Jan McNulty

Oh sorry Anna, I hadn't realised that.

Johan Kobborg has put a statement on FB this evening that would indicate that all is not well with his situation. Looks like it may be the end of the road. I admire his integrity. https://www.facebook.com/johan.kobborg.1?fref=ts

Several people have come up to me in theatres and introduced themselves because of my avatar. I love to meet fellow ballet-lovers. I'm from the North (still here) and will talk to anyone too!

When I read the title, I thought the thread was about limbo dancing!! Having said that the article is very interesting. Is the situation the same in the UK?

I've found these 2 links: http://skouratoff.com/index.htm http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100510364

Hello Joy and welcome to the Forum! The interesting thing of this thread and its sister one about favourite ballets is how many have appeared on both lists! It's great we are all different. Do keep joining in!

Link to the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/balletboost/timeline

I've got a friend whose husband has got severe allergy issues and, yes, antihistamines can help however not against perfume aromas that could spark off a severe asthma attack. Needless to say my friend has a horror of perfumes, potpourri, air-freshener and the like herself now. I myself love perfume but many of the ones that "fix" immediately give me a headache so I have to be much more careful than I used to be. I think most people (from the young to the ancient) do not realise how much they are spraying on themselves and how much that can affect the people around them. I had always understood that if a perfume really suits you, you cannot really smell it on yourself and I know people who spray more on because of that. Having gone completely off-topic I think we should go back to discussing Giselle. I've been thinking about my experience at the cinema and wondered if things like clapping are much more evident in the cinema because the microphones pick up everything and cannot filter out, as our ears would in the live performance. Perhaps the seemingly (to me) over the top clapping at the the entrance of Albrecht and then Giselle did not sound nearly as loud and intrusive in the theatre. Going back to Giselle's return to her grave, IIRC in BRB's version (Samosa/Bintley) she was originally placed on the grave by Albrecht and disappeared down into it.

It's Kevin Poeung and Antoinette Brooks Daw. This is the original publicity shot from 2015 although neither Kevin nor Antoinette made their debuts in role. I live in hopes...

Largely yes - as far as I am aware the ballet companies are given target areas to cover. If they add in other venues they are "at risk" and not covered by the ACE grant. Since the changes a couple of years ago companies have to apply for a special grant to cover cross-border funding - e.g. BRB going to Cardiff.

I'm watching it too Quintus. I'm not entirely sure I like docu dramas. It's just made me long to see Northern Ballet's Cleopatra again!

But they do tour extensively in the North - Leeds, Sheffield, Bradford, Nottingham, Newcastle. They usually go to Hull but I understand that the theatre is currently closed for refurbishment. They have been coming to Manchester too - this is the first year they have missed in a while. I would love them to come to Liverpool too but their touring venues are governed by their ACE grant (as with BRB and presumable ENB).

Dance Europe has posted the following on FB: "Johan Kobborg and Opera National Bucharest Great news coming from Bucharest - it transpires that a new position of artistic director of the ballet company is to be created and that Johan Kobborg will be given the power to direct the ballet company of Opera National Bucharest." Let's just hope this dreadful situation is resolved and that Johan and the ballet company can move forward the way he has always wanted them to.

Well done to your daughter LN!

Following annamicro's advice I looked up Mr Alexandrescu. The page I found is public. This is the FB translation of a posting made about an hour ago: "Situation at the national opera of Bucharest, which has seen unwanted escalation in recent days, Mr. Tiberius sun has agreed with me to withdraw from the position of interim director general, accepting the post of Assistant Director. I asked Mr. Conta, in which I also have great confidence to take over the position of interim director general of the National Opera House In Bucharest. I proposed to Mr Johan Kobborg to fill a new position created by artistic director of ballet nob." https://www.facebook.com/Vlad-Alexandrescu-468508013320444/

I thought she was very scary and very good!

