With thanks to Ticket to the Moon Management, we are giving away 3 Double Tickets to Men in Tutus for the 20:00 Performance on Friday, 12 April 2019 at the Teatro in Montecasino, worth R800.00.

Technical brilliance, tongue-in-cheek humour and a passion for classical and contemporary ballet, is Men in Tutus, soon to be seen on stage in Johannesburg at the The Teatro, Montecasino, and the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town.

Male ballerina is usually a term used in error made by a rookie arts writer. However, Les Ballets Eloelle (say it aloud and you’ll get the joke), led by founder, Artistic Director and lead dancer Victor Trevino, features – as one of the few all-male comedy ballet companies in the world – a troupe of such dancers: men dancing roles traditionally reserved for women.

Men in Tutus Competition is Now Closed! 

Please Note:

1. This competition Closes on Tuesday, 9 April 2019.
2. Tickets are only valid for the specified dates and performance times.
3. Seat allocations are up to the discretion of the promoters.
4. Tickets may not be upgraded, or exchanged for cash, or for alternate performances.
5. The prize comprises of two tickets per prize winner.
6. No-Shows will not receive replacement tickets.
7. By entering this competition, the participant agrees to the terms and conditions.
8. Prizes does not include accommodation and / or travel to and from the event.
9. Winners will be notified by mail.
10. One Entry per Email Address will be entered into the draw.

The post Win Tickets to Men in Tutus appeared first on Stage and Screen.

By Louw Mulder

Sometimes, when you get to experience pure talent reimagined, then brought to life by an artist of a young age, there are simply no words to describe the majestic sense of wonder. This was the case when Marcin Patrzalek gave me a personal one-on-one demonstration of only a few minutes of what he is capable off. I was given the wonderful opportunity to spend some time with this 18-year old Polish Guitar Pioneer.

It all started at the age of 10, as he said, by complete accident. “I had nothing to do during the summertime where I live in Kielce and my dad wanted me to have some sort of activity,” Marcin said. After being rejected for Guitar lessons, due to the fact that the guitar teacher they approached denied teaching children, Marcin was referred to another teacher, from whom he then started learning Classical Music. His real talent, it can be said, became visible already at this young age, as only after three months taking up this six-string instrument, Marcin won his first local talent competition in Poland.

Building on this newly proven talent, Marcin started progressing, and then got to meet Carlos Piñana, a Flamenco guitarist from Spain, who proposed to help Marcin with some classes through Skype, introducing, and opening many doors for this youngster, with the Flamenco style of Guitar playing, until he received an Acoustic Guitar for Christmas. Friendly, and very clever with his English, he told: “I had no teacher, so I started to experiment and create my own ideas and techniques. I would look at the internet and combine really different contrasting ideas myself.

What was born out of these self-taught experiments, were what he calls a really cool style, now gaining more and more popularity worldwide, called the Percussive Finger Style. “It’s so new, and fresh that it differs a lot – Everybody plays it differently, as everybody has their own experiments.” Marcin told me.

At 14, and only for fun, Marcin entered the Polish Talent-show for musicians, Must be Music. “This was a huge deal for me, as I didn’t go there to win, I just went there as I like playing on stage, showing my talent and skills to people,” he said. But then his big break, when started to gain popularity by winning this competition: “Winning motivated me. I started to release videos, and then my first Album called Hush, when I was 15.”

With the release of new arrangements and videos on-line, Marcin started to gain more and more popularity on the internet. “I decided to arrange Beethoven’s 5^th symphony for myself, with another Talent competition in mind,” he told me: “I went to Italy to enter Tu Si Que Vales 2018, same as Italy’s Got Talent, and I also managed to win that, which was a huge surprise for me.”

It was after making this mark of his on the bigger International Talent Arena, that his travelling outside of Europe then started, with a successful tour to Mexico. “My style is so new and interesting, visually, that where I go and play, people have so many cool things to say,” Marcin shared with all his excitement evident in his eyes and his smile: “I want to travel as much as I can, and South Africa is a perfect place to start.”

Seeing the world as part of his traveling, is not his main priority, but sharing his talent with the world. Audiences worldwide have seen the Marcin Magic online, and would now want to see this visual style for themselves. “With Beethoven 5^th Symphony, you can clearly see how the guitar is used in a really weird and percussive way, like the scratching, the tapping, playing with one hand, which is a weird thing for people to see,” he teased: “When I travel, I hear many different opinions, and the one I am most happy about, is when people say they’ve never seen something like this before.”

