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Kelly Apter

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Parents Like Us offers a new approach to entertaining children

Parents Like Us offers a new approach to entertaining children

The festival offers free events and de-stress massages for parents

22 May 2012

The journey from the box office to the auditorium can be an expensive one these days. Even the most charming children’s shows have a plethora of merchandise to tempt tiny hands (and grown-up purses) as you struggle to take your seat. Since its…

Scottish Ballet's Family Challenge Day

Scottish Ballet's Family Challenge Day

A fun event for the whole family to try out some basic ballet steps

22 May 2012

‘When you’re a parent, quite often you’ll do things with your child that you wouldn’t do on your own,’ says Catherine Cassidy, associate director of education at Scottish Ballet. How very true. Or at least that’s what Scottish Ballet is banking on, when…

John Irving - In One Person

John Irving - In One Person

A fascinating and engaging novel set against the backdrop of gay culture in America

(4 stars)22 May 2012

Write about what you know, we’re told, and John Irving is certainly a big subscriber to that particular maxim. For his 13th novel, Irving once again inhabits the worlds of New Hampshire (his birthplace) and wrestling (his preferred sport). Our…

Scottish Ballet's Martin Lawrance on Dance GB

Martin Lawrance on Dance GB

The Scottish Ballet choreographer will share a bill with English and Welsh national dance companies

15 May 2012

‘Am I allowed to swear?’ asks Martin Lawrance politely, before going on to describe how he felt when Scottish Ballet first knocked at his door. Suffice to say, he was a little nervous. A dancer with Richard Alston Dance Company for many years…

The Magical World of Mackintosh makes the famed designer accessible to kids

The Magical World of Mackintosh makes the famed designer accessible to kids

The architect is the subject of a Festival of Museums activity day

26 Apr 2012

It went from a place of learning, to a place to learn about learning – but whatever its use, the brilliance of its architect shines through. Designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh in 1904, Scotland Street School Museum has many of its creator’s signature…

Aerial for Kids provides high-flying excitement for youngsters

Aerial for Kids provides high-flying excitement for youngsters

Sessions led by aerial company All or Nothing on a weekly basis

24 Apr 2012

Two teenage girls are hanging from a bar, their legs twisted around a rope, heads upside down. This may not sound like the most comfortable of positions, but the smile on their faces suggest they’re having a ball – and they are. As is the young boy who…

Interview: Tony Reekie - director of Imaginate children's festival

Interview: Tony Reekie - director of Imaginate children's festival

Children's theatre festival has a strong international flavour

19 Apr 2012

He may spend most of his life scouring the world for quality children’s theatre, but even Tony Reekie finds time for a bit of Killing. The Killing, that is, not cold-blooded murder. A big fan of the Danish television crime series, Reekie was less…

Danza Contemporanea De Cuba tours UK

Danza Contemporanea De Cuba tours UK

Exceptional Cuban dance company with European influence

18 Apr 2012

Watching Danza Contemporanea de Cuba on stage, you quickly start to form an opinion. Full of energy, dressed in colourful costumes, these talented dancers are here purely to entertain. But keep watching, and new sides to the company start to emerge. In…

Breakin’ Convention 12

Breakin’ Convention 12

Hip hop dance festival featuring many groups from throughout UK

17 Apr 2012

There are so many things to love about Breakin’ Convention, from the pre-show action in the foyer to the charged atmosphere that fills the Festival Theatre. But perhaps the most inspirational aspect of this bi-annual hip hop festival is the way local…

Let your kids learn French through puppetry with Le Petit Monde

Teaching kids French through puppetry

Bilingual puppetry company Le Petit Monde present their Easter show, Lapin Wants an Easter Carrot

26 Mar 2012

As any adult who has undertaken a language class will tell you, it goes in quicker when you’re younger. Learning French as a child, when that little sponge-like brain is firing on all cylinders, isn’t just easier, it’s a lot more fun since Tania Czajka…

