Jump to content

All Activity

This stream auto-updates

  1. Past hour
  2. Really regret not going now - I deprived them of the opportunity to photograph me in my dazzling jeans and endlessly comfy jumper. Ah well. Maybe next year.
  3. Links, Tuesday 19 March, 2024 Review – Ballet Icons Gala, London Coliseum: Siobhan Murphy, The Stage Teresa Guerreiro, Culture Whisper Amanda Jennings, Bachtrack Charlotte Kasner, Seeing Dance Review – Paris Opera Ballet, La Fille Mal Gardee, Opera Garnier, Paris: John O’Dwyer, Seen and Heard International Review – La Scala Ballet, Le Corsaire, Hong Kong: Kevin Ng, Hong Kong Economic Journal Natasha Rogai, South China Morning Post Review – Norwegian Ballet, Vildanden (The Wild Duck), National Opera House, Oslo: Graham Watts: Gramilano Review – New York City Ballet, Quadruple Bill: Leigh Witchel, Dance Log NYC Review – Boston Ballet, The Winter Experience, Citizens’ Opera House, Boston: Nubya Filho, Her Campus Selorna A. Ackuayi, Harvard Crimson Review – Adelaide Festival: Maggie Tonkin, Dance Australia Restless Dance Theatre, Private View Streb Extreme Action, Time Machine Preview - Video: Trailer For NYC Ballet's 2024 Spring Performance THE FUTURE: Joshua Wright, Broadway World Preview - New Jersey Ballet to Celebrate 65th Anniversary Season with World Premiere of Lauren Lovette's "Jewel Box" at NJPAC: Staff, New Jersey Stage Preview - Ballet Theatre of Maryland Will Perform SLEEPING BEAUTY Next Month: Stephi Wild, Broadway World Preview – Ballet Austin Gets Macabre for Stephen Mills’ POE / A Tale of Madness Kyra Laubacher, Pointe Magazine And for the video trailer: TL Stanley, Ad Week Article - Q&A: Misty Copeland on Ushering in the Next Generation of BIPOC Ballerinas: Eva Crouse, Worth Magazine News - Misty Copeland to speak in upcoming McFadden Memorial Lecture: Chloe McGowan, Indianapolis Recorder Article - How Artists are Keeping Mountains of Dead Pointe Shoes Out of Landfills: Haley Hilton, Dance Magazine Article - Marcella Hymowitz And Dennis Basso On Style, Ballet And The YAGP Gala: Nadja Sajev, Forbes Article - Government to review Arts Council England to ensure "creative excellence": Georgia Luckhurst, The Stage
  4. Today
  5. @Amelia thank you for this hugely impressive performance. That double manège is very speedy and in awesome control. His double tours are impressive too. As is the final lift from a run! No holding an arabesque auto assist a careful supported plié to lift. yet it’s her alluring devotion and their connection that is the lasting impression.
  6. This is not the first time that a discussion about fouette has arisen on this forum. It has already been mentioned that the two legendary and most technically equipped ballerinas - Dudinskaya and Plisetskaya - proved that performing 32 fouettés isn't integral to dancing Odile. It was Natalia Dudinskaya, who danced on the Leningrad stage for 33 years and had the crowning role of Odile. (In 1930s, Vaganova in her production gave roles of Odette and Odile to different ballerinas.) During her lifetime, Dudinskaya was considered the ideal embodiment of St. Petersburg school but she never was doing 32 fouettés. The reason was the structure of her legs. With X-shaped legs, it is more difficult to rotate, since the axis of rotation is not straight enough, but Dudinskaya did other rotations perfectly and preferred piqué manège, which, by the way, is no less difficult to do. She had phenomenal coordination. Today, when it seemed that dance technique had advanced, ballerinas do not risk dancing at this tempo. Such speed was easy for Dudinskaya because she was short in stature. You can see her piqué manège here in 4 m 35 s: Her student Ulyana Lopatkina recalls: “She instilled in me and all her students with her faith that there are no insurmountable difficulties and that the difficulties themselves are nothing compared to creativity.”
  7. It's quite instructive to be in audiences and see the growing extent of phone-social media dependency. The warning given at Sadler's Wells is the best I have experienced, and still it doesn't matter to some. I sat in the stalls side seats last week and, in the corner of my eye, screens popped up regularly everywhere. It seems to be mostly a female problem, unless there is a football/cricket/rugby match on. And this is middle-aged mums. Goodness knows what the youngsters will be like when they start coming independently. Seems to me to be a manifestation of a great societal problem. I don't know why we aren't more shocked by growing dependency, and manipulation by US corporations. At least there are signs some schools are starting to take actions to protect children.
  8. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-13209177/Strictlys-Nadiya-Bychkova-showcases-endless-legs-dazzling-white-mini-cosies-star-boyfriend-Kai-Widdrington-star-studded-ballet-gala.html I feel for many of my temporary cohabitators in the stalls this was really what the night was about!
  9. Yesterday
  10. If anyone has a ticket no longer can be used for 28 Mar RB SL, grateful if you could let me know. Thanks!
  11. I meant to post this last week then forgot so before the thread vanishes off the first page I hope it's okay to do so now. My favourite curtain call photo of Alexander Campbell & Claire Calvert. I think this Prince Florimund might be leaving Aurora for the Lilac Fairy!
  12. nip into the shop on the way in, they sell programmes there - and have never minded when I've politely asked to glance at one (I *think* there may be a copy there for such purposes)
  13. Our annual Summer school takes place from August 5th - August 10th inclusive , at Carlton Academy Keighley . Culminating in a full performance in the theatre on the Saturday evening . It is a classical focus , with company members and vocational teachers offering ballet , repertoire, pas de deux and contemporary . Jazz is optional . 4 groups : A ) inter / advanced B ) grades 5/6 C) grades 2/3/4 D) grade 1 or below . We welcome vocational and non vocational students and the classes are not crowded . Please see previous testimonies from forum members ( from previous years) Further details : 07988 484347 ( N.B . Group C is already pretty full )
