User:Mthatfalvi

Mary Hatfalvi

Overview

The paragraph should give a three to five sentence abstract about your entire London HUA experience including 1) a summary of the aims of your project, 2) your prior experience with humanities and arts courses and disciplines, and 3) your major takeaways from the experience.

Milestone 1

How Shakespeare through the Centuries Still Lives On
Objective: To find the similarities and differences between the performance, dramatic elements and style of two interpretations of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet performed in London at two different time periods. One play performed in 2016 at the Garrick Theatre, and another performed in 1867 at the Covent Gardens. In conclusion, to find that the original message of Shakespeare's play still lives on through the century.

Through the research I found that the original message of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet was the message of passionate love, war and conflict. This theme comes from the inspiration of the story. In the time period Shakespeare was alive, religious persecution was a big issue. Families were torn apart, people were unjustly killed and life was scary for people in hiding wondering if they were next to be jailed & persecuted. Shakespeare always had a purpose to writing his plays and this conflict could have moved him so. He was also a romantic and loved poetry. Throughout the story, Shakespeare shows the tragedy of conflict, death and loss of love. This message was true not only in the original script but in the interpretations that were found. In both interpretations, the same mood is found: passion in love, conflict and death. Despite one interpretation is a 1867 opera and another interpretation is a 2016 modern twist, both adaptations give the same original message that Shakespeare wanted to portray.
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Milestone 2

Storytelling through Ballet and the Woman Behind It
Objective: A research report on the recorded first ballet in London, Pygmalion which opened in 1734 at the Covent Gardens, and the famous dancer & choreographer Marie Salle. How this ballet choreographed by Marie Salle started a new approach of ballet style and performance in London that is used today. In conclusion, telling the story of 'Little Marie' through ballet and specific places throughout London.

Below the objective statement, Insert a one or two paragraph summary of your findings from having reached this milestone. Edit the link below to link to your milestone page.
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Milestone 3

Perspectives on "Twelfth Night"
Objective: A study into current and past performances of Twelfth Night resulting in a personal interpretation of the play. Explaining the reasons & concepts behind the use of specific dramatic elements, mood and style that would be used for an approach to a successful interpretation.

This project found different dramatic elements and performance aspects that based on current and previous performances of 'Twelfth Night' that would result to a successful interpretation.The story of 'Twelfth Night' is a romantic comedy that makes fun of the gender roles and humanity as a whole. Shakespeare when writing this play wanted to make people laugh and to also teach people about how important it is to treat others with respect and with dignity. A performance used to gain information was performed this year at the Shakespeare Globe in London. Another current performance took place at the National Theater in London. These performances were found to have a different style and twist. We additionally looked at these performance's reviews to find if the performances were well received or poorly received by audiences. These findings helped us as we developed our own interpretation of the show.

In our research we found that audiences liked this play much more when it was done in a more realistic tone. Making the tone of the story more of a spoof takes away some of the beauty of the story and humanity lessons that are within it. Another aspect to the play that Shakespeare and modern adaptations have done is the gender switching of the supporting characters.'Twelfth Night' is a brilliant Shakespeare play that can be interpreted in many different ways. This milestone is meant to fulfill my humanities and arts capstone.
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Activity Journal

The activity journal represents an ongoing log of reflections gained through each and every project activity on the calendar.

Activity #1 Westminster Abbey & The Tower of London

Westminster Abbey was an amazing place to visit. I learned so much about the British royalty and tradition. Some of the things I saw was the throne in which all royalty in England has been crowned in since King Edward I. Many famous people and royalty including Mary Queen of Scots, King Henry the V, Edward the Confessor, Queen Elizabeth I, Issac Newton and the unknown solder are buried and honored in Westminster Abby. You can read more in my article. Something ironic I would say is that Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Mary I are both buried together even though they were at odds to say the least during their lifetime. Both Mary I and Elizabeth I are mentioned in my milestone 1 on Romeo and Juliet for influencing the time period when the play was written. The Abby was built in 960 A.D as a small Benedictine monastery. It was then later added on and built to be a church for royal coronations and burials by Edward the Confessor. The first monarch to be coordinated at the Abby was William the Conquer and all of the monarchs have been crowned there ever since. Something I found while exploring the Abby was a door that is closed off and there is a sign on it labeled the oldest door in England dated 1050. No one should leave London without seeing this church. Even though this site was not really relevant to my milestones, it is the most spectacular thing I have ever seen.