CBeebies Live brings TV stars into the real world

CBeebies Live brings TV stars to stage

Mister Maker, Mr Tumble, Postman Pat and LazyTown's Robbie Rotten star in live show

21 Mar 2012

If enthusiasm could be bottled and sold, then Phil Gallagher would be a very wealthy man. Better known as Cbeebies’ Mister Maker, Gallagher has been creating works of art from bits and bobs in his ‘Doodle Drawer’ for the past four years. Endlessly…

Kith/Kin dance double bill from Company Chameleon

Kith/Kin dance double bill from Company Chameleon

Pieces explore journey to adulthood, friendship and bravery

21 Mar 2012

The recent departure of Janet Smith from Scottish Dance Theatre (SDT) highlighted not just her achievements over the past 15 years, but the alumni she helped foster. Two such dancers are Kevin Turner and Anthony Missen, both of whom had a compelling…

Tightrope dance piece fosters re-evaluation of who can and cannot dance

Tightrope dance piece fosters re-evaluation of who can and cannot dance

Indepen-dance reworking of AMICI show follows ageing circus troupe

21 Mar 2012

Down on its luck, an ageing circus troupe sticks together in an attempt to survive. On paper, Tightrope’s storyline doesn’t sound like much fun, but in reality the work has been lauded for its wit and poignancy. The show was originally created for…

Nederlands Dans Theater 2

Nederlands Dans Theater 2

Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman discusses his playful new piece, Cacti

9 Mar 2012

Watching a piece of modern dance often provokes an irresistible urge to analyse it. Unlike narrative ballet, there’s no story, so viewers can be left wondering ‘what does it all mean?’ More often than not, the answer to that question is ‘whatever you…

Jo Nesbø - Phantom

Jo Nesbø - Phantom

A new, hard-hitting instalment of the Norwegian author's Harry Hole series

(4 stars)28 Feb 2012

(Harvill Secker) Like all great fictional detectives, Harry Hole is always one step ahead. Not only of us, the reader, but those around him. Which, when you’re trying to solve a crime, is a definite bonus. Less so when it comes to affairs of the…

Johanna Skibsrud - This Will be Difficult to Explain and other stories

Johanna Skibsrud - This Will be Difficult to Explain and other stories

Short story collection fails to meet the medium's strict demands

(2 stars)28 Feb 2012

(Heinemann) Time is not on the short story’s side. There are no leisurely chapters in which to manufacture a slow build to a devastating denouement; no space to take us on a character’s full-length journey. To succeed, therefore, a short story has to…

New production ANA from Stellar Quines and Québecois company Imago

New production ANA from Stellar Quines and Québecois company Imago

Traverse show consists of 'gallery of portraits of women'

27 Feb 2012

Serge Denoncourt is sitting in the middle of a playground. There are no swings or slides, no sand pits or climbing frames – but it’s a playground none the less. To him anyway. In reality, we’re sitting in an empty rehearsal room, downstairs from the…

Errol White Company presents new group work IAM

Errol White Company presents new group work IAM

New emotional work based on loss set for Tramway

27 Feb 2012

There are moments in our lives that hit us more than others. Events that alter the shape of who we are. It was one such moment that led choreographer Errol White onto a creative path that produced first a solo, and now a new group work, IAM. ‘The…

Ballet West: Swan Lake

Ballet West: Swan Lake

Production combining professional and students tours Scotland

3 Feb 2012

When you’ve left school and moved onto a new life, going back to where it all began could feel like a backward step. If the school in question is in a beautiful location – the Scottish Highlands – it starts to sound more appealing. Throw in a fantastic…

Parent-and-toddler group Dads Rock provides a musical outlet for fathers and tots

Parent-and-toddler group Dads Rock provides a musical outlet for fathers and tots

Edinburgh playgroup for fathers and children aged 0-4

3 Feb 2012

Walk through the doors of any parent and toddler group in the land, and chances are most of the males in attendance will be wearing nappies. Such gatherings are notoriously female affairs (adult-wise at least), with the odd – and I mean occasional…

