Jan McNulty

I have no experience whatsoever of dance training but Jenny Hackwell graduated from KS dance this year and is now a dancer with Northern Ballet. She has already had a couple of leading roles in her first year: http://northernballet.com/biography/jenny-hackwell

I saw the final 2 performances of Northern Ballet's Nutcracker in Leeds yesterday. Possibly the incentive of a week off gave the dancers an additional sparkle because both performances fizzed like a bottle of champagne opened by Lewis Hamilton! Assorted highlights - Abigail Prudames as a most elegant Sugarplum - a total delight. Antoinette Brooks Daw and Kevin Poeung outstanding as Clara and Nutcracker Prince. Sebastian Loe in his created role in the Chinese Dance - in the doll solo in Act 1 he looked completely boneless (I could see him as an amazing Petrouchka in waiting!). Rachael Gillespie and Ashley Dixon absolutely exceptional as Clara and Nutcracker last night. Mlindi Kulashe and Lucia Solari ravishing as Cavalier and Sugarplum. Last night was Sebastian Loe's final performance with the company after 12 years. I've really enjoyed his performances during his time with the company - his performance as Renfield in Dracula was a particular and very spooky highlight. The Chinese Dance in Nutcracker, which he created, fitted him to a tee making use of his talents and interest in b-boying. Very best wishes to him for the future. 2015 has been a wonderful year for Northern-Ballet watchers. I can't wait for Swan Lake in March now!

Links - Sunday 03 January, 2016 Q&A - Dorothee Gilbert, POB: Afshan Ahmed, The National Feature - This week’s new dance in London: Judith Mackrell, Guardian Feature - What will be the hits of 2016 (scroll down for dance): Rupert Christiansen, Daily Mail

Oh yes! You can easily gain access to the canals via the Mailbox and walk as far as the Symphony Hall area and beyond. It's lovely.

Links - Saturday 02 January, 2016 Feature - The Dance must-sees of 2016: Zoe Anderson, Independent Feature - Daniil Simkin: Pia Catton, Wall Street Journal Sketchbook - New York City Ballet, Backstage at the Nutcracker: Elisha Cooper, NY Times Feature - Is The Nutcracker part of the fabric of Christmas: Alva Noe, WVAS Feature - Fusion music and dance as cross-cultural bridges: Lekha Keister, Examiner Preview - Reza Mirabi and Jozefien Beckers, Irrational_Studies, Portland: Staff, Oregon Arts Watch

Hello Jodie and welcome out of the lurking shadows! Thanks so much for the information about the live Q&A. It would be great if you could report back for us!

Roberto Bolle regularly organises "Roberto Bolle and Friends Galas". From this website, it looks as though the performances were in Turin: http://robertobollefansandfriends.com/en/index.php/schedule A couple more dates for 2016 are also on the schedule plus his regular appearances. And his official website: http://www.robertobolle.com

Links - Friday 01 January, 2016 Wishing all our members and readers a happy new year for 2016 filled with lots of wonderful ballet and dance, New Year’s Honours List 2016: Guardian Congratulations to all the honourees and especially: Sir Matthew Bourne Tamara Rojo CBE Jill Tookey CBE Christopher Wheeldon OBE Feature - Best ballet and dance of 2015: Hannah Weibye, Arts Desk Feature - Dance in review 2015: Neil Norman, Stage Feature - Dance coming to Edinburgh in 2016: Mary Brennan, Herald Scotland Feature - Dance this week in New York and Boston: Alastair Macaulay, NY Times Review - Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, 4 mixed programmes, New York: Robert Greskovic, Wall Street Journal Video - Interview with Kathy Brown, executive director of NYCB, about Nutcracker: NY Busniess Journal Review - Noche Flamenca, Antigona, New York: Robert Greskovic, Wall Street Journal Feature - Houston Ballet to have a new Nutcracker for Christmas 2016: Molly Glentzer, Houston Chronicle Review - Teatro Colon Ballet Company, The Nutcracker, Buenos Aires: Pablo Bardin, BA Herald Review - Mike Fitelson, The Hip Hop Nutcracker, Charlotte: Perry Tannenbaum, Creative Loafing

Hi Odyssey, I don't know if you looked at the interview in the link. When I did, it was not what we saw live on Breakfast this morning. It looks as though it was filmed at Sadler's Wells (maybe last night after the news became public) and it is just Sir Matthew talking, although by the sounds of it answering a list of questions.

