Jan McNulty

It was mentioned on Breakfast News this morning too. Personally I love red hair and am very envious of anyone with that hair colour!

Yes ABT has visited the UK. I think the last time was a couple of years ago when Sadler's Wells was promoting seasons at the Coli. I thought the tickets were over priced so didn't go. Unless there has been some form of public confirmation perhaps we should stop speculating about Ms Semionova's absence.

Hello Bluemountain and welcome to the Forum! I'm sorry I can't answer your query but I am sure other members will be able to offer advice.

If people are going to keep on sniping at each other this thread will be closed down as the previous one was. I know none of the participants personally and I have read the items published in English and the iffy translations of items published in Romanian and I have no idea whatsoever is going on! Nor, do I suggest, does anyone except for those people immediately involved.

I've moved the posts about choreographers tweaking works to a new thread as this thread had gone way off topic: http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/12494-choreographers-tweakingreworking-ballets/

I have moved the above posts from the Frankenstein thread which had gone way off topic. This is an interesting topic in its own right.

And the official press release: THE ROYAL BALLET TOUR TO JAPAN 2016 Tokyo 16 - 26 June / Fukuoka 29 June / Osaka 1 July / Nagoya 3 July/ Fukuyama 6 July The Royal Ballet tours to Japan this summer with Romeo and Juliet and Giselle, two iconic productions from the repertory showcasing the Company’s virtuosity and theatricality. Performing Thursday 16 June – Wednesday 6 July, the tour takes in five cities; Tokyo, Fukuoka, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuyama, returning to some of the venues first visited by The Royal Ballet during its inaugural tour to Japan in 1975. The Royal Ballet has toured Japan on a number of occasions, most recently in 2013 with Christopher Wheeldon’s production of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Japanese members of the Company include First Soloists Ryoichi Hirano, Hikaru Kobayashi and Akane Takada; Soloists Luca Acri and Fumi Kaneko, and Artists Chisato Katsura and Mariko Sasaki, who will be performing in a variety of roles throughout the duration of the tour. Kevin O’Hare, Director of The Royal Ballet said “Touring to Japan is always a highlight for the Company, the audiences are so warm and receptive and I'm delighted that this summer we'll present two masterpieces from The Royal Ballet repertory Romeo and Juliet and Giselle, showcasing the breadth, artistry and talent of our world-class dancers." Kenneth MacMillan’s landmark production of Romeo and Juliet will be performed at the Bunka Kaikan Theatre, Tokyo from Thursday 16 June –Sunday 19 June and The Aichi Arts Centre, Nagoya on Friday 3 July. Set to Sergei Prokofiev’s emotionally charged score and with sumptuous designs byNicholas Georgiadis, MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet is regarded as a ballet masterpiece and has been a seminal production of The Royal Ballet repertory for over 50 years. It was last performed in Japan by The Royal Ballet in 2013. Peter Wright’s classic production of Giselle will also be performed at the Bunka Kaikan Theatre, Tokyo from Wednesday 22 June - Sunday 26 June, The Sun Palace Hall, Fukuoka on Wednesday 29 June, the Hyogo Performing ArtsCenter, Osaka on Friday 1 July and the Hall of Art & Culture in Fukuyama on Wednesday 6 July. Giselle is regarded as one of the great Romantic ballets and is amongst the most celebrated in The Royal Ballet’s repertory. This spellbinding production tells the story of Giselle, a gentle peasant girl who is driven to her death when deceived by her aristocratic lover Count Albrecht. Last performed by the Company in Japan in 1995, the production incorporates John Macfarlane’s evocative original design, and, this year, enjoyed an acclaimed revival at Covent Garden. Ends The Royal Opera House would like to thank all tour supporters and Aud Jebsen for her support of the Royal Ballet touring programme. Tour Dates and Performances (casting to be confirmed) Toyko Bunka Kaikan Theatre, Thursday 16 June- Sunday 19 JuneRomeo and Juliet 16 June 6.30pm / 17 June 1.30pm† & 6.30pm / 18 June 1pm & 6pm / 19 June 1pm Giselle 22 June 7pm / 23 June 1.30pm†/ 24 June 7pm / 25 June 2pm /26 June 2pm Fukuoka Sun Palace Hall Giselle Wednesday 29 June 6.30pm Hyogo Performing Arts Center Giselle Friday 1 July 6.30pm Aichi Arts Center Romeo and Juliet Sunday 3 July 1.30pm Fukuyama Hall of Art & Culture Giselle Wednesday 6 July 6.30pm † Schools Performance Romeo and Juliet CREATIVE TEAM Choreography Kenneth MacMillan Music Sergey Prokofiev Designer Nicholas Georgiadis Lighting Designer John B. Read Giselle CREATIVE TEAM Choreography Marius Petipa after Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot Music Adolphe Adam revised by Joseph Horovitz Scenario Théophile Gautier after Heinrich Heine Production Peter Wright Designer John Macfarlane Original Lighting Jennifer Tipton Lighting re-created by David Finn Additional choreography by Peter Wright

