Northern Ballet, in collaboration with CinEvents, is making its debut in cinemas with a collection of three fairy tale themed bite sized ballets suitable for young children, starting off with Tortoise and the Hare.
We had the opportunity to preview this ballet at home, ahead of it’s cinema release this Saturday and I was really impressed with how the ballet has been made so accessible and relevant to little ones. The screening starts with a reading of the Tortoise and The Hare story, by BBC TV narrator Anita Rani, to make sure that viewers are all familiar with the tale and can get the most out of watching the ballet.
My little one loves Ballerinas and Tutus but these Bite-Sized Ballets take things further and really demonstrate how dance and music can be used to tell a story, which is lovely.
The performance is colourful and energetic with interactive elements; before the main performance children are given a demonstration of a dance move from both Tortoise and the Hare, and are invited to get up along with their parents and give it a go.
Along with the Tortoise and the Hare, you will come across other characters like the Bee and the Butterfly, giving variety to the ballet.
Northern Ballet began creating short ballets specifically for young children in 2013 and has since added to its repertoire which now includes six ballets based on well-known children’s fairy tales. Touring widely throughout the UK and featuring live music at every performance, the ballets provide a first experience of live theatre, dance and music for young families and have been seen live by a combined audience of over 212,000 people. In addition, all the children’s ballets have been adapted for TV following their premières amassing over 1M viewers. This first venture into cinema will enable more families than ever before to access Northern Ballet’s productions and provide an engaging introduction to both ballet and cinema.
Babyballet are working in partnership with CinEvents for these events and will be offering a 3 week trial for little ones across the UK for £15 if they quote bitesizedballets.
Tortoise & the Hare will launch in cinemas on 26 January 2019, Elves & the Shoemaker on 23 February 2019 and Three Little Pigs on 23rd March with encores available in select locations. Tickets can be bought at bitesizedballets.com
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.