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Nina G.

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  1. Nina G.
    Lucky two critics
  2. Nina G.
    Thanks to this wonderful Forum we do get reviews of the various casts. I really feel Schadenfreude for those First Night newspaper critics who do not get to see some of the most stunning dancers in the company. Their loss!
  3. Nina G.
    The current Triple Bill makes a lovely change after the long but very successful run of The Sleeping Beauty. The Royal Ballet is going from strength to strength with an abundance of talent amongst the new generation of dancers. What a fine company this is.The dancers have shown their incredible talents in the highly classical SB and now again in neo-classical and contemporary work. How versatile they all are! The evening for me belonged to three outstanding couples: Naghdi and Ball in Human Seasons, Yanowsky and Clark in After the Rain, McNally and Sambe in Flight Pattern. Naghdi/Ball showed such tenderness in their pas de deux, it melted my heart. It is her physicality, purity of movement and beauty of line, combined with Ball's gorgeous looks and strong dancing that made Human Seasons memorable.They bring beauty, youth and freshness to every role they dance. Yanowsky/Clark were equally beautiful to watch. I must admit they brought tears to my eyes knowing that Yanowsky is soon to leave, the end of her career is near...and here we see the stunning young Clark (is he really only a First Artist?) - at the beginning of what will certainly be a glorious career - dancing with the amazing Yanowsky at the end of her career. A very emotional duet. McNally/Sambe: all the dancers in Flight Pattern had their heart in this piece, and bravo to all of them. Sambe's performance was impressive, "screaming out loud" with his body as never seen before. The faces of the dancers are barely distinguishable but the one who really caught my eyes was Isabella Gasparini. Thank you to all the dancers for giving it their all, it was a wonderful evening indeed.
  4. Nina G.
    Lovely photos DaveM, thank you. Very much looking forward to seeing the other cast tonight.
  5. Nina G.
    I shall be very straightforward: it was a pretty awful evening to say the least...
  6. Nina G.
    Sorry Bruce but can you please explain why you feel exuberance needs to be cautioned? At my age there are a lot of things I no longer can get my head around nor (and in this case) understand why exuberance would need to be cautioned? We already have Trump controlling USA media When I was young, and a student, we said what we thought and that was respected and accepted. Others could disagree but that was it, we didn't need to feel hesitant nor constantly justify nor give it much thought when expressing our opinions. My "rant" is over and I am bowing out of this discussion.
  7. Nina G.
    I'd like to pick-up on a point made by a previous poster saying "there are many wonderful dancers..." Just as there are many "wonderful" tennis players... but what sets Nadal, Federer, Djokovic, Murray, Serena Williams apart from those many "wonderful" tennis players? What are the criteria used by people when saying someone is a "wonderful" dancer? A wonderful dancer in company X or Y would not be considered a wonderful dancer in a top company such as The RB, the Paris Opera Ballet, or the Mariinsky. A first time ballet go-er will likely find most dancers to be wonderful, a seasoned ballet go-er will have developed criteria by which to separate a wonderful from a "not-so-wonderful" dancer. Some will find a dancer who is able to do a 6 o'clock penchee a wonderful dancer. To be a truly wonderful dancer means so much more. When a poster on here said "Everyone raves about Naghdi but what about several of the others who are just as wonderful" I'd like to ask him/her: how many of those others who are "just as wonderful" have danced a tear-inducing Juliet and got a standing ovation? How many of those others have danced the Sugar Plum Fairy and Aurora and Rose Fairy and Mathilde Kschessinka, just to name the great roles danced this Season alone, to equal great acclaim? I would like to point out that I am not defending Naghdi but simply stating facts, acknowledged by reputable dance critics, many RB Patrons as well as Forum members. My criteria for considering a dancer to be wonderful lay high and a dancer needs to have it all: stage presence, artistry, superb classical technic, able to connect with the audience, dancing a demanding role flawlessly, dancing consistently at a high technical level, and if that dancer also has a beautiful classical line...well that for me is what I consider a truly wonderful dancer. For clarity's sake: "Red Riding Hood" caught my eye at one of the SB performances, she was really wonderful. The cast sheet showed: Isabella Gasparini. She was so lovely in that role but would she be wonderful as a Sugar Plum or an Aurora or...? A dancer can be wonderful in a McGregor work but not so very wonderful dancing Ashton, MacMillan or Balanchine... Wonderful dancers can be found in any rank, in any company, but the truly wonderful do stand out and are absolutely wonderful across the repertoire of the Company.
