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Royal Ballet Casting for Autumn Season 2018/19


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59 minutes ago, zxDaveM said:

 

I've heard Anna Rose will dance the nights Yasmine originally down for... but the way things been going on the website, we may not get confirmation (or have it refuted) until the night of the performance!

 

This would be interesting! If it´s true, then this will be a wonderful year for her with great opportunities!

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24 minutes ago, zxDaveM said:

 

I've heard Anna Rose will dance the nights Yasmine originally down for... but the way things been going on the website, we may not get confirmation (or have it refuted) until the night of the performance!

 

That would make absolute sense as O'Sullivan replaced her in NY City Center's The Balanchine Years.  She and Sambe were so, SO thrilling last night in the Tschi PDD.  I've just put a notation in the appropriate thread should your interest prevail in that direction .. :)

 

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14 minutes ago, LinMM said:

Sorry getting out of touch with all the changes and exchanges going on but are O Sullivan and Sambe currently dancing in America then?

Yes, they are  dancing (alternating performances of Tarantella and Tschai pas) in the Balanchine celebration at NY City Center.

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1 hour ago, capybara said:

Well, Anna Rose O'Sullivan is now listed on the ROH website (with William Bracewell) for all The Unknown Soldier dates previously occupied by Yasmine Naghdi.

 

So all the people that booked to see Francesca will see Yasmine and all the people that booked to see Yasmine will see Anna Rose O’Sullivan? 😯

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So there is an adverse knock-on effect;  all 6 of these triple bill  performances are currently sold out, preventing any exchanges: anyone who particularly wanted to see Nagdhi in the Unknown Soldier will miss out, as things stand,  unless they had also booked Hayward and Ball; also anyone who booked Hayward and Ball only, and would prefer to see O'Sullivan and Bracewell rather than Nagdhi and Ball, can't exchange either. 

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1 hour ago, bangorballetboy said:

 

Fine by me!

 

Vis a vis: Anna Rose O'Sullivan

 

Anyone who saw this stellar dancer's appearances in NYC last week - (apart from the glory of her Covent Garden outings, of course) - will know just how VERY lucky they are to catch her in this new debut.  She is an entirely radiant artist ... and the RB is VERY lucky to have her.  She and Sambe were the Darlings of the Day at City Center ... and I heard her Tschai PDD being hailed by more than a few core NYCB contributors.   

 

Edited by Bruce Wall
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9 minutes ago, aliceinwoolfland said:

I like Anna Rose a lot (she was incredible in Alice) but IMO she isn't yet at the standard that Naghdi and Hayward are at - that's no bad thing as she's at a different stage in her career, but I can see why people would be disappointed if they'd specifically booked to see Naghdi. 

 

Well, disappointment could even happen when another principal would replace Naghdi, it is the same case for a friend who bought tickets especially because of Hayward (and because she wanted to see her dance with Ball). She likes Naghdi, this is not the problem, but she would have preferred Hayward.

I just bought tickets for both casts to see as many dancers as possible so not too big disappointments from my side (I would have loved to see Hayward but I didn´t book because of her)😃.

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I know it's disappointing when there are cast changes and it's pretty poor that updated casting information has been slow (and is still awaited for Nutcracker etc) but casting is always subject to change.  There may be questions about the timing of the announcement but I would have thought it was made just as soon as there was certainty regarding arrangements.  We understand the circumstances and there's a fabulous opportunity for Francesca Hayward and also to introduce new audiences to her talents and to ballet/dance.  Whilst I do sympathise with people who booked for a particular dancer, I can't help wondering if there's a bit too much 'I booked for x and now it's y and there's no opportunity to change - isn't it unfair?'  For my part I'll be delighted to see Unknown Soldier and Nutcracker on 21 December, whoever is dancing Sugar Plum Fairy.  And I'll look forward to Francesca Hayward's Juliet in the spring.

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I was going to say, I don't remember quite this level of wailing and gnashing of teeth when it was announced that Ed Watson had had to pull out of Mayerling :(  I guess the alternative would have been to give the premiere to a (?)Soloist, and that might have put some (other?) people's noses out of joint.  Never mind, perhaps some of those who booked specifically to see Hayward will do the decent thing and return their tickets.  Alternatively, you could always ask on the Ticket Exchange forum whether someone is prepared to do a swap.

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You make fair points John, but I also understand mthe opposite point of view.  Trips to ROH for those travelling distances are an expensive treat, both in terms of hard cash and general knackeredness.  I am semi-retired so can have a lie-in after getting home around 0300, having left many hours earlier.  I have to plan outings as there are transport issues, plus delivery of two dogs to their dog Aunty.  I know many others, including yourself, have similarly complicated itineraries.  Cost is also an issue for me as I have to sit in the lower half of the house.  

We take our chances with injury and accept the changes, e.g. I ended up with three pairs of Mayerling tickets for Edward Watson.  For the triple bill I specifically booked for Hayward and I do think that they must have known about this some time ago so I am a little annoyed.  As I say, generally we accept that it may not always be possible to see the dancer you have booked for but, I cannot take the view that all artists are interchangeable.  The standard at RB is always high and currently bordering on stellar, but the price of tickets, travel and refreshments has also reached stellar heights which means expectations are high.  Speaking personally, I didn’t find Hirano, making his debut as Rudolph, an acceptable replacement for Watson and would have preferred Ed’s performances to have been shared about.  In the end ROH sold my tickets for me and I bagged ones for Bonelli and Ball, but it was all a faff.  Now we have the Hayward situation.

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1 minute ago, alison said:

I was going to say, I don't remember quite this level of wailing and gnashing of teeth when it was announced that Ed Watson had had to pull out of Mayerling :(  I guess the alternative would have been to give the premiere to a (?)Soloist, and that might have put some (other?) people's noses out of joint.  Never mind, perhaps some of those who booked specifically to see Hayward will do the decent thing and return their tickets.  Alternatively, you could always ask on the Ticket Exchange forum whether someone is prepared to do a swap.

You obviously weren’t hovering around my house when I heard the news about Ed!

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1 hour ago, alison said:

I was going to say, I don't remember quite this level of wailing and gnashing of teeth when it was announced that Ed Watson had had to pull out of Mayerling :(  I guess the alternative would have been to give the premiere to a (?)Soloist, and that might have put some (other?) people's noses out of joint.  Never mind, perhaps some of those who booked specifically to see Hayward will do the decent thing and return their tickets.  Alternatively, you could always ask on the Ticket Exchange forum whether someone is prepared to do a swap.

 

The Unknown Soldier complaining basically comes from the Hayward fan base.

The Naghdi fan base can eat their heart out as they are getting to see her on Opening Night and  3 more performances, as well as in Symphony in C and Infra so they don't have anything to complain about :) 

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2 hours ago, JohnS said:

 Whilst I do sympathise with people who booked for a particular dancer, I can't help wondering if there's a bit too much 'I booked for x and now it's y and there's no opportunity to change - isn't it unfair?

 

Judging by some of the more partisan comments on this site I think it will do the Haywardites good to see Naghdi and the Naghdi-ites good to see O’Sullivan: there’s a suspicion of “I like what I know” sometimes here IMO. Are we principally ballet fans or Naghdi/Hayward/whoever fans? I hope it’s the former!

 

I haven’t booked for the Unknown Soldier, but if Hayward were to be replaced with O’Sullivan for my Two Pigeons I would be delighted.

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I have seen all three dancers, but when I book for a cast I like it to be accurate. When people buy a ticket they are sometimes buying it for the dancer as well as the performance, and that's OK. For those who can't afford to go to the ballet very often it's especially nice to see your favourite dancer. None of this is Francesca Hayward's fault but I'm left wondering why the cast change wasn't made before public booking opened and why they swapped Naghdi's performances. 

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On this occasion, I’m more than happy to see either 🙂. But usually, given that I have to travel a long distance and can only afford to see one cast of any ballet, I do prioritise seeing my “favourites.” That’s not to say I don’t appreciate or like other dancers - I would love to be able to see multiple casts (and thank god for cinema screenings in that respect) - but if I have to choose just one cast to see I become irritated, to say the least, if the casting gets messed about with little warning.

 

Of course, it’s different if dancers are ill or injured, and that’s a risk that I think we all agree is par for the course, but just incorrect or sloppy information - or lack of it - is another thing entirely.

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51 minutes ago, aliceinwoolfland said:

 ....but I'm left wondering why the cast change wasn't made before public booking opened and why they swapped Naghdi's performances. 

 

They swapped Naghdi's performances to Opening Night because she is a Principal (plus she's used to dancing with Ball)

O'Sullivan wasn't cast initially but she must have been an understudy (O'Sullivan is a lovely dancer, I like her a lot but as a soloist she's naturally not on a par with Naghdi -although she has a lot of potential).

Edited by Xandra Newman
typo
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But Francesca is under Contract - to RB.  I honestly don’t think the film people would have left it that late.  If it is about to start shooting, they would have had the main roles cast some time ago  - unless Hayward is replacing someone else.  I support dancers working elsewhere but the timing of this is all wrong.

 

I’m also puzzled about this fan club stuff which seems to imply that you can only like either Francesca or Yasmine.  As these ladies are two of the most sublime dancers in the Royal Ballet, how could that be possible?  I am looking forward to seeing Yasmine who I happily anticipate will be wonderful, but I particularly wanted to see Francesca as, having watched the rehearsal trailer, I think this role is so her.

 

The idea that if you admire Hayward’s dancing, you need to be taught a lesson by seeing Naghdi instead, is disrespectful to both the theatregoer and the dancers.  Oh, and being a woman, I can multi- task which means I can love ballet and individual dancers.  

Edited by penelopesimpson
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I am sure there is also an Osipova and a Nunez fan club just as we have had a Cojocaru and a Rojo,

a Guillem and Bussell fan club in the past. Hayward and Naghdi are two young star principals of the RB, very different dancers - physically as well as in their technical capabilities - but each in their own right is a sublime and special artist to be treasured.

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I do not have 'favourite ' dancers, but I do like to be able to pick who I'll see in a particular role. in the case of booking for Hayward i admit I do enjoy her dancing but will be just as happy to see Naghdi. I just wish that we could make the RB understand that their knowledgeable and enthusiastic core audience often come to performances at some cost and inconvenience and will come to a performance because A is dancing and they saw B dance it the week before. Injury and illness is always understood, lack of information is insulting to their audience. Or is it another way of getting rid of us for an audience who wouldn't know Sean Lake from Nutcracket?

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