Ann Williams

'...>Fingers crossed also for his first litter of puppies who are due on Tuesday'...> Must admit, I didn't know you could pinpoint the date of puppies' arrivals so accurately (if at all, to be completely honest). It's amazing what you can learn on ballet websites....

I was living in my first flat at the time of the moon landings and remember several of us crushed up on the one sofa to watch it. I well remember the sense of awe we all felt, but it really wasn't until yesterday with the reports of Neil Armstrong's death that I was struck with the full significance of both the event itsle and of Armstrong's extraordinary qualities as a man. There can't be many left like him, and as one commentator said last night, one can only wonder what effect he might have left on world history had he been in politics rather than astronautics. I truly don't think that's putting it too highly.

DID Darcey appear at all? I sat through most of the dross only to fall asleep just before the end - have now woken up (12.20 am on Monday 13th) to see the show being reported on BBC news without any mention of Darcey or the RB!

'....>"Hold ma hand, Ah'm a virgin in Barraland"<...' Oh,, do tell us the rest of the words, Ian!

Speaking of roses, I'm having a problem with my lovely 'ballerina' rose - it's first flush was beautiful and as soon as the blooms faded I pruned carefully for a second flush. This hasn't happened, or at least only two heads have opened, leaving several groups of tightly closed buds - they've been like that for about three weeks now. Does anyone think I'm just being impatient?

How sad to read of Nigel Charnock's untimely death in yesterday's links. His uniquely challenging and sometimes uncomfortable presence in the UK contemporary dance scene will be difficult – if not impossible - to replace. I remember him as a fierce performer - part dancer, part actor, part comedian but never less than a riveting and thought-provoking artist. Though his shows sometimes contained less dancing than a dance-obsessive like myself might wish, I never felt cheated by his work; his magnetism, wit and fervour (plus the undoubted dancerly quality of his movements) were enough for me. His performances were occasionally self-indulgent enough to irritate - more than once I longed for the courage to yell “Get over yourself!”, but thankfully never did find the courage, and I always went back for more. Nigel leaves an unfillable space in the dance world. My condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.

Puke green? Do you know, I've been wondering about a colour for the new sitting-room carpet and this has given me ideas.....

'...>Dear Anne, I didn't mention Bugaku as far as I can recall,...' Apologies, Meunier - my comments should have been addressed to Mijosh!. And thank you, Jane S, for the informaton about previous RB castings for Bugaku - I'm surprised the work got so many performances.

I'm curious, Meunier - why Takada in particular for 'Bugaku'? I ask, because it's the only one of Mr. B's works that I hated. To be more accurate, it's the only one I feel conflicted about; the choreography is uniquely inventive and sometimes rather beautiful, but on the other hand I personally find the subject matter offensively sexist - I'm surprised others don't. Akane, of course - or any other dancer - might feel different if offered the role!

I agree with Beryl in wanting to see Balanchine's 'La Sonnambula' (I've got it on video somewhere danced by Baryshnikov and Alessandra Ferri in an ABT production). It's a strange, haunting work, most untypical of Balanchine and I'm impatient to see it again.

'....Apart from Apollo and Ballo della Regina (both of which I have seen these year) what Balanchine ballets are in the repertoire of the UK companies?,...' Aileen - off the top of my head (and all from RB) are: Serenade, Jewels, Agon, Prodigal Son, Symphony in C, and there are others (The Four Temperaments?) which I can't now recall without digging out my old programme, but. other forumers will will surely post these.

PS to the above PS: Apologies to John Mallinson - I've just been reading today's links and I see that he has already got the Claire Calvert item I mentioned. Does nothing escape our links team?

Nina G and Aileen, is it too trusting to suppose that perhaps the RB’s casting choices are being made by the right (ie, qualified) people for the right reasons? I ask, because I’m rather naive about these things myself, and I have no insider knowledge at all about the company – I don’t know any of the dancers or back-stage staff personally, and have never learned to form the necessary stage-door acquaintanceships which might provide me with ‘special’ information. As to ‘favouritism’ – this is a hard nut to crack, but I find it difficult to believe that anyone with the responsibility for casting the RB’s (expensive) productions would allow anything but sound professional judgement to influence their decisions (which is not to say that I’m not sometimes surprised and disappointed myself by some casting choices). PS: Speaking of Claire Clavert, there was a lovely fashion-shoot photo of her in the Mail on Sunday’s ‘You’ magazine yesterday, posing in a short white costume with a cheeky little gold hat perched sideways on her head.

