aileen

Shya100, if there are others 'just as wonderful' as Naghdi (who has been pretty universally acclaimed) then what is the logic behind bringing in someone at principal level from another company?

In these times of reduced funding major donors (both corporate and individual) are crucial to the financial viability of ENB. It's hardly surprising that the staff and dancers have to 'pamper' (for want of a better word) them. I believe that 'private' funding will increasingly replace ACE funding which will be radically cut back and divided between a small number of lucky institutions. Anyway, what did you make of the masterclass, Quintus? (But perhaps you should start another thread for this)

I hope for ENB's sake that the RB isn't doing Song in the same season. I wonder how well Song plus Sylphide will sell. It seems a rather odd combination to me. I can see the thematic connection between Jeune Homme and Sylphide although stylistically they are wildly different. Why not tour Broken Wings? I think that most people would love it with its Mexican infused score, colourful costumes, wit and inventiveness.

Personally, I feel that Rudolf (like Onegin) is a role for a more mature dancer although I believe that Polunin danced it very successfully whilst he was still in his early twenties. I think that you need a powerful physical presence on the stage which few very young men have. Bruce, I assume that you are referring to Lopez Ochoa's Broken Wings. I too wish that it had had more recognition as I think that the choreographer's approach to narrative was so fresh and inventive. You saw all the elements of Frida Kahlo's life without plodding through scenes of, say, Kahlo standing by a canvas brandishing a paintbrush or being stretchered off the stage after being knocked down by a cardboard car. I really hope that it's brought back.

Tickets for the last run of Manon (was it Autumn 2015?) had to be discounted.

Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev were household names. Even people who had never seen a ballet had heard of them. The only person who comes close is Darcey Bussell who appeared on French and Saunders and became very much more famous after she retired as the result of joining the Strictly judging team. Why were Fonteyn and Nureyev so famous? Was ballet shown on television much more? I think that they featured in television news items (eg Fonteyn at a glamorous social event or stepping off a plane to dance somewhere) and in newspapers and magazines much more than today's dancers.

I didn't see any of the performances in this run but in the last run it was the forward steps lifting alternate legs high (I don't know what they're called) that looked so ungainly. I wonder whether it's a question of strength. I'm not going to name names but some of the very slightly built, leggy, hyper-flexible ballerinas don't look very strong to me. People have mentioned Nunez successfully navigating the role's choreography. She always looks very strong physically to me, in addition to having a secure technique.

Well, it depends how you differential critical from rude / offensive, Bill. Here's an example. I didn't think that Osipova had the crystalline quality needed in her dancing and presentation for the SPF in The Nutcracker. IMO, that's critical but not rude or offensive. What do you think?

Bill, are you able to tolerate any comments which are critical of Osipova's performances? Are you able to accept that she is less suited to some roles than others?

There are currently tickets available for all remaining performances on the SW website.

There are currently tickets for all remaining performances on the SW website.

Sorry to hear that you're leaving, Vanartus. Brexit has ruined Britain for me too and I'm British (but I hope to get Irish passports for me and my kids).

I don't think that it would have been a good idea, alison. At points there were bright lights shining directly into the auditorium.

I saw this tonight. It is an incredible theatrical experience and I very much enjoyed it.

Polunin did have enough money to invest in the much mentioned tattoo parlour in North London. There was a thread a while back about salaries at the RB. The RB pays well. Yes, an elite ballet dancer does not earn anything like the amount that a pretty average banker or footballer earns (Darcey used to go on about this) but that's how things are and as a supremely talented principal with the RB he would in a few years have been able to top up his salary by guesting and doing promotional work eg adverts. Regrettably, (IMO) he was impetuous and impatient and walked out of the RB rather than biding his tine for a couple of years and then negotiating more freedom to do other things / guest elsewhere. It would be interesting to know whether he has lost or gained financially in the five years since he left the RB. Not that it's all about money of course but it's something that he's frequently alluded to. There are two things that I do have some sympathy with. First, at the time of Polunin's departure there seems to have been a bit of a dearth of talent in the male ranks of the RB which may have made it more difficult for him to be released to guest etc. Secondly, it is extremely difficult for young people to buy somewhere to live in London these days, particularly as a single person and without substantial financial help.

Well, I think that going freelance is a huge risk for a dancer. Most dancers sustain one or more injuries during their career and as a freelancer you don't have the kind of (cost free) access to specialised physiotherapists that company dancers do. Then there is the very significant problem of loss of income whilst you are injured and recovering from injury. It's not uncommon for dancers to be 'out' for a year, and, presumably, company dancers are entitled to sick pay representing the whole or a proportion of their salary for at least part of their sick leave. I expect that it's possible to get insurance but, given the significant risk of injury, I imagine that the premiums would be extremely high, and after a substantial period of injury it might be extremely difficult to find cover at all. As for Polunin, if he and Osipova are no longer together, as a recent interview with him suggested, then I wonder how keen he actually is to return to the RB either permanently or as a guest. I believe that the tbc concerned Osipova's performances in Marguerite and Armand. Concerning his reliability, it's only fair to record that he did turn up and deliver the goods when he was invited back as a guest to dance with Tamara in M&A.

His performances at Sadler's Wells are completely sold out.

There was an item on this on tonight's Front Row on Radio 4.

I believe that Polunin left the RB five years ago and that he has now spent more time outside the RB than within it. IMO, it's regrettable that the same old stuff is still being raked over as it is very unproductive (and rather dull). Personally, I believe that Polunin should confine himself to talking about his recent projects and future plans rather than keep harking back to the fairly distant past.

I agree with proballetdancer. Training for a career as a classical ballet dancer is intensive, time-consuming and expensive. It has an impact on the rest of the family, particularly siblings, if parental time, energy and financial resources are disproportionately directed to the aspiring ballerina. If a parent can establish early on that a child has a major impediment to a career in clasdical ballet then it takes off the pressure and, as proballetdancer says, s/he can relax and just enjoy his/her dance rather than seek out more and more classes, private lessons, associate schemes and holiday courses in the hope of one day securing a place at a vocational school and a company position.

Lisa, is there any reason why Sean can't get a job over the summer to provide him with some money to tide him over until his loan comes through? Many students these days have to get jobs during term time to top up their loans because they do not cover the whole of their living costs. In some places students can get jobs working for the university.

Lisa, some halls of residence provide duvets and pillows (and some provide linen as well). And, as one of our friends said before he took his son to Manchester University, there *are* shops in Manchester and so Sean could buy what he needs when he arrives rather than lug everything from home. Supermarkets near universities have cottoned on to the student market and generally have a large stock of cheap pans and kitchen utensils at the start of term. Sean should check what is provided in the accommodation before he goes out and starts buying anything.

Well, children are occasionally put up a year in academic schools although it probably happens more in the independent sector. It's not for me to say how the RBS should operate its admission arrangements but it can cause problems accelerating a child as the child may lag behind his/her peers physically and, particularly, socially and emotionally in the already generally challenging teenage years. On a practical level, universities may be reluctant to accept students who will still be legal minors when they start their courses.

When my daughter was 7 she was a mouse / rat in her ballet school's production of Nutcracker. All the children wore identical costumes with headdresses which obscured most of their faces. I couldn't identify my daughter and she told me that she was the first mouse / rat to run onto the stage (proud mother moment!). However, as there was a first mouse / rat on each side of the stage and I never got it clear which side of the stage she had run on from I still wasn't sure which one she was.

There are too many magic moments to list but I, personally, get a tremendous thrill from seeing the 'uniform' corps in action in Nutcracker (Snowflakes), Swan Lake (swans) and Giselle (Wilis).