Boy Blue Entertainment - The Five & the Prophecy of Prana

Tonight was the press night of Boy Blue's latest work "The Five & the Prophecy of Prana" at the Barbican. My first experience of Boy Blue was for the Pied Piper. It was one of my first experiences of seeing 'hip hop' within a theatre context and I remembered the performance in a positive light and wondered whether tonight would live up my original experience. 

The Five & the Prophecy of Prana advert was a cartoon sketch and this perfectly set the tone for the night. The performance was created as a comic book with animation being an integral part of the performance. There was a direct interaction between what was being projected and the dancing on stage. In fact, all of the design elements were carefully working together with the music supporting the dancing, rather than just being something to dance to. 

The dancing was phenomenal! I am no 'hip hop' expert, but as a member of the general public the standard of dancing was exceptional. All of the dancers clearly were talented and could perform alone, but also in sections of tight unison proved their ability to deliver choreography with precision. The audience were clearly enjoying the performance with clapping after every section, as well as cheering whenever they were wowed. 

The weakest element for me was the voiceovers. At times they were effective, but especially in the first half the sections seemed to drag on and create a slow feel. However, in the second half the performance picked up and the show was over and I wasn't quite ready for it. 

Overall, Boy Blue Entertainment have managed to create a work that met my expectations and I would definitely recommend. 

Beyoncé 'cuts' her hair

Beyoncé shocked the world last week by posting a picture on Twitter of her new drastic hair cut. Beyoncé,  is famous for 'her' hair, which for years has been long and big. She is all about dancing with a wind machine blowing her locks so she stays flawless. So it is a drastic fashion statement to chop all of that hair off. However, the question that popped straight into my mind was "is this her natural hair?"

We all know that Beyoncé, very rarely shows off her natural hair. In fact, I am not actually sure what her natural hair looks like. She is a lover of the weave, which has become her statement look. So yes this new hair do would be considered drastic if she had cut off her hair and would have to wait 5 years to grow it back, but in a few weeks if she hates it she can just put in some weave and be back to her fabulous self.

Swan Lake Reloaded

You can tell from the advertising that Swan Lake Reloaded was no normally Swan Lake. It was virtually a year to the day since I had seen English National Ballet's Swan Lake and I was back The Coliseum to see Fredrik Rydman's version.

In this version the Swans are prostitues and Rothbart is their pimp. The performance mixed hip-hop and contemporary dance to create a fusion that worked at times but not at others. The contemporary elements wasn't anything spectacular, but the use of isolation was interesting and in true hip-hop style there was some nice tricks. It was interesting to see a headspin replacing the infamous 32 fouettes.

One aspect I throughly enjoyed was the music. There was elements of the traditional Tchaikovsky score and then mixed with electro sounds. The choreography complimented the music throughout and it was interesting to see choreography that really worked with the drama of the music.

Swan Lake reloaded may not be everyone's cup of tea, but for those who are open to seeing performance in its the general sense - go see! Definitely one of the most enjoyable performance I have seen in a while.

The royal baby is finally here - Prince George of Cambridge

It seems a life time ago when they announce that Kate was pregnant but finally the wait is over. As the country celebrates companies are quick to jump on the bandwagon. I can't believe how quickly press adverts where related to the royal baby theme. Everything must have been lined up, ready to be swapped the moment it was announced. No matter what the product or services a company supplies everyone is trying to connect it somehow to the happy couple and their newborn heir. 

A campaign that combines the royal baby with probably one of the biggest summer marketing campaigns come from one of the most powerful brands in the world - Coca Cola. 

Within hours the below image was released. 

What I like about this campaign is plays on the news, but is completely on brand. The whole summer has been focused on #shareacoke along with the personalised bottles in shops. I imagine you could pick up a Kate in store, even if they made the Wills bottle just for His Royal Highness. 

Well I am sure there will be much more to come as smaller companies catch up. And then there will be the memorabilia and merchandise. 

