Ann Williams

Bruce, haven't laughed as much in ages as I did at your review (above) of 'Made in Heaven' - I can't decided whether it was the 'endless, endless' pulling of the outboard engine cord, or the decapitated nun's head rolling around the stage which I found most hilarious - whatever, I deeply regret missing this unique dance performance - what an excuse to rifle through You Tube for possible clips. Thank you, Bruce!

'...> and what are they [crane flies] doing hatching at this time of year anyway - they're supposed to be out around September-ish.<...' Yes, well my Japanese Anenomes are not supposed to be out until 'around September' either, but they've been in bud for about a fortnight already. It's the end of the world, I tell you...we're all doomed, doomed!

'...>there aren't even any interesting guests as they all come from, or have recently left, the RB<...' Yes, Aileen - odd that there are no ENB dancers in the line-up, given that their new(ish) AD has often expressed her admiration for Carlos! Maybe the dates clash with something they're doing elsewhere - does anyone here know? A more serious worry to me, though, would be that not all of those promised starry names will be able to perform on the night, something which frequently happens with major international galas. This is actually the main reason I've long given up booking for them.

No 3D where I saw it either, but since I have a minor sight defect which means that I cannot get the benefit of the 3D experience, this didn't matter. I loved the performance for all the points mentioned above - wondrous, easy dancing, the precision of the corps and the Maryinsky Orchestra's playing under Gergiev's masterly conducting. I loved Kondaurova's beautifully controlled dancing and her moving grasp of Odette's tragedy, presented simply and without pretention. I also admired the unshowy Timor Askerov's Siegfried (a Tom Cruise-lookalike if ever there was one). He seemed a calm and controlled partner for Kondaurova and showed easy power in his solos – we’ll surely see more of him. What I didn't like was the curiously old-fashioned look of the design; particularly the womens' costumes - when will the Russians get over their curious fondness for French Foreigh Legion-type cloths flapping from the back of headdresses? Messy and unflattering. I was disappointed that we weren't shown the tweets coming in from round the world as we were for the last couple of Royal Ballet live transmissions (this may be an RB innovation of course) but overall this showing of the Maryinsky's Swan Lake was a marvelous treat and I hope we won’t have to wait too long for another live broadcast from this great company.

I've just discovered this myself John - all this Bolshoi scandal coverage has obviously planted their name in my brain! (I haven't opened the links yet so I look forward to reading the MacGibbon interview)..

Did I dream I saw that there was to be a live cinema broadcast (this month) of the Bolshoi's Swan Lake? I can find no reference to it now that I'm looking seriously!

I only watched intermittently, and even then only briefly, but I did catch the Finnish entry "Marry Me", which I thought was terrific fun - mocking, cheeky, abd delivered with enormous wit and energy. Naturally, it got nowhere.

The company I see most regularly is the RB and it seems to me that excellent acting is fairly standard there, and not only from the principal; in most of MacMillan's work, Manon and R & J in particular, the corps never just 'stand there', they're fully involved in the story and filling out their tiny individual roles with telling detail. But I do agree with what Josephine said about Alessandra Ferri in R & J - no Juliet I've seen since has displayed the depths of Juliet's tragedy in the way Ferri did. If you have the video recording of her performance with Wayne Eagling as Romeo, watch the bedroom pdd when she 'knows' she'll never see Romeo alive again and you'll see what I mean.

Review of new book on Nijinski on Radio 4's Front Row is on at the moment.

Not sure if that's a statement or a question, eliamato, but the dance awards part of the ceremony as broadcast on Sunday only showed a brief glimpse of Marienela shyly thanking everyone for her award - I almost missed her because she was nearly unrecognisable with elaborably styled and darkened hair! There was also mention of Christopher Wheeldon as the recipient of a choreographic award, but there wasn't even enough time to read the subtitled information on what the award was. A shame they couldn't spare more time on both Marienela's and Christopher's awards.

Any dancer getting through the role of Rudolf without collapsing done more than just 'good', and I thought Ben done brilliant, as a matter of fact! Many, many congratulations to him, as well as to Mara (last night probably marked the last chance I shall have to see her dance before she retires and I only wish I could have waited at the stage door to express my admiration and gratitude personally). I thought everyone pulled out all the stops last night, and if I could single out anyone it would have to be Emma Maguire for making me understand at last what the wedding-night pdd was all about - MacMillan's choreography suddenly clarified both her terror of Rudolf and Rudolf's own helplessness and desperation. Magnificent dancing from both Emma and Ben here. And speaking of magnificent, what a magnificent overall production the RB's 'Mayerling' is. I can't imagine any other company matching it, though I believe there are now actually two Russian companies performing it. Can this be true? Does anyone have any details of either or both productions?

