA members and the general public – so do come along to cheer up a wintry Saturday!
From displays of horsemanship presented on bare earth near the Thames River, Astleys Amphitheatre rose to become famous as the originator of modern circus entertainment. Thrilling audiences with a continuously changing line-up, the Astleys presented everything from bee wrangling to tumblers, fireworks to battle re-enactments, not to mention trampolining, animal acts, musical automata and … quite a lot of ballet.
In this illustrated talk, I’ll introduce the eccentric world of Philip and John Astley, and reveal the unexpected connections between ballet and circus that shaped the Astleys’ fortunes from the 1780s to the early 1800s.
After attending ‘Court to Kitsch’ I would like to hear details of ‘Hoofing It!’
Such a brilliant look at ballet history.
Thanks Nancy, and so pleased you enjoyed ‘Court to Kitsch’. I had a lot of fun doing it! I’ll post some more on Astleys in the future. Incidentally, the link to the Arts Centre website is in the red text after ‘Tickets’. Sorry, it doesn’t look super obvious on screen.