 |
   |
Christopher Hampson,
In the Far East again... | |||||||
|
Christopher Hampson, a dancer and choreographer with ENB, has been keeping a diary for us since November 97. Initially he covered the creation of his new ballet ‘Country Garden’ but now he has lots and lots of other things on the go. And in the summer he is going freelance...
Here is a link to the previous column in the series.
April 27th 1999 After my recent affair with Schnittke it has been a breeze counting eights to Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. English National Ballet plus 50 extra dancers started rehearsing for the forthcoming tour to Hong Kong and Australia two weeks ago. For those of you that felt that "Songlines" didn't have enough ballet in it, I shall keep a diary of this over the next few weeks… On to other magic moments. The other day I was with Wayne Sleep discussing plans for his forthcoming tour when he asked if I had time to go to police a rehearsal. Well it just so happens I did (n't), I arrived late from a call at ENB and walked into a studio containing the best ballet pianist drink can buy, and two short people. One was called Wayne (I've mentioned him already) and the other was called Jayne Torvill. Between the three of them they had come up with a fabulous routine that contains…..Well that would be telling. When asked what my opinion was I subtly told them it was the most un-musical thing I'd ever seen. It was at this point that they realised that in their enthusiasm they had been dancing a whole phrase ahead of the music. Jayne asked me if I would be at the next rehearsal and when I said I'd be on the other side of the world by then I noticed a certain look of relief on her face, but this could have been mistaken for the fact that her 2 hour rehearsal was nearing an end. My Swan Lake rehearsals are nearing an end also and I shall be next spamming you with messages from overseas. Up at 7.00 to pack for ENB's tour to Hong Kong and Australia, then to the RAD for 11.30. I have been creating a short ballet for Wayne Sleep's tour, "Aspects of Dance" over the last few days, while also rehearsing with ENB for Mega Lac, hence the frenzied early morning packing. Today's rehearsal at the RAD was important because if I didn't finish the ballet by 4.00, it would either never go on, or I would miss my flight to Hong Kong, since the new ballet premieres on the 1st of June - a week before I get back. Once the dancers had got over the shock of their choreographer arriving with luggage for a month and hanging his washing on the barres to dry, we got down to completing - I think it's called Dinisarada. It was an excellent rehearsal, with the dancers being attentive and inspiring, even with the added pressures of time, and Wayne Sleep & Jayne Torvill coming in to check up on progress. I finished the ballet at 4.00 pm, packed up my now dry washing and hurried to Heathrow. The flight to Hong Kong took 12 hours and was very boring, though once inside the airport I remembered what a great vibrant feel this city had (this is my second visit), and I couldn't wait to get to the hotel and start exploring the place again. After a long spout at customs we were bused to the Harbour View International House, our home for the next week. It's on Hong Kong Island next to the huge Convention Centre where we are to perform. After freshening up, Rachael and I decided to get out and about straight away. You'd better get to know Rachael as she is my room-mate for the entire tour. I've known her for eight or nine years now. She used to be with ENB, spent a few years with Dutch National, and now she's come home to roost as a swan. She called a friend of hers who lives in Hawaii but works here (I can't work it out either) and we arranged to meet up later. Meanwhile, I needed solids so I called a few rooms and arranged to dine with Amelia (wig mistress and person who dyes my hair blue) and dancers Katie Appleton and Louise Halliday. We ate at Café Deco which has a conservative menu, but stunning views overlooking the harbour across to Kowloon. It's situated on The Peak, a place higher than any of the skyscrapers and embedded in an ever growing forest/jungle. Towards the end of the meal (kir royale, lobster and Dunhill) I noticed Katie and Lou were doing a bit of jet lag, so we agreed to go with the flow and go out for the night. After taking in the views from The Peak, we trundled down a near-vertical drop on the Funicular back to Central District, hooked up with Rachael and her friend Craig at Lan Kwai Fong, a busy street crammed with bars and small eateries. It had turned midnight by now and Katie had made a full recovery (Lou had flown back to the hotel shortly before Cinderella hour), so after much text messaging on mobile phones, I managed to persuade Kevin (Richmond) and Patrick (Armand) to join us. A few more cocktails and lots of talking, mostly about the schedule for the coming week - I shan't bore you with the details, there's another month to do that in - we set off back to the hotel (via a club with a live band that came straight out of Stars in Their Eyes and prices that would make you not drink).
I woke up in time for breakfast which was a feast (it has certainly made up for the view I haven't got from my room). I read the South China Morning Post which reports that "Typhoon Leo is only Mark 3 and should dissolve into a tropical storm". What a relief. I've also caught up on the bombing in Soho, which my sister had phoned me about just before I boarded the plane at Heathrow. The leading article was headlined "City Under Siege" - I thought it was a rather sweeping statement, but reading about it in a foreign paper, gave me a perspective on recent events on London which made me think the headline was not so far off the mark after all. Hong Kong may have its typhoons and tropical storms, but it feels like a safe city, and I am glad to be here.
| ||||||||
|
 | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||