Sim

Yes, they do try to get the four cygnets at pretty much the same height.

Marcelino Sambe is not long legged and he is playing the prince. Joon-Hyuk Jun, playing Benno, is tall and long legged. Ditto Teo Dubreuil.

I never sit near enough to them to hear them....but if I did, I wouldn't want to hear them anymore than I would want to hear an audience member!

And her Manon was sensational. I loved her interpretation, and her understanding of, and technical ability in, the MacMillan repertoire alone elevates her. She's not a classical dancer in the same vein as Nunez, Kaneko and Naghdi...but then Ed Watson wasn't a classical dancer either and had a wonderful career as a Principal.

Gosh Rob doesn't waste any time!! 😂

Exactly. Art of any form is subjective; there is no right or wrong.

With my moderator's hat on, I would like to emphasise (as I have many, many times over the years) that this is not a fan site, and that all comments and criticism are welcome (as long as they don't breach AUP). I disagree that 'most comments on this site are written with superlatives.' Some are, some aren't. One just has to read this Swan Lake thread to see many comments that are not exactly positive. I think we should also remember that not everyone who posts on this site has English as a first language, and sometimes they might use English words in such a way that native speakers would not. Please cut them some slack. There are many people on the site who have been watching ballet/dance avidly for many decades, and have a profound understanding and admiration for the art form. They may not be academics or directly involved in ballet, but they often outclass the professional writers and others with their insights. I would also add that the voices of the 'fanboys/girls, relatives and newbies' are just as welcome and as important as everyone else's.

I was thinking during yesterday’s matinee that I am sure the girls’ arms used to point towards the lake as Siegfried wakes up, but they don’t seem to now. Maybe I am mistaken because I think that is what should happen so might have simply imagined it! 🤔

Thanks for your wonderful review, Sabine. 🙂

I think in this version that he states his love for her, but doesn't make the vow, and she thinks that's enough. He then betrays her by swearing eternal love to Odile. This is intentional; none of the Siegfrieds in this version swear eternal love to Odette in Act 2. To me this makes sense; Odette has just told him that when someone comes and swears eternal love for her, she will be a swan no more and the spell will be broken. So if Siegfried swears this in Act 2, wouldn't that automatically break the spell?

I would love to hear some thoughts about Sarah and Reece’s performance last night please…and Teo Dubreuil’s debut as Benno. Thanks!

@Buru surely if Siegfried swears eternal love in Act 2 that would already break VR’s spell and that would be the end of the ballet!

I am so glad it that effect on you too!

Very sad. She was only 63 and died from cancer. I feel for Hans Rausing. This is the second time he has lost a young wife. RIP.

Everything is “reimagined” these days! 😫😂

I hope it helped! It sure worked for me, Wednesday and today!

Yes. Naughty Peregrine was there in all his glory last time BRB brought Fille down. After the performance I was walking past the stage door and there he was, with his trainer, just about to be loaded onto the horse truck. I stopped to stroke him (the pony, not the trainer!) and I asked if he enjoyed doing the shows. The trainer replied that he absolutely loves it, and loves all the attention. I do hope he is still with us (the pony....and the trainer!).

I'm seeing Nadine Sierra on April 30th. Have never heard her sing so am looking forward to it!

Everyone I spoke to was, but of course that was just those I spoke to; it doesn't mean everybody, so... to each their own!

