Christmas at The Brighton Dome

A starving giant and the ghost of Christmas past, present and future to axe-flinging lumberjacks, Brighton Dome pieces host to the very best in family-friendly entertainment this cheerful season.

Plus they already began the festivities with their Christmas Open Day and some cracking photos to boot. Even started decorating, from The Hanover Christmas Tree Company, set up in their Café-bar.

Following their widely known performance of The Nutcracker last December, Ballet Theatre UK

returns to Brighton for a reciting of Dickens’ classic novel A Christmas Carol (27 - 28 Dec). Bringing a procession of colourful characters brightly to life and into the Christmas spirit! Along the way there will be joy, laughter and slight heartbreak in this enchanting mixture of traditional ballet and captivating theatre, performed to a magnificent classical score.

Inspired by exploits of the first North-American lumberjacks, loggers and farmers, Timber! (2 - 4 Jan) is a festive, log-balancing, wood-chucking, axe-juggling spectacular from a family of circus-performers. Combination circus with theatre, dance, live traditional music and the folklore of their native Quebec, Cirque Alfonse take the audience on a wild ride of gravity-defying acrobatics and exciting tricks with metal saws, axes and logs all taken from the family farm - you can almost smell the fresh-cut pine. It truly is a family affair, as everyone from 66-year-old granddad Alain to two-year-old grandson Arthur take to the stage alongside three talented and versatile musicians.

Described by The Times as a 'uniquely flavoursome show', the production brags former performers from the world's most renowned companies including Cirque du Soleil, Cirkus Cirkor and Les 7 Doigts de la Main. Don’t miss this amazing live show packed with phenomenal feats of agility and strength - a truly exclusive way to celebrate the New Year at Brighton Dome.

Brighton Festival Chorus, Brighton Festival Youth Choir and London Gala Orchestra (14 Dec) will be joined by mezzo-soprano Juliette Pochin for their annual concert that celebrates of the very best in Christmas and festive music.

Huge shoes, showers of gold and a big, leafy explosion will abound as Lyngo Theatre bring their trademark blend of fun storytelling and magical imagery to the stage with Jack and the Beanstalk (18 - 21 Dec). When Jack sells his cow for five magic beans, the last place he expects to end up is in a land above the clouds courtesy of an almighty beanstalk. To make matters poorer, he has a very hungry giant on his tail! Expect gasps of delight and laughter as the award-winning company present a one man show - starring CBeebies very own Patrick Lynch - that brings his classic and gripping fairytale to life in a wholly unique way.

http://brightondome.org/event/4016/christmas_open_day/
http://brightondome.org/
http://findusfirst.media/the-brighton-dome/

Dancing Makes You Smarter? Put It To The Test

For centuries, dance guides and other writings have praised the health benefits of dancing, usually as physical exercise. More recently we've seen research on further health benefits of dancing, such as stress reduction and increased serotonin level, with its sense of well-being.

Most recently we've heard of another benefit: Recurrent dancing seemingly makes us smarter.

A major study added to the growing evidence that stimulating one's mind by dancing can ward off Alzheimer's disease and other dementia, much as physical exercise can keep the body fit. Dancing also increases cognitive acuity at all ages, when you perform at the Dome Theatre Brighton.

What exactly do they mean by "smarter"?

As neuroscience educator Robert Sylwester records,”mobility is central to everything that is cognitive, whether it is physical motion or the mental movement of information. Plants have to stand whatever comes along, including predators eating them. Animals, on the other hand, can travel to seek food, shelter, mates, and to move away from unfavourable conditions. Since we can move, we need a cognitive system that can comprehend sensory input and intelligently make choices.”

Semantics will vary for each of us, but according to many, if the stimulus-response relationship of a situation is involuntary, we don't think of the response as needing our intelligence. But when the brain assesses several viable responses and chooses one, the cognitive process is considered to be intelligent.

As Jean Piaget put it, intellect is what we use when we don't already know what to do.

Why dancing At The Dome Theatre Brighton?

We immediately ask two questions:




· Why is dancing better than other activities for improving mental capabilities?




· Does this mean all kinds of dancing, or is one kind of dancing better than another?



It doesn't answer these questions as a stand-alone study. Fortunately, it isn't a stand-alone study. It's

one of many studies, over decades, which have shown that we upsurge our mental capacity by exercising our cognitive processes. Intelligence: Use it or lose it. And it's the other studies which fill in the gaps in this one. Looking at all of these studies together lets us understand the bigger picture.

The heart of intelligence is making decisions. The best advice, when it comes to improving your mental insight, is to involve yourself in activities which require split-second rapid-fire decision making, as different to rote memory or just working on your physical style.

One way to do that is to learn something new. Not just dancing, but anything new. Don't worry about the probability that you'll never use it in the future. Take a class to challenge your mind. It will stimulate the connectivity of your brain by generating the need for new pathways. Difficult classes are better for you, as they will create a greater need for new neural pathways.