The Tower of London was a place I could get lost and spend all day in. There is so much history in the tower and the area you would not be at a lost for things to do. Many sad things happened in the tower for instance Edward V and his brother Richard were sent to the Bloody tower by their uncle who become Richard III. They were never seen or heard from again and the bodies of two young boys were found in front of the white tower. They are said today to be the two princes. Another man who was held at the tower and later beheaded was Thomas More. He was a friend to King Henry VIII and did not agree with his rule of being the new head of the church. He was taken to the Bell Tower as a prisoner and later beheaded. Besides executions, the tower did house things like royal coin minting, royal observatory and the crown jewels. This place was another non relating milestone cite. Mentioned in my milestone 1, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth through their influence on the time period might have inspired the play Romeo and Juliet. The Tower of London was another amazing place to see and I would go there again when I visit London in the future.

Activity #2 St. Paul's Cathedral

St. Paul's Cathedral is a place where history, religion and modern culture combine. What I found really cool was all the statues and plaques that commemorate the soldiers, generals and warriors of Britain. St.Paul's Cathedral is a place where the non royal heroes of England are honored and remembered. The art in the cathedral goes from mosaics on the arches of the dome to TV screen art using slow motion and effects. One piece that I was inspired to write an article on was The Martyrs in St. Paul's Cathedral by Bill Viola. For one of my milestones I want to do an interpretation of Twelfth Night. The Martyrs is an interpretation of the biblical theme hope and death on earth. This style of interpretation is something I would like to recreate in my project. The crypt under the church held tombs of warriors including Lord Nelson and Arthur Wellesley the Duke of Wellington. Even though this site was not greatly related to my milestones it was a good place to see.

Activity #3 British Museum

The British Museum was a very cool place to visit. There was a lot to see and it took me an hour an a half to see just one floor for Egyptian history. There was so much history in the museum from ancient Egypt, to Africa, to Roman times to modern America. The most interesting exhibit to me was the mummies from ancient Egypt. The museum had mummies from Egyptian kings to unknown men & women. I started and contributed to an article on this exhibit and you can read more here.
This museum did not have much anything to do with my milestones. Though it did have an exhibit in the Greek artifacts on Music and Dance. Theater was a form of entertainment in ancient Greece. They even had an ancient theatre in Epidaurus which was designed for large seating and sound amplification. Modern outdoor amphitheaters work and are design like this one. This museum was a fun and interesting experience. It is a great place to learn about the origins of all of the different cultures from around the world.

Activity #4 Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum was a huge museum about all of the natural history of the world. There were exhibits on mineral rocks, space, natural disasters such as earthquakes & volcanic eruptions and of course fossils of animals. One exhibit that I thought was interesting was about the Natural Disasters of Earth. The museum had a remake of the affect and feeling of a 1995 earthquake in china. I contributed to the Natural History Museum with an article on the Human Evolution exhibit since I found it also interesting.This museum was not directly related to any of my milestones. However, there was a minerals exhibit on diamonds & special rocks in jewelry I found that could have been used in costume jewelry for the plays and performances my milestones are about. The museum is definitely worth seeing if you are researching about natural history.

Activity #5 National Gallery

The National Gallery was a beautiful place to step back in time and find yourself in the lives of the work of art. I loved the original paintings by Leonardo da Vinci especially the on called The Virgin of the Rocks. Sadly I could not get to see Michelangelo but I got to see so many other artists including Claude who I wrote a contributing article on in The National Gallery. All of his paintings in the gallery are on landscapes. This museum was not a direct relation to my milestones. I though was inspired by a painting by Jean-Antoine Watteau called Perfect Harmony which counter-relates to my milestone 1 on Romeo & Juliet in a way that their lives were not perfect harmony. Other paintings I saw were about lovers and Romeo & Juliet were lovers. Overall the Gallery was a beautiful place to visit.