Mrs Carter Tour

As the whole world knows I tried my hardest but I wasn't fortunate enough to get tickets to the Mrs Carter Tour and I refuse to pay the hundreds of pounds being advertised on Ebay. Well Beyoncé kicked off her tour in Serbia and quickly caused controversy with the outfit above. Beyoncé is known for her outrageous outfits and there were numerous complaints after the Superbowl performance. This is probably the most in-your-face to date so was bound to cause a stir. I personally think it is going too far and just a ploy to get extra PR, which totally is not necessary. What a shame that Beyoncé felt she had to sink so low when you is the role model for so many young women. 

Fashion = calorie free

This weekend I went to the London Fashion Weekend, sponsored by Vodafone, at Somerset House. For the weekend the Somerset House is turned into a discount designer department store. Now I'm not a massive fashion fan but what I found interesting was the brands attracted to London Fashion Weekend. 

Firstly, the event was sponsored by Vodafone and there was a VIP lounge where all Vodafone users were able to get a Vodafone Red Nails Inc nail varnish. I was actually very jealous and wished for a moment I was a Vodafone user rather than O2, which has never offered me any advantages other than sitting in a waiting room for hours and then still getting no tickets for Beyonce. 

As well as Vodafone, the event was supported by Elle Magazine. This is obviously a clear match. Fashion event, fashion magazine. 

Then there was the promotions. There was two main food/beverage companies at the event. First, I received a muller light lemon yoghurt and a pocket mirror and next a mini diet coke. The key words to note are light and diet. This is a fashion event full of women who essentially don't want a calorie to enter their body.

Beyonce - Red Hot Tour Tickets

A few weeks ago, after having taken a break to be with her baby girl, Beyonce took to the Super Bowl stage and blew the world away. Yes there was a few dishy pictures that her estate tried to get removed, but it is undeniable that the performance was a success and beyonce had reminded everyone she is the Queen Bey! Then moments later it was announced that she would be performing a World Tour entitled The Mrs Carter Show, which included dates in Manchester, Birmingham and London. For what seemed like an eternity I watched the O2 priority moments ads and waited to book my tickets on Thursday 21 Feb. I tried for London, my other 02 Friend for Birmingham, but no luck for either of us.

So Round 2 on Saturday, this time we thought we would be more prepared. Try online, 1 ticket agent on the mobile, another on the landline. Sadly still nothing. It is rumoured that tickets sold out in minutes, which is phenomenal! At a starting price of £55 plus a rip off booking fee (I was quoted £7) it is no cheap night out, but 'people' bought then without hesitation. Or did they? Within minutes tickets were on eBay for thousands of pounds!!! An intelligent  individual on my Facebook pointed out that with VIP packages costing $595 paying £1000 is ridiculous, but I am sure somewhere someone will pay it leaving both Beyonce and the reseller making a pretty profit. And for me... I will look out for competition tickets or just watch the footage on YouTube and no doubt buy the DVD, which will come out afterwards.

Beyonce and Super Bowl

Now I don't know much about American sports and I won't pretend to understand what the Super Bowl is. However, I do now the fact I even know it exists means it is a massive deal. It is watched by viewers across the world and advertising space is sold at a small fortune. A key part of the Super Bowl is the half time performance. I can remember hearing about previous performances by Madonna and the infamous duet between Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake. However, this year the prestigious slot with given to the one, and only, Beyonce! 

In my eyes Beyonce can do little wrong, but this previous was incredible. Beyonce is a born performer. She works the stage, sings on point and dances better than any of her 'professional' ladies. There is no doubt that this woman is highly talented, but beyond this she is working hard to ensure she delivers the best. It was lovely to see her reunited with Michelle and Kelly, but it is clear that she was the star of Destiny Child and now she has clearly surpassed the other two. Both Michelle and Kelly can sing, there is no denying that. However, they don't possess that same electric energy. Beyonce said when she performs she is Sasha and Sasha is crazy. 

Just incase you didn't see the performance you can check it out here.