  8. Nina G.
    With all due respect but I wasn't really talking about reasons not to promote dancers but about reasons why to promote dancers. Sure, your reasons not to promote are very valid reasons indeed. Season 2016-17 started on 27th September and there are only 3 months left now. I personally feel discussions can never be premature: a discussion is a discussion, an opinion is an opinion, a thought is a thought, and I think those of us who have wished to express their opinion have done so; those who feel it is premature are free to wait until May or June.
  9. Nina G.
    I can understand this question coming from an audience point of view and one can also ask: "do we need another First Soloist next season?" or "do we need another Soloist next Season?" and "did we need 2 female and 2 male new Principals last Season?" when there are already many good Principals, First Soloists and Soloists? Why promoting X to rank Y when there are already many good ones in that rank? A promotion is given by the AD in recognition of the talent of a particular dancer who has not only worked extremely hard all Season long, who has proven herself/himself to be increasingly outstanding, who has proven to be able to tackle various styles, roles and choreographies, etc. Certain dancers in a particular rank stand out amongst their fellow ranked dancers and their talent has to be recognised and rewarded with promotion when the AD sees fit. Keeping extremely talented and capable healthy dancers in the same rank... until they are needed in a higher rank carries risks too: they may leave and join another company, or their passion and desire may wane, or....
  10. Nina G.
    Yes indeed but this happened under Dame Monica Mason's Directorship.
  11. Nina G.
    We have seen some exceptional dancing by many of the younger dancers this Season, and especially during this SB run. Mr O'Hare knows his dancers best of all. The higher the rank the more physical and mental pressure a dancer will be under and not all of the younger dancers have gained enough experience to deal with such pressures. Doing time in the Corps greatly benefits dancers for various reasons. We have seen promotions in the past, which in my opinion happened far too fast, and those dancers got injured as soon as they joined a higher rank and were off dancing for a year. Some of the younger ones may have given us an impressive performance but joining a higher rank also means consistently dancing at that level as well as tackling increasingly demanding roles. Some dancers are more injury prone so Mr O'Hare has to carefully judge if a dancer will benefit staying another season at the same rank or move up. Based on the many performances I have seen this Season my guess is: Yasmine Naghdi to Principal: Naghdi has certainly earned her stripes having danced various repertoire to great acclaim. As a First Soloist she has had to tackle great Classical roles, she capably took over various demanding roles at short notice, danced Mathilde Kchessinska in "Anastasia" (the hardest Pd2 in the ballet repertoire) successfully (and with a partner too short for her), considered by many as the best Sugar Plum Fairy of all debutantes, was superb as the Rose Fairy, her highly successful performance as "Aurora"- described in detail by Jonathan Gray and other reviewers as outstanding- she has also shown her great versatility over the past seasons dancing difficult works by Ashton (Monotones, Symphonic Variations,...), MacMillan, McGregor, Balanchine; she has also shown her great dramatic abilities dancing Juliet in "Romeo & Juliet", in "The Invitation", just to name a few. Olivia Cowley to First Soloist: She has done her time at Soloist level, is strong in the Contemporary rep. and can also tackle classical roles. Perhaps also Marcelino Sambe. Anna Rose O'Sullivan to Soloist Reece Clark to Soloist Calvin Richardson to First Artist Gina Storm-Jensen to First Artist Mayara Magri was lovely this season too but imo could benefit from at least another year at Soloist rank (she only got promoted to Soloist last Season), same for Matthew Ball.
  12. Nina G.
    As far as I know the RB's annual international Tour is sponsored by private individuals, corporations,... as well as the host country. I don't think the UK has funds it would be willing to direct towards funding a national RB tour when there is already ENB, BRB, NB touring UK; and there would be an outcry that public money is spend on the RB touring the UK I think.
  13. Nina G.
    IMO it was a rather selfish teenage act of behaviour and he probably didn't even read the contract he signed when joining the RB. He naively assumed he would be able to do as he wished to do. I have no doubt the RB tried to nurture him but he was unwilling to do it on their well-intended terms. He behaved as any unruly teenager does: dismiss authority and advice, thinking they know better. If he was unwilling to put in the hard work (daily class, rehearsals, followed by performances,...) - thinking life is one big party - he did the right thing: to leave a life which demands utmost daily disciple and dedication.
  14. Nina G.
    That's only two... out of how many...?
  15. Nina G.
    I really raised an eyebrow when I read Polunin couldn't even afford to buy a proper dinner on his Principal salary (?). So what was he spending his salary on? (...) There are dancers who are very smart with their money, who have and do manage(d) to buy their own property (not in Central London of course). I greatly admire him as a dancer but I really have enough of reading about all his "difficulties". He's not the only one on this planet having experienced poverty or being far away from home...he was (is) just very unrealistic and immature. We all know of people, artists,...who had to overcome huge difficulties. They managed and succeeded.