Re. Porthesia's posting about people in doctors' waiting-rooms, I couldn't agree more. Over the last year I've had to attend a local A&E department a few times (leg-in-plaster syndrome..) and I've seen apparently entire families, including grandparents, spending hours there waiting while one of their numbers gets seen to. - they appear to see it as an enjoyable excursion!

Mayerling has never been my favourite MacMillan work - overly ambitious, too many characters, too many tortured and contrived pdd with too many women etc., but I have to say, after these reviews..... Any spare tickets, anyone?

I was about to post some very laudatory words about Graham Watts' piece in Londondance when I saw that I'd be beaten to it by no less than both Janet McNulty and Sim, so I'm in excellent company! Graham's piece is admirably balanced and no doubt scrupulously researched, and he's probably right in everything he surmises. His words are easily the best I’ve read so far on this whole sorry issue.

Meunier - so sorry that they appear to have cut the dance part out of the Schaufuss interview - it can't have lasted more than 90 secs. The brief piece of Schaufuss' choreography looked promising, but was probably carefully chosen by Scaufuss himself for maximum impact, so it may have been the best bit of the whole show!

Um...apologies for the double postings...quite accidental..

Peter Schaufuss, choreographer and producer of ‘Midnight Express’ appeared on the BBC Breakfast show this morning’ Here’s the clip: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22038504. The ballet looks tough and interesting - I was particularly struck with the reference to Christopher Bruce's 'Swansong' in the excerpt shown (much business with chairs etc.). I’ll be buying a ticket.

Peter Schaufuss- choreographer of ‘Midnight Express’ - the ballet in question - appeared on the BBC Breakfast show this morning’ Here’s the clip: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22038504. The ballet looks tough and interesting, and I was struck with the reference to Christopher Bruce's 'Swansong' in the excerpt shown (much business with chairs etc,). I’ll certainly buy a ticket.

A sad day - Leanne has been an RB shining light for almost all my life as a ballet fan and it's hard to accept that she will no more be an eagerly looked-forward to name on cast-sheets. Significant too that she is the last of the company's remaining dancer links with both Ashton and de Valois, links which I'm sure will feature prominently in the book which- hopefully - she'll write! I wish her much success and happiness in the future.

Re the pronounciation of Don Quixote, Janet made reference to the 'Donkeyshot' version. Cross my heart and hope to die, I actually saw this version in a programme for an ENB gala at the start of my ballet-going career in the very late 80s or v. early 90s. So early was it, in fact, that I couldn't even make a guess as to what ballet it was and spent quite a lot of time trying to visualise a ballet about a donkey being shot... I think the 'Don-key-ho-tay' version is probably the most accurate - just don't say it that slowly!

I've just got back from seeing it too, at the Vue in Westfield shopping centre in Shepherd's Bush, where a disastrous technical blip towards the end nearly ruined it for us all; the screen suddenly went blank, the lights came and we were treated to about ten minutes of ads for the Vue Cinema with the sounds of the ballet still audible (Stephen McRae tapping). At last the relay came back, just as a lovely Lamb-Bonelli pdd began and all was well until the end - seven or so minutes later - when the screen and went blank again to allow the management to apologize and hand out complimentary tickets for a future Vue showing. Apart from that, Mrs Lincoln, I enjoyed the show - Sarah Lamb's dancing was magnificent (truly. the only way I can describe it) and Bonelli - whose dancing is always perfect - was a romantic dream of a partner; he's my absolute favourite of the RB male dancers. I was sorry that the necessarily abrupt ending of the screening didn't allow for the cast list to appear because I couldn't recognise who was dancing what under the elaborate costuming and makeup, apart from Ed Watson and Zen (both terrific, Zen a real comic gem). My only grumble was that I thought the music in Act 1 was pitched uncomfortably high for a small cinema, but there may have been techinical reasons for this. I loved the tweets, by the way, especially one from, I think, France saying "I want a jam tart NOW!"

Thank you, Arky - of fourse that's how you do it - I should have remembered! I plead senility... Ann

Help! I seem to have lost the facility for sending private messages. Is it under my nose or what?

Thanks both. Janet, I was logged in so I logged out and then logged in again. This solved the problem for a brief while but then the system reverted to problem status again, so I repeated the process, with the same result. I'll obviously have to get help.

....I'm putting it here. Has the forum format changed? I seem to have lost the name of the last poster plus the time and date of their posting and am left with only the broad subject category (though I can get the missing details once I go into the category). Is this just my PC slipping its lead?