Northern Ballet announces stylish new season for autumn 2016 Northern Ballet has announced details of its autumn 2016 season which includes revivals of David Nixon OBE’s chicBeauty & the Beast and Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Les Ballets de Monte Carlo production of Romeo and Juliet. The Company will also perform Wuthering Heights in Leeds as well as touring popular children’s ballet Tortoise & the Hare,before holding the World Première of new children’s ballet Goldilocks & the Three Bears. Northern Ballet will commence its season with Wuthering Heights at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds from 6 – 10September 2016. One of the Company’s most popular productions and Artistic Director David Nixon OBE’s first creation following his appointment in 2001, Wuthering Heights has not been performed in Leeds for over 10 years. Featuring an original score composed by the inimitable Claude-Michel Schönberg (Les Misérables, Miss Saigon), Wuthering Heightsis based on Emily Brontë’s literary masterpiece, telling the story of Cathy and Heathcliff whose doomed love is as unruly and dangerous as the Yorkshire moors that surround them. Starting off the Company’s national tour, Northern Ballet will head to Sheffield Lyceum Theatre with Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Les Ballets de Monte Carlo’s Romeo and Juliet from 14 – 17 September 2016. Performed to the famous Prokofiev score, in 2015 Northern Ballet were the first company to perform this stylish version to audiences in the UK. This interpretation captures the essence of what it means to be young and in love, and tells of the devastating tragedy that unfolds when tenderness and naivety is met with violence and pride. Northern Ballet will also tour this production to Canterbury, Woking, Bradford and Belfast between September and October 2016. Heading into winter Northern Ballet will revive its chic production of Beauty & the Beast for the first time since its 2012 World Première tour. Choreographed by David Nixon OBE and featuring haute couture-style costumes in a kaleidoscope of colour, this classic story unfolds in an enchanting world of fairies, sprites and goblins as we discover that beauty is only skin deep. Accompanied by an infectious score, including music by Saint-Säens, Bizet and Debussy, Beauty & the Beast tours to Norwich, Nottingham, Newcastle and Leeds between October 2016 and January 2017. Continuing with its popular children’s ballets, the Company will perform Tortoise & the Hare in Woking and Bradford before holding the World Première of a new ballet for children in Leeds. Recently announced Goldilocks & the Three Bears will première at the Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre on 24 October 2016. Choreographed by Nicola Gervasi, the adorable new production will tour to Nottingham, Newcastle and Southampton in November and December 2016 before an extensive UK tour the following year. Tickets are on sale now for most of Northern Ballet’s autumn 2016 tour, for more details including booking information, please visit northernballet.com/whatson. -ENDS- Notes to Editors For more details of Northern Ballet's tour, on sale dates and booking information, please visit northernballet.com/whatson. Nominated for Outstanding Company at the 2015 National Dance Awards and voted Best Company at the 2014 TaglioniEuropean Ballet Awards, Northern Ballet is one of the UK’s five large ballet companies. Based in Leeds it performs throughout the UK as well as overseas. Northern Ballet’s productions mix classical dance and theatre, embracing popular culture and taking inspiration from literature, opera, or giving a unique interpretation of popular classical ballets. Northern Ballet is the busiest touring ballet company in the UK and is typically on the road for around 32 weeks of the year. The Company of 46 dancers tours a combination of full-length new work and established repertoire to cities throughout the UK. Northern Ballet also tours widely with its ballets for children, the first three of which were adapted for TV by CBeebies, and also performs a mixed programme showcasing the versatility of its dancers. Visit northernballet.com for more information on the Company and tour. Autumn 2016 Tour Listings Wuthering Heights Leeds, West Yorkshire Playhouse 6 – 10 Sep 2016 Box Office 0113 213 7700 wyp.org.uk Romeo and Juliet Sheffield, Lyceum Theatre 14 – 17 Sep 2016 Box Office 0114 249 6000 sheffieldtheatres.co.uk Canterbury, Marlowe Theatre 20 – 24 Sep 2016 Box Office 01227 787 787 marlowetheatre.com Belfast, Grand Opera House 28 Sep – 1 Oct 2016 Box Office 028 9024 1919 goh.co.uk Woking, New Victoria Theatre 4 – 8 Oct 2016 Box Office 0844 871 7645 atgtickets.com/woking Bradford, Alhambra Theatre 11 – 15 Oct 2016 Box Office 01274 432 000 bradford-theatres.co.uk Tortoise & the Hare Woking, New Victoria Theatre 7 Oct 2016 (12pm & 2pm) Box Office 0844 871 7645 atgtickets.com/woking Bradford, Alhambra Theatre 14 Oct 2016 (12pm & 2pm) Box Office 01274 432 000 bradford-theatres.co.uk Goldilocks & the Three Bears Leeds, Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre (World Première) 24 – 29 Oct 2016 Box Office 0113 220 8008 theatreleeds.com Nottingham Theatre Royal 4 Nov 2016 (12pm & 2pm) Box Office 0115 989 5555 trch.co.uk Newcastle Theatre Royal 11 Nov 2016 (12pm & 2pm) Box Office 0844 811 2121 theatreroyal.co.uk Southampton, Mayflower Theatre 2 Dec 2016 (12pm & 2pm) Box Office 02380 711 811 mayflower.org.uk Beauty & the Beast Norwich, Theatre Royal 26 – 29 Oct 2016 Box Office 01603 630 000 theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk Nottingham Theatre Royal 1 – 5 Nov 2016 Box Office 0115 989 5555 trch.co.uk Newcastle Theatre Royal 8 – 12 Nov 2016 Box Office 0844 811 2121 theatreroyal.co.uk Southampton, Mayflower Theatre 30 Nov – 3 Dec 2016 Box Office 02380 711 811 mayflower.org.uk Leeds Grand Theatre 15 Dec 2016 – 7 Jan 2017 Box Office 0844 848 2700 leedsgrandtheatre.com Information correct at the time of printing. Productions and dates are subject to change without notice. *Calls to 0844 numbers are charged at up to 7p per minute plus your phone Company’s access charge.

