cavycapers Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 I am baffled to see that there are still gaps in the ENB casting for Swan Lake at the Bristol Hippodrome with less than two weeks to go! I am also rather confused that Precious Adams was used on the poster as Odette, and yet, disappointingly, doesn't seem to have been cast in the role. Does anyone have any information that might clarify things? Is she injured? I have to say that this very late casting doesn't instill me with confidence in any way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 She's not on the poster as Odette/Odile, though. You mean there's still no news on the Thursday matinee? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavycapers Posted November 16, 2018 Author Share Posted November 16, 2018 You mean because she's not got the crown on? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavycapers Posted November 16, 2018 Author Share Posted November 16, 2018 (edited) I don't know. The cynic in me thinks that it is pretty unusual to use a non-principal dancer on a poster, and that they are using it as an advertising ploy to show how inclusive they are and it suggests that there will be a black dancer dancing the lead at some point. In fact this is what my (black) friend and we're led to believe and indeed why held off from buying tickets in the hope of such an event, obviously not to be. Edited November 16, 2018 by cavycapers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophoife Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 Welcome to casting announcements à la The Australian Ballet. Allegedly they are up on the website a week before opening night. I have known them not to go up until after opening night. As for cast changes, the current season of Spartacus is still showing the original casting, with no acknowledgement at all that Kevin Jackson not only didn't dance opening night, replaced by Jarryd Madden, but that Jackson is out of the whole run. Disrespectful to him, but far more disrespectful to Madden! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timmie Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 I thought it just made for an attractive and eye-catching poster, which after all is the purpose of a poster . 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 9 hours ago, cavycapers said: I don't know. The cynic in me thinks that it is pretty unusual to use a non-principal dancer on a poster, and that they are using it as an advertising ploy to show how inclusive they are and it suggests that there will be a black dancer dancing the lead at some point. In fact this is what my (black) friend and we're led to believe and indeed why held off from buying tickets in the hope of such an event, obviously not to be. I also assumed (and hoped) that she would be dancing it. Otherwise why would she be on the poster?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluebird Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 3 minutes ago, bridiem said: I also assumed (and hoped) that she would be dancing it. Otherwise why would she be on the poster?! I can remember several posters for ENB productions which featured dancers who were not due to appear in leading roles in the final production. Many years ago, Desirée Ballantyne was featured as Aurora in a poster for The Sleeping Beauty. As far as I know, she never danced the role. I also remember Nancy Osbaldeston being featured in a promotional poster for a new production in which she didn't eventually take a leading role. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 6 minutes ago, Bluebird said: I can remember several posters for ENB productions which featured dancers who were not due to appear in leading roles in the final production. Many years ago, Desirée Ballantyne was featured as Aurora in a poster for The Sleeping Beauty. As far as I know, she never danced the role. I also remember Nancy Osbaldeston being featured in a promotional poster for a new production in which she didn't eventually take a leading role. Well I think that's very odd. Especially if you use quite a high-profile dancer who is likely to be recognised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xandra Newman Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 This does not only happen at the ENB. The recent RB "Unknown Soldier" promotional poster features Hayward and Ball but Hayward is not dancing in this ballet at all. It's promotional material meant to attract audiences but it is really misleading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 9 minutes ago, Xandra Newman said: This does not only happen at the ENB. The recent RB "Unknown Soldier" promotional poster features Hayward and Ball but Hayward is not dancing in this ballet at all. It's promotional material meant to attract audiences but it is really misleading. But in that case, the poster would have been produced at a time when she *was* scheduled to be dancing in it, with Ball. In a similar vein, I remember a period a few years ago when Sod's Law meant that if a certain opera singer appeared on the cover of the Friends' Magazine, they would then drop out of the opera they were meant to be in It happened with Jonas Kaufmann in Les Troyens and with Diana Damrau in Robert le Diable within a couple of issues of the magazine, and I think there may have been somebody else too... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 It's not unusual for any of the ballet companies to format a campaign even before casting is thought of! I would like to see Precious Adams in the leading role though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 There have been numerous examples from ENB of dancers on the publicity who did not dance the role - at least, not initially: Laurretta Summerscales for Coppelia at the Coli was another example, although she did dance Swanhilda on tour. I actually think that it's perfectly fair for a company to use attractive images and to give some prominence to a range of dancers. Precious Adams is a First Artist who has not yet featured in a substantial soloist role in a classical ballet so it was rather unlikely that she would suddenly be Odette/Odile. If I were an AD, I would value the opportunity to see how things were working out on tour, especially with new partnerships, before confirming the London casting. But, at the same time, I'm one of those who is impatient to know who is dancing when NOW! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 More concerning is the casting for Bristol - which I think is next week? - if that's still not complete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Q Fan Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 That's poor as they just sent out casts for Nutcracker and Manon...but not Swan Lake..at The Coli. Odd 🤔 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluebird Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 45 minutes ago, Don Q Fan said: That's poor as they just sent out casts for Nutcracker and Manon...but not Swan Lake..at The Coli. Odd 🤔 I heard today that they’re waiting to see how the various casts work out on tour before deciding on the casting for the Coliseum. Sadly this means that we might have to wait until they return to London in December. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 22 hours ago, Bluebird said: I heard today that they’re waiting to see how the various casts work out on tour before deciding on the casting for the Coliseum. Sadly this means that we might have to wait until they return to London in December. In other words, as I suggested. And we do have an idea from the casting for Liverpool and Bristol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrZee Posted November 19, 2018 Share Posted November 19, 2018 Castings were posted on the ENB website earlier today. Here's the link: https://www.ballet.org.uk/production/swan-lake/#cast-section 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 Looks as though Bristol is complete, but no sign of London yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 Just to emphasise.............. The additions to the Bristol casting are: Thursday, 29th Nov matinee: Begona Cao and Junor Souza and Thursday, 29th Nov evening: Rina Kanehara is dancing with Ken Saruhashi (who was listed earlier). As mentioned earlier, the likelihood is that the London casting will issue once the two weeks on tour are completed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northstar Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 Looking forward to seeing the cast of Jurgita Dronina and Isaac Hernandez in the opening night at Liverpool tonight, I've not seen either of them in the lead roles for Swan Lake. Slightly off topic but if anyone else is going tonight and would like to say hello, please send me a message. Was nice to bump into a forum member at a performance recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 Hello northstar I will be lurking in the foyer in the interval (near the door to the box office). So is another member. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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