And so….about last night. This hardened old balletomane, who has been watching Swan Lake for many more decades than I care to remember, was turned to mush by the glorious performance of Yasmine Naghdi as the swan. The beauty, the technical perfection, the intensity and intelligence of her interpretation meant that I was moved like almost never before. A couple of the regulars told me in the interval that they had never been so moved in the Act 2 pdd, and I felt the same way. This is because Yasmine took us all on a journey in those few minutes. I could understand the clarity of her mime, her story, her emotions. No words needed here; her eyes, her luscious arms, every startled movement of her head…they took us from her initial fright and distrust on the journey to love and faith in her prince. Nothing was rushed, and it gave us time to absorb the story. It made her grief in Act 4 so much more poignant: her initial gut feeling was to escape, but the gentle and patient efforts by Matthew Ball’s Siegfried paid off, and she melted into his arms, maybe against her better judgment, but here was a possible way out of her awful situation. And then came Odile. A minxy seductress, having loads of fun playing with this poor sap of a prince. Her collusion with Von Rothbart was great to watch; so much communication just using her eyes, a slight nod of the head to show that she has understood what she needs to do. A sexy smile, a batting of her eyes, a bit of teasing, and Siegfried was doomed. A rock solid balance (had Matthew not taken her down she could have stayed there and had a drink until she was good and ready to continue), and then a fabulous set of fouettes, en place and whipped out without even breaking into a sweat, dazzled Siegfried (and the audience) into final submission. I had the feeling that this Odile was holding her laughter, then when the deception was revealed let it all out; there was no doubting her glee at her wicked achievement. Act 4 was beautiful. Not only was the forgiveness pdd deeply felt by Odette and Siegfried, but again it was so clear what was going on in her heart and head. Her grief and devastation at the deception brought a lump to my throat. Her initial reluctance to allow Siegfried back in, again her conversion from mistrusting him to accepting his apology and letting him back into her heart was, well, heartbreaking. When she ran towards the rock I felt like shouting ‘noooo, don’t do it!’, but that was as much because I didn’t want to stop seeing her dance as it was for her character’s sacrifice. A simply glorious performance that I can’t really describe. This is the best I can do. I really enjoyed Matthew Ball’s dancing, but found him a bit more understated than usual last night. Their partnership is so solid, and they understand each other so well, that risks can be and were taken (e.g. the falling backwards in both of the pdd were very deep and made someone in front of me inhale deeply). He made it very clear to us in his emotional solo between Acts 1 and 2 that the world was weighing heavily on his shoulders and that he didn’t want the responsibilities being imposed upon him. There was some sloppiness from the supporting cast and I am sure this will be ironed out by the cinema broadcast. But the night belonged to Yasmine Naghdi, and she deserved her standing ovation. What she doesn’t deserve is to have been overlooked yet again by the NDAs. But who cares? It is we, the audience, for whom these wonderful artists dance, and if we love and appreciate them, that is what matters. In the case of Miss Naghdi, I do, and so do many others. I can only hope that she felt that love and appreciation last night. After a performance like that, it is the least she deserved. Brava Yasmine!

Yes.

Yes, but she is way too good to be a little secret!

Interesting that Wayne McGregor and Sara Baras are in the classical categories. And very disappointing that once again Yasmine Naghdi is overlooked. But awards are meaningless, whether this one or any of the others. It’s the audience that counts. Of course they are great for the winners, though!

Well that was one sensational performance from Yasmine Naghdi. I need to bring myself back down to Earth…so more tomorrow.

I agree, although I don't necessarily agree that the name Shimmer and Shine is cringeworthy: after all, that is what they are hoping to get their students to do. It did make me smile that the name of the teacher is that of a jewel that shimmers and shines! And I am reading the book from the point of view of a very young person (10 years old), in a day and age where kindness, inclusivity, diversity and everyone being a winner in their own way are the norm. When I was a child, many moons ago, I was always told that hard work would pay off. Sometimes it's true, sometimes it isn't. But I am glad I was told that, even if it turned out not to be the case. If no child is told to work hard to achieve their dreams, then none of them would. We don't all achieve our dreams; probably more don't than do, but it's a life lesson and you just have to deal with it and do other things, no matter how deep your disappointment is. But to shatter those illusions in a book for children would be quite cruel, I think. As Aruna said, the descriptions of a ballet class, and why things are done the way they are (even a reminder to drink water to keep hydrated) will be very helpful and interesting for little readers who are interested in learning ballet. I wish Yasmine and Chitra the very best of luck with this book and those to follow.