DANCING BANGKOK'S BLUES AWAY

 Opera, ballet, Latin dance, classical and jazz concerts flow to Bangkok in the next couple of weeks as the 12th International Festival of Dance and Music rolls around.

 The multinational line-up of 22 shows promises an artistic and cultural respite for a capital city that's been racked by unhappy times in recent months as our dedicated organisers, led by JS Oberoi, the festival's chairman, continue their mission of bringing world-class performances to the attention of Thais and arts-and-culture lovers in general.

 This year's shows encompass just about every taste and genre: opera, ballet, dance, symphonic and jazz music.

 The festival opens with one of Russia's most famous operas, "Prince Igor", with its vivid characters and dramatic plot. "Prince Igor" will be performed by Novosibirsk Opera Theatre of Russia, a production nominated for four National Golden Mask Awards, including an award for the conductor Evgeny Volynsky who rarely performs outside Russia.

 One of the top three companies in Russia known for its classical stagings, the Novosibirsk Opera Theatre will also perform "La Boheme", a story of love between young seamstress Mimi and poet Rodolfo. The revolving stage will transport the audience in a flash through the streets and scenes of Paris of the past.

 Ballet fans are sure to be kept happy with up to five shows to be staged.

 The Novosibirsk Ballet Theatre will put on three shows: "La Bayadère", "Cinderella" and the one-act ballets "Serenade", "Whispers in the Dark" and "Who Cares?"

 Set in mystical royal India, "La Bayadère" relates the drama of a bayadère (temple dancer) named Nikiya and her love Solor, a noble warrior, and the intrigues of jealousy, eternal love and justice.

 Choreographed by George Balanchine, "Serenade" will be set Tchaikovsky's "Serenade for Strings in C", featuring "dancers simply moving to fine music". "Whispers in the Dark", a contemporary work evoking moving water, is choreographed by Edward Liang, the winner of the National Choreographic Competition in 2006. "Who Cares?", also by Balanchine, sets out to evoke a nightclub feel as the dancers step out to George Gershwin's lush music including "Somebody Loves Me" and "I Got Rhythm". These one-act ballets will be accompanied by orchestra.

 The last ballet in the festival by the Novosibirsk Ballet Theatre is "Cinderella", a contemporary interpretation by young choreographer Kirill Simonov of a young woman, with worthy attributes, yet neglected and exploited. This production won the National Theatre Golden Mask Award in 2007 for Best Ballet Production.

 Two more ballets "Swan Lake" and "A Christmas Carol" come from Switzerland and the United Kingdom respectively. It's good to note that the Zurich Ballet's production will be choreographed by one of the most internationally acclaimed choreographer and artistic director Heinz Spoerli while the performance by the UK's Northern Ballet Theatre is musical theatre and ballet rolled into one.

 In the dance section, the festival brings together Latin and contemporary dances. For the Latin dance, it's worth checking out three special shows: "Fiesta the Night Away" by Kings of Salsa, Cuba (choreographed by Roclan Gonzalez Chavez), "Fruit of the Earth" / "Flock" / "Cherche, Trouve, Perdu" / "Trama" by the Cisne Negro Dance Company, Brazil (choreographed by Itzik Galili and others) and "Tango Feeling" by the Estempas Portenas Dance Company, Argentina (choreographed by Carolina Soler).

 The King of Salsa will unleash the combination of street salsa, sexy Latin dance moves like mambo and rumba with Afro-Caribbean steps. The dancers of Cisne Negro Cia de Dança perform four one-act contemporary works that sees a crossover of dance and athletics.

 "Tango Feeling" will take the audience on a journey of pulsating sensuality - first to an atmospheric 1950s Buenos Aires milonga (or dance cafe), then to a modern setting for more daring contemporary choreography with breathtaking lifts, accompanied by Astor Piazzolla music.

 Contemporary and classical dance aficionados should not miss two performances: "Whereabouts Unknown" and "Bella Figura" by the Netherlands Dance Theatre, as well as a classic Indian dance entitled "Ritu Samhara" presented by the Indian Embassy. Accompanied by live vocals and music, Ritu Samhara (meaning "the different seasons") is a dance interpretation of the classic Sanskrit poem by Kalidasa, which describes the six seasons of summer, monsoon, autumn, early winter, late winter and spring.

 The music section features both classical and jazz concerts. Zubin Mehta returns to Bangkok once again to conduct the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in Igor Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" and Gustav Mahler's Symphony No 1.

 Teodor Currentzis will conduct the Novosibirsk Symphony Orchestra, Russia, in a concert that features Sergei Prokofiev's "Classical" Symphony No 1 and Beethoven's "Choral" Symphony No 9.

Jazz fans get their own Jazz Night with Sweden's Jazz Kings and Canada's Shuffle Demons.

 The Jazz Kings play 1920s and early 1930s Chicago-style jazz, with great clarity. Their repertoire includes tunes from Jelly Roll Morton, Clarence Williams, Fats Waller and Jimmy Noone. The Shuffle Demons perform an electrifying musical fusion of jazz and funk that draws on Sun Ra, Charles Mingus and Run DMC. The band is very interactive with audiences, promising a fun and highly entertaining experience for all.

Not to be missed is the choral concert "Carmina Burana", by South Korea's Daejeon Philharmonic Choir conducted by Winfried Toll. A scenic catata, "Carmina Burana" is based on mediaeval poems covering topics such as the pleasures and perils in life with their overtones of joy, sadness, lust and humour.

  TICKETS, PLEASE

n Bangkok's 12th International Festival of Dance and Music runs from September 11 to October 24 at Thailand Cultural Centre.

n All shows start at 7.30 unless otherwise noted.

n Get your tickets from www.ThaiTicketMajor.com. Call (02) 262 3191.

n For programme details, see www.BangkokFestivals.com.

 SEE THE SHOWS

n September 11 - "Prince Igor (opera)

n September 12 - Symphony Concert conducted by Theodor Currentzis

n September 13 - "La Boheme" (opera)

n September 15 - "La Bayadere" (ballet)

n September 16 "Serenade", "Whispers in the Dark", "Who Cares?" (ballets)

n September 17 "Cinderella" (ballet, 2.30 matinee on September 18).

n September 19 - Sangre Flamenco (dance)

n September 22-23 - "Swan Lake", Zurich Ballet

n September 25 - "A Christmas Carol, Northern Ballet Theatre (2.30 matinee on September 26)

n September 28-29 "Feista the Night Away" (salsa and Latin dances)

n October 9 - Cisne Negro Dance Company (contemporary dance)

n October 12 - Tango Feeling

n October 15 - Shuffle Demons and Swedish Jazz Kings (jazz)

n October 17 - Ritu Samhara (Indian dance)

n October 20 - "Carmina Burana" (choral concert)

n October 22 Netherlands Dance Theatre (2.30 matinee on October 23)

n October 24 - Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra