serenade

Also went fine for me, I was in the queue for a bit less than 10 mins and once I was in it was fine 🙂 1 each of the Ashton triples, 1 Winter's Tale, 2 x Sarasota....can't wait!

Thanks to the forum for highlighting this series was on! I am now on episode 3 and really loving it, Margot has such a nice presenting style. Love all the info and clips. Personal highlights so far are the appearances by Fred Astaire and Sammy Davis Jnr, wow! and visit to Tchaikovsky's house.

I saw the matinee today- overall I enjoyed it but it was a bit of a mixed bag for me. The things I really enjoyed about it was of course Alina and Johan. I was not following Royal Ballet at the time they were dancing so I never got to see them dance together live though love the Giselle DVD. I've seen Alina a few times with ENB a while back and always really enjoyed her performances so today was no different. Alina danced beautifully. I really enjoyed Johan- as Fiona said in an earlier post I wasn't expecting so much dancing and he's most certainly still got it, everything he danced was a real highlight. Loved all the tricks- I was a bit worried about him on that unicycle but he pulled it off 😄. I think narratively it was good in the first act but I do really love the film so I'm sure that helped. I liked all the music they used. So then unfortunately in the second act I got a bit lost....I could no longer connect to the story anymore and there (seemed to me) to be endless sequences of the circus dancers dancing but I wasn't sure what the purpose of that was (narratively I mean). It would have been fine but I wasn't a fan of the choreography (for the circus dancers) so then it really started to drag which is a shame as I really wanted to love it. Although the second act didn't do it for me, Alina is such a wonderful actress that I was always engaged in the show when she was on stage. Overall definitely worthwhile seeing and I'm glad I went. Probably I would enjoy it more on second viewing.

My thoughts exactly 😀 Actually I already decided to make do with just seeing the cinema RB broadcast because of the price increases for SL being too much for me to stomach in my favourite area of seating …so now I’m pleased I can see an alternative version at a (presumably) more reasonable price. Also looking forward to seeing the company who I’ve never seen before.

I was at this afternoon's performance too, really enjoyed it. Natalia is still my favourite Kitri....loved her performance today. I didn't realise it was Reece's debut performance in the role until I read it here, he was really good. I loved Calvin Richardson as Gamache...it's actually one of my least favourite bits of the ballet and usually I don't find it funny but he unexpectedly really made me laugh. Loved Lukas BB and Annette Buvoli as Espada/Mercedes- they were both really charismatic and I thought they did a fun, glam take on the roles. Ashley Dean was lovely as Amour. Gary Avis was funny as Lorenzo I really didn't recognise it was him for ages even though I was in the stalls. And I really liked Thomas Whitehead's Don Q. I'm now a bit sad I only booked for one performance plus I went to the cinema relay. I didn't really enjoy Don Q in the last run so I decided to save my money for other ballets but I loved both this performance and the cinema so much I'm now kicking myself 😂

Everyone got distracted trying to take pics of Charles and Camilla? 😂

I agree with the speed, as soon as she started I thought this is verrry fast. Was so relieved when it looked like she was going to finish them but then the fall happened....very sad for her. I saw this at the cinema and I usually have the problem other people are describing with the dim lighting but it was actually well lit tonight. I absolutely loved everything about this performance. I love Don Q but the last couple of times I've seen it (not this current run, this is my first time of this run) I felt like it didn't have that spark and was a little flat but not tonight. I thought Mayara and Matthew were brilliant in this, had so much fun energy and bravura I really loved both of their performances. They were technically amazing but also very just a really nice, warm, cheeky performance which I thought was perfect. Gary Avis was so wonderful as Don Q....I have to admit I don't tend to care too much about the Don Q character so it's a testament to his acting skills that I was very invested in the character 😂 I thought Calvin Richardson did such a brilliant job as Espada, I loved his performance. Leticia Dias was a very cool and sultry Mercedes. Loved Annette Buvoli as queen of the Dryads, a very soulful solo. Isabella Gasparini really shone with Amour, she really radiates joy it's infectious. Mica Bradbury in the fandango section was also great. But I loved everyone really. The only thing I still hate is all the shouting on stage, it still doesn't work for me and I think it's a bit jarring. Really looking forward to seeing it again on Saturday with Natalia.