It was then time for Marcin to show me his guitar. “My first guitar broke due to wear and tear after quite a long time. Ibanez Guitars also saw my arrangement on line, and they endorsed me, and now I am an official endorser of Ibanez Guitars, which means it doesn’t really matters if my style breaks another guitar…” he brags, laughs, and then put his own over his shoulder.

Marcin is playing on a somewhat modified Acoustic Guitar. A normal acoustic guitar does the job, and he can play it in his style perfectly, but he admits that most of his sounds go missing because the Acoustic guitar cannot amplify all the sounds effectively. “There is a very detailed electronic equipment inside my guitar,” as he points and showed me his secret: “So when you scratch, and when you play and when you do all these sorts of weird percussion elements, you can hear it very clearly.”

Understanding what he meant, I asked him if he ever thought of designing his own guitar, especially aimed at the vision he has for the Percussive Finger Style: “I am,” he laughed: “I can’t give too much detail as the work is still confidential, but it is in progress.  It’s a completely different world, because when I take the sheet music for a full symphony like Beethoven’s 5^th Symphony, or Metallica’s Masters of Puppets, I want to compress everything into one instrument, so it is important to get a huge amount of different sounds from one guitar, and that’s why we are modifying the guitar to suit this style even more.”

At this point, with his instrument over his shoulder, I noticed that Marcin was done talking, and that he would just want to play, showing off his talent that burst naturally out of his passion for what he does. If I could comment, I would say, Marcin Patrzalek can easily be compared to a modern day Mozart, and other world famous composers, who did not let young age defeat their need to create new sounds, melodies, and Music.

With performances in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town, South Africans can now experience this magical talent live, in an intimate setting during the SA tour of Guitar Wizards. During this tour, Marcin will be sharing the stage with South Africa’s award winning Guitar Duo, CH2, who brags with their own International acclaim. For Marcin, this is an honor to play with them: ”It will be a mutual sort of teaching experience because they have a different style than I do, and I have a different style than they do,” he said: “During our show, you will hear some similar dynamic vibes. It’s a nice contrast that makes the show interesting.”

Marcin, in a very exciting tone, gave me some secrets and spoilers for the SA tour of Guitar Wizards: “I will be playing some pieces with CH2 during our huge finale. I am even playing some South African tunes with them, so the finale will have some fireworks.”

The post We Talk To Marcin Patrzalek appeared first on Stage and Screen.

Technical brilliance, tongue-in-cheek humour and a passion for classical and contemporary ballet, is Men in Tutus, soon to be seen on stage in Johannesburg at the The Teatro, Montecasino, and the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town.

Male ballerina is usually a term used in error made by a rookie arts writer. However, Les Ballets Eloelle (say it aloud and you’ll get the joke), led by founder, Artistic Director and lead dancer Victor Trevino, features – as one of the few all-male comedy ballet companies in the world – a troupe of such dancers: men dancing roles traditionally reserved for women.

The comedy aspect of Men In Tutus – clever, affectionate parody of the ballet canon, both classical and contemporary via the dancers’ hilarious female personae – never undermines either the challenges of performing the complex choreography or the exceptional results, which make the show so thrilling to watch.

Trevino, who began his comedic career with Les Ballet Trockadero De Monte Carlo, where he performed almost all he female leads in the repertoire as a principal dancer, adds that it is not only the individual proficiency of the dancers that is impressive.

Men In Tutus features dancers from the USA, Spain, Argentina, Mexico, the Philippines, Australian, Colombia, the Isle of Wight and Japan, underlining the global appeal of ballet, dance and comedy. This ties in wonderfully with the objectives of Ballet Eloelle, which include: cultivating new audiences for dance through comedy; performing for audiences who may not have access to ballet; and to preserve the integrity and standards of excellence in the ballets they perform so as to educate audiences about the art form.

Of course, whatever the cultural backgrounds and experience of these dancers – who have trained at revered institutions like the New York Ballet, the American Ballet Theatre, the Royal Ballet, the Paris Opera Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada, the Royal Swedish Ballet, Berlin State Opera Ballet, the English National Ballet, Joffrey Ballet and the Hong Kong Ballet – they’re also on stage to entertain!