Activity #6 National Theater's Adaptation of Twelfth Night

Going to see National Theater’s Twelfth Night was an amazing experience. The performance was done beautifully. The style of the play was a mix of Shakespearean period and modern 21st century. One scene had a 1950's vehicle when another scene had costumes from Shakespearean time period. The main theme that I got from this interpretation of Twelfth Night was that Shakespeare is timeless. The characters mostly spoke in Shakespearean language with humorous twists to some of the words.

The set design was spectacular. I absolutely loved the concept and outcome of the set. It was a triangle staircase with rooms inside that created many scenes. The set could be a garden, a living room, a street alley, a club, and a church. The opportunities were endless. I loved the acting in this interpretation also. The characters made you feel like you were back in time despite the modern twist. An interesting decision that the creators did in this play was to switch some of the character’s genders. For example, the Clown and Monsieur Malvolio were women. This gives the impression that sexual orientation equality was also a theme for this interpretation since Malvolio is supposed to have a affection towards Olivia. Music throughout the play was mainly jazz with clarinets & saxophones but there was also some modern club music for the party/club scene. Going to see this play was part of my requirement for my milestone 3 since it is about doing my own interpretation of Twelfth Night. The whole play was done excellently and I would highly recommend going to see it.

Activity #7 Tate Britain

Tate Britain was an interesting museum. I usually do not appreciate modern art but this museum made British modern art genuinely interesting. One modern British artist that I wrote about in Tate Britain was named Joseph Turner. He is apparently known as the father of modern art. His pieces of art were very interesting to me. Other art pieces I found interesting were Derek Jarman's Blue which he made while he was losing his eyesight from a terminal illness, and a art film called together. Blue was inspiring in the sense of making something extravagant from a single element. Visiting this museum was not related to any of my milestones other than the acting styles in the film art that can used towards my milestone 3 film. Overall this museum was an interesting place to visit.

Activity #8 Victoria and Albert Museum

The Victoria and Albert Museum had a lot of amazing collections and I need to go back there again to revisit some of the exhibits. I admired the fashion through the Victorian age till the modern time in the fashion exhibit. There was a lot of Religious Renaissance art there that was also very beautiful. What was interesting was that they had a complete exhibits on materials used for art and building. There was a glass, jewelry, portrait paintings and Theater & Performance exhibits.
The Theater and Performance Exhibit was directly related to all of my milestones. This exhibit was where I spent most of my time. There was advertisements, pictures, costumes and set design miniatures all around this exhibit. I liked the costumes that was brought in from Wicked (the wicked witch costume) and The Lion King. On display was miniatures of the layout of some of the greatest theaters from around England. This exhibit is something I need to visit this museum again. I did contribute an article on the Theater and Performance Exhibit on the Victoria and Albert Museum page.

Activity #9 Backstage Tour of Royal Opera House

The backstage tour was incredible! I got to see so many things that went on behind the scenes of one the oldest theater houses. On display was the miniature set designs for past performances that were used for visual representation and to perfect the overall performance design. Our guide told us that they can spend 8000 pounds on just the miniature set! This is because that they do not want to get things wrong for the real set and mistakes can be made on the miniature. Another interesting fact about this Opera house that I didn't know was that it has survived 2 fires. For my milestone 2, I am looking at the first ballet that was performed at the Theater House (what it was called before the second fire) in 1734.
We got to see the props area and learned where the word props comes from. Back before the Royal Opera House was built for the third time in 1858, Rich nobles would sit on the actual stage with the performers instead of in audience boxes that are still around at the Royal Opera House. They would take the props from the stage after the performances. The stage workers then started to stamp the props "theater property" to stop the people from stealing them each night. That is where we got the word props.
We got to see backstage where they use a neat way of moving sets by lowering the floors and moving the whole floor. We also go to see one of the many ballet studios for practice and rehearsal. There we also learned that the Royal Opera House has 3 costume studios. Overall the tour was a really educational experience and I learned so much about the Opera House.

