England has been known for its elegance and upper class. Most of the people are snubs, well I think but they might have good reasons to feel like that, they´ve an excellent economy, one of the best in Europe, in fact their currency is stronger than the euro, that´s very important. Also, England has been the cradle of great musicians like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Sex pistols and THE CLASH, we are going to talk about this one buecause I really love them.
I know this group since I was a little girl, one of my uncles used to listen punk all the time so I grown listen to this kind of music. I remember that my favorite song was “Girl you really got me now” obviusly I didn´t understand anything but I enjoyed the music, I thought it was funny. As I grown my liking of music change, I had forgotten that I used to enjoy punk. One day I went to see a movie called “Billie Elliot”, suddenly, “London calling” began to sound it was amamzing, two things that I like are together, despite they are differente, Ballet and Punk. It´s unbelivable, these activities came from the same country and they are the opposite, it´s great to found variety in countries and I think that it´s a feature of cities. The cities are like theaters you always cas can change stage.
THE CLASH
The Clash were an English punk rock band, active from 1976 to 1986, and part of the original wave of UK punk rock in the late 1970s. Although a punk rock band, the band experimented with reggae, funk, rap, dub, and rockabilly in their music. The band’s music was often charged by a leftist political ideology.
The Clash were a major success in the UK from the release of their first album in 1977, and became popular in the U.S. in 1980. Their third album, the late 1979 release London Calling is an influential album in the history of rock music; it was released in the U.S. in January 1980, and a decade later Rolling Stone magazine declared it the best album of the 1980s. Rolling Stone also placed it at #8 on their list in 2003 of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
The Clash’s attitude and style, as much as their music, influenced many other bands from the 1980s. Epic Records A&R director dubbed them “The Only Band That Matters.” In 2003 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked The Clash #30 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
Like many early punk bands, The Clash protested against monarchy and aristocracy. However, unlike many early punk bands, The Clash rejected the overall sentiment of nihilism. Instead, they found solidarity with a number of contemporary liberation movements. Their politics were expressed explicitly in their lyrics, in early recordings such as “White Riot,” which encouraged disaffected white youths to become politically active like their black counterparts, “Career Opportunities,” which expressed discontent about the alienation of low-paid, production line style employment and the lack of alternatives, and “London’s Burning,” about political complacency.
In 1978 at a Rock Against Racism show organized by the Anti-Nazi League, Strummer wore a controversial t-shirt bearing the words “Brigate-Rosse” with the Red Army Faction (Baader-Meinhof) insignia in the middle. He later said in an interview that he wore the shirt not to support the left-wing terrorist factions in Germany and Italy, but to bring attention to their existence.
The group also supported other musicians’ charity concerts, most notably at the December 1979 Concerts for the People of Kampuchea, presented by Paul McCartney. The benefit album released from the concerts features one song by The Clash, “Armagideon Time.” The Clash offered some support to the Sandinista and other Marxist movements in Latin America (hence the title of their 1980 album, Sandinista!). They were also involved directly with the Anti-Nazi League and Rock Against Racism. By the time of the December 1979 album London Calling, the Clash were trying to maintain punk energy while developing musically. They were especially wary of their own emerging stardom: they always welcomed fans backstage after shows and showed open-mindedness, genuine interest and compassion in their relationships with them.
The title of London Calling evokes American radio newsman Edward R. Murrow’s catchphrase during World War II, and the title song announces that “…war is declared and battle come down…” It warns against expecting them to be saviours — “… now don’t look to us / Phoney Beatlemania has bitten the dust…” — draws a bleak picture of the times — “The ice age is coming, the sun’s zooming in / Engines stop running, the wheat is growing thin” — but calls on their listeners to come out of their drugged stupor and take up the fight without constantly looking to London, or to The Clash themselves, for cues — “Forget it, brother, we can go it alone… Quit holding out and draw another breath… I don’t want to shout / But while we were talking I saw you nodding out…” — finally asking, “After all this, won’t you give me a smile?”The Clash are generally credited with pioneering the advocacy of radical politics in punk rock, and were known as the “Thinking Man’s Yobs” by many simply for voicing a political slant other than anarchism. They were never driven entirely by money; even at their peak, tickets to shows and souvenirs were reasonably priced. The group insisted that CBS sell their double and triple album sets London Calling and Sandinista! for the price of a single album each (then £5), succeeding with the former and compromising with the latter by agreeing to sell it for £5.99 and forfeit all their royalties on its first 200,000 sales. These “VFM”
Discography
1. The Clash – (April 8, 1977)
2. Give ‘Em Enough Rope – (November 10, 1978)
3. London Calling – (December 14, 1979)
4. Sandinista! (3LP) – (December 12, 1980)
5. Combat Rock – (May 14, 1982)
6. Cut the Crap – (November 4, 1985)
The Royal Ballet
The Royal Ballet is based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. London, England, and is one of the leading ballet companies in the United Kingdom. It conducts regular international tours.
