aileen Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Gosh, Janet. Three Sleeping Beauties in five days is not enough for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted November 4, 2012 Author Share Posted November 4, 2012 Elena Glurdjize was wonderful, her Rose Adagio was very special. You could see her growing from an awestruck teenager to a young woman during the course of it. Again, I thought all the fairies were on good form with Nancy Osbaldeston standing out as the Songbird Fairy. Junor Souza and Ksenia Ovsyanick were splendid as Gold and Diamond. Absolutely agree about Elena - a delight - as was Ksenia Ovsyanick at the Thursday matinee - her debut. Tamara yesterday evening gave us the amazing technically assured performance of the rose adagio that we have come to expect from her but she subsequently softened and was, quite simply glorious. Vadim Muntagirov was not only technically breathtaking but he succeeded in turning what is so often a colourless Prince into a character to cherish. This young dancer is very, very special. But, as others have suggested, it is the strength in depth which so characterises ENB. Every Prologue Fairy is a joy; the Lilac Fairies (from Senior Principals - Daria Klimentova and Elena - to Artists - Laurretta Summerscales and Jia Zhang) are assured and gracious, the various Carabosses really reach the furthest flung parts of the theatre, and the Act 111 divertissements are all strongly and winningly danced. The Company certainly seems to be thriving under new management. Don't forget that Sleeping Beauty follows Nutcracker into the Coliseum from 9th to 19th January 2013. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 Well, Esteban Berlanga is being kept very busy as Prince Desire in this run. Back in October he partnered Erina as a replacement for Yonah Acosta and yesterday he was dancing with Begona in place of Zdenek Konvalina. I hope that he will be fit and healthy to partner his actual Aurora, Ksenia, on Tuesday. I'd never seen Begona before in a lead role and so it was nice to see her yesterday. She carried off the killer Rose Adagio well but I felt that she became more comfortable in the role after her opening scene. It was pleasing to read in the programme that Aurora is one of her favourite roles. Esteban was elegant and was very good in those tricky lifts at the end of the big pdd. Anais and Adela excelled in their solos as the Woodland Glade and Songbird Fairies. I loved the dances for Aurora's friends and the Silver dance. Nancy was cute as a button in both and Shiori stood out as one of Aurora's friends and as a Lilac Fairy attendant. Guilherme Menezes gave a very creditable performance as Gold. Generally, the performances across the board, including the fairytale character dancers, were very good. It's amazing how good many of the most junior dancers in the company are. As I was watching the performance I felt almost shocked that I was seeing a MacMillan ballet. The grand, classical but also rather restrained style seemed so different to much of his other choreography. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 Adding to the above, I should have mentioned Shevelle Dynott who made a very convincing Carabosse: bitter and half deranged. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 I thought Shevelle Dynott was absolutely outstanding when I saw him as Carabosse in Liverpool. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 We had our once-yearly trip to see ENB at the Coliseum last night. Elena was stunning as Aurora; absolutely radiant and so beautiful. We had seen her some years ago as Gerda in the Snow Queen, and were delighted to be seeing her dance again. I loved Ksenia as a serene Lilac; her arms were particularly beautiful. The corps were excellent in the Garland and Nymph dances. We loved gorgeous James Forbat as Ksenia's Cavalier and Max Westwell's funny but alarming Wolf too. Shiori excelled as Bluebird, and excelled with the fiendishly difficult choreography. The costumes (a mixture of ABTs and some new ones apparently) and scenery were wonderful, and I adore the music so had a wonderful evening. Had a tear in my eye during the wedding PDD and despite being very tired after a long day at Associates, dd was as spellbound as I was. :-) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Sounds as though there was a fair bit of overlap between the matinee and evening casts, then. Drat, would have been pleased to see Berlanga - not sure I can make the Tuesday matinee. Is Konvalina injured? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Alison, the matinee on Tuesday is a "family friendly" performance. According to ENB's website, Esteban is dancing with Ksenia at the matinee on Saturday, but who knows if this will change. I really hope that Konvalina is not injured. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I thought Shevelle Dynott was absolutely outstanding when I saw him as Carabosse in Liverpool. He was fantastic on Saturday; so menacing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mallinson Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Alison, the matinee on Tuesday is a "family friendly" performance. Does anyone know what this means (apart from the fact that "under fives are welcome")? Are tutus obligatory? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Quite honestly, John, the last time I went to a "family friendly" performance at the Coliseum the audience was better behaved than the "adult" one at the previous performance 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mallinson Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 So not cut? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suel50 Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 The Family Friendly performances are full performances - but they are marked as performances to which people are encouraged to bring children and are a very good deal as each paying adult can bring two under-16s free. So the those not accompanied by children should be aware that there will be a lot of children and some of them may not be perfectly quiet but, as Alison says, they may be better behaved than many adults ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I think they offer cheaper tickets for children at "Family friendly" performances. Oops suel50 - we were posting at the same time. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mallinson Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Thanks all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 As well as the free seats for children, under-5s are allowed to attend the performance. Under-5s are not supposed to attend the "normal" performances but I think that some do. At Shiori's performance as Clara / SPF in the recent Nutcracker she had to contend with a crying baby in her big pdd. I suppose that if you dance at a family-friendly performance or a schools matinee you have to be prepared for more noise and not get distracted by it. At normal performances there can of course be some unexpected noises eg things being dropped or falling over and I suppose that the dancers (and orchestra) just get used to blocking out all extraneous sounds. TBH, if I had known that Ksenia was dancing on Saturday as well when I booked my ticket for tomorrow I would have booked for Saturday instead, not least because tomorrow is proving to be a bit problematic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 The Family Friendly performances are full performances - but they are marked as performances to which people are encouraged to bring children and are a very good deal as each paying adult can bring two under-16s free. So that would explain why virtually all the £67 seats in the stalls had gone. Sadly, there's no general price reduction, which I think might be offputting to those not bringing children. That said, presumably standbys will be available for those who qualify. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I've just been looking at several Rose Adages on Youtube. Interestingly, the Russians (Zakharova and Lopatkina) don't lift their arms above their heads. I assume that that is how it is choreographed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I believe that is the case. It's a long time since I've seen a Russian Sleeping Beauty but I've never seen them lift their arms in the Rose Adagio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I think doing it en couronne is a Royal Ballet speciality - or was it a Fonteyn speciality? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beryl H Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 ENB for example do the same thing, I think it has become expected, there are several variations in the way the Russians dance SB, in the grand pdd there are no fish dives, Aurora's rise onto pointe from the floor is not so slow, in general the Russian version seems easier. I was watching the film that was found in Keith Money's garage the other night, Fiona Chadwick explains how Margot Fonteyn held a position for it to register, and I agree today's dancers move through the choreography without stopping too long in a position, maybe that's why Fonteyn's arabesques always look so wonderful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 On YouTube Aurelie Dupont does it, as Alison describes it, en couronne. Even she wobbles a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Casting for Oxford and Southampton is now available on the company's website, on that page you can't actually give a URL for. Edit: well, you can try this one: http://www.ballet.org.uk/details.php?id=18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I was delighted to be able to see Ksenia's London debut as Aurora yesterday afternoon. She danced very well and was confident and poised in the Rose Adagio. She and Esteban made a handsome couple. He really is a very good partner. Nancy was an adorable Songbird Fairy, delicate and fluttery. James Streeter was terrific as Carabosse. I think that he is becoming the Gary Avis of ENB. Having seen one performance already, I was really able to appreciate what a gorgeous production this is. The choreography is lovely and the (many, many) costumes are exquisite. It really is a feast for the eyes (and ears). There is just so much to look at, you cannot take it all in. Despite my reservations, the children yesterday added to, rather than detracted from, the atmosphere. There was very little noise and at the end there was a loud cheer. In fact, the only real distraction came from two women arguing in the upper circle during Prince Desire's journey to Aurora. Btw, who exactly is the Countess (very characterfully played by Bridgett Zehr)? Is she supposed to be a Mrs Robinson figure who has her eye on Prince Desire? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Btw, who exactly is the Countess (very characterfully played by Bridgett Zehr)? Is she supposed to be a Mrs Robinson figure who has her eye on Prince Desire? I'd always assumed she was an "arranged" fiance or maybe an older sister. Mrs Robinson though............ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I also saw yesterday's matinee and agree that Ksenia Ovsyanick was superb. I hadn't spotted that it was child friendly but didn't mind. Some of the mums were a bit noisy but the children were great. A nearby child's cry of "Here come the fairies," shortly followed by an excited "More fairies!" added to my enjoyment rather than detracting from it, as did the unrestrained children's laughter at Puss in Boots and the White Cat. One concern I have is that my seat was the only one in that part of the balcony shown as available yet there were lots of empty seats near me. I spoke to one of the ushers who told me it was 40% full but the unsold seats had been held by agencies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 It's not the first time comments have been made about the supposedly sold-out balcony having an unusual number of seats available. Aileen, thank you for your report. I'd been intending to go and see the matinee myself, but the screw-up with ROH booking in the morning meant I'd lost too much time and had to work instead (I did get to the Coli in time to book myself in for 2 Mikhailovsky performances before they became too sold out, though) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 What is the arrangement with the agencies? Do they buy their seats and so ENB does not care whether or not those seats are actually sold on and occupied because they have already been paid for by the agencies? I had assumed that, as agents, they merely reserved a certain number of seats and released any unsold seats to ENB / the Colisem a few days before the performance. I hope that Karen Napier, when she arrives in February, will look at the issues of ticketing, pricing and marketing / publicity as a matter of urgency. It's worrying news about ENO's deficit as ENB is dependent upon it for both its orchestra and its theatre, although I think that ENB should consider using Sadler's Wells for its mixed bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluebird Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 (edited) It's worrying news about ENO's deficit as ENB is dependent upon it for both its orchestra and its theatre, . Perhaps you didn't realise, Aileen, that the English National Ballet Orchestra is part of ENB and has nothing to do with ENO. Edited January 16, 2013 by Bluebird Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 ENB's orchestra is its own. The Coliseum is owned by ENO and ENB are just another visiting company. They used to go to Sadler's Wells occasionally in the late 1980s - I remember seeing Cruel Garden there (oh WOW WOW WOW) and a mixed programme with Swan Song in its premiere week (Breathtaking). They also had a very abortive season at the Dominion in around 1989/1990 - even though they were doing a wonderful rep (Napoli and Onegin to name but 2) the season bombed and the company, I believe, lost a lot of money. I came to the conclusion that the regular Coli audience did not want to go downmarket! Of course they also used to do a summer season at RFH as well as Nutcracker there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Bluebird, that's a relief! In the article which I read it mentioned that ENO had a 62 piece orchestra and as ENB's is, I think, a similar size I just assumed that they were one and the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeliB Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 My cousin kindly took my 11 and 5 year old to see this. She was very impressed with the idea of a family friendly performance and thought it worked really well, as she didn't have to feel anxious when they talked ('here come the fairies...' for sure! as well as 'I'm that princess- and I'm that fairy, and I'm that fairy etc). In fact the 5 yr old got up and danced in the aisles for some of the performance, lots of people were chatting and my coz thoroughly enjoyed the whole performance and didn't feel the noise detracted at all... (she does go to the ballet a fair bit, and she doesn't have much experience with small children, so could have potentially been ghastly). Shame about empty seats though, it seems such a good opportunity... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 What is the arrangement with the agencies? Do they buy their seats and so ENB does not care whether or not those seats are actually sold on and occupied because they have already been paid for by the agencies? I had assumed that, as agents, they merely reserved a certain number of seats and released any unsold seats to ENB / the Colisem a few days before the performance. I don't know about the Coliseum but the theatre where I volunteer gets nothing from unsold agency seats and they are often not released until the day of the performance. For conventional London shows I guess that works OK - the agencies have a pretty good idea of how many to reserve and the others end up at the Leicester Square TKTS booth. ENB sales appear to be handled by ENO as almost all of the shows at the Coliseum are bookable through the ENO site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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