I was in Cheltenham for the matinee on Saturday. This is a great programme! Miki Mizutani and Laura Day were both sublime in Solitaire. Miki and Fergus were a total delight in the beautiful pdd. I don't usually like Monotones ll because I do not like the music. However on Saturday afternoon with Jonathan Higgins playing the piano score so beautifully I was converted by that performance. Jenna Roberts, Tom Rogers and Yasuo Atsugi were glorious together. Having seen this recently at ROH I have to say that it may only be 3 dancers but it looks a lot better on a larger stage. With Tom and Yasuo being 2 of the taller gentlemen of the company I must admit I was a bit worried about how the piece would come across but I need not have worried at all. All three dancers coped particularly well with the tiny stage and, against expectation, this was my highlight of the afternoon. I just love the Four Scottish Dances element of Flowers of the Forest and the company danced it with gusto. Brilliant! Five Tangos is a great work to finish on. As usual Nao Sakuma scintillated, particularly in the pdd with Yasuo. For me, this is a well put together programme with plenty of interest for everyone ... and the southern company looked to be on splendid form. Up north next and then Truro...

Looking at the photograph in the article, he's going to have to use a heck of a lot of makeup on his hands!

Of his narrative works I think (hope) Hobson's Choice (one of my all time favourite ballets and the one David Bintley said he has not tweaked), Far from the Madding Crowd, Cyrano (BRB version) and Edward ll should survive (IMHO). Of his "plotless" works I agree with the ones Bruce mentions and I would add in Gallantries too.

A view from the Gloucester Citizen.

I've just been watching the Peregrines at Norwich Cathedral via the web cam link. They were being fed: http://upp.hawkandowl.org/norwich-peregrines/norwich-cathedral-peregrine-live-web-cam-2016/

I've just bought one from the link I provided LinMM (yes OK, I've given in!).

"By now" would be the equivalent I think.

Would this one be any good? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Discounted-Trophies-Round-Enamel-Badge/dp/B01AK4NJTO/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_2_m?ie=UTF8&qid=1462795539&sr=8-2-fkmr1&keywords=small+round+enamel+school+badges

BRB's Midscale South tour started on Friday in Cheltenham. I'm moving Trog's post to this thread so it will appear above this one as the first post. Please use this post for your thoughts on Midscale South performances. I'll start a separate one for Midscale North.

I was watching a tern diving for its lunch at Crosby Lakeside this morning. They are much more elegant than gulls to my eyes.

I like the Ice Ice Breaky suggestion in one of the tweets!

David Bintley choreographed Cyrano for the Royal Ballet and completely re-choroegraphed it for Birmingham Royal Ballet (including a different composer) some years later. I couldn't remember enough about the choreography of the RB version to say if he had retained any of that but the only similarity I know of is that it uses the RB set and costumes. How much did Balanchine change Apollo from the 1928 original to how we see it today?

A friend gave me instructions from the M6 J6 many years ago. Come off onto the A38, taking the right hand fork. As you come off the slip road and onto the A38 stay in that lane. First you come to a flyover, then three short tunnels (as you come out of the second tunnel the Mailbox should be visible on your right. The third, very short, tunnel is under the pagoda roundabout. When you come out of that tunnel move over to the left and take the first left. Go down that road, through one set of traffic lights, till you get to the Arcadian car park entrance on your left. It's about 20 yards before the T-junction. If you go to the T-junction go in the right hand lane and turn right, the entrance to Pershore St multi-storey is immediately on the left. The outdoor car park is on the right.

I go to the Arcadian whether approaching from the M5 J3 or the M6 J6.

David Bintley is well known for tweaking his ballets, as is David Nixon. I believe George Balanchine also reworked his ballets. I am sure many other choreographers must be the same.

Pershore St multi-storey is very cheap (but it's pay and display) as is the outdoor car park opposite. They do, however, tend to fill up quickly. There is no lift in Pershore St multi-storey. To get from either of these car parks to BRB I would tend to walk through the Arcadian car park (just around the corner from them) and (depending on mobility) either come out via the Ibis Hotel exit and turn left as you come out of the complex or up the stairs. Either way you end up opposite the Hippodrome. The BRB entrance is in the road on the right hand side of the theatre as you are looking at it.

I can't answer your question about the day itself but assuming the day is being held at the BRB HQ in Thorp Street I know of 2 car parks that may suit. There is a small car park directly opposite the BRB HQ entrance itself. It looks very tight and I have never used it but I know people who have. The car park I tend to use is the Arcadian car park which is a couple of hundred yards from the BRB entrance. There is no lift but if you have a disabled badge there are quite a few spaces on the ground floor. There is also a car park by the Holiday Inn. Again it is only a couple of hundred yards from the BRB entrance, albeit over a busy dual carriageway (with pelican crossing). It has a lift and disabled spaces are close to the lift on every floor I have ever been on. It is, however, ruinously expensive these days.

Me three!