Oxford News
Ballet boys are on stage at the Apollo Theatre in Oxford
“You’re a sissy” was a regular cry at boys’ schools if anyone mentioned dancing – rugby, football, cricket and athletics were seen as more masculine activities there.
But the three above proved that you could still be a boy and excel at dancing on stage.
James Prior, Edmund Wood and Thomas Kennedy played the parts of pages in a production of Swan Lake by the London Festival Ballet at the Apollo Theatre (now the New) in Oxford in April 1988.
James, 10, of Webbs Way, and Edmund, eight, of Cherry Close, both in Kidlington, were pupils at the Paulson School of Dance in the village.
Thomas, 12, of Heyford Road, Kirtlington, was a pupil at Marlborough School, Woodstock, and had been recommended to dance instructor Hettie Paulson for the role.
As their appearance on stage approached, Mrs Paulson, who had been teaching dance at Kidlington Baptist Church for 28 years, told the Oxford Mail: “They have the usual butterflies, but they are looking forward very much to performing.
“It is a marvellous opportunity for them and encourages them to do even better in their dance training.”
The boys were due to take part in all performances during the week-long show. Their picture appeared in the Mail under the headline, ‘Paging the beautiful movers’.
James and Edmund had appeared with the London Festival Ballet once before and according to Mrs Paulson, were thinking of becoming professional dancers.
She said: “Boys can be beautiful dancers, but they have to take a lot of ribbing from their friends and not many youngsters take it up.”
UNESCO first adopted March 21 as World Poetry Day during its 30th General Conference in Paris, with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard.
The heritage organisation said: “World Poetry Day is the occasion to honour poets, revive oral traditions of poetry recitals, promote the reading, writing and teaching of poetry, foster the convergence between poetry and other arts such as theatre, dance, music and painting, and raise the visibility of poetry in the media.”
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This time on Looking Back, we’ve found a selection of fantastic poetry celebrations in Oxfordshire from the year 2014, now 12 years ago.
Language lovers converged for the day of celebration on bookshops, schools, at recitals and conferences.
Take a look back through this Oxford Mail archive gallery to find pictures from a decade ago of World Poetry Day celebrations in Oxfordshire.
We’ve made a gallery of pictures showing all the Oxfordshire spots which have been used for TV and film sets over the years.
Some of the biggest productions filmed here in Oxfordshire include Spectre in the James Bond franchise, which transformed Blenheim Palace in Woodstock into the Palazzo Cardenza in Rome.
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Many period dramas were also created in the county, like the BBC adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall, which was partly filmed at Chastleton House in the Cotswolds.
Cotswolds villages have been repeatedly transformed and used as filming locations for their historical appeal, like the villages of Brill, Broadwell and Castle Combe.
Find all the pictures in this archive gallery of historic Oxfordshire filming locations here.
Three Year 10 pupils from Aureus School in Didcot travelled to London for the Royal Navy International Women’s Day event, held on HMS President during Careers Week and designed to showcase opportunities within the Royal Navy and beyond.
Students Antonia Pop, Ellie Swan and Tilly Mulvey are all taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme.
Ellie Swan said: “It was fantastic to see the possible career paths within the Navy.”
Rob Hayden, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award manager at Aureus School, accompanied the students to the event.
He said: “During the day, students had talks from individuals within the Navy and from guest speakers, including Hannah Botterman, who last year won both the Rugby World Cup and the Six Nations with England.”
He said: “Students also had the chance to network with the speakers and other attendees.
“The event showed the students a wide range of inspirational females within the Navy and other careers.”
Aureus School, part of the GLF Schools multi-academy trust, says its vision is focused on ‘cultivating ambition’ and ‘high standards for all’.
Headteacher Kirsty Rogers says the Didcot-based co-educational comprehensive has undergone a ‘transformative journey’, creating a community where students feel a strong sense of belonging. She emphasises inclusivity, high expectations, and a broad curriculum that encourages ambition, resilience and respect, supported by dedicated staff and diverse extra-curricular opportunities.
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