Constella Connecting Stars Christmas Gala

Constella Connecting Stars Christmas Gala is available to watch on Constella's website

The Covid pandemic has had a devastating impact on care homes up and down the country, with the double whammy of greater vulnerability to the disease in their elderly residents, and the increased, often unbearable loneliness that resulted from the lockdowns.

Loneliness is particularly biting at Christmas, and this is where Constella's Connecting Stars Christmas Gala comes in.

Constella bills itself as the world's only dedicated ballet-opera company. Founded just shy of 10 years ago, it performs in theatres and at site-specific locations and has also been exploring all the possibilities of virtual performance. Earlier this Covid-blighted year Constella launched Connecting Stars to provide free one-to-one virtual performances for care-home residents.

Constella's Connecting Stars Christmas Gala takes that concept a little further: while it will be streamed free of charge to care homes this Christmastime, viewers outside will also have access through payment of a small fee (£7 for the ticket or £12 if you want to add a donation).

Funds raised will go towards continuing and enlarging Constella's work, taking its reach beyond the 50 care homes and about 2,000 residents it's already performed for this year.

So, what of the show itself? Filmed at the purpose-built Studio Wayne McGregor, it'll consist of two Acts. A Ringmaster will introduce the various numbers, some culled from Constella's award-winning Sideshows, such as an opera-ballet performance of The Bearded Lady. There will be a solo accordion performance of Adios Nonino, a composition bearing the signature of one of the highest exponents of Argentine tango, Astor Piazzola; music from West Side Story and the much-loved Habanera from the opera Carmen.

Act II takes place in a Christmas wonderland, where we'll be graced with the world premiere of a new work choreographed by Jaered Glavin in opera-ballet style to an extract from Handel's Messiah. As it's Christmas The Nutcracker will put in an appearance, among a host of other surprises.

In short, Constella's Connecting Stars Christmas Gala is a treat for all the family, with the added feel-good factor that every ticket purchased will go towards making life more enjoyable for residents of care homes.