Could Just Ballet do the trick?

Northern Ballet Leeds CAT details: http://northernballet.com/academy/training-programmes/centre-for-advanced-training

If it is at The Lowry it is in Salford (which is a city in its own right). Lowry CAT details: http://www.northwestdance.org.uk/CAT

Good news then BEABT!

I've added "Leeds" to the title to be absolutely clear.

Ludovic Ondiviela has a crowd-funder going to raise monies towards the costs of rehearsal studios: https://www.youcaring.com/sliver-of-sky-545712 The latest update has a short film of rehearsal footage:

Scottish Ballet are at the EIF again this year, performing a double bill. Details here: http://www.scottishballet.co.uk/eif/edinburgh-international-festival-2016.html?utm_source=wordfly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CR-Aprilnewsletter&utm_content=version_A

And the official press release: Natalia Osipova Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui / Russell Maliphant / Arthur Pita WORLD PREMIERE Wednesday 29 June - Sunday 3 July 2016 Performances: Wed - Sat at 7.30pm, Sat at 2.30pm & Sun at 4pm Tickets: £12 - £60 Ticket Office: 020 7863 8000 or www.sadlerswells.com "Visceral, emotional intensity blended with impressive technical excellence" Huffington Post on Natalia Osipova Multi-award-winning ballerina Natalia Osipova takes on a programme of new contemporary work commissioned by her and produced by Sadler’s Wells, featuring renowned contemporary choreographers Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Russell Maliphant and Arthur Pita. The trio create pieces inspired by Osipova for the production, which receives its World Premiere at Sadler’s Wells from 29 June - 3 July 2016. The production then visits the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh as part of the 2016 Edinburgh International Festival from 12 - 14 August 2016. Osipova will be joined on stage by Sergei Polunin, which marks the first time that they will have danced together in the UK. Natalia Osipova is a Principal with The Royal Ballet. She joined the company in 2013 after her guest appearance in Swan Lake, and has performed lead roles in Giselle, Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, La Fille mal gardée and DGV: Danse à grande vitesse. She has created roles in Wayne McGregor’s Tetractys and Woolf Works, and Alastair Marriott’s Connectome. She started her formal ballet training at the age of eight, before joining the Bolshoi Ballet at the age of 18. She has also danced with American Ballet Theatre and Mikhailovsky Ballet. Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist and Artistic Director of Royal Ballet of Flanders Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui creates Qutb, a new trio for Osipova and two male dancers, Jason Kittleberger (Cedar Lake Contemporary Dance Company) and James O’Hara (recently seen in Bolero at Paris Opera Ballet with Marina Abramovitch). Qutb features Cherkaoui’s trademark alchemy of movement vocabularies, musical genres and cultures with lighting designed by recent Knight of Illumination winner Fabiana Piccoli and a soundscape designed by Felix Buxton from Basement Jaxx. Cherkaoui will also work with Japanese costume designer Kimie Nakano, a frequent collaborator with Akram Khan Company. Cherkaoui has created more than 20 works including zero degrees, Babel, Sutra and m¡longa and is acknowledged as one of Europe’s most exciting choreographers. He continues to work with a variety of theatres, opera houses and ballet companies from around the world including Dutch National Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, GöteborgsOperan Danskompani, Bunkamura Theatre Cocoon in Tokyo and Stuttgart Ballet. Cherkaoui received international acclaim for his choreography in Joe Wright’s feature film Anna Karenina (2012). Russell Maliphant creates a new duet for Osipova and Sergei Polunin. The piece features lighting by Maliphant’s long-time collaborator and Knight of Illumination award-winner Michael Hulls. Hulls, a Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist, also received an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance in 2014. The new work features a soundtrack from UK composer and sound artist Scanner. Maliphant is one of the longest-standing Associate Artists of Sadler’s Wells. He trained at the Royal Ballet School and graduated into Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet Company before leaving to pursue a career in independent dance. As a dancer he worked with companies such as DV8 Physical Theatre, Michael Clark Company, Laurie Booth and Rosemary Butcher. He also studied anatomy, physiology and bio-mechanics. He became certified as a practitioner of the Rolfing Method of Structural Integration in 1994, which has subsequently informed both his teaching and choreographic work. Throughout his career Maliphant has set works on renowned companies and artists including: Sylvie Guillem, Robert Lepage, The Ballet Boyz, Lyon Opera Ballet, Ricochet Dance