MAB

Sim, I was responding to Marissa, not Farfallina.

Exactly which news report was that? A link please. The fact that she is a pupil of Tsiskaridze's is neither here nor there, he is one of the most popular teachers at the Bolshoi.

The article states that police have raided Dmitrichenko's home, so they must have evidence to make him a suspect other than that he and Filin didn't get on. His isn't the name I was led to believe would eventually emerge. On one of my trips abroad to watch the Bolshoi a few years back I was very kindly allowed to watch the daily class and among the younger dancers it was Dmitichenko who impressed me the most as a pure classicist. Although he does get the occasional leading role, such as dancing Spartacus here in London, his career doesn't seem to have progressed the way I rather imagined it would.

I'd seen the ads on the tube, going down the escalator and it didn't register at first that they were for any sort of ballet, just rather ugly pics selling something I undoubtedly didn't want. When I saw them in the Guardian I was very sad they are being used in conjunction with ENB and I wonder just how much this **** cost. Answer: too much for a cash strapped ballet company.

McRae is pretty impressive granted and Watson is very good in modern or dramatic roles but the rest simply don't register on an international or historic scale.

No, I think Mr Watts is right in this instance.

Interesting overview of the Moscow ballet scene in Le Monde. http://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2013/02/20/au-bolchoi-l-odeur-tetue-du-vitriol_1835467_3246.html

I always rather liked Dances of Albion and was hoping it could be revived at some time. Still have vivid memories of Collier dancing 'Goddess Excellently Bright' and Whitten & Eagling in the 'Rose Thou Art Sick' pas de deux.

I was told that Wayne Eagling once danced Armand with Fonteyn in the US, can anyone confirm this? For those less than enthusiastic about La Valse, get yourselves over to Sadlers Wells and see what the Pina Bausch company does with it, the dog alone is worth the price of admission.

Don't think hair colour is a consideration for Onegin, they dance it at RDB where blond men are commonplace, indeed the best Onegin I ever saw was Kenneth Grieve.

I've been wondering about this too, could it have been some caustic substance was thrown that wasn't actually acid? That poor young girl that Ann commented on in an earlier post did have acid thrown at her and the effect on her face was catastrophic.

Thanks a lot, that's very helpful. Mary B.

A quick question from someone with a train to catch: how long is long? More than three hours?

I'm afraid all promising young male dancers are said to be the latest Nureyev. Pre Nureyev they were compared with Nijinsky. Only when Polunin dances M&A and the applause lasts from 20 to 40 minutes will I consider he might be worthy of the Nureyev mantle.

My memories of this ballet go back to the original cast and I've seen at least five companies dance it but I've never heard anything other than minor differences of tempi, nothing to make me note a major change. I've noticed a couple of minor differences of approaching certain roles though.

And yet nowhere near as dysfunctional as the Kirov, but so far they have kept their scandals under wraps, though that may change soon.

That is beyond disgusting. After Filin publicly stated that Tsiskaridze wasn't responsible and that he knows who his attacker is, Ikasanov accuses Tsiskaridze of wrecking the career of Gennady Yanin, one of his closest friends. Ikasanov has tried to get rid of Tsiskaridze ever since he had the temerity to question the high cost and shoddy workmanship of the Bolshoi Theatre restoration. He wasn't the only one to raise those questions, but he was the one critic with a very high public profile who attracted the most media interest in what was undoubtedly a major scandal. This settling of scores in the public arena is astonishing; could anyone imagine a general administrator of ROH behaving in this fashion? Of course not, there is something very wrong here.

I'm getting really upset with the allegations against Tsiskaridze with the press acting as judge, jury and executioner, this German article is even worse than the rubbish I've read in the British press. Someone is really punishing him for being outspoken in the past. The idea of Nikolai Tsiskaridze stalking Filin with a jar of acid is as bizarre as picturing Bambi toting an AK-47.

What about non-Londoners? One of my friends comes down to performances from Nottingham and almost needs running shoes to get back to the station on time. Perhaps if the stalls circle bar was re-opened people wouldn't have to queue so long for a drink and there used to me more loos dotted around the building at one time too. Frankly I'm not a fan of the changes made to the front of house. The changes needed were backstage and surely with the new arrangements set changes are simplicity itself as each is simply wheeled over from the side of the stage. Unless something goes wrong, they don't need 30 minutes to stike a set.

Was that the best picture they could find of Tsiskaridze?

I've a feeling that won't prove a popular choice with the Parisians.

Congratulations to her. A wonderful dancer though we rarely had the opportunity to appreciate her talent in London, perhaps the company should consider providing her with a bodyguard though.

No Krysanova or Antonicheva and no Gudanov either.

You're quite right, but it was at the instigation of Sol Hurok, the American impressario. It was a long time before the concept of marketing classical performers caught on here.

Actually the concept of 'marketing' performers was unknown in Fonteyn's day - she made it on her own merits.