Culture Tiger

One of the joys of London is the multilayered history found at every tube stop. 10 minutes from Elephant & Castle, The Cinema Museum transports its visitors back to the glory days of cinema, in a former Victorian workhouse which once homed a young Charlie Chaplin. Founded by Ronald Grant and Martin Humphries in 1986, the museum is home to a staggering collection of cinema signage, seating, projectors, lighting fixtures, hand painted posters, usher uniforms, hundreds of film reels spanning back to the late 19th century and so much more. There are surprises behind each door which would fascinate everyone from technical enthusiasts to Old Hollywood glamour fans. Both Martin and Ronald guided the visitors on the tour I attended. Ronald, who started his career as a apprentice projectionist in 1950's Aberdeen, started the collection by rescuing items from closed down cinemas which would otherwise have been destroyed. The Cinema Museum has been a lifelong work of love and de...

Since my childhood obsession with flamenco, I have adored fans. Fans are effortlessly stylish,convey expression as well as being practical in the heat. I also have a life-long affair with Greenwich - I feel lucky to have been born in a leafy part of London rich in multilayered history. Based in a couple of Grade II listed 18th century townhouses, next to the immense Greenwich park, The Fan Museum satisfies two of my loves. The only museum in the UK completely dedicated to fans, The Fan Museum provides a comprehensive guide to the materials and elaborate skills used to create these handheld accessories, from all over the world, spanning centuries. And, of course, the building and its countless exhibits are a treat for the eyes. Apart from displaying fans from the past, including an exceptionally rare embroidered number from around the Elizabethan period, The Fan Museum also works towards reviving the disappearing craft of fan-making. Workshops are frequently hosted and recent campa...

Tamara Rojo’s appointment as artistic director for the English National Ballet has proven to be a thrilling move as triumphantly shown with Lest We Forget - a collection of bold new commissions to mark the centenary of the First World War. Rojo has taken brave steps with this production - it is the first English National Ballet season ever at the more contemporary Barbican rather than the usual classical home that is The Coliseum. It is also the first time that contemporary dance choreographers Akram Khan and Russell Maliphant have collaborated with a ballet company. First on stage is Liam Scarlett’s No Man’s Land depicting women working in a munitions factory while uniform-clad men who could be their husbands, lovers or brothers gravely march to the war front. The rows of women with yellowed hands and gathering dust while they repetitively work shows a melancholic loneliness despite all working together in the same space. Scarlett clearly demonstrates how the roles of both genders cre...

romanrios.blogspot.co.uk This month, dance lovers in London were given the rare treat of a visit from flamenco queen Sara Baras for this year’s Flamenco Festival in Sadler’s Wells. Accompanied by a tremendous force of a corps de ballet and musicians on guitars and percussion that drive you giddy with the passionate rhythms, Baras’ latest production ‘La Pepa’ is a tribute to the Spanish Constitution of Cadiz in 1812 and a celebration of her beloved country. On this flamenco interpretation of a historical journey, the entire spectrum of emotions from sorrow to passion to sheer joy make their mark through the smallest and largest of gestures, from an elaborate turn of a hand to full body turns at high speed with skirts circling furiously around like Catherine wheels. Every part of the body is strong, controlled yet yields itself to immense sensitivity. Baras dances like a supernatural being  - steps move effortlessly from a subtle rousing build up to a fast and furious staccato th...