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In the Media

Rainbow Butterfly to take kids on National Children’s Week adventure

An interview with Rebecca Flanagan

The Eastern Reporter, October 2018

Musical story teller Rebecca Flanagan with her four-year-old daughter Millie, seen here at the Bayswater Library. Picture: David Baylis www.communitypix.com.au d487422

Read the story here: https://www.communitynews.com.au/eastern-reporter/news/bayswater-rainbow-butterfly-to-take-kids-on-national-childrens-week-adventure/

May 2016 ~ "The Post" Newspaper

Media coverage for Rebecca Flanagan's involvement in the exciting launch of the State Library of WA's new initiative - Sing With Me. "The Sing With Me program is wonderful because it is encouraging parents and caregivers to sing nursery rhymes and read stories with their toddlers and to also involve lots of movement and action which is so important for their whole body development".

Rebecca Flanagan on Ch 7's "Today Tonight"

Singing to little ones is so incredibly beneficial in so many ways. I was honoured to have been invited into the neonatal intensive care ward at King Edward Memorial Hospital to sing to the precious babies and their families at Christmas, 2015. Singing lullabies is a form of therapy for premature babies, and has been proven to help improve their breathing and heart rate. I am looking forward to assisting the hospital's research team in 2016 with the new Music Therapy Program.

On Monday 10th February 2014, "Queen of Common Sense" Maggie Dent and Rebecca Jane Flanagan of "Musical Experiences For Children", were interviewed on ABC 720 Radio ~ Afternoons with Gillian O ~ about the importance of music and movement, play and meaningful connections in the early years. Rebecca was one of the presenters at Maggie's "Belong, Be and Become" conference for early childhood educators, teachers and parents, in Perth, Western Australia on the 22nd February 2014.

Listen to the interview here!

https://soundcloud.com/bec-20122013/why-the-basics-matter-maggie

Read Rebecca's article in Issue 24 of Teachers Matter Magazine "Nurturing Imaginations - Storytelling with Little Ones".

Downloadable resource for all teachers and school support staff:

http://spectrumeducation.com/portal/component/page,shop.product_details/flypage,shop.flypage/product_id,494/category_id,43/manufacturer_id,0/option,com_virtuemart/Itemid,1/

Read Rebecca's article in Issue 23 of Teachers Matter Magazine "Happy Sticks - The Creative Arts in Nature".

Downloadable resource for all teachers and school support staff:

http://spectrumeducation.com/portal/component/page,shop.product_details/flypage,shop.flypage/product_id,492/category_id,41/manufacturer_id,0/option,com_virtuemart/Itemid,1/


**Rebecca has 5 articles published with Teacher's Matter Magazine**

Rebecca and Musical Experiences For Children were featured in both the Melville Times and the Cockburn Gazette in December 2013, promoting her Christmas Tree Fairy performances in the local area, and the special fund-raising event for the Keng Tung Orphanage in Burma. We raised $423 for the children through kind donations from the families who attended the festive show in the lovely Kadidjiny Park in Melville.

Would you like to donate to the orphanage too?

www.facebook.com/CrescentiaAnthonyTribute

WA BALLET'S "PETER PAN" REVIEW

by Rebecca Jane Flanagan

“So come with me, where dreams are born, and time is never planned. Just think of happy things, and your heart will fly on wings, forever.” ~ Peter Pan

The superbly talented cast of West Australian Ballet have been recently sprinkled with an extra large dose of fairy dust and transformed into the illustrious characters of young dreams and childhood memories. From the first breathtaking notes of the melodious score performed beautifully by the West Australian Philharmonic Orchestra, J.M Barrie’s masterpiece of literature and much loved children’s classic was magically brought to life in a truly spectacular ballet production.

Choreographed by the exceedingly creative Russell Kerr, “Peter Pan” is an absolute delight of whimsical dance, mesmerising set design, and a highly contagious sense of humour and fun. As usual, the West Australian Ballet has created a virtual feast for the eyes, ears and soul, fostering such a wonderfully accessible connection to the Arts for all to enjoy. His Majesty’ Theatre is the magnificent venue to house this very special experience, and this supremely impressive production is perfect for all ages, and a truly magical experience for those aged 3 to 103! With imaginations as bright as the sparkly, twinkling stars in the night sky, “Peter Pan” is a particularly lovely introduction to the art of ballet for young children.

As the boy who never wants to grow up, Andre Santos portrays the cheekiness and mischievous nature of Pan effortlessly, and with graceful leaps and lightness, he demonstrates his enormous skill as a dancer and an impressive childlike persona. Along for the adventure is Tinkerbell, played by Anna Ishii, whose nymph-like spark and energy is a captivating sight to behold, whilst her movements are so deft it seems as she is floating on air. The first act sees Pan and Tink slip through the bedroom window of the Darling family home, and following a delightful dance between Peter and his shadow, the audience is entranced as the youthful yet elegant Wendy, and sweetly endearing brothers Michael and John, fly into the waiting night sky, filled with exquisitely glittering star ballerinas.

Following a dreamlike scene where Peter, Tinkerbell and the children soar through the beautifully twinkling sky, a deft change of set design takes place and we are all dramatically transported to the special land from J.M Barrie’s imagination, the place where no one ever grows old….. magical Neverland. To the thrill of young and old, the Lost Boys take the stage amongst the whimsical trees of the enchanted forest, and bring J.M Barrie’s words to life through their charmingly heart -warming dance numbers. Highly entertaining performances by the comically villainous Pirates bring an immediate smile to the face (if not a riotous laugh that bubbles up from deep within!) Little girls and boys in every seat, already swept up in the mesmerising sets, performances and storyline, were decidedly spellbound by the appearance of swashbuckling Captain Hook, a greedily grinning interpretation with an evil gleam in his eye and a prowl that sent a little shiver across the theatre!

Graceful mermaids, proud Indian folk, a curiously amusing Never Bird, and of course the menacing crocodile loudly ticking every time he crept onto the stage, are just a handful of the enchanting elements that paint such a vibrant and dazzling picture of Barrie’s extraordinary tale of adventure and wonder. The second act is a stirring display of twists and turns, exciting sword fights and a dramatic storyline danced with extraordinary talent and agility by the cast of the West Australian Ballet. Numerous gasps of awe and delight could be heard throughout the performance as the lead and supporting characters communicated through dance and movement with such remarkable power and brilliant characterisation. Assisted by the rousing accompanying musical score, the audience is effortlessly transported to the land of make believe, evoking a childlike sense of joy and wonder that still resides in every adult, no matter what age..... and it just goes to prove - "Faith, trust and Pixie Dust" is all you need in life!

BRAVO! ★★★★★

PETER PAN BY THE WEST AUSTRALAN BALLET

WITH WEST AUSTRALIAN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

CREDITS:

Choreography: Russell Kerr

Staging Directors: Toby Behan and Craig Lord-Sole

Composer: Philip Norman

Set & Costumes: Kristian Fredrikson

Lighting: Jon Buswell

Conductor: Kenneth Young

I was thrilled to be invited to experience this luminously enchanting season of “Peter Pan” that excited audiences in November/December 2013. Thank you to the West Australian Ballet for providing me and my special guest with tickets for the opening night performance. There is an equally wonderful program of performances planned for 2014, including one of my all time favourites, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". A very special family outing, perfect for the littlies too! For more information or bookings, please go http://waballet.com.au/

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