Activity #10 Tate Modern

Tate Modern was interesting. I really didn't get most of the art but I can get the meaning behind some of the art. For example, there is a flag that was made with the blood, soil and fabric from the drug wars in mexico. I got the message of the sad events that the artist is trying to show however I am not at all comfortable with using human blood and battle soil for art. Makes me cringe. Maybe that is the idea though who knows. A video on how not to be seen was very funny. I could not take it seriously but it was informative. One piece of art that I wrote about in the Tate Modern article was called Babel. It was a tower that was supposed to represent the tower of Babylon and the outcome of many different languages people speak now. The tower was made from radios and throughout the tower the radios were broadcasting things. I could not make out anything they were saying. It was really interesting. Nothing from this museum related to my milestones at all really. The acting in the videos maybe. Overall, the museum had its good parts and its bad parts.

Activity #11 Backstage Tour of National Theater

Doing the backstage tour of the National Theater was a great experience. I got to see both the Olivier and Lyttelton Theatre. I got to learn that this theater was built to showcase & persevere classic plays and also take them into the future. The Olivier theater has a grand drum floor that is used to bring sets or scenic props up and down the stage. It is the only one in the world that is this extravagant and functionally used, The Olivier theater was built inspired by the Greek style stage of Delphi. This is for the audience to like they can see everything and for the actors to be able to see all of the audience.
The workshop used to make all of there sets was huge. They make most of there stage sets for every show but sadly have to take them apart and recycle them after the show is over. There costumes department is stored in a warehouse and anyone who pays can use costumes from that warehouse. Why even Warner Brothers used costumes from the National Theatre warehouse for Harry Potter. Visiting this theater was related to my milestones to research and see all of the aspects and work that goes into putting on a show.

Activity #12 Museum of London

The Museum of London takes you back in time to before London was London and then gives the history of how London came to be London. I found this museum very interesting. Moreover I found a model of the Rose Theatre which was a theater similar to The Globe Theater at the time of Shakespeare. Shakespeare works were also performed there as well. Sadly it was left deserted in 1605. This was good to learn about since two of my milestones are about Shakespeare performances. I greatly admired the London before London and medieval London exhibits. It was very interesting to see all of the different artifacts that were discovered including the Roman wall that is partially preserved on the museum site today. Overall the museum was a great learning experience and it made me appreciate London more.

Activity #13 Twelfth Night at the Globe

The Globe Theater's interpretation of Twelfth Night was not what I was expecting. It was more of a Robin Hood Men in Tights style and humor that was used. Obviously the original Shakespearean wording was kept but it was modernized. For example, Sebastian and Viola were white naval officers. The clown/narrator was a drag queen. What was interesting was the big age differences. Olivia, Sir Toby, Sir Andrew and Duke Orsino all looked to be over 30. When Maria, Sebastian and Viola were all young actors. The Malvolio character was played by a short girl dressed as a man.
One interesting thing about the set was some of the hidden messages. The four life saver rings each had a word that together made the message 'In Love We Trust'. Compared with the other interpretation at the National Theater, this felt more modernized. I was surprised. Especially since this play was at The Globe Theater I thought it would be more Shakespearean time period. Going to this performance was needed for my research on milestone 3. Overall though it was a good show.

Activity #14 BMW London Symphony Orchestra Open Air Classics Concert

The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) preformed live at Trafalgar Square. The crowds were large because this free concert is only done once a year. It was impossible to get into the seating area so I was inside the area but had to see the concert on the big screen. I heard about the LSO from the movies like Star Wars I watch. It was an amazing experience to see them live and for real. The three pieces that they preformed were written by a Russian composer Rachmaninov. Behzod Abduraimov who was the visiting star piano player was amazing. He played his parts like it was second nature to him. I was so impressed especially since he didn't even have music.
One of my favorite parts of the concert was for the second movement they invited the LSO On Track Young Musicians and students from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama to play with the LSO. They played so well and the young kids looked like they were living the dream. Which is understandable, who wouldn't want to play with the LSO. The second piece sounded like a ballet piece that could be useful for my 2nd Milestone. The LSO played beautifully and I loved being there.