In Men In Tutus, audiences will meet quite a few interesting characters:

Nina Minimaximova; Victor Trevino: On her third divorce and the toas of Paris, St Petersburg, Tokyo and Long Island. Nina reigned supreme on the stages of the world’s greatest theatres until her forced retirement by jealous detractors and a public with taste. She now occupies the turbaned, sitting roles made famous by ballerinas of a certain age.

Tamara Chilirojo; Alexandre Alguero Alejos: Young of spirit and fresh like fish. She radiates a sense of naiveté with her “Who, me?” countenance and her “Why her?” competitiveness. Detractors have criticized her for still being “green”, but Tamara wants it on record that the condition was long ago cleared up with antibiotics supplied by her Aunt Violet.

Imelda Hardtoes; Carlos Garcia: The former first lady of Philippine dance. Imelda left her homeland under dubious circumstances, but was granted artistic asylum by Les Ballets Eloelle and brings with her a wealth of experience. And 4 532 pairs of designer pointe shoes.

The cast also includes Walter Battistini, Ivan Felix, Jimmy Lumba, Jhonatan Mendez, Victor Maguad, Joel Morris (an ex-South African Ballet Theatre star), Ian Ocampo, Eugene Obille, Shaughn Neil Pegoraro, Joseph Phillips, Tetsushi Segawa and Wataru Tokue.

Men In Tutus

Johannesburg

Friday 12^th, to Sunday 14^th, April 2019

Time: Friday 8pm; Saturday 3pm and 8pm; Sunday 2pm

Ticket prices: From R200 – R400

Venue: Teatro, Montecasino, Fourways

Booking: www.computicket.com

Cape Town

Dates: Thursday 18^th to Sunday 21^st April 2019

Time: Thursday 8pm; Saturday 3pm and 8pm; Sunday 2pm

Ticket prices: From R190

Venue: Opera House, Artscape

Booking: www.computicket.com

The post Men in Tutus appeared first on Stage and Screen.

A brand new, exciting fusion of guitar sounds is about to take South Africa by storm – kicking off in the cities of Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town in March 2019.

Guitar Wizards is a concept, created by Corneille Hutten of the award-winning international, but proudly South African, Guitar Duo CH2. The idea is to fuse various Guitar styles from Flamenco to Finger-style Guitar playing – all played with great precision on acoustic Guitars. This series of concerts promises to be an eclectic lab of creativity; saluting the sounds of Acoustic Guitar virtuosity.

First off, in the Guitar Wizards series, is a very special guest, all the way from Poland, the wunderkind and international sensation, 18 year old, Marcin Patrzalek. He will join CH2 onstage for 90 minutes of heart-stopping Guitar sounds.

Marcin Patrzalek is an 18 year old Polish fingerstyle guitarist and winner of the biggest Polish TV talent show Must be The Music.  Marcin is well-known for his guitar arrangements and compositions which gather millions of views online.

His music background began with classical guitar, which he started playing at the age of 10. He won many prestigious classical international competitions including the Joaquin Rodrigo Festival. He then became interested in flamenco music, studying it under the guidance of Spanish virtuoso Carlos Pinana.  Shortly afterwards, he discovered yet another style – Acoustic Fingerstyle. It was the style he reckoned most exciting and fitting for his approach to music.

https://youtu.be/nPKu3oJCrXk

CH2 has been top of the musical ladder for the past eighteen years in South Africa. Winner of multiple SAMA and Ghoema Awards, they have produced 11 albums, including the best-selling and Grammy entry PING and their most recent offering Insomnia, The Chapel Master.

With their flawless, effortless technique and pulsating rhythms, they showcase what can be done on only two guitars, classical guitars, and create a very exciting instrumental pop sound whilst mimicking drum sounds and bass guitar all at the same time. CH2 has truly developed their own style unique to the band and continues to blow people away with their virtuosity. The members of CH2 keep challenging themselves with new techniques every day and see themselves as pioneers of the classical guitar, pushing the instrument into genres it is not known for.

What can audiences expect at the Guitar Wizards show with CH2 and Marcin Patrzalek? A breathtaking celebration of Guitar music – in a glorious concoction of sounds and style. The programme will be filled with lots of popular takes on the music of Metallica, Michael Jackson and compositions from the pen of CH2. The evening will also contain some signature classic guitar pieces like the theme of the Adagio movement of the Concerto de Aranjuez and Asturias.

