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Martlets Hospice volunteer roadshows

The Martlets Hospice need volunteers to join their retail team, and are holding a series of Volunteer Roadshows from October 6-10 to help local residents find out more.

WEB.600The local charity need more people to help in their ten shops across the city, as well as sorting donations at their warehouse in Hove.

Staff from the Martlets volunteering team will be explaining more about the roles and shifts available, while current volunteers will be on hand to talk about their experiences and what they have got back from volunteering.

Emma Seymour, Head of Volunteering at Martlets Hospice, said: “Volunteering for the Martlets is a fun and rewarding experience. You’ll get personal satisfaction and make new friends, not to mention the skills you’ll learn along the way.

“Many volunteers have discovered that volunteering can also help them back to work by providing them with the necessary experience and increased self-confidence.

“Whether you’re retired, a student, looking to put your current skills to good use, or perhaps the children are at school or have left home  – whatever your circumstances, if you have the time, we need your help.

“So why not join us at our Retail Roadshow to learn more about one of the city’s best known charities and how you can help.”

The Roadshows will take place between 11am – 4pm at the following Martlets Hospice Shops:

Tuesday, October 6 – Blatchington Road, Hove

Wednesday, October 7 – Furniture Showroom, 270 Old Shoreham Road, Hove

Friday, October 9 – Western Road, Brighton

Saturday, October 10 – London Road, Brighton

For more information about the roadshows or volunteering for Martlets Hospice, email: retailvolunteering@martlets.org.uk

Or telephone: 01273 273400

 

For more information about the Martlets, click here:    

 

New guidelines for starting HIV treatment

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has published revised HIV guidelines recommending that anyone who tests positive for the virus that causes AIDS should be treated immediately.

World Health Organisation

The U.N. health agency had previously advised that doctors should wait to treat people with HIV until their immune systems suggested they were getting sick.

This comes in the wake of new British HIV Association (BHIVA) treatment guidelines which now recommend that everyone with HIV who is prepared to take antiretroviral treatment should receive it, regardless of CD4 cell count.

Dr Michael Brady
Dr Michael Brady

Dr Michael Brady, Terrence Higgins Trust Medical Director, said: “There is now clear evidence of the benefits of starting HIV therapy as early as possible. Effective treatment not only maximises the individual’s health but also prevents transmission to others.

“The new BHIVA guidelines are a reminder of the importance of improving our HIV testing rates. One in four people living with HIV remain undiagnosed and therefore not able to access the benefits of treatment. Our new treatment guidelines mean that every case of undiagnosed HIV is already a late diagnosis”

 

REVIEW: Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo

As part of their 2015 world tour which heads to Brighton in November, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, New York’s internationally renowned, comedy ballet, took the town by storm with a sparkling, hilarious and fabulously entertaining programme at London’s Peacock Theatre.

The Trocks

The Trocks were in dazzling form, bringing technical prowess, bravura and wonderful comic method to the stage, thrilling their audience on the night,

In the company’s take on Les Sylphides, romantic reverie met narcolepsy as Gianni Goffredo’s vain, airhead of a leading man, Sergey Legupski, slept-walked his way through the dance, totally indifferent to his long suffering ballerina, Lariska Dumbchenko, played with assurance, grace and much comic patience by Raffaele Morra.

Both were admirably supported by Alberto Pretto and Carlos Hopuy’s sylphs. Pretto was poised, elegant and reminiscent of a Kirov ballerina until stepping out of character to hilarious effect, while Hopuy’s dancing was marked by speed and attack and was packed with fleet jumps. Around them cavorted a corps of sleepy sylphs, one moment floating with airiness and grace, the next bored and distracted by each other and taking up wrong positions on stage. It was a very funny start to the evening.

The middle part of the programme contained three short pieces. Patterns in Space, a wickedly funny parody of Merce Cunningham style dance, was set to a ridiculous, avant-garde score improvised on stage by two dead pan musicians played by company dancers. As their sonic improvisations became more absurd, they became increasingly funny and inevitably ended up stealing the show from the hapless dancers.

Go for Barocco - photo by Zoran Jelenic
Go for Barocco – photo by Zoran Jelenic

Go for Barocco was a brilliant parody of the genius of George Balanchine. Led by Matthew Poppe and Joshua Thake, the Trocks were all long legs and neo-classic poses, sometimes beautifully lyrical, sometimes deliberately jarring, but always very Balanchine. It’s often the extent of exaggeration which determines how funny and informing a parody is, and in this piece artistic director Tory Dobrin and his company tread the line beautifully, still allowing the audience to see the genius of the original choreography and staging. Even some of the more slapstick moments are beautifully judged, as when two dancers meet centre stage and begin gracefully resting one hand on top of the other, until it eventually becomes a battle, literally, for the upper hand. It’s very funny on a purely comic level but also refers back to Balanchine and his sublime use of gesture.

Part two closed with the Dying Swan, with Maria Paranova (Carlos Renedo) switching effortlessly between beautiful swan like lines reminiscent of Pavlova, and high camp drollery, bringing her swan queen to a comical demise surrounded by a stage full of disintegrating plumage.

 

The final part of the programme was given over to the company’s new working of Don Qixote, an action packed snapshot of the full length classic ballet. Again there was much hilarity, in part driven by the traditional comic plot, here given a Trocks’ twist.  But it was the dazzling technique of Chase Johnsey and Paolo Cervellera as Kitri and Basil which stole the show. Stepping back from the drag comedy for a moment, this was a classy, classic performance full of fireworks and éclat which went beyond comedy ballet and would have graced any stage.  And this is one of the great qualities of this company. For all the parody and humour, the Trocks are also passionate about sharing their love of dance and the repertoire. In lovingly parodying the geniuses and tradition of dance, they are showcasing and preserving its legacy while at the same time keeping their audiences thoroughly entertained. This show works on every level and really is a must see at the Dome in November.


Event: Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo

Where: Brighton Dome Concert Hall

When: Tuesday November 3 & Wednesday 4, 2015

Tickets:  7.30pm, £12.50 / £18.50 / £22.50 / £27.50

To book tickets online, click here: 

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