MAB

I must be extremely strange, I like the music for Ondine very much. Absolutely not Marguerite & Armand it would be an insult to her memory, Birthday Offering is a fabulous ballet when properly cast. The fourth and last part of Hommage to the Queen, Air, was created for Fonteyn and although the choreography for Earth, Wind and Fire isn't Ashton what he created on Fonteyn is.

Thank you, I'm not a member as invariably events fall on days when I'm pre-booked as is the case on the 12th (ENO). I will do my best to find someone to ask relevant questions on my behalf, perhaps someone here would volunteer.

It's been a long time since I last went to an RB press conference to announce the forthcoming season, but there was always the opportunity to ask questions afterwards, is that not now the case? Did no one there bring up the subject of Fonteyn.

Insult taken and noted.

If he Royal Ballet had planned something it would have been announced last week. I agree, but if as it seems the RB has forgotten her, I don't have much hope of say an anniversary exhibition at the V&A either. All arts organizations plan well in advance and I doubt it could be slotted in at short notice.

No, the logistics of touring have changed.

Sounds like gobbledegook to me.

I think you'll find there is no compulsion to go.

It seems pretty clear to me that the ROH/RB has no interest in marking this anniversary, so the question should be asked would another company be prepared to step in? Fonteyn danced with both BRB (when Sadlers Wells) and ENB but whether those companies have pre-planned commitments on the actual day we have no way of knowing. By the way the date of Fonteyn's birth is 18th May, a Saturday, not the 19th as previously stated. I imagine the impending departure of David Bintley might mean BRB wouldn't choose to involve itself in such a big undertaking but if the company is available, ENB might consider it. There is also the option of arranging an ad hoc gala. Fonteyn performed worldwide and I don't think it is going to be difficult to lure dancers across the globe to contribute, the only difficulty I can envisage is getting permission for them to perform/learn certain Ashton roles for the occasion as I would very much like some of her created roles to be performed, perhaps the shadow dance from Ondine and the pas de deux from Cinderella. The only other problem is funding though it may not be too difficult to find sponsors for what I envisage to be a prestigious occasion. I don't want us to fantasise about what a Fonteyn tribute could look like, I want to hear positive ideas as to how we can make it happen.

Highest number? If that is true I find it deeply depressing

For the record their production is the standard Russian traditional one, not so very dissimilar from the Kirov's. Last time around the Siegfrieds were Rodkin and Kim. I imagine they will do very well.

This just turned up on Facebook. SWAN LAKE NOW ON SALE - LONDON COLISEUM AUGUST 2018 SEASON! Book tickets HERE: https://londoncoliseum.org/…/swan-lake-st-petersburg-balle…/ Tchaikovsky's immortal Swan Lake arrives at the London Coliseum Wednesday 22 August 2018 for 7 performances only! The Company's 2015 season was a total sell out - so hurry, book today to see the world's most loved ballet. Led by prima ballerina Irina Kolesnikova, St Petersburg #Ballet Theatre's #SwanLake is the production everyone must experience at least once in their life.

2003 would have been the tenth anniversary of his death.

As her birthday was in May it seems highly unlikely that they will schedule something for 2019/20.

ENB dance it too, and rather well. Last time I saw it the incomparable Elena Glurjidze had a leading role which a good few years before had been danced by Ms Gielgud herself. It is indeed a marvellous work, the Russians are in for a treat.

I have rather mixed feelings about the coming season, there is much to enjoy but I am bitterly, bitterly disappointed that there are no programmes dedicated to Fonteyn at all, especially in view of the extensive MacMillan celebrations this year, I would have thought the only British ballerina to bear the title 'assoluta' deserves at least something. As for the rest, a good idea to revive Bayadere, personally I don't care much for the production but it gives huge scope to the RB's talented youngsters, with four terrific roles. I would love to see Haywood and Naghdi alternate with one another as Nikiya and Gamzattii and can't wait to see Sambe as the Golden Idol. Symphony in C gives huge opportunities for displaying a number of dancers in each movement. Don Q? well I've already mentioned the couple I want to see but isn't it time Ms Magri got a big role? I reckon she'd make a fabulous Kitri.

ENB's moving it's studios to Canning Town, we'll still see them at the Coliseum. Sorry your girlfriend didn't get on with Midsummer Night's Dream, was it her first Britten opera? I love his operas but not everyone does. BELOW ADDED IN BY JANET MCNULTY Sanj2000 said on another thread: "Am I right - or confused and just plain wrong - that ENB are moving to Canning Town so won't be performing at The Coliseum any more? Won't that cause a big hole for ENO/Coliseum? Lastly, looking just now at what's on at The Coliseum, Swan Lake is on twice (2018 and 2019), and Manon is on in 2019. We are seeing both of these productions in the next few months at ROH performed by Royal Ballet; had these not been on at the ROH this year, we may have gone to ENO to watch the ENB productions, but I just can't afford (or want) to keep going to see the same productions - I want to see something different!"

He's dancing Giselle with Nunez this weekend at Teatro di San Carlo, Naples..

No Acosta this time around, so a Basilio vacancy. Anyone here see Corrales dance the Don Q pdd at Emerging Dancer? Sensational is an understatement, An Osipova/Corrales Don Q quickens my pulse just thinking about it.

I went to their Midsummer Night's Dream last week and generally enjoyed myself, a slightly under-powered Oberon, but rest of the cast okay and a very good Bottom. I can't imagine I world without ENO, too terrible to contemplate.

I tend to agree with that, however I could make an exception in the case of one non RB dancer: Vlad Lantratov.

You could always give Glyndebourne a try.

Not sure if I've seen a worse full length, though it's a close call between it and Isadora.

I would imagine if we could have bought tickets on line back then the world-wide demand would have crashed the system. We most certainly travelled to see Nureyev abroad just as his fans flocked to London from across the US and Europe. Rehearsals were no less common at ROH than now and anyway I've often simply asked to watch a rehearsal and been allowed in. Personally I find people less informed than now, something that can be verified by comparing the number of serious books on ballet published in the past to the miserly numbers of today. As for the number of companies seen, it is true that for political reasons we never saw any Russian companies between 1974 and 1986, (though they came frequently before) but from when I started regular ballet going in the 1960's we had visits from the Royal Danish Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, ABT. NYCB. Joffrey Ballet, Canadian Ballet, Australian Ballet, Zurich Ballet all at ROH or the Coli, some multiple times, also many less well known troupes at Sadlers Wells. What I don't see today are the overwhelming numbers of people flocking to ballet performances nor do I see audiences full of young people, in fact I worry about where the audiences of the future will come from as all art forms struggle against the onslaught of tawdry popular culture.

At the New Victoria Theatre opposite Victoria Station. That was a regular venue for ballet back then and Festival Ballet performed there often. It's the Victoria Apollo now and ballet no longer features there at all.