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The making of the Swan Lake tutus

A reminder that the Insight I posted above is this evening 25th April 7pm. However if you miss these normally remain on the ROH Youtube to catch up later. https://www.youtube.com/live/L6TDBmzurYc?si=QWxFKNtZqSbh76Y7

I so agree re the double - I felt the hair colour difference was so jarring at the end that it completely broke the spell. A properly dark wig isn’t surely that hard to come by. I’ve always felt that there are too many Nunez/Muntagirov livestreams but maybe Nagdhi/Ball are catching up…

Alina will dance Manon bedroom Pdd with Charles Louis Yoshiyama of Ballet Zurich at Ballet Asteras Gala at New National Theatre Tokyo, August 3rd and 4th. https://www.nntt.jac.go.jp/ballet/asteras2024/ also Ako Kondo and Chengwu Guo of Australian Ballet and other dancers, mainly Japanese dancers in overseas companies will participate.

Worth 6 minutes of anyone's time... 🙂

Do you have photos?

This sounds beautiful, is it still available?

Any photos?

Is this still available + any photos?

Absolutely love this, but I am size XS. Do you think it could fit?

Really enjoyed last night's cinema relay and every time this production rolls around I am just blown away by the beauty and opulence of Macfarlane's sets and costumes, whilst avoiding the gaudiness of some other Swan Lakes. He has truly produced a theatrical masterpiece here - and the partnership with Scarlett only enhances the beauty. It's a tragedy that we've lost him, and I was relieved that there was sufficient tribute paid last night, as I think, in the couple of years since his passing, the ROH seem to have dodged the issue in a way that left a slightly bad taste in the mouth. One thing that does occur to me is that Yasmine and Matthew are being relied upon heavily for the cinema broadcasts - between them they've covered all the biggies in the last few years (Swan Lake / Giselle / R&J / Nutcracker - just Yasmine (albeit as a stand-in for Akane Takada) / Don Quixote - Just Matt / Sleeping Beauty and also the upcoming Winter's Tale broadcast!) and possibly more. I adore them but I am keen for a bit more diversity in the relays. Particularly, I would love to see Fumi / Akane / Francesca featured more going forward (I have fingers crossed for Fumi as Odette / Odile the next time the cinema relay rolls around!) I had seen Yasmine in her Swan Lake debut (from a bit of a distance in the amphi) and wasn't terribly moved at the time, so I was pleasantly surprised at what I felt was a really beautiful interpretation last night! There were moments when I missed the nuance of Marianela's acting (I've watched the 2018 version many times, and it's a hard act to follow) but it was beautifully elegant and technically assured. I won't push comparisons too much, but this performance had far more impact than the Cuthbertson relay a couple of years ago for me. Couple of little observations - I wish they had used Leticia Dias as the Odette double in the prologue, as she bears the greatest passing resemblance to Yasmine. The dancer they did use was lovely, but the magic was broken a little as they didn't resemble each other at all in my opinion and that part fell flat for a cinema relay where you can see details clearly. That being said, Leticia was busy last night with her role as a sister and I very much enjoyed her and Annette as a pairing. Out of all the designs I don't always think that the Rothbart makeup and costume holds up that well in close up! Effective from a distance though. I was slightly bothered by a couple of the applause bows, as others have mentioned. The black swan PDD bows in particular seemed more Yasmine and Matthew than Odile and Siegfried. Everything else? Gorgeous.

Hello, is the XS still available?

Looking for size xs Yumiko leotards for sale. I don’t mind at all if pre owned.

Well having seen the very well attended showing at Greenwich Picturehouse last night I find myself in almost complete agreement with @Scheherezade and @Jake and as a fellow violinist I so echo and reinforce what @Linnzi5 says about the new leader/concertmaster Magnus Johnston and the enthusiastically charming conductor Martin Georgiev. A magnificent performance of the score which just emphasised again what a major masterpiece it is - how underestimated because it's a ballet - I think it's the equal of Mahler symphonies or Wagner operas. I saw the Scarlett production live on stage a couple of years ago so it was good to see it from the different angles in a live relay and I appreciated the chance to see closeups I can't usually get from my usual Amphitheatre seats. I'm finding the production is growing on me more and the interval interviews helped me appreciate the painstaking work and dedication that goes into the fabulous costumes and sets. Matthew Ball is perhaps my favourite current male dancer at the RB so it was an added bonus to see him close up and for me he epitomises Siegfried - his looks and bearing and dramatic yet elegant style just shout prince to me ! He's also such a thoughtful and genuinely questioning dancer and artistic thinker - there's a fascinating post on his Instagram account where he discusses his recent thoughts about the role and ballet and the music - and mentioning another of my faves, Sibelius, only increased my respect !