Guitar Wizards

Tickets are from R 220.00

Johannesburg

Dates: 27 Feb to 2 March 2019

Time: 8pm

Venue: The Fringe at Joburg Theatre

Booking:  http://www.webtickets.co.za/

Pretoria

Date: Friday 8 March 2019

Time: 8pm

Venue: Atterbury Teater

Booking: http://www.atterburyteater.co.za/

Cape Town

Date: Saturday 9 March 2019

Time: 8pm

Venue: Paul Cluver Amphitheatre, Elgin

Booking: http://www.webtickets.co.za/

The concert series is produced by Ticket to the Moon Management.

The post Guitar Wizards appeared first on Stage and Screen.

Frank Sinatra, one of music’s great icons, is all set to ignite the South African stage in 2019 in a dazzling big band international show, Sinatra and Me, featuring celebrated British performer, Richard Shelton who has been described as one of the world’s finest Sinatra interpreters.  Shelton is an award-winning actor and singer and his show comes directly from the West End and Los Angeles. He will be accompanied on stage by Adam Howard’s 17-piece Joburg Big Band.

This highly acclaimed show kicks off in Durban at the Rockwood Theatre on 12 March with four shows before heading to Gauteng, The Mandela at Joburg Theatre from 21 March, and is bound to hit all the high notes with Sinatra fans.  See the American Promo video below:

The show is brought together with a narrative that looks at Shelton’s time starring as Sinatra in London’s West End to the synchronicity between their lives, borne out by many incredible coincidences in LA including how Sinatra’s tuxedo literally walked into his life, a fact which was verified by Sir Roger Moore aka James Bond, on live TV. There are also original music in the show including the title track scored for a big-band arrangement, Sinatra and Me, which was recorded in East West Studios, LA, where Sinatra recorded My Way and A Very Good Year.

Says Shelton: “Naturally, my biggest influence is the music of Frank Sinatra but also vocal styling from singers including Billie Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald and Tony Bennett. Musically, I’m influenced by the greats including Oscar Peterson, Count Basie but also by a lot of classical music. I’m drawn to musical arrangements that allow the lyrics to flow. For me, the lyrics come first. You have to be able to tell a story first and foremost. That’s not to discredit the music, but unless there’s space to make the lyrics really mean something for the audience, you have nothing.”

Shelton received a Best Actor in a Leading Role award for his performance as Frank Sinatra in Rat Pack Confidential. Now South African audiences will get an opportunity to see him recreate the many magical moments in Sinatra’s musical career.

Shelton has performed for HRH Prince Charles at Windsor Castle, for Sir Elton John at his White Tie and Tiara Ball, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Concert Orchestra, the BBC Big Band, at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London and on countless international TV and radio shows.

As an actor, Shelton is known to British TV audiences for playing series regular Dr Adam Forsythe in the TV show Emmerdale. Richard Shelton also recently made his US TV debut playing Mr Benson in House of Lies.

Hear the world’s greatest Sinatra interpreter sing the coolest Sinatra songs – an unforgettable night of song and storytelling.

After Joburg, Sinatra and Me travels to East London, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town prior to heading far South to New Zealand.

Sinatra and Me:

Durban

Dates: 12 to 17 March

Time: Tuesday to Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 2pm

Ticket prices: R200

Venue: Rockwood Theatre

Booking: www.rockwoodtheatre.co.za/durban or sibaya@rockwoodtheatre.co.za

Pretoria

Date: 20 March

Venue: Atterbury Theatre

Booking: www.itickets.com   or www.atterburyteater.co.za

Johannesburg

Dates: 21 to 24 March

Time: Thursday and Sunday at 3pm, Friday and Saturday at 8pm

Ticket prices: From R150 to R400

Venue: Joburg Theatre (The Mandela)

Booking: www.joburgtheatre.com

East London

Date: 27 March

Venue: Guild Theatre

Booking: www.computicket.com

Port Elizabeth

Dates: 29 March

Venue: Boardwalk Casino

Booking: www.webtickets.co.za

Cape Town

Date: 30 March

Time: 7pm

Venue: Paul Cluver

Booking: www.webtickets.co.za

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