MAB

I only use facebook to keep track of the relatives abroad, but I have a few dancer friends too, mostly retired. Clearly that is what makes the wretched algorithm thingys send me the male dancers in homo erotic poses (just two dancers so far thank goodness) I've seen no product placements though. I expect the poor lambs are short of cash, but being of an age where sex only means gender to me, perhaps I'm not the most receptive audience for that kind of thing.

I stopped watching him sfter the infamous interview with Helen Mirren.

It is all too easy to defame the dead - they can't sue.

If your bookshelves aren't already groaning under the weight of the sizeable number of books about him already out there, here are two more. Published over a year ago Memories of Rudolf Nureyev by Nancy Sifton somehow slipped under my radar. https://nureyev.org/2417849/ This one is due for publication next month. https://www.bookguild.co.uk/bookshop/book/576/rudolf-nureyev-as-i-remember-him-GAIN/

Similar but different. In the days when the RB had lengthy NY seasons most years, the touring company moved into ROH. Wonderful opportunities to see their dancers in familiar roles and dancing their own rep. All classical back then.

I saw Dante in Paris last May and the audience went crazy for it. Mind you it is a cut above the non classical rep the Parisians have to endure.

Butterfly is the tip of the iceberg, drama and literature are also being scrutinised and classics rewritten As for Bournonville, his ballets are being stripped of religious connotations in Denmark because the director is an atheist.

A good way of putting it. The arts discover they're standing in a minefield.

The surival rate is far higher than you might think, I believe 90% of all operas written were created prior to 1800. Operas survive in libraries across the world and are now being excavated and performed, possibly because of dissatisfaction with much contemporary opera. All forms of early music are becoming popular now and operas once scorned, e.g. Salieri's, are being staged. Perhaps at some point in the future something similar will happen in the ballet world. I remember seeing Le Reveil de Flore in Baden Baden a few years back, a museum piece if ever there was one, but with a gorgeous central ballerina role. The audience clealy loved it as did I. perhaps much of the problem with the RB is down to the ever diminishing number of ballets performed each season. Choices are made that clearly exclude ballets that aren't cash cow classics or the brand spanking new.

Indeed, we happily flock to 17th century operas, why must ballet have to always be of today.

I note from the list that the ballets that we occasionally see from Ashton are all his later work, not much before 1960. Interesting that we are now mainly getting later MacMillan, regardless of quality.

AM had a big thing about Hallberg as a dancer, I assume his enthusiasm extends to his new career and company.

Nikolai Tsiskaridze has been a frequent visitor to London and the ROH for many years. I see nothing odd in his turning up to see Mr Hallberg, his former Bolshoi colleague.

I assume it was the pianist.

Thanks, I was surprised how few of his ballets are actually listed on line.

I'm under the impression that John Canko did a version of this ballet, is that correct? A google search bought nothing up. I have seen a picture where the caption says Cranko's Faun and I am curious.

Osteopath Margaret Papoutsis, has been treating dancers for decades now, take a look at the Dance related page on her website. https://www.margaretpapoutsis.co.uk/dancers.html I have been seeing Mararet for years, she was recommended to me by a dance professional in Paris. She is based in South Norwood, London and is a ten minute walk or short bus ride from Norwood Junction railway station

I find Cyril Beaumont the most reliable commentator on the Diaghilev ballets which he saw first hand. The problem is that we are looking back to a time when people would never dream of calling a spade a spade, therefore Beaumont refers to "the questionable character of Nijinski's movements". Beaumont also mentions the gasp from the audience. Certainly the ballet was toned down when the company took it to America and I suspect different versions of the ending co-exist. There are a great many accounts of Nijinski's life and it is generally thought that he wasn't naturally homosexual, However unlike the two successors to Diaghilev's affections he cannot be described as a sexual opportunist in the way both Massine and Lifar were. Nijinski was emotionally fragile and the life he found himself leading possibly contributed to his eventual mental collapse.

Calling them can indeed solve the problem, also they may offer seats not shown on line.

I saw this several years ago, so pleased it is still holding its own in the repertoire.

Surely if the ROH genuinely wanted to restrict their use of paper, they would reinstate cast sheets and stop selling progamme. Also the last time i went to the ROH shop they were still selling books. If they wish to uphold their 'green' credentials, they must stop that pracctice immediately.

That is a frequent complaint when Pappano is conducring.

I was pretty shocked to hear on the radio this morning that the 'just stop oil' group chose to disrupt a Carmelites performance at Glyndebourne yesterday. Why Glyndebourne was the target mystifies me as it has it's own wind tubine, something that I would have thought would make it immune from their attentions. Seeing that sporting events and even the Chelsea Flower show have suffered at the hands of these people, I suppose it is logical that theatre would be next. https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/just-stop-oil-halt-opera-performance/

There is an assumption here that all patrons are English speakers. That is not the case. I rarely buy programmes abroad, unless they are packed with pictures, my priority is to find out who is dancing/singing. I'm happy to pay a small charge as in Germany and Switzerland. I can't help feeling that this inexplicable practice diminishes the experience of the overseas visitor.

I have never been to a performance at the Bastille nor at the Garnier and not been handed a cast sheet and that includes performances of the Bejart programme and Dante Project a couple of weeks ago. Seeing as the ROH cast sheets used to carry up market advertising on the back, I'm surprised they are so ready to forgo a source of revenue.