Mayor to deliver talk on ballet

Welshpool’s Mayor, Cllr Philip Owen, will be delivering an insight into the history of ballet in Great Britain as part of his fundraising efforts for his term in office.

Cllr Owen’s knowledge on the topic will cover its emergence as a serious national art form in the early 20^th century and it will be accompanied by rarely seen artefacts from the world of ballet.

These will include a pair of Moira Shearer’s pointe shoes from the film ‘The Red Shoes’ (1947), a dress worn by Margot Fonteyn when she partnered with Rudolf Nureyev in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (1966), Alicia Markova’s ‘Swan Lake’ tutu from 1948, the Peter Rabbit mask from ‘Tales of Beatrix Potter’ and Anna Pavlova’s dressing table set.

The talk is being organised jointly by Welshpool Rotary Club and Welshpool Town Council, and is free to attend, but voluntary donations may be made which will benefit the Mayor’s Charity (Parkinson’s UK Cymru) and the Town Hall Restoration Fund.

Cllr Owen is keen to establish a dance festival in Welshpool to showcase all the different genres of dance and encourage more visitors to the town. This project, which remains very much on the drawing board, could be given a boost if sufficient interest is shown. 

The talk is open to all, and will be hosted in the Town Hall Assembly Rooms on Tuesday, May 5 at 7pm.