Then take a dance class, which can be even more effective. Dancing integrates several brain functions at once; kinesthetic, rational, musical, and emotional and further increasing your neural connectivity.

http://socialdance.stanford.edu/syllabi/smarter.htm
http://findusfirst.media/the-brighton-dome/

Do You Consider Yourself a Stand-Up Comedian? The Brighton Dome’s Your Place to Go

 Stand-up comedy is a comic style in which a comedian performs in front of a live audience. The performer is commonly known as a comic, stand-up comic, stand-up comedian, or simply a stand-up. In stand-up comedy, the comedian usually recites a grouping of humorous stories, jokes and one-liners classically called a monologue, routine, or act. Some stand-up comedians use props, music, or magic tricks to enhance their acts. Stand-up comedy is often performed in comedy clubs, bars, nightclubs and theatres like The Brighton Dome. Outside of live performance, stand-up is often distributed commercially via television, DVD, and the internet.

History of Stand Up Comedy

The history of stand-up comedy in some form can be drawn back as far as the 1800s, stand-up as it’s known today didn't come into its own until the 1970s. Over the next four decades, stand-up blasted, then nearly disappeared from the cultural landscape only to bounce back stronger than ever. Read all about the highs and lows of stand-up comedy over the last 40 years.

Advice to Getting onto the Brighton Dome

Starting out in stand-up comedy can be overwhelming and a little scary. Before you freak out, check out this helpful list of tips on improving your act and getting over failure for new and struggling stand-up comedians.

Here are some pointers to getting started –

In stand-up comedy, the feedback of the audience is prompt and crucial for the comedian's act. Audiences expect a stand-up comic to provide a steady stream of laughs, and a performer is always under pressure to deliver. Comedic actor Will Ferrell has called stand-up comedy "hard, lonely, and vicious".

Stand-up comedy can be performed in many places. Such as festivals, the festival format has proven quite successful at attracting attention to the art of stand-up, and is often used as a scouting and

proving ground by industry professionals seeking new comedy talent e.g. Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Edinburgh, Scotland. Also, performing in theatres is the most popular, The Hammersmith Apollo, the o2 and the Brighton Dome in which allows up and coming or already established comedians to perform.

However, most modern stand-up comedians use television or motion pictures to reach a level of success. Also recognition, in which is unattainable in the comedy-club circuit alone.

Since the mid-2000s, online video-sharing sites such as YouTube have also provided a venue for stand-up comedians, and many comedians' performances can be viewed online.

http://brightondome.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stand-up_comedy
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/comedy/11143358/Learn-how-to-be-a-stand-up-comedian-Youre-having-a-laugh....html

The Brighton Dome is Royal History

The Brighton Dome is the south coast's leading multi-arts venue at the cultural heart of England's ‘city on the edge’. Brighton Dome plays host to an collection of event and conference spaces within its Grade I and II listed historic building, the former Royal Riding House of Prince Regent in 1805.

This marvellous venue is over 200 years old, which in fact started as The Prince Regents stables and riding house. This venue offers a huge space which is  perfect to highlight the arts.

A Bit Of History of The Brighton Dome

The stables were converted to a concert hall around 1860. Queen Victoria, the Prince’s niece, took a dislike to Brighton and the Royal Pavilion Estate. Instead, the town purchased the stable building in 1850 and it was used as a cavalry barracks from 1856 to 1864. Its interior was modernised by architect Philip Lockwood at a cost of £10,000 before reopening on 24 June 1867 as a concert and assembly hall, fit to hold 2,500 people. A 16-foot diameter gas powered chandelier was tailored as the grand centrepiece. Since that time, the Corn Exchange and Concert Hall have gone through many changed guises with the latest renovation of the Concert Hall taking place in 2001–02 and costing £22 million. This rebirth was assisted in with the help of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Courtney Pine, Nigel Kennedy and Fatboy Slim.

Every year, they present and produce over 600 events spanning music, theatre, dance, comedy, literature, spoken word, visual arts, film, digital and more. In addition to the year-round programme, each May they produce England's leading and most-progressive mixed-arts celebration, the internationally-acclaimed Brighton Festival. Artists have varied on the stage, such as; David Bowie, Katy Perry, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix and Michael Bublé etc.

A centre for artists across the region, Brighton Dome hosts and supports both developing and established artists and companies, enabling them to develop, take risks and deliver work of the highest quality.

Brighton Dome is faithful to the idea of bringing all sorts of art to all sorts of people. By offering imaginative new ways to discover and participate - from Saturday morning singing to theatrical make-up workshops - they aim to inspire creativity in people of all ages with experiences to remember.

The Dome Online

Online stats and facts….

·        Brighton Dome has an average of 4.1 stars from Google reviews.

And here are a few reviews from people on their Facebook page…..

·        “Amazing venue. It's like you are having a gig in your front room. So cosy. The atmosphere during gigs is always amazing and the sound is great.” – Dominika Hicks from Bexhill, East Sussex

·        “A nice central location for a conference with hotels and bars nearby.” – Steve O’Neil from Brighton, East Sussex

·        “Great venue to see live bands.... small enough to get close to the stage if you like, but plenty of room to sit or stand further back if that's what you prefer.” – Annie-Marie Coles from Patridge Green, West Sussex

So if you feel like taking some precious time out of your day to visit an extraordinary then The Brighton Dome is the perfect place to visit.

Visit their website www.brightondome.org and book a visit now

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brighton_Dome 
https://www.facebook.com/brightondome 
http://www.visitbrighton.com/things-to-do/brighton-dome-p354991 
http://www.theatresonline.com/theatres/brighton-theatres/brighton-dome/