Rachelm

I think he fell for her because he felt trapped in his role as Prince and could completely relate to her being trapped as a swan. He had that deep connection with her- a soul mate. I think the fact that he thought he could rescue her also meant in some way that there was hope for him- that he could be free too.

With regards to Joonhyuk Jun and his joyful portrayal of Benno- you remarked that you felt this was where his interpretation fell down. I’m interested to know if you felt it was inappropriate to portray the friend this way? That perhaps he should have allowed himself to “support” rather than stand out? I’m genuinely interested in your opinion!

Having seen the Naghdi/Ball partnership on Saturday, I would agree that Matthew Ball is perhaps not at his best currently. He had a fumbled ending to his act 3 solo, and I thought he seemed tired, but that’s me speculating. Joonhyuk Jun as Benno outshone him in my opinion. He was a joy.

I love Hamilton, and I very much see her as a principal. I understand that she may not dance Aurora, or Odette/Odile, but her performances elsewhere more than make up for that as far as I’m concerned. I still miss Beatriz Stix-Brunell very much from the First Soloist Ranks.

Yes- I really enjoy hearing lots of different opinions too.

I totally agree. It wasn’t a disaster and they recovered well.

There was one incident I noticed with the Two Swans in their duet where one (won’t say who) seemed to stumble and the second nearly collided. Other than that they were beautiful. With the cygnets I noticed no heaviness personally.

Awww! I enjoyed it a lot too. I think sitting close to the stage really amplifies the drama- you see all the expressions, the detail in the costumes, and the music is more intense, which I always find more emotional! Front row of the stalls is my favourite 👌 , though I was higher up today. This was my first live viewing of Scarlett’s production. I thought Yasmine Naghdi and Matthew Ball did as well as I expected (gorgeous!) and I especially loved their act 2 pas de deux, and the act 3 fireworks. Matthew Ball had a small slip at the end of the act 3 solo but it was minor, and he was great everywhere else. I always love his expressiveness. Joonhyuk Jun as Benno surprised me! I thought he was fabulous! The landings on most of his (very impressive) jumps were silent to my ears! Siegfried’s sisters were both beautiful- Annette Buvoli and Leticia Dias. Overall though the whole company performance felt a little flat to me. Maybe it’s because the dancers are mid season and all exhausted from working so incredibly hard?? Maybe this production just isn’t quite as successful as others I’ve seen? Or maybe I’ve just seen Swan Lake too many times? The latter is most likely the case!

I was on a backstage tour at the ROH on Tuesday, when fortune smiled on me and we happened upon Yasmine Naghdi and Matthew Ball rehearsing the Black Swan pas de deux. She was even wearing her black tutu! It was so beautiful to watch even for those few short minutes. I will be watching them live on Saturday afternoon and am so excited! (Incidentally Mayara Magri, Marcelino Sambe, and Reece Clarke casually walked past us. And we saw Darcey Bussell too. I would like to say I was cool as a cucumber, but I was totally starstruck!)

Wow! What a day you had! So glad you got to see Hayward and Campbell at the stage door. You’ve definitely convinced me to see her in the title role in the future. Looking forward to hearing about Melissa Hamilton’s performance.

Their chemistry was special! I was in tears many times throughout!

Agreed.

It’s one of my favourite ballets to watch live, as it leaves you feeling so uplifted! It’s so joyful!

I was so angry and disappointed by what I heard on Panorama that I’ve just written a 3 page letter to the RBS, sent by email, expressing my disappointment in them, but also how I think things can be changed for the better. I doubt it will even be read, but I at least feel better for writing it!

The Royal Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker has just arrived on Netflix- I was slightly astonished to say the least, but very happy to see it! The cast includes Anna-Rose O’Sullivan as Clara, Marcelino Sambe as the Nutcracker/Nephew, Marianela Nunez as the SPF, and Vadim Muntagirov as the Prince. I believe this is the first time this recording has been available to watch other than on DVD/Blu-Ray. It is certainly the first ballet Netflix has shown. Well done Netflix!

She really stands out to me more and more. I think she’s exquisite!

So many wonderful moments from the gala, but my standouts were Magri/Ball in Carousel, Watson/Richardson/Takada in Woolf Works, Within the Golden Hour, and everyone in Elite Syncopations, though I thought Benjamin Ella stood out in the male quartet- loved his style and easiness with the music. I really enjoyed seeing so many pieces I hadn’t seen before. I also thought the orchestra sounded really fresh and vibrant- I don’t know if it was to do with the placement in the stalls, or the young conductor I didn’t recognise, but I thought they sounded amazing! It was such a pleasure to watch it all live from the comfort of the living room and I’m so happy they are all back, and for the privilege.

There are so many documentaries I would love to see again, particularly the special on Alina Cojocaru. I think there was another for her partnership with Johan Kobborg too. But any Royal Ballet documentaries would be most welcome. I'd also love to see the latest RB Swan Lake again, as I recorded it on my previous Sky box and have since upgraded to a different box, so lost the recording. It was great to see Mayerling the other day though, I thought Sarah Lamb was divine!

Event cancelled.

Event cancelled.

I'm starting to agree with you and feel we need to be doing more already.

For Sale: Weds18th March Royal Opera House. The Royal Ballet: One ticket for Ballet Studio Live CLASS at 10.30am FRONT ROW Stage Level A42 £15.00 (face value). One ticket for Ballet Studio Live REHEARSAL at 12.15pm FRONT ROW Stage Level A17 £15.00 (face value) I'm no longer able to attend and hope somebody will be able to make use of these great seats. I will send tickets out quickly and via first class post which is 70p. Payment via Paypal.

For Sale: Weds18th March Royal Opera House. The Royal Ballet: One ticket for Ballet Studio Live CLASS at 10.30am FRONT ROW Stage Level A42 £15.00 (face value). One ticket for Ballet Studio Live REHEARSAL at 12.15pm FRONT ROW Stage Level A17 £15.00 (face value) I'm no longer able to attend and hope somebody will be able to make use of these great seats. I will send tickets out quickly and via first class post which is 70p. Payment via Paypal.

SOLD

For Sale: One ticket for Ballet Studio Live- the Royal Ballet class at the Royal Opera House- Paul Hamlyn Hall. 18th March 2020 10.30am Seat B19 Stage level. £15 face value. Please note- tickets are still available for this event, but I think they are for seats further back. This is on the second row I believe. Ticket by post.