Mum of two Finola take her daughters along to see this ballet production of a children’s classic
If you go down to the egg theatre today, tomorrow or Sunday, you’re sure for a big…. treat!
Teddy Bear’s Picnic is a delightful children’s dance performance, showing until Sunday 25 June. Two Teddy Bears dance playfully around the stage as they re-enact the renowned picnic in the woods. The two enjoy a little hide & seek (ballet style!) before opening their picnic hamper, and playfully introducing some surrounding props to create amusing role play characters.
Each move, rich with expression and humour, follows the tempo of that familiar Teddy Bears picnic tune, its melody cleverly weaving its way through the piano music that the music is set to.
My girls aged 3 and 6 enjoyed the bears playing catch with enormous fruit, carrying a giant jelly and drinking from oversized smoothie bottles! The youngest in particular loved the part where the girl bear stole the boy bear’s cream cake and there was a bit of a cake chase around the stage, into the aisles and then around the back of the auditorium.
Using the whole theatre as a stage, the dancers interact with their youngest viewers, miming and waving at individuals, and even calling a couple of braver ones onto the stage to join in the fun. One little lad, who couldn’t have been much older than 2, danced on stage with boy bear, then proudly took a professional ‘hand on tum’ type of bow, before being returned to his mummy. Bless.
While the production is suitable for ages 0-7, I would suggest that the prime age group is 2-4 year olds. The show is just 30mins (so suitable for tiny ones) and there is an opportunity to have photos taken with the dancers at the end.