Just to correct my posting above on MacMillan’s ‘Four Seasons’, the music was by Verdi, not by Rossini (my mistake). And the excerpt from the Erik Bruhn competition I recorded was actually an extract MacMillan had devised from his 1974 full-length work, which was admired by some:. ‘With much pruning….. The Four Seasons could become the kind of ‘defilé’ ballet that the repertory has long needed.’’ (Peter Williams). I’d love to see the full-length work revived.

Re.MacMillan's 'Four Seasons', MAB, I had a video of - I think - the Spring and Autumn variations (to Rossini music) danced by the RB's Viviana Durante and Errol Pickford for a Canadian competition many years ago (1989/90?); sadly, I can't now find it. It was charning, a terrific example of inventive choreography matched by first-class dancing - in fact, Durante and Pickford won first prize! I've always wanted to see the whole work, but - unless I missed it - it has never been performed by the RB since that competition. Has anyone here ever seen the whole work?

Whilst on holiday in Crete severall years years ago, we happened on a taverna in a remote village offering 'Spleen Omlette Calf Pluckett' as a menu choice - ever since then 'Spleen Omlette' has become a standing joke as a menu choice for picky dinner guests!

Thanks very much for this, Anna. It looks (and sounds) fascinating - I had no idea Mlle. Guillem was fluent in Italian, but nothing about her would surprise me! I'm hoping to get a kind Italian friend to provid some bullet points for me.

For me, this is an easy question. All six paperbacks of Jane Austen's novels - bought by myself in the space of about three weeks after I had discovered 'Sense and Sensibility' - are beyond 'well-thumbed'; they've either had to be replaced already, or will shortly need to be. Each novel has been read so many times that I no longer worry about their condition - I simply replace them with second-hand paperbacks bought at bookfairs, which are usually clean and in good condition (nobody re-reads Austen as greedily as I do).

Just in from tonight's performance, a gift package of three particularly brilliant ballets. 'Birthday Offering' was a feast of blissful dancing from its opening waltz to the delicious solos for the ballerinas. Like Ian, I am unburdened with any memories of the original creators of these solos, so I was more than happy with tonight's interpreters; if forced to choose a favourite I'd say Yuhui Choe, as much for Ashton's deliberately cheeky 'dainty little ballerina' choreography as for Choe's immaculate performance. On 'Month' I agree with the comments above about Alina's rather muted performance as Natalia, although her dancing was as perfect as it usually is. She may simply have been attempting to tone down some of Ashton's extravagant 'romantic' exaggeration, but in my opinion that's what makes this ballet work. 'Noces' was the highlight of the evening for me. I've always loved this extraordinary work - the match of Stravinsky's choral music (strongly sung by Elizabeth Sikora, Rosalind Waters, Jon English and Thomas Barnard) with Nijinska's great blocks of stamping, rythmic, linear movement is as thrilling as anything to be seen on any stage. It was tightly performed by the entire cast tonight, the men probably having the edge in this performance. 'Noces', finally, is such a perfectly constructed work that it can fairly be described as architectural, so that's what I see it as - a beautiful piece of architecture.

I throw them out into the road where I know they will be run over, which may be cruel but not as cruel as the salt method. Incidentally, I found one in my front garden the other day which had a Tippex mark on its shell; I did laugh - this is what some people do to test the old wives' theory about about snails always returning to their place of irigin!

My misunderstanding, then. I have attended most of the ENB School's events over the last several years, and I was obviously thinking of his time there.

Surely Anthony Dowson has been with ENB longer than five years? My impression is that he has been with the company (as ballet master?) since well before Wayne Eagling's appointment.

Same here (West London). The geraniums, petunias, salvias etc which I bought at the end of April thinking I cold put them in the pots then are still languishing in their plastic pots, some of them half-demolished by the slugs (so look on the bright side, everyone - at least it's a great year for the slugs...).

'A special study will be made of the ballet Mayerling, choreographed byKenneth Macmillan and filmed for The South Bank Show in 1978...' We've certainlly seen this - or large chunks of it - relatively recently on non-Sky TV - I partcularly remember an interview with the young David Wall speaking about dancing the role of Rudolf.

'...I should also say that I am not a particular admirer of Tamara...' Aileen. I think we suspected that already, remembering some of your postings before her ENB appointment was oficially announced!