Mine isn’t packed but more than usual! Usually there’s me and about 10 other people max but today about 20. First act was amazing! Feels like everyone is on fire tonight so sorry you are missing it @Fontythis has happened to me before, these things seem quite temperamental 😞

Thanks 😊 This looks great I will definitely go. La Strada is my fave Fellini and from the trailer Alina has got the essence of the character just right. Will be so great to see Alina again also.

I went last night to see this programme. I saw Anemoi on the online thing during Covid. I feel the same about it as I did then which was it's a nice piece that doesn't really do anything for me, just an ok from me. I agree with previous comments re another work should have been on considering the length of this or it should have been cheaper (although I guess it was for some people 😄). I didn't feel like it was strong enough to be the only thing on with The Cellist but obviously just my opinion, they obviously have a lot of faith in the piece. The standout for me was the male dancer with the slightly more featured solo role. It might have been Liam Boswell but I'm not great at identifying from a distance. Onto the Cellist which I haven't seen before. I didn't have very high expectations I'd enjoy it as I haven't really enjoyed the other Cathy Marston pieces I've seen but I really loved it. I thought it was really beautiful piece, creative and moving. I loved the way it portrayed the feeling of music in her body- I can't remember anything capturing this feeling so well. Especially when she is first playing the cello as a little girl they did such a good job of it. But so many moments I really loved....I'm not really a ballet crier but this one really got to me and I was sobbing (silently 😄) by the end. I didn't know anything about Jacqueline Du Pre going in except for the info on the brief synopsis but I will have to listen to her playing. I thought Lauren was amazing and gave such a special performance, I can't say enough nice things about her. Marcelino was absolutely brilliant as the cello, as was Matthew Ball as the conductor. Of course the whole cast was great especially Young Jacqueline and Jacqueline's parents. My only slight criticism is the amount of lifts- for the most part I thought it worked great as there was a clear narrative point to them.... but sometimes it could get a little much I should add they were executed brilliantly, I just thought it was a shame some of the emotions she was feeling couldn't have been portrayed through ballet steps or just in a different way. But that's the only negative thing I have to say.

Worth a try! It actually really annoys me that I don’t ever get any offers…just makes no sense that you wouldn’t send the offers to everyone on your mailing list if the goal is to actually sell the most tickets (and I can’t think what other goal they would have in this scenario).

No you’re not the only one! Though she is actually one of my favourites. I am disappointed I can’t see her in Don Q as j would have absolutely booked but I don’t think I can make the dates work. ever since I saw in Les Patineurs a few years ago I thought she was brilliant in it and she became a favourite. I think she’ll be a great Kitri

The rustling drives me nuts, the last few times at ROH the person is sitting perfectly content next to me...the lights go down and then suddenly they urgently need something out of their bag. As soon as the bag unzips I almost feel like saying oh what is it? What do you need? 😂