My daughter is going to go to NBS in September and would love to know that she will be with other students speaking to new medlock

BRB has always danced that ballet, and other classics, at that speed, which was normal in most companies in the past. Makarova was a factor in the slower speed and more recently Nela, who dances many ballets, even Robbins' Dances at a Gathering, more slowly than originally created. Presumably the changes in technique eg more extreme leg height have encouraged a slower speed. Personally I sometimes find the slower pace can distort the music.

The smells would spoil the atmosphere anywhere at any time

Attended the relay of the performance last night from the ROH at the high end Curzon Cinema Goodman Fields London Aldgate E1 Only 19 people in attendance in a 60 or seat cinema , there were 22 people at the recent triple bill a few weeks ago , I would have thought that Swan Lake would have attracted a lot more ballet lovers. No gripe with regards to the performance , but I do think it is not conducive to have food served to attendees sat in their seat watching a ballet !!! eg, cheese pizza , nachos with cheese, salad bowls , pop corn etc It spoils the atmosphere of the evening.

I've not seen P C-K live but lots of clips on IG stories make it look as though it should be wonderful. I very much admired James Pett's dancing with Company Wayne McGregor pre-pandemic. Sadly I can't get to these performances - I am hoping against hope that they do some other UK dates (I think the smaller Quays theatre at The Lowry would be ideal). Please let us know what you think.

You took the words right out of my mouth 😂

Thoroughly enjoyed the live stream last night in a pretty full cinema (as usual I suspect that in my mid 60s I was one of the youngest there…). The segments around the costumes and the interview with the delightful conductor only added to the occasion. A slight transmission glitch early on made me fear for a repeat of Danses Concertantes but thankfully all was soon more or less well. Felt the lake scenes were once again a bit too dark and in one of Yasmine’s solos I wish the camera could have stayed solely on her. The sumptuous costumes and acts one/three sets remain as magnificent as ever. Yasmine has such amazing confidence in addition to her technique and for that reason must surely be a very reliable choice for these broadcasts. Loved her portrayal of Odile with her deceptive flirtatiousness and glances back to her father particularly obvious in close-up viewing. Interesting to read other posters’ thoughts about her and others’ interpretation of Odette - must be a difficult character to know how to play, compared with her more flamboyant doppelganger. As ever the camera understandably loved Matthew and he is so good at portraying emotion, from the sulky prince to starstruck lover to someone devastated and ashamed at being so easily fooled. Felt the one slightly clumsy finish to a solo was scarcely noticeable in the context of his overall performance. For some reason, perhaps just the choice of camera angles, I felt the finale made more sense than on previous viewings. Still prefer it when Odette and Siegfried can ascend to heaven together, though. Hadn’t previously seen Joonhyuk Jun in a major role - what gorgeous fluidity and lightness of touch. It was good to see his sheer joy in dancing - certainly didn’t detract for me especially as Benno surely doesn’t need any particularly complex characterisation. Talking of joy, just loved Leo Dixon and Isabella Gasparini’s Neapolitan dance - well done to her for standing out in both the two most recent cinema streams. Can’t say I was too bothered by the applause after the solos - what always does grate a bit is following the gorgeous act two pas de deux with the very much out-of-place cygnet dance. Talk about ruining the mood… Immaculate performances by Thomas Whitehead and Christina Arestis completed a lovely evening. Can’t wait now until Fumi and Vadim…

Vadim was being entirely serious, as far as I can tell, he has said so more than once. In the case of Act 2 Swan Lake, any breather is probably more for Marianela’s benefit, she has a big solo coming up and these things become harder the older one gets.

But what characters are those? Who are Odette and Siegfried bowing to? The other swans? Somebody they think might be spying on them? As others have said, it is ok to take a bow when the dancers are performing on stage to other characters, such as in the Rose Adagio. Having performed what I have heard described as the Grand National of ballerina dances, I can imagine Aurora does need a bit of a breather, and in any case the choreography makes allowances for this at the end when she bows to her suitors. In that instance the audience could be seen as further members of the spectators at court, as she bows to us in turn. But in Act 2 of Swan Lake, this is a private meeting. I can think of absolutely no way where it could be done in character. And as for giving the dancers a bit of a breather, I suspect Vadim might not have been entirely serious. Yes, we know these variations are punishing, but I would hate people to start thinking "Oh, I must show my appreciation here because I know they need a rest." I do hope it is not going to become more and more prevalent. It really used to annoy me when the Russian companies performing would automatically stop to take applause after every variation. Sometimes the bows seemed to take longer than the piece they had just performed.

Yes, but I do feel that more nuanced performances from the main characters - and, given his prominence in the Scarlett SL, I count Benno as one of them - adds to the overall satisfaction factor.

Thank you for this, Sebastian, I am now looking forward to Saturday evening with added interest.