  14. The thing that worries me about these people is that this mindset is unlikely to stop with opera. When are we going to be told that the ballet companies need to drop all repertoire that involves tutus and turn into contemporary dance troupes or that Shakespeare plays must be reimagined to be set in present-day third-world countries or that Gilbert and Sullivan operas are banned in all forms because otherwise they aren't relevant? Apparently when the Greek government shut down the Greek National Orchestra for lack of funds (and presumably because orchestras aren't high on the priority list), the orchestra played Elgar's Nimrod as its last orchestral composition in its final concert before signing off with the Greek national anthem. When our government via the Arts Council decides to get rid of symphony orchestras in the UK because they aren't "relevant," we'd better hope that Elgar's music hasn't been banned as being elitist so that the last orchestra can at least play it on its way out.
  15. I must say, the sort of audience behaviour referred to here is certainly very reminiscent of what I remember from the balcony last time I attended one of these Icons galas.
  16. There were plenty of fouettés over the evening. - Fumi’s in Grand Pas Classique were ok, but not her usual proficiency and control - Skylar as Odile came out of hers into a few pique turns and a nice grand jete en tournant to end with a flourish - Margarita Fernandes (Esmeralda) were the best in terms of less travelling than others. She did start with a complicated sequence which turned into singles. - I don’t remember Evelina Godunova’s fouettés … I think they were simple but complete. Maybe someone else remembers? - Osipova’s in DQ were the ugliest things I’ve seen. She started to full off balance early on requiring a double plie (which doesn’t sound bad when you write it) and then decided to crash on through them in any old fashion. I admire her will power. It was a gymnastic act. No finesse, no ballet technique. in previous years there have been strong and memorable performances of fouettés from Nicolette Manni, Maia Makhateli, Iana Salenko., Marianela Nunez.
  17. I do sympathise about the programmes, JNC - I've been disappointed a few times when I've bought one X years after the first one and found that little has changed, although I do find that they usually change most of the photos. I bought a sleeping beauty programme in the second half of the run last year and found the photos had been changed to reflect the dancers cast. But the broader context reminds me of a conversation I had recently with another ROH regular who I suspect has been attending rather longer than I have, and probably booking better seats, and we both decided that we're starting to feel distinctly unwelcome there at times.
  18. I love bel canto and so it is wonderful to hear it was this tremendous work that got you into opera @Timmie! The scenery is more or less the same, and actually pushes the action towards the front of the stage (which improves the acoustic) so I wouldn’t fuss about where you sit/stand in terms of sight lines. Best to choose somewhere where the sound is great, in case the voices are on top form (so perhaps best to avoid under the balcony overhang, for example). The changes relate more to anti-operatic silliness, of which the most notorious example was a loud sound effect of water going into a bath during an entire aria. It will be me booing if they dare bring that back for this revival (it hasn’t been there for a while so I hope we’re safe). Just as with ballet, one can learn a lot from seeing different performers within a short period. So I would definitely go for a Redpath ticket (she comes recommended but I haven’t heard her). The book is not essential, and actually potentially confusing. But a good familiarity with the characters and the plot, as well as studying the music to the extent you are interested, will increase your enjoyment. And if you want a deep dive, there was a hilarious investigation on this very Forum some years ago about the history of women going mad while dressed in white, from which I learned a lot about performance traditions.
  19. It really wouldn't bother me if I never saw another fouetté. I don't count them and I prefer (if they are done) to see singles rather than doubles.
  20. I totally agree with your first sentence. A whole performance constitutes much more than simply performing the steps correctly. And everyone makes mistakes occasionally - part of a great dancer's judgment is knowing when to push and when it is necessary to adapt to mitigate a clearly visible mistake or fall. But ultimately ballet is a technical art and an ability to perform the steps as choreographed is the baseline of a principal dancer for me. So I can't go along with the theory that performing 32 fouettés isn't integral to dancing Odile, so that an interpretation which doesn't contain those steps is as valid as one which does. Of course, I'm talking about dancers who regularly substitute easier choreography in classics, not someone dealing with the odd 'bad day at the office'.
  21. Falke 8 invisible deluxe tights at John Lewis? Wolford nude 8 also John Lewis. Both expensive but very natural looking.
  22. I'm sorry but I think that is somewhat harsh. Anyone can have a bad day at the office. Fouettés do nothing for me during a full length performance and if a dancer substitutes a different step for whatever reason it absolutely doesn't bother me. As a Friend of various companies over the years I have seen dancers in class perform immaculate fouettés that subsequently they have struggled with during performance. I would rather a different step or a neat ending.
  23. So sorry @JNC People with something to hide tend to behave badly. There was a scandal with the ROH red programmes a few years ago. This (which I can’t say more about) involved various kinds of incompetence and stupidity, impacted internally on ROH staff/departments and involved at least one “reverse ferret” (as Fleet Street calls dramatic reversals of policy). I suspect that even if the particular members of front of house staff know exactly nothing about any of this, there may well still be something of a neurotic attitude clinging to the programmes as a result. The rude (and counterproductive) way you were dealt with certainly suggests you should send in a complaint. As always I recommend the main customer services email address to make sure this gets to those who manage front of house.
  24. Yes there are other important elements to the role - can you embody both Odette and Odile for a start - but it is so iconic, and in a proper performance where you've have been picked by your company and had proper preparation and coaching, then personally I'd say it does matter. If you can't do it, when the role demands it, then you are exposing a technical deficiency regardless of how good otherwise a dancer you are.
  1. Load more activity
×
×
  • Create New...