Activity #15 Imperial War Museum of London

The Imperial War Museum was pretty cool. There were exhibits of war and struggle form World War I to current conflicts going on in Britain right now. The Secret War exhibit was really interesting since it showed MI6 and the SAS (Special Air Services). Within the Secret War exhibit was the story about the attack on the Iraq Embassy. How the SAS saved the day was amazing. Another thing I saw was a piece of the twin towers that were destroyed in 9/11. It is great to see all of the american things and people honored at this museum. I can tell that American's are an important ally for Britain. Overall, even though this museum had nothing that was really related to my milestones at all, except for war entertainment, I found the museum a great eye opener to all of the terrors and struggles from war. But also how necessary it is to stop evil like the Holocaust.

Activity #16 Museum of London Docklands

The Museum of London Docklands was a small museum with a lot of interesting history. There was things on the first docks and the supplies they used in London. One thing I found interesting was the whaling parts in the museum. I started and article about it here. The London port was the leading dealer for whaling. Another interesting thing I found was the African Prince exhibit about the Royal African named Sessarakoo. He went to London to be educated but was tricked into being sold for slavery. He was eventually freed 4 years later and started to circle around in London society. Even though this was not directly related to my milestone, the goods that were brought on the Docks could have been needed for use in theatrical performances. This museum was good to visit.

Activity #17 Horniman Museum and Gardens

The Horniman Museum was a beautiful place to go see. Other than seeing some musical instruments used in theater, going to this museum was not need for my milestone research. I loved seeing all of the different animals on display in the gallery. Within this gallery was a huge clock on The Balcony that the four o'clock would move to twelve apostles within. It was very grand and beautiful. They had a huge walrus which is the museum's 'mascot' if you want to call it that. Another interesting exhibit they had was on musical instruments. They had church organs, to trombones, to 17th century pianos on display. Throughout this exhibit were different non musical but cultural things like wedding dress used in African weddings. This was to show what purpose music has in different places around the world.
The gardens were beautiful. They had many different and unique sundials. Exotic plants such as Japanese Bamboo were featured in these gardens. I also found sheep being kept at one place in the garden. Overall, the garden & the museum were a nice place to visit and enjoy the beautiful sunny day we had today in London.

Activity #18 Hampton Court Palace

Visiting Hampton Court Palace was spectacular. I was in love with the style and architecture in the palace. So many historical events happened there. Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and William & Mary were some of the English monarchs who have lived there. I liked seeing William III's apartment. The apartment looked like the rooms you see in the movies about these historical people. The art there and around the palace was also very beautiful. In King Henry VII's Kitchen was someone actually cooking a roast in the stove on a pit.
The Gardens were so big and beautiful. I loved the rose garden. The privy garden I learned was where Charles I ran to try to escape his house arrest. He was recaptured though and eventually beheaded. The Great Vine which is the largest vine in the world was housed in the old greenhouse in the gardens. The maze which was in the wilderness garden was also pretty fun to go in an get lost. The palace did not have much related to my milestones except for that Shakespeare did perform at the palace with his company for James I. Also Elizabeth I, who was influential in the time period of the plays I am researching about, lived in this place.

Activity #19 The Wallace Collection

The Wallace Collection was housed in the beautiful Herlford House located on Manchester square. The collection was originally a private collection owned by the , Marquesses of Hertford. The collection of paintings were very beautiful. The mini portraits of Napoleon I and his empress Joséphine were very interesting to see. They had numerous mini portraits of them in different years of their lives.Another cool exhibit that I enjoyed was the Gilded Bronze collection. The art on the candlesticks and side table were very detailed and beautiful. The collection of armory was also amazing to see. There were three galleries just dedicated to the European and Oriental Armor. On display were two full size dressed manikin horses with armor on. Intricately decorated swords were numerously present in this collection. Overall, the museum was an amazing experience. The museum though didn't have much at all towards any of my milestone research.

Activity #20 The Science Museum of London

The London Science Museum was spectacular. The amount of science and history that is in this museum is almost too much to see in one day. No really I went to this museum twice and I still haven't been able to see everything. The space exhibit really sparked my attention. There was a full size replica of the Apollo 11 lunar ship that landed on the moon. The space exhibit also had a real moon rock. Another interesting thing they had was the oldest surviving steam engine locomotive Puffing Bully. Another cool artifact the museum had was a cut out part from one of the biggest passenger airplanes ever built, Boeing 747. The Airbus A380 900 is now the largest passenger airplane today and can seat 900! The museum did not have much towards my milestones but the museum was a great learning experience.