I saw the matinee and really enjoyed all 3 pieces. I was most looking forward to Themes and Variation- I thought Sangeun Lee and Gareth Haw made a lovely lead couple, I can just imagine them in Swan Lake together. I thought it was a little bit of a nervous start but it got going. I've never seen it live before and the only versions I've seen before are the Baryshnikov and Gelsey Kirkland ABT version on youtube which I've watched many times so that obviously sets the bar ridiculously high 😂 plus the NYCB one they put out during covid. I thought overall it was great and the company looked in great form. I am really looking forward to seeing Giselle in Jan. Then onto Les Noces. I thought this was great as I am a big fan of the Pina Bausch version of Rite of Spring and like the dark themes etc. I really liked the choreography, some of it was a bit wild I enjoyed it and also some moves were quite unique (to my eyes) in a good way. My problem with it has mostly been said before- firstly I loved the music but as everyone has already said it was very jarring to hear the English words being sung over sections which had nothing to do with the action. I think if I'd been at all familiar with the original Les Noces I'd have been more irritated by the music than I actually was, for me it was more of an issue near the end where I could clearly hear them singing about weddings and I thought what on earth is going on (hadn't read this thread beforehand!) I also thought the intensity built for a tad too long a bit like when a fight scene goes on a bit too long in a film and your mind starts wandering. My biggest issue which stopped me loving it was just not knowing what was going on for quite a bit of the time. I bought the programme but neglected to read the synopsis on the cast sheet that was in the foyer which I only noticed in the second interval unfortunately so completely missed the priest wanting to keep the chosen one alive etc. Some people like to just watch ballet without knowing much about it beforehand but it spoils it for me personally if I'm trying to figure out what's going on as I can't get immersed. It's different if it's an abstract piece obviously or something extremely open to interpretation where I'm happy to just go with it but this was all story so it would have been good to have more info. Overall though I did enjoy it and I haven't even talked about the performances which I thought were really excellent and committed. Even though I wasn't always following the story perfectly I did get the grief, sadness, anger fear etc loud and clear I thought it was acted really well. Lastly my favourite of the night (to my surprise!) Four Last Songs. I generally hate it when I feel like there are too many lifts as I get frustrated at the woman not being able to just have her feet on the ground and actually dance without the contrast interruption of getting lifted over and over again. So I should have hated this! but I thought it was just sublime. I thought it was a bit hypnotic actually everyone did an amazing job. I loved the music and the opera singer had a beautiful voice. I even liked the nude style costumes they really worked for the piece. The closest I can place just the feeling of it, even though it doesn't have much in common is Balanchine's Serenade- think maybe that feeling of other worldliness in an abstract piece. Anyway... three ticks from me and thank you Aaron Watkin and dancers!

I think it's definitely a valid question as of course it's an issue...so some of my thoughts/ramblings are; if the audience is part of a solution, and that solution would be to stop supporting ballet, then what makes ballet so special? Surely then you'd have to move on to not consuming any piece of art where either the performers were potentially being mistreated/bullied/abused...or the creator of the art was known to have abused someone else. As either way, by consuming it you would be supporting lives being damaged. Then how could you stop at art and media as you'd really have to apply the same logic to everything you consume as if you are consuming it you are indirectly supporting it. Once you've finished cleansing your life of anything linked to the abuse of people you then might have to move onto anything linked to the abuse of the environment and that would be a full time job in itself. I feel like you could drive yourself crazy with this logic but I have known people do this and cut out anything they deem to be problematic, it's a personal decision afterall. Just as an anecdote, during the height of the #metoo movement many of my friends stopped watching (and still don't watch) anything linked with Weinstein, anything linked with any of the actors accused and any old/classic films made by or starring anyone with a past history of perpetrating abuse (known or alleged). They then moved onto books etc. I continued watching what interested me...I took quite a bit of heat for it at the time as their argument was the same as this- if I was still watching films made by these people then I was supporting the people in question so their logical solution is to stop watching it and that would be the moral thing to do. Therefore in their eyes I was in the wrong...I don't know if they were right or wrong about that but either way I continued watching/reading what I wanted as art keeps me sane and I feel like life is just too short, I'm not prepared to conduct mini audits on everything and decide if it's something I should or shouldn't consume. I understand their POV but it's just more complicated than that (for me) as unfortunately life is messy and full of abusers and bullies in every facet of life. What has happened at the ballet schools is really terrible but in no way surprising. I'm surprised anyone is surprised to be honest as any field where places are scarce and it's something in the arts or creative has an extremely long history of bad practices. All I can say is I really hope things change. I'm truly sorry and sad for anyone treated like this but withdrawing support for the artform seems a tragedy in itself.