Jam Dancer

I am living in Tokyo at the moment and plan to attend 3 performances of the Royal Ballet tour but I must say it is sometimes very challenging to post on the forum. I usually force myself into the conversations none the less 😊. Sometimes I need a stiff drink first and by then the details of what I wanted to add are a bit less clear... Naomi is quite obviously a non-native English speaker and she has said as much before. For her to be as generous as she has been with taking the time to post a review and then be needled about full names is a bit too much. In an earlier post about the Japan tour, she was also taken to task after having taken time to translate dancers’ names from katakana to English when she made a mistake in the spelling of the surname of someone’s favourite dancer🙄. For the record I agree with citing full names but can’t we all recognise the context sometimes and just encourage others to participate. If you recognise who the dancers are then perhaps given the context, supplement the post and add them even if with question marks? Or is better to chase away someone who is obviously trying to contribute positively to the forum? Ok - off soapbox now and on to looking forward to Sunday’s matinée performance of Don Q with Lauren Cuthbertson and Matthew Ball.

Thanks Naomi! The tickets I managed to get are for Sunday 6/30 performance.

Of course my post was a generalisation and I said as much. It doesn’t make me you more right and me wrong and what is largely a subjective matter. My opinions can only be formed from my experience. You’re reacting as if I claimed I’d done an exhaustive study across the country from the beginning of time. I don’t see what asking me about my educational background would prove even if were to answer any of your questions. However much of an expert you might be, your knowledge would only be based on a period of time and you’ve no idea when I went to school. I’ll just say that I went to what are still considered “good” schools but this means nothing as the standing of a school doesn’t always indicate the quality of its teaching. I don’t recall saying my college courses were disappointing - I mentioned the level of analysis that was required and I cited the difference in approach. My opinion was formed from my interaction with other students in class as well as from friends I made over the years and their experiences compared to mine. I didn’t mention that because I wasn’t trying to claim I had the definitive answer. I didn’t mention my studies in France either that informed my opinion but I didn’t see this as an exhaustive dissertation and as an argument that I had to win. I also mentioned that I did not concentrate on literature which should’ve indicated that I was not making any statements about the study of literature in America. Now that I’ve been duly shown up for the non literature expert that I am with my irrelevant experience at some community college in America that I deigned to relate to this discussion, I’ll leave the comments to the better educated and the better informed.

Interesting discussion - now hoping to be able see Marston’s work as soon as I can. For what it’s worth Angela, I understand what you’re saying and I am inclined to agree with you. I say this as someone with a British-based pre-university education who attended university in America and lived and worked there for 13 years after graduating university. I also popped back some time after for a couple years to do a graduate degree. Saying “Americans” doesn’t literally mean every single American so of course there will be many people who like narrative ballets but in general perhaps they don’t. For me the difference in the manner of how literature was taught in university compared to what I did at a high school level was striking. The level of critical analysis and examination I was asked to bring to my work in literature classes in high school was rarely equalled except in a course entitled “Continental Short Fiction”. Could this be one possible reason for the difference? I find there is a curated/museum-like approach to European and British literature (and history) that can hinder real appreciation/engagement . To be clear, I majored in Computer Science major but insisted on getting as much of a liberal arts education as I could.

Wonderful photos! Much better than my attempts with my phone 😂 I really enjoyed the matinée on Friday and it was a day of firsts for me which made it special. It was my first time sitting in the Donald Gordon tier after having sat in every other section of the ROH over the years. It was my first time seeing the company live this year - I was afraid that jet lag and the 13 hours of travel the day before would mean I’d fall asleep during the performance. It was also My first time ever saying hello to a dancer I admire - Leanne Benjamin was sitting in the same row and I couldn’t help myself when passing by after an interval. Lastly, it was my first time seeing David Hallberg dance although I’ve always wanted to. I enjoyed Hallberg and Natalia Osipova in A Month in the Country. I did think however, that he sure made the role look like hard work. It’s been a while since I last saw the piece performed but I do remember dancers like Rupert Pennefather seeming less harried - minor quibble though. I could feel that Mayara Magri’s Firebird wanted to be free and was doing all she could to free herself from the pesky Ivan. The elevation on her jumps was impressive. Bravo to Fumi Kaneko for not getting rattled after the slip of her shoe at the beginning of Symphony in C. Bravo to Joseph Sissens for just being a joy to watch. I did think that the 2nd movement was a bit slower than it needed to be but it could’ve been jet lag attacking my senses. It was a lovely performance and even more so as some dancers seemed to have got the better of their reported struggles. I am quite excited about seeing the company in Tokyo later this month!

Although I think this is indeed true - Hayward is standing on pointe in the photo.

Thank you Naomi! I am semi literate so I should be able to pick my way through the site. I will definitely give it a try.

Beyond disgusted and a bit heartbroken to wake up this morning to an email from Viagogo saying that the seller can’t provide the tickets to the RB gala for which they took my nearly £300 back in February😡. Had I understood that there was any chance of this happening I would have kept on looking to get actual tickets instead of the imaginary ones that Viagogo is allowed to put up for sale. They are refunding the money I paid but it’s little consolation as it’ll take a miracle for me to get tickets at this late stage. I am thinking of trekking to Yokohama on the day but I know this would be nothing more than an exercise in futility - grrr.