Under its original name, the Vic-Wells Ballet, it was founded by Dame Ninette de Valois in 1931 and performed at the Old Vic and Sadler’s Wells Theatres until 1946. By then it had been renamed The Sadler’s Wells Ballet and, at that time, de Valois was invited to bring the company to the ROH as the permanent ballet company of the newly-founded opera and ballet troupe under the direction of David Webster.
On November 20th 1946 The Sadler’s Wells Ballet reopened The Royal Opera House with a performance of The Sleeping Beauty.
By 1957 the company had been granted the title of “The Royal Ballet”.
In 1962 de Valois invited Rudolf Nureyev to join the company as a guest. He was to form the great partnership with Margot Fonteyn.
In 1963 Frederick Ashton became Artistic Director. Kenneth Macmillan unexpectedly replaced him in 1970. Norman Morrice became Director in 1977.
August 4th 1980 saw the premiere of Rhapsody. This was the last of Frederick Ashton’s big ballets. It was a masterly conclusion to 50 years of a long series of pure dance works.
In 1986 the Directorship passed to Anthony Dowell. In 2001 Ross Stretton was appointed Director. In 2002 Monica Mason became the seventh Artistic Director of The Royal Ballet.
Swan Lake has been in the Royal Ballet’s repertory since 1932. Act II alone was performed on 5th October 1932. Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin staged and starred in this first production.
The first full production was performed on the 20th November 1934. Markova was Odette/Odile and Robert Helpmann was Siegfried. In 1943 Leslie Hurry provided designs for a new production . These designs were revised for a production by Ninette de Valois in 1952. Beryl Grey and John Field led the first cast in this production. In December 1963 Margot Fonteyn led the cast in a new production which featured additional choreography by Frederick Ashton including the whole final act.
One firm favourite of the Royal ballet has been Coppelia. A version of it was first produced in 1933 by the Fledgling Vic Wells company. Ninette de Valois who had an acute sense of the value of tradition, employed Nicolai Sergueyev, the former regisseur of the Maryinsky , to reconstruct Acts I and II of Coppelia . The first night was 21st March 1933. The company first performed the full three act ballet in 1940. It was in this production that Robert Helpmann starred as Coppelius, “ a richly comic interpretation that, once seen, could never be forgotten .” In 1954 the company was provided with new scenery and costumes by Osbert Lancaster. In 2002 the 1954 Ninette de Valois production was restaged as part of 2001/2 season which was dedicated to Dame Ninette de Valois.
Its founder choreographer was Sir Frederick Ashton. Celebrated dancers of The Royal Ballet have included Dame Margot Fonteyn, Dame Ninette de Valois, Anthony Dowell, Rowena Jackson, Gillian Lynne, Irek Mukhamedov, Darcey Bussell, Michael Somes, Miyako Yoshida, Jose Manuel Carreño and Sylvie Guillem (guest principal). In 2002 former Royal Ballet dancer Monica Mason replaced Ross Stretton to become Director of the Company.
Its current Choreographer-in-Residence is Wayne McGregor.
Choreographers for the ballet company have included John Cranko, Sir Robert Helpmann, Sir Kenneth MacMillan and Lauren Stroud.
A very diverse company with dancers from all over the world, today the principal dancers include: Spanish Tamara Rojo, Japanese Miyako Yoshida (guest), Russian Viacheslav Samodurov, Italian Federico Bonelli , Cuban Carlos Acosta (guest), Australian Leanne Benjamin, French Zenaida Yanowsky, Romanian Alina Cojocaru, American Sarah Lamb, and Argentinian Marianela Nunez.
Unfortunatly, I couldn´t go to The clash concert by those years I hadn´t borned yet, what a shame!!! but I could see Carlos Acosta some years when he came to Mexico and he´s the DANCER, he´s amazing I almost cried when I saw him dance, I remember very well when he finished everybody were standing giving him a wonderful ovation and we couldn´t stop, we were so excited.
