Bristol World Discuss What’s On: The ballet comes to the Bristol Hippodrome

Bristol is always full of fun things to do. From International Women’s Day at the MShed to Rotting Figure at Spike Island.

Transcript

00:00So, spring is making an appearance in the city of Bristol and many locals are making

00:06the most of the sunny weather to get out of the house. But what is on in the city of Bristol?

00:11Well, to start off, St Mary Redcliffe Church are offering guided tours. Charlie, tell us

00:16more about that.

00:17So that's right, Emma. St Mary Redcliffe Church, which is right in the heart of the city, they're

00:22offering these special tours. Now, the venue has over 800 years of history and is known

00:28as one of England's most prestigious churches, and that's due to its impressive Gothic architecture

00:35and a history that spans centuries. And so St Mary Redcliffe is not just a Gothic masterpiece,

00:42but it's also a highly diverse parish in one of the most deprived areas of Bristol, and

00:48it's home to a growing inclusive congregation. Now, this parish church has stood for over

00:56The current generation of St Mary Redcliffe Church is a diverse community, old and young,

01:01rich and poor, Bristol born and migrants to the city, Redcliffe through and through and newcomers

01:08to the church. It's very diverse in ethnic backgrounds and cultural identity and in

01:13relationships and family circumstances with varying levels of understanding and need.

01:20Thank you, Charlie. So it's certainly a very impressive building and it offers locals lots

01:26of tours and a good opportunity to learn all about its history. So shall we move on to

01:30the theatre scene in the city? So Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake is visiting the Bristol

01:35Hippodrome as part of their touring circuit.

01:38Yes, so the ballet is coming to the city and lots of people are talking about it. Matthew

01:44Bourne's audacious, rule-breaking reinvention of this masterpiece caused a sensation when it first

01:52premiered 30 years ago now, and it's become the most successful dance theatre production of all

01:58time. It's creating new audiences and inspiring generations of young dancers, and in celebration

02:06of that ongoing impact, Swan Lake will take flight once more in a major new revival for the next

02:13generation of dancers and for audiences who will be experiencing some of them for the very first time.

02:22Thank you very much, Charlie. That sounds great. So let's move on to the art scene. Paperworks is

02:27the RWA's exhibition. It's been open since January, so tell me a little bit about that.

02:33Yes, paperworks. So this is all about paper and creative ways of displaying it, but the paper is

02:40often under different guises, from handmade paper to Japanese tissue, paper mache and paper pull.

02:48All these different types are featured in this exciting exhibition. The art in it ranges from

02:56charcoal drawings to hangings.