Company, CobosMika, The Batsheva Ensemble, and Ballet de Lorraine. He has been the recipient of several awards including two Olivier Awards, a Critics’ Circle National Dance Award for Best Choreography (Modern) and a South Bank Show Award. The final part of the evening sees Royal Opera House regular Arthur Pita create a new duet for Osipova and Polunin entitled Run Mary Run. Pita crafts a dark, comedic story for the pair, highlighting Osipova’s natural gift for acting. The work features a soundtrack from The Shangri-La’s, The Crystals and David Lynch, mixed by Pita’s long-time collaborator Frank Moon. Pita and Osipova previously worked together on Facada which was seen at the London Coliseum in 2014 as part of Solo for Two and featured Osipova dancing with Ivan Vasiliev. Pita has also choreographed movement for plays, operas and musicals, including Women Beware Women at the National Theatre, Becky Shaw at the Almeida and La Bohème and Show Boat at the Royal Albert Hall. His production of The Little Match Girl received rave reviews at its premiere in 2014, and returned to Sadler’s Wells’ Lilian Baylis Studio for the 2015 Christmas season. Pita recently premiered new work Cristaux, part of a triple bill for Ballet Black at the Barbican. A Sadler's Wells Production Notes to Editors Listings information: Natalia Osipova Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui / Russell Maliphant / Arthur Pita Sadler’s Wells, London Wednesday 29 June - Sunday 3 July 2016 Performances: Wed - Sat at 7.30pm, Sat at 2.30pm & Sun at 4pm Tickets: £12 - £60 Ticket Office: 020 7863 8000 or www.sadlerswells.com Tickets currently on sale Festival Theatre, Edinburgh Friday 12 – Sunday 14 August 2016 Performances: Fri – Sun at 7.30pm Tickets: £12 – £32 Ticket Office: 0131 473 2000 or www.eif.org.uk Tickets on sale to the general public Saturday 16 April at 10am ABOUT NATALIA OSIPOVA Russian dancer Natalia Osipova is a Principal of The Royal Ballet. She joined the Company as a Principal in autumn 2013, after appearing as a Guest Artist the previous season as Odette/Odile (Swan Lake) with Carlos Acosta. Her roles with the Company include Giselle, Kitri (Don Quixote), Sugar Plum Fairy (The Nutcracker), Lise (La Fille mal gardée), Titania (The Dream), Juliet, Tatiana (Onegin), Manon, Natalia Petrovna (A Month in the Country) and roles in Serenade, DGV: Danse à grande vitesse and Tchaikovsky Pas de deux. She has created roles in Wayne McGregor’s Tetractys and Woolf Worksand Alastair Marriott’s Connectome. Osipova was born in Moscow and began dancing at the age of five. Aged eight she joined the Mikhail Lavrovsky Ballet School. From 1995 to 2004 she trained at the Moscow State Academy of Choreography and on graduating entered the corps of the Bolshoi Ballet, where she was promoted to Principal in 2010. Her repertory there included Kitri (Don Quixote), Giselle, Nikiya and Gamzatti (La Bayadère), La Sylphide, Esmerelda, Princess Aurora (The Sleeping Beauty) and Swanilda (Coppélia). In 2011 she left the Bolshoi to join the Mikhailovsky Ballet as a Principal. Osipova has appeared as a guest artist with companies around the world. In March 2012 she became a Principal of American Ballet Theatre, where she created the title role in Alexei Ratmansky’s The Firebird. Her awards include Golden Masks for her performances in Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room (2008) and La Sylphide (2009), Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards (Best Female Dancer, 2007 and 2010) and a Benois de la Danse Award (Best Female Dancer, 2008). ABOUT SADLER’S WELLS Sadler's Wells is a world-leading dance house, committed to producing, commissioning and presenting new works and to bringing the best international and UK dance to London and worldwide audiences. Under the Artistic Directorship of Alistair Spalding, the theatre’s acclaimed year-round programme spans dance of every kind, from contemporary to flamenco, Bollywood to ballet, salsa to street dance and tango to tap. Since 2005, it has helped to bring over 100 new dance works to the stage and its award-winning commissions and collaborative productions regularly tour internationally. Sadler’s Wells supports 16 Associate Artists, three Resident Companies, an Associate Company and two International Associate Companies. It also nurtures the next generation of talent through its New Wave Associates and Summer University programmes, its Wild Card initiative and hosting of the National Youth Dance Company. Located in Islington, north London, the current theatre is the sixth to have stood on the site since it was first built by Richard Sadler in 1683. The venue has played an illustrious role in the history of theatre ever since, with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and English National Opera all having started at Sadler’s Wells. Sadler’s Wells is an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation and currently receives approximately 10% of its revenue from Arts Council England.