Activity #21 Evensong at Westminster Abbey

Evensong is a prayer done at 5 at Westminster Abbey. The prayers were sung by the Lay Vicars of Westminster Abbey. Six prayers were sung in total. most of then were older hymns written in the 1500s or from the bible. It was a beautiful service. The choir sounded beautiful. No music was played except for the organ at some parts. When the choir would sing they would sing acapella. My favorite song they sang was 'The Magnificat'. It is the prayer that Mary says when she is visiting her cousin Elizabeth's house. The prayer is so beautiful. The choir sang most of the songs in Latin. Latin is the original language of prayer in the catholic church. Overall, the choir was magnificent and I would highly recommend hearing evensong from them if you have not.

Activity #22 Stratford-upon-Avon

The trip to Shakespeare's birthplace and home was great! I enjoyed seeing the place where Shakespeare lived. I visited his family home where he was born & grew up, New Place which is where he lived with his family, and Hall's Croft the home of Shakespeare's son-in-law Dr John Hall & Susanna Hall, Shakespeare's oldest daughter. The places were great to see since these were the places where history was made. Shakespeare's family home was a historical site where the rooms were decorated to how it would have looked like when Shakespeare was born and during his life. The original window that is believed to be the one in the room Shakespeare was born in. People who would come visit this place would sign their name on the window. Many people have done it.
Another place I saw was New Place where Shakespeare lived with his wife Anne Hathaway. Sadly though, the house was destroyed by a man named Reverend Francis Gastrell. He got frustrated with people wanting to visit his house New Place so he destroyed it. He became so disliked for this that he was run out of town. The gardens with statues that are now on the site signify Shakespeare's life and his works. I liked the statues that represented a play Shakespeare wrote with a quote from the script. The exhibition which is housed in the building next to New Place has some artifacts from the excavation of the site.
The last place visited was Hall's Croft. This place was set up the way Dr Hall would have had it when he lived their with his wife. There were interesting displays about medicine in the time of Shakespeare's life. The house was beautiful. Besides going to these three places I also visited the Royal Shakespeare Company. On display at their theater were pictures and costumes from past Shakespeare performances. Visiting Stratford-upon-Avon was relevant to two of my milestones since they are about Shakespeare. I learned more about his plays and the time period he was living in. I learned as well the things that could have inspired his writing in the place where he grew up & lived. Overall, it was a great experience to visit a place where history was made.

Activity #23 Romeo & Juliet at The Globe

This performance of Romeo & Juliet really surprised me to say the least. For a setting such as the Globe one would think that the performance could give more in the traditional side. But no it was a scary dark clown interpretation. No kidding. The "Prince" was a scary deep voice in the background and through the sound system. He also said the Prologue. The costumes were mostly black and Elizabethan time looking for the most part with popping costumes once and a while such as Pluto from Disney. Romeo's character and actor I liked the best. He was expressive and passionate. Juliet was alright however, she lack the feeling like she was a young girl in love. I cannot get over the fact it was so dark with grave digging and dead bodies lying on hospital rolling beds. The mood was definitely dark & Mel Brooks humor. I believe the writers wanted to give the tragedy a twist from the usual mood of passionate love, pain & conflict to tragic, humor, love conflict & pain. The lack of passion though made me cringe. Compared to the other performances I studied I was so disappointed. The opportunity to make this so memorable and heart aching was lost. There wasn't even a use of the balcony for the balcony scene. Overall my personal review of this is that if you want a spoof off the original story go see this. I you want to not be frightened and disappointed for lack of Shakespeare classic, don't see it.

