Rachelm

MacMillan's Anastasia by The Royal Ballet on Sky Arts today at 1pm!!

That's brilliant- thank you!

Do you know if she was originally cast, or filling in as a replacement?

Awww thanks! Needless to say, the other shoe stays well out of the dog's way. I never thought in a million years that she'd go for it!

I bought one of Olivia Cowley's pairs for Alzheimer's last year- Mayara Magri's. I was so thrilled to get them! A month later my fiance and I returned home to find a mush on the floor. I couldn't tell what it was at first. Then I saw a pointe shoe ribbon amongst the wet mush- my dog had completely chewed up one of the shoes! I cried!!!!!! Luckily I still have one.

I gave up too. I'd been looking forward to that for a long time.

Argh! They're filming from the back of the class again! They did this last year.

I was one of those people!!!

I certainly feel more compassion for Polunin after watching this, I previously thought him foolish and slightly deluded for leaving the RB. He has inner turmoils that I believe other great artists have suffered- Tchaikovsky, Van Gogh, and various contemporary musicians come to mind. As a child I imagine he must have felt completely abandoned, and that is a great trauma for any youngster. Maybe not everybody would react in the same way to such trauma, but his seeming resentment of his talent makes sense, in that it has taken him away from his family, even if he does love it. To love and hate something at the same time, I think, would create much conflict within his personality. The motivation and discipline that one commentator in the film thought he now lacked and hated, brought to mind Steven McRae, who seems conversely to thrive on discipline. I think they're an interesting contrast in that sense, even if they seem to have the same passion and perhaps vanity (?). Some may see the film as a expression of "poor me", which in a sense I think it is, but it certainly does enlighten us as to his decision to leave the Royal Ballet and give us the opportunity to understand and have some form of compassion towards him. I loved "Take Me To Church". I think he should do more work like that, where he can express himself and be free. I guess there are more ways than one of being a thriving professional ballet dancer! He's doing things his own way, in a way that works for him, and I respect that now.

I'm not sure if you would include these in "significant" Alison: Big Swan in Swan Lake, Rose Fairy in The Nutcracker.

I had no idea, so I'm glad you said. I was wondering!

So happy for Mayara Magri, Tierney Heap, and Fumi Kaneno!! Well, all of them really! I would have been surprised if Matthew Ball had not been promoted to principal! I was also pleased to see that Nadia Mullova- Barley, the student from the BBC "Dancing the Nutcracker" documentary, has now joined the company following her apprenticeship. I find it so enjoyable to follow their career progression.

Same!! Except I'm 38!

Great question! I love ballet costumes so much! All of my favourites are from The Royal Ballet: definitely the Sugar Plum Fairy's tutu, Titania's dress from The Dream, Gamzatti's red costume from the end of La Bayadere, the lead female's costume in Prince of the Pagodas in the earlier acts- that's divine! Most of the dresses in Mayerling (except Mitzi's).