Choreographer Bawren Tavaziva talks Sensual Africa

Choreographer Bawren Tavaziva talks Sensual Africa

The dancer's new performance explores African tribal rituals with contemporary dance

3 Feb 2012

Born in rural Zimbabwe, Bawren Tavaziva was well aware of the tribes living in his area. But having moved to bustling capital Harare at the age of four, he soon became more concerned with football, Michael Jackson and martial arts movies, before moving…

Visible Fictions to revive Zorro

Visible Fictions to revive Zorro

The theatre company's popular swashbuckler to play at Scottish Youth Theatre

2 Feb 2012

In case you didn’t know, the word ‘zorro’ is Spanish for ‘fox’, and that’s exactly what this cunning fictional hero does – fox those around him, not just with his deeds but his entire persona. Starting life as a serial in a 1920s US magazine, the tales…

The Scottish National Portrait Gallery want your children to become Portrait Detectives

The Scottish National Portrait Gallery want your children to become Portrait Detectives

New events to get kids interested in the refurbished Gallery

9 Jan 2012

Under wraps for the past two and a half years, the newly re-opened Scottish National Portrait Gallery cuts quite a dash. But for younger visitors, the wow factor generated by a £17 million spend can be hard to see. Which is why events like Portrait…

Scottish Ballet - Sleeping Beauty

Scottish Ballet - Sleeping Beauty

Dynamic and opulent restaging of Ashley Page's 2007 hit

(4 stars)6 Jan 2012

Choreographed by Ashley Page in 2007, as part of a triumvirate of winter ballets he has made with designer Antony McDonald, Sleeping Beauty is opulence itself. Opening in a Victorian hothouse, the guests at Princess Aurora’s christening are lavishly…

Edmund White - Jack Holmes and His Friend

Edmund White - Jack Holmes and His Friend

A beautifully written tale of sex and male friendship

(4 stars)5 Jan 2012

(Bloomsbury) Edmund White has never shied away from putting himself on the page, scribing autobiographical fiction and memoirs for over 30 years. Jack Holmes and His Friend is no exception. White attended boarding school in the American Midwest…

The Hot 100 2011: 100-40

The Hot 100 2011: 100-50

The definitive list of Scottish creative talent

16 Dec 2011

100: Gordon Ferris. Kilmarnock crime author makes good. The already packed Scottish crime writing field has finally found a bit of elbow room for another burgeoning talent. Joining the likes of Rankin, Brookmyre, McDermid and co is this Ayrshire-born…

HOT 100 2011 - 49 to 1

Hot 100 2011 - No. 49 to 1

The definitive list of Scottish creative talent

16 Dec 2011

The Hot 100 is the definitive list of Scottish creative talent. From fashion designers to performance artists, everyone who has made a sizeable splash in 2011 has a place in this countdown. It’s for people who’ve created a buzz, but it’s also about…

Lost Sock Princess

Lost Sock Princess

A puppet theatre performance that lets you join in – all you need is an odd sock

13 Dec 2011

Try as you might to wash and dry them together, socks have a way of parting company somewhere between the laundry basket and underwear drawer. It’s at that point you need the Lost Sock Princess to help you reunite the estranged pair. Or do you? One…

The Tree of Knowledge

The Tree of Knowledge

David Hume and Adam Smith point out obvious pitfalls of 21st century life

(3 stars)12 Dec 2011

The central conceit of Jo Clifford’s new play is an interesting one. Two influential figures from 18th century Scotland find themselves in early 21st century Edinburgh, surveying the world they helped create. The witty lines flow thick and fast, as…

Michel Schneider - Marilyn’s Last Sessions: A Novel

Michel Schneider - Marilyn’s Last Sessions: A Novel

Poorly structured fictional history of star's final sessions on the couch

(2 stars)12 Dec 2011

(Canongate) By including the words ‘a novel’ in his title, Schneider has bought himself a rather enormous caveat. Namely that some aspects of this semi-biographical account of Marilyn Monroe and her psychoanalyst Ralph Greenson are true – others not.

Nowwhatnow?

