3 October: The Bolshoi Ballet

On this date in 1956, The Bolshoi Ballet performed in Britain, at Covent Garden, for the first time.

1. The Bolshoi Ballet was founded in 1776, making it one of the oldest ballet companies in the world.
2. Its history actually goes back even further, to 1773, when a Moscow orphanage started a dance school for its residents.
3. In due course the dancers came to the attention of Prince Pyotr Urusov and Michaesl Maddox, an English theatre entrepreneur. They had the dancers perform in private venues, and later acquired the Petrovsky Theatre, later rebuilt as the Bolshoi Theatre.
4. It was in 1825, when the new theatre took over the ballet company, that they became known by the name Bolshoi Ballet.
5. The world Bolshoi means big or grand in Russian. The new theatre was given this name because it was bigger and grander than the old one.
6. They developed their own style, which became known as the "Moscow Style" which was influenced by Russian folklore and tended to be more spontaneous, colourful and bold than that of the other, more traditional ballet companies based in St Petersburg.
7. In the 19th century, productions staged by prominent choreographers of the time were popular, but at the end of the 19th century the company went into decline. When Aleksandr Gorsky was appointed Maitre de Ballet in 1900, he introduced more realism into the costumes and scenery and shaped the company into one of the world's best known ballet companies. It was when Moscow became capital of the Soviet Union that the company became known all over the world.
8. The first American dancer to join the copmpany was Micahel Shannon in 1989.
9. The company has around 220 dancers.
10. The Bolshoi Ballet opened its first dance academy outside Russia in 2000, in Joinville, Brazil.

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Teenage years bring no end of problems. Daniel Moran's include getting hold of computer games his parents don't think he should have; a full blown crush on the beautiful Suki from Zorostan; maintaining his status as a prefect and getting his homework done. He must also keep from his parents and sister the fact that he is a superhero with a sword from another world.

Trish wonders how to get science whizz Tom to notice her; how to persuade him that the best way to stand up to the school bully is to fight back. She doesn't want her friends, especially not Tom, to know she is a genetic variant with superpowers. Little does she know that Tom has secrets of his own.

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Themes: 

Superheroes; Coming of age; Leadership; Kidnap and rescue; Aliens; Friendship and rivalry; Terrorism; Secrets.

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