  16. Nina G.
    I wish Yasmine Naghdi a very speedy recovery too as I am vey much looking forward to seeing her in Emeralds, and in what is left for her this Season. Besides dancing 3 Auroras in one week, dancing various Fairies, Aurora's Friends and Florestan's sisters, she also danced the Bluebird Variation/Princess Florine. She has had it full on I suspect (and -overheard - apparently when Hayward had to dance her debut, Naghdi was on full stand-by in the wings ready to replace her and take over the role together with Mr Campbell...which would have meant dancing her debut before her own official debut - no pressure there!
  17. Nina G.
    Yes always sad to see dancers who are ill of course... but spare a thought too for those dancers who aren't ill, who are on double-duty, who have to take over shows from others and are put under extra pressure (and there surely are a couple of "work horses" who are show savers);
  18. Nina G.
    Alexander Agadzhanov also coached Yasmine Naghdi (she states in the interview) in the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Naghdi getting a Russian coach produced results we all witnessed.
  19. Nina G.
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/26/sergei-polunin-bad-boy-ballet-felt-tricked-jealous-royal-ballet/ After reading this article I am not so sure the Royal is in any hurry at all.
  20. Nina G.
    I feel one gets far more interesting reviews in magazines such as Dancing Times and Dance Europe. Very few newspapers have knowledgable Ballet critics noways. They just fill a column or so with a few of their observations, often adding repeated and tiresome catch phrases. Are good and knowledgable ballet critics a dying breed?
  21. Nina G.
    Well.....(sigh)....what is there to add. Yasmine Naghdi has stolen many hearts and her Aurora this afternoon was danced again with incredible confidence, so beautifully combined with her very pure technic. She has danced the role of Princess Aurora three times this week, an enormous achievement in itself. The applause she received upon her first entry in Act 1 felt so warm and welcoming. In fact, the applause she got throughout the ballet felt almost as if she was an already well-established favourite at Covent Garden; she certainly seems to have many fans. Matthew Ball is improving rapidly and this afternoon he really showed himself to be a great young artist. I can only fantasise what this couple will be capable of producing in a few years time! Thanks to all the wonderful dancers this run of Sleeping Beauty has received a new lease of life.
  22. Nina G.
    Everyone is of course perfectly entitled to have their own opinions, appreciations, judgements, preferences, and to have their own favourites (and I will never hide that I am a great admirer of Miss Naghdi). I am not commenting here with the intention to defend AT ALL, but anybody who has been lucky enough to have seen Miss Naghdi's Sugar Plum Fairy (one only has to read Jonathan Gray's (The Dancing Times) glowing reviewing of her Sugar Plum Fairy, describing her as "...the most purely classical ballerina of all the younger dancers emerging from within the ranks of The Royal Ballet. ...with luscious melting quality of movement, and who drew deep into the music,.." For those of us who have seen Miss Naghdi's glorious Rose Fairy, stunning Sugar Plum Fairy and her amazingly confident and secure debut as Aurora last Saturday, her tour de force (taking over from an injured dancer) and dancing Mathilde Kschessinska on 2 days notice (said to be the most difficult pd2 in the ballet repertoire), her tears-inducing Juliet in "Romeo & Juliet", her Olga in "Onegin", her deeply moving performance in "The Invitation", not to mention her performance in the notoriously difficult "Symphonic Variations" and "Monotones"....well, as far as I am concerned, she is a dancer who has truly earned her stripes and who has fully proofed herself to become a worthy young Principal. I am not saying there are no other talented dancers in the Company (there are other dancers I admire such as Miss Takada, to name but one!), but as a First Soloist Miss Naghdi is the closest to pure Classical perfection combined with beautiful artistry, and she has done proper time in the Corps de Ballet and at Soloist level.
  23. Nina G.
    I can only reiterate what others have said: Naghdi and Ball delivered again and last night they were truly stunning . They had a very appreciative audience and their constant applause said it all. A couple of giant bouquets were delivered to Naghdi at the curtain call. Tierney Heap was an authoritative Lilac Fairy, Akane Takada/James Hay simply gorgeous in the Bluebird Variation, and O'Sullivan/Sambe/Magri great as Florimond & sisters. This run of Sleeping Beauty is being given a completely new life thanks to all the young oh so talented dancers!
  24. Nina G.
    I quickly snapped up a ticket! There are still some available
  25. Nina G.
    Just read on ROH website: Yasmine Naghdi is replacing Lauren Cuthbertson at tonight's performance of The Sleeping Beauty. She will dance with Matthew Ball. (sad for Reece Clark...)
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