Nowwhatnow?

Dance Base presents new work from Andy Howitt, Alan Greig, Steinvor Palsson and Matthew Hawkins

15 Nov 2011

She’s one of the biggest champions of contemporary dance in Scotland, but Morag Deyes isn’t afraid to tell it like it is. The artistic director of Edinburgh’s Dance Base has put together a programme of choreographic comedy that takes an affectionate dig…

Family Christmas concerts: Christmas Swingalong and Christmas Magic

Family Christmas concerts: Christmas Swingalong and Christmas Magic

A festive family show for each city in December

15 Nov 2011

When you’re in the business of children’s entertainment, a flexible attitude to costumes is a definite advantage. In the past few months alone, Owen Cox and Oliver Gunnell (aka Owen and Olly) have walked onstage in their dressing gowns, shiny lycra…

Phoenix Dance Theatre: Declarations

Phoenix Dance Theatre: Declarations

Four innovative pieces from the acclaimed dance collective

15 Nov 2011

When Phoenix Dance Theatre (formerly Company) was created in 1981, the founders could scarcely have known how appropriate the name would prove to be. On many occasions over the past 30 years, the company has been re-born from the ashes of what went…

Axel Scheffler (illus.) - The Gloomster

Axel Scheffler (illus.) - The Gloomster

Julia Donaldson's favoured illustrator fails to justify the asking price of this slim poetry adap

(2 stars)15 Nov 2011

(Faber) Any parents out there picking up this book would be forgiven for thinking it was some kind of Gruffalo sequel. Only this time, the central character is seeking therapy rather than a mouse. Translated by children’s author Julia Donaldson, and…

Wee and Big Inspiration Festivals

Wee and Big Inspiration Festivals

An impressive range of activities including theatre, puppetry and workshops for kids young and old

28 Oct 2011

Looking through the Big and Wee Inspiration Festival brochures, the first thing that strikes you is the range. From balletLORENT’s adventurous new dance work Underneath the Floorboards to light and video installation The Light Garden and Oliver Searle’s…

Africa in Motion Children's Day

Africa in Motion Children's Day

Programme of kids' activities at the film festival aim to strengthen Scottish-African links

28 Oct 2011

With many Scottish schools forging links with Africa, more and more children are learning to appreciate the highs and lows of life on another continent. To that same end, this year’s Africa in Motion (AiM) film festival is offering families a…

Company Chordelia introduces us to the beautiful-but-dark dance piece Miranda

Company Chordelia introduces us to the beautiful-but-dark dance piece Miranda

Chordelia's artistic director Kally Lloyd Jones discusses the production

21 Oct 2011

If you find yourself slightly puzzled at the start of Miranda, the new show from Company Chordelia, then don’t worry – the lead character is, too. ‘Miranda is lost,’ explains the company’s artistic director, Kally Lloyd Jones. ‘She’s been at a party…

Rambert Dance Company's Seven for a Secret

Rambert Dance Company's Seven for a Secret

Composer Stephen McNeff reworks Ravel score for new production

21 Oct 2011

He’s one of Britain’s finest opera composers, garnering awards and commissions at home and abroad. Yet even Stephen McNeff had a moment of trepidation when it came to re-arranging the work of one of his heroes. Choreographed by Rambert’s artistic…

DANCE: FILM festival roundup

DANCE: FILM 2011 festival roundup

Films about Bill T Jones, Tanja Liedtke, Mariemma and Pina Bausch feature at the 2011 fest

21 Oct 2011

When you’ve got a meaty filling, there’s nothing wrong with wrapping it in a bit of frivolous puff pastry. That’s the strategy taken by DANCE:FILM director, Steph Wright with this, her fourth festival celebrating the coming together of movement and…

Adele - Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Sat 24 Sep 2011

Adele - Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Sat 24 Sep 2011

The London 'misery pop' singer overcomes illness to deliver outstanding show

(4 stars)21 Oct 2011

With dates cancelled before and after her Usher Hall date, due to ongoing health issues, the fact that Adele appeared at all is cause for celebration. Albums 19 and 21 have garnered the young Londoner a strong fan base, so when she asks us to ‘bear with…

