Ann Williams

Ian, I’m not sure if this is the right place for the following comment, but hopefully nobody will mind!

I'm happy with the way the links are being preserved by both you and John M – very grateful thanks indeed to you both. I believe that whatever else has to go in this new slimmed-down Ballet.co, the links should stay in whatever form possible - they were the first thing readers turned to in the old Ballet.co and - as you can see from the comments – they still are. The demise of our unique database is sad but understandable; however the majority of ballet.co’s readers simply wanted quick and easy access to relevant print and online reviews, comments and articles, which is exactly what the old links provided and hopefully still can provide.

You’ll have to forgive me if this is already under consideration, but I wonder if in the new structure a named links ‘co-ordinator’ could be appointed, someone to whom we could all send whatever links we were able to find. The co-ordinator could then, um….co-ordinate them and present them each day (if possible) with a comment acknowledging the contributors. This would have two benefits: it save one person a lot of search time, and it would probably mean a larger and more comprehensive set of links.

I don't think this has been posted before - the latest Evening Standard piece on SP (from today's edition) - a bit more hopeful-sounding than some:

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-24032012-ill-dance-again-says-ballet-star-who-quit.do

Anna, I absolutely agree. Reading between the lines (probably as reliable a way of getting to the truth as reading anything 'official'about the matter) I'd say it's all about everyone being too hasty: Polunin is young and inexperienced and may have been overwhelmed at the burden of his upcoming RB commitments, and the RB management - instead of reassuring him - have gone ahead and made an immediate announcement.

Fingers firmly crossed that the situation can be resolved and that SP is not permanently lost to the RB.

.

It's made the front page of tomorrow's Telegraph together with a pic. of Polunin.

If it is Mikhhailovsk dangling big bucks, then I hate him in the same way and for the same reason that I hate Rupert Murdoch - he snatches away everthing that's good once he realises that he can make yet more money from it.

I'm going to lie down in a darkened room now...

Ninag, to be fair to Wheeldon, 'Alice' was untypical of him - maybe you're unfamiliar with his work ? He is nothing if not a classical choreographer - I think 'Alice' was commissioned with a firm eye on a suitable Christmas 'show' with children in mind.

A Wheeldon R & J woudl really be something to look forward to!

The Royal Ballet and Marks and Spencer? Imagine the TV ads, with Dervala Kirwan (or whoever) breathing '"This isn't just ballet, it's the Royal Ballet..."

John, time may be playing tricks with me. but I think that in the 'old' days (ie, 8-10 years ago) when such evenings were annnounced the names of the dancers who had choreographed pieces were usually known, if not via an RB press release then by postings from knowlegeable Ballet-coers here (whichever, I always seemed to know in advance who was choreographing.)

If I've got that wrong, someone will surely correct me....

The programme also features Jonathan Cope (an important piece of information for Jonny fans!) - he and Ed are being interviewed about the coaching for R & J.

....or r who is choreographing?

I saw it at Westfield and loved it, though not quite so uncritically as Meunier - I found some of the ensemble dances slightly ragged and not properly synchronised. But this is nitpicking - the dancing generally was terrific, and I loved Megan Fairchild and Joaquin de Luz in the grand pas de deux - their dancing was simply breathtaking, and de Luz must be one of the most attentive partners in the world, an object lesson in how to do it. In the absence of cast sheets, sadly, I couldn't tell who the soloists were and would have loved to have been able to identify Ashley Bouder in particular (the credits whizzed by too fast to have been any use). I agree with Meunier about the children's dancing - they had been given proper choreography and performed the steps with impressive professionalism.

Oh, and incidentally I was petrified throughout the snowflakes lovely number by the sight of the bouquet of white pompoms accidentally dropped by one of the dancers - the choreography allowed no opportunity for it to be 'kicked into touch' - the usual procedure in cases like this - and it seemd to be waiting to bring someone down. It didn't happen, thankfully, but it certainly added a few shivers to the snowy scene.