Activity #24 The Dream / Symphonic Variations / Marguerite and Armand | performed at the Royal Opera House

The performance was shown on a big screen in Trafalgar park. It was a combination of three one act ballets all choreographed by Frederick Ashton. This was the closing performance for the 70th season of the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden.
The Dream is a ballet based on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. The plot is about the King of the Fairies Oberon who fights with his Queen Titania about their son. Oberon then orders Puck to sprinkle her eyes with a flower's potion to make her fall in love with the first thing she sees. Titania then falls for Bottom who is turned into a donkey. While this is happening, two pairs of lovers enter the story and Puck decides to mess with them. This creates havoc and finally he & Oberon make everything right with everyone. Oberon makes peace with Titania and everyone goes back to the way they were supposed to be. I loved Oberon's performance. His moves and style made the character. I loved the scenery that looked like an enchanted forest. Overall, this act was a beautiful masterpeice.
Symphonic Variations was one of the first works done by the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House in 1946. It is considered as one of Ashton's finest works. The act only had six dancers, 3 male and 3 female. All were dressed in white with a yellow backdrop stage. The dance according to the ballet performers was really difficult to learn. It was quick and slow and the positions used were hard and required great talent. I did like this piece but the act had no story to it so I did not get it.
The most emotional and beautiful performance of the night was the final act where the Prima dancer Zenaida Yanowsky was performing her last prima dance before retiring. She was so beautiful and emotional. I loved watching her. She was the story of Marguerite and Armand, two lovers who are destined to never be together. Marguerite is a Parisian courtesan who has a passionate love affair with Armand. What I liked about the performance was the change of scenery within the one act. The scene and mood would change as quickly as Marguerite's costumes. It was cool to see. Going to this event helps me with milestone 2 research on ballet today. The performance showed me today's ballet poses and costumes. The event was an amazing experience and I would do it again if I was back in London.

Activity #25 Stonehenge, Bath and Lancock Village

Stonehenge was an amazing place to see. To hear it is about 5100 years old is amazing. The great significance of the structure is the achievement of the people at the time to build the structure without wheels or pulleys. We take these things for granted today but the people who moved the huge boulders for the structure didn't have all of that. I am amazed and in awe of the great history that surrounds the site. The place is told by archaeologists that Stonehenge was used as a place for burial's, celebration, and healing. Visiting this site did not have much to do with my milestones, but this historic site has been around before, during and after the time periods of my milestone research.
Bath was a city where the Romans made a baths out of the hot springs founded on the site. The water from underground is 50 Celsius. The King's bath, as the site is now called, is the the place where the Romans made their roman bath. You can see the water comes out of the ground bubbling and steaming. The Abbey in Bath right next to the Roman Bath's is the site where the first King of England, Edgar was crowned. The church seen today was build by Bishop John with the help of King William Rufus. Although when King Henry VIII declared his Dissolution of the Monasteries the Abbey was destroyed but was then restored. Bath overall, was such a beautiful place to visit. It is so different in style and architecture compared with London overall. The place was around during the times or my milestone research but the site has not great importance to my milestones.
The last place to visit on this tour was a place called Lancock Village. It is a 16th century village with an abbey that was after the dissolution by King Henry VIII, the Abbey and the estate, including the village were sold to William Sharington. The Talbot family later then owned the place until it was given to the National Trust. The village and Abbey have been the setting for some major films including 1995 Pride and Prejudice, Harry Potter and other great films. The village was a great place to see even though there is not relation to my milestones.

Activity #26 Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle was a spectacular place to visit. The palace was beautiful. The state apartments within the castle held a huge collection of art and expensive pieces belonging to the royal family. The Waterloo Chamber housed portraits of not just some royalty but military and nobility heroes from battles & conflicts. There was a big grand portrait of the Duke of Wellington painted before the battle of Waterloo. One portrait that caught my eye was of Pope Pius VII's portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence. I really liked it. St George's Hall and the Grand Reception Room were a site to see. They were beautiful. St George's Hall and the Grand Reception Room were some of the state apartments damaged in the 1992 fire that Windsor Castle suffered from. Fortunately, it was restored with other damaged parts with the help of the current Duke of Edinburgh. I l loved the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. She looked so beautiful.
St. Georges Chapel within Windsor castle is one of the oldest churches in England being built in the 11th century by King Edward III. The tombs of King Henry VIII with his third wife Jane Seymour are located in the choir area. A little chapel was newly put in for Queen Elizabeth II's father George VI and mother Queen Elizabeth final resting place. Her sister, Princess Margaret, is also given a place for her ashes there. What I loved from the church was King Edward III's sword that was shown. I looked taller than me. Visiting this place was not need for any milestone research. The monarchs from the time period I am researching though would have resided in Windsor Castle at some point though.