Liv Lorent, choreographer with balletLORENT

Liv Lorent, of balletLORENT - interview

The Newcastle-based company are touring Scotland with sensual new work La Nuit Intime

17 Oct 2011

What made you want to be a choreographer? I couldn’t be the dancer I wanted to be, but felt compelled to marry the dancers I did adore with the music I loved. I still feel that this is something I need to do, and enjoy collaborating with others towards…

Kes

Kes

Poignant adaptation of the grim Northern English fable

(4 stars)21 Sep 2011

This sensitive stage version of Barry Hines’ award-winning book opens with utter chaos on stage. Tables lie on their sides, a sofa is upturned, and remnants of 1970s life are strewn amongst them. The central conceit of the adaptation is that a grown-up…

Sonia Sabri, of Indian dance-meets-hip hop show Kathakbox

Sonia Sabri of Kathakbox - where Indian dance-meets-hip hop

The choreographer on shared musical and rhythmic roots

21 Sep 2011

Picture the scene – you meet somebody from a different country, you can’t speak their language, they can’t speak yours, but somehow you find a way to communicate. Well that’s exactly what Sonia Sabri has been doing for the past nine years, only for her…

Arthur, the Story of a King

Arthur, the Story of a King

Colourful family-friendly production about the legendary king from theatre group Wee Stories

(4 stars)21 Sep 2011

Nobody really knows for sure what King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table got up to – a fact quickly acknowledged by Wee Stories in its lively historical drama. Each book documents different facts and figures, so Wee Stories offer us ‘an…

Scottish Storytelling Festival 2011

Scottish Storytelling Festival 2011

21st festival includes Homer’s Odyssey and contributions from Corsica, Cypus and Sardinia

20 Sep 2011

Reaching 21 is a landmark event for everyone, and the Scottish Storytelling Festival is no exception. From fairly humble beginnings at the former Netherbow Theatre, the Festival has grown to encompass not just Edinburgh and Glasgow, but Dundee…

Family Fun Music Day

Family Fun Music Day

Programme of music events aimed at opening up the Glasgow Concert Halls to younger music-lovers

19 Sep 2011

Mission Impossible-style light beams that play musical notes as you cross them, a giant labyrinth of music and light, and a dark room filled with scary sounds – hardly business as usual at Glasgow’s City Halls. Organised by Svend Brown, director of…

Wayne McGregor / Random Dance - Far

Wayne McGregor / Random Dance - Far

The choreographer discusses his latest work, Far, which is inspired by the Age of Enlightenment

19 Sep 2011

While it’s true that behind every piece of dance lies hours of thought, few choreographers can lay claim to quite the mental heavy work of Wayne McGregor. In recent years, his exploration into the world of cognitive science has helped generate a large…

Scottish Ballet: Kings 2 Ends and Pennies From Heaven

Scottish Ballet: Kings 2 Ends and Pennies From Heaven

Artistic director Ashley Page discusses the upcoming ballet double-bill

13 Sep 2011

What made you want to be a choreographer? I’ve always been interested in the creative process across all the arts, and as a dancer at the Royal Ballet I had the good fortune to be involved in the creation of new work with some of the finest…

Drought and Rain (Re-creation 2011) at Edinburgh International Festival

Drought and Rain (Re-creation 2011) at Edinburgh International Festival

Ea Sola dance piece gives voice to the pain of war

24 Aug 2011

In 1995, when Vietnamese choreographer Ea Sola created her original version of Drought and Rain, she cast elderly women who were once dancers in their youth. Due to circumstances – a war raging through their country – the women had swapped dancing shoes…

Sriyah

Sriyah

Ancient dance in a modern era

24 Aug 2011

Studying for ten hours a day, six days a week for six years, the dancers at the Nrityagram school near Bangalore know that to truly absorb Indian classical dance takes time. The first student to emerge from the residential course, Surupa Sen graduated…

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