DANCE: Ballet in Blanchardstown

BALLET Ireland is bringing its critically acclaimed version of Romeo and Juliet to Draíocht, Blanchardstown, this weekend.

The tale of Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers is one of the greatest love stories of all time and the performance by a cast of world-class dancers will be accompanied by Prokofiev's incredible music.

In this version, choreographed by Morgann Runacre-Temple, the tragic tale is transported from the streets of medieval Verona into the classrooms of a modern-day high school and becomes a play within a play.

The Chaplain at a school, divided by gangs and violence, brings a fight to a close.

He, together with their form teacher, attempts to show the futility of such behaviour by introducing the pupils to Romeo & Juliet, with the feuding Montague and Capulet families, and the story of the doomed love affair between the heirs of these two tribes.

Each pupil is assigned a character and the action ensues. The end result is a heart-stopping ballet with a dazzling combination of passion and hatred, comedy and high tragedy.

Choreographer Morgann Runacre-Temple explained the thinking behind the Ballet Ireland production.

"To make the tale of Romeo and Juliet feel alive to a modern audience, to take away the swords, long dresses and the men in tights, the 400 years of re-tellings, was my ambition for this,” she said.

“I wanted to dive straight into the catastrophic choices two teenagers make in order to be together just 24 hours after their first meeting. 

“For me Romeo and Juliet is about love but also fantasy, in our wildest dreams – what we are prepared to risk for the chance of true love, no matter how fleeting, or how high the stakes may be."

The performance will move to Gaiety Theatre from Wednesday November 15 to Saturday, November 18, after this weekend.

Anne Maher, Director of Ballet Ireland, said the company was delighted to bring the production to Dublin.

“Morgann is one of Europe's leading female choreographers, and has created several ballets for us,” she added.

Tickets for Friday November 3 and Saturday, November 4 at Draíocht, Blanchardstown cost from €22 or €16 for groups of ten or more. The performance starts at 8pm. Call 01-8852622 or visit www.draiocht.ie.