I saw this and was hopi it would clarify the latter half of 2019 but unfortunately it didn’t. No clearer on what’s happening in December 2019/early January 2020.

Given the mixed sources it’s not terribly sophisticated data I’m afraid but yes much of the interest to which I am referring is in classical/neoclassical ballet. I’ve no idea though if there’s increased interest compared to some other period...

No i don’t think that’s the case. There is usually a vocal minority that tends to hog airtime which leads to people believing that they’ve heard from an entire group when only a few who’ve appointed themselves spokespeople have made their feelings known. Whilst the naysayers do exist, there are far more people who don’t make those kinds of statements and who simply have not had the exposure, others who are curious or others who think it’s perhaps beyond them and quite a large number of people who are just indifferent. This brings up the dreaded “r”’word, relevance. These people aren’t necessarily committed fans of the current popular/hip art forms but they don’t think classical music /ballet/opera is relevant to them or to today. I don’t know what the answer in today’s environment of shortened attention spans and what seems to be a lack of appreciation for history. What I do know however, from those I know who do dance outreach work is that there is interest in ballet across groups.

I agree with this. I think most people get that the country is 82% white - the percentage is not the issue. The issue is that there is definitely talent in the other 18% that never seems to get tapped, encouraged and make it despite the interest and skills. There never seems to be much wringing of hands or gnashing of teeth over this. Instead when a few people of different persuasions make it through, they are treated like unicorns. The myth that people from certain groups are only interested in certain art forms seems to have become common place.😞 It’s not what I see on the ground when people are exposed to and get the opportunity to participate in different activities beyond what they’re “supposed to do.” This mistaken perception exacerbated because it is difficult for certain people to get in ( there are matters beyond the usual training being expensive and only a small percentage ever make it and certain groups not having the disposable income). And it’s not only the most obvious ism although that is surely present as it is across society as a whole. On a related note, I don’t usually go to the Notting Hill Carnival because it’s become such a bastardised version of what a real West Indian Carnival is meant to be. It (carnival) is usually about dancing (revelry and pageantry) which I love in all of its forms but there is little dancing at Notting Hill (and not much revelry and too little pageantry)... wasn’t aware it was only certain types as most people there don’t look like me.

I would’ve begged, borrowed and sneaked aboard a London bound flight for that one... I had a sneaking suspicion that was in the works...

What’s the point again?

Well I just bought tickets for the Royal Ballet when they visit Japan in June. I know it must be a huge cost to bring such a large company, costume, sets, etc such a long distance but my goodness, the tickets were eye wateringly expensive! £56 for the cheapest section and I dared to get the next section up which cost me £77. I got one ticket for Don Q and as there were no tickets for the gala at all on the NBS website, I was forced to go to Viagogo where tickets in the section before the last were £109. Viagogo whacked on another ¥4250 (£29) for delivery and 2 tickets later I’d paid £297. I think we may rethink the weekend in Yokohama and just schlep in and back home for the performance. I never complained about ticket prices at home and after I move back (thinking positively) to the UK I swear I never will complain. Now it looks like ramen lunches for next month or two after this spending spree. Eek 😬

Horses for courses I guess because I have never really taken to George Balanchine’s version despite trying several times when I lived in New York. I don’t think there’s a perfect version (disliked ENB’s version) but I’ve come to appreciate the RB’s version.

An inspiration and thankfully a role model as well.

Spot on Lizzie1! Software development is a bit more complicated than the media makes it seems and I think ROH probably for itself in a pickle with what seems like some not fully thought through changes so let’s hope they get it right this time.

I also saw both performances yesterday and I am of a similar opinion regarding Winter Dreams. Laura Morera’s interprétation conveyed much more emotion and made the farewell pas de deux difficult to watch for me. I’ve always liked Akane Takada and thought her to be a lovely lovely dancer so there was less of a surprise there. I think that she has become more comfortable coming outside herself and inhabiting the different characters and that’s become more apparent.

Well you were correct. Apparently she was such an excellent Sylvia that she was promoted to Principal Dancer immediately after her debut performance on Saturday evening (10th)!

Well mixed feelings on this... I’ll be in attendance at a couple of the performances for sure but sure wish they would’ve chosen something else. If I am really lucky perhaps Symphony in C will be one of the gala pieces. That’s two trips to Yokohama then!

Thank you Naomi M!

I adore Lambarena and love Frances Chung. I’d like to see the piece live but SFB has always had a bit of strange timing in its season that I’ve only ever managed to see the company abroad and never in it’s home city. Passing through London on June 8th 2019 and hoping to fit in a SFB performance and RB performance on the same day!

😫😢☹️😱😡😔😖 - sorry-just despair and resignation here as won’t get to any of the performances but loving the reviews! Slinking off to figure out when cinema performance likely to land in Tokyo.

Well I am not sure that colour needs to be the major casting consideration for the Caterpillar ...I can’t remember which company but I think Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland will be done by a local company here in Tokyo and I think they may take a different approaches casting. I am not sure when the last time a white actor was cast as Othello but my surprise was more at the “so normal to have black actors play ‘white’ parts” as that is contrary to the experiences of many of the prominent black actors in the UK who have openly discussed the scarcity of good work in Britain and the fact that they have to go to America... I imagine that there are also people asking about the last time a Black opera singer in the UK was cast as Aida in a significant production.