We broached the subject of applause etiquette briefly on another thread so why not include all applause on this one? When I saw, obviously on different occasions, the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky perform Giselle I found it most disconcerting that Giselle and Albrecht had a curtain call after Act 1 when we had just seen Giselle die! The late Christopher Gable, when he was AD of Northern Ballet, preferred that there was no clapping during narrative works. To this day I still feel the same and do not applaud unless there are obvious applause points built in e.g. after each national dance in Nutcracker. I remember watching Chi's debut as Albrecht in 2003 when he was doing the most perfect set of entrechats in Act 2. On one level my brain was acknowledging these but I was absolutely swept away by the emotion of the story-telling on stage. This was almost ruined for me by people starting to clap while he was still dancing. On another occasion we were being treated to a terrific performance of David Bentley's Gallantries and the applause at the end of the pas de trois ruined the flow of the piece. In the evening it was very noticeable that the conductor continued the performance without a break, through the applause which quickly stopped. I can appreciate that people can get carried away with their enthusiasm but it can be very distracting to the audience in general (and possibly the dancers and orchestra) if it affects the flow of the piece.

BBC roundup of the entertainment honours, including an interview with Matthew Bourne. Scroll down to find it: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35197898

COMMUNAL CHANGING ROOMS in clothes shops and anywhere else you can have a changing room. I well remember the horrors of trying to try something on, assess what it looked like on me, keep an eye on my bag, coat, shoes and hoping no-one else was looking at me and laughing at my poor taste in clothes or my non-matching underwear! Peanut68, in a thread in Doing Dance has reminded me of these horrors! Apparently her local Primark has them! I no longer try clothes on in the shops, I just buy and hope for the best!

I LOATHE COMMUNAL CHANGING ROOMS SO MUCH I SHALL GO AND PUT THEM IN ROOM 101 IMMEDIATELY! Thanks Peanut for reminding me about them.

When I think back over, say, the last 30 years the advent of technology has made a huge difference to the way we lead our lives. I don't think they are any better or worse than in the good old days but they are different. After all 30 years ago people did not live as they did in the Stone Age or even the Victorian age.

She's listed in the same "Diplomatic Service and Overseas" category as Christopher Wheeldon. As she was born in Canada she is, presumably, entitled to the full rather than an honorary award.

I've seen different conductors conduct the same production at different speeds in the same week! I once saw a performance of Coppelia at the Lowry that was taken at such a fast pace it was breath-taking. I saw the young lady who had danced Swanilda in Costa the following morning and asked her if she had asked for it to be played so fast because she was a particularly fast, deft dancer. The answer that came back was a resounding No! I was under the impression that conductors watched (or were supposed to watch) the stage to see what was happening and perhaps adjust accordingly.

Huge congratulations to all the honourees. The Guardian has published the full list in a more readable format than the officially supplied government pdf: http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/dec/30/new-years-honours-2016-the-full-list How to nominate someone for an honour: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/245406/How_to_write_a_nomination.pdf

There was an earlier thread with links to other threads but they do not seem to be recommended: http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/8144-foot-stretchers/?hl=stretcher#entry108152 Do you know who recommended your Son's friend to get one?

Links - Thursday 31 December, 2015 Obituary - Gloria Contreras, dancer and choreographer: Peter Dickinson, Guardian Feature - Sylvie Guillem bows out in Japan: Richard Smart, Guardian Review - San Francisco Ballet, The Nutcracker, San Francisco: Miyako Singer, Daily Californian Preview - Big Dance Theatre, 25th Anniversary programme, New York: Siobhan Burke, NY Times Feature & Interviews: In the studio with Jerome Robbins: Apollinaire Scherr, Fjord Review Book Review - Megan Pugh, America Dancing: Alastair Macaulay, NY Times Film Review - Bolshoi Babylon: Emma Jacobs, FT Preview - Daniil Simkin’s Intensio, New York: Jack Anderson, NY Times List - Best of dance in 2015 in Vancouver: Deborah Meyers, Vancouver Sun Review - Imperial Ice Stars, The Nutcracker on Ice, London: Stephen Bates, Reviews Hub

You nominate the individual and the awards committee decides on the award.

Oh yes! I used to love watching this with my Nan and Granddad. I think TV standards have changed a lot since the advent of more and more channels. The mainstream channels are trying to compete with the satellite and cable channels and everything seems to be moving to the lowest common denominator. I would have now gone into a major rant about one of the alleged mainstream channels if it wasn't for the fact that it was showing some super musicals this week! Actually nothing to do with dance but I used to be a volunteer at the Merseyside Film Institute and still keep up with a group of fellow volunteers. We were having a natter a while ago and hardly any of us keep up with 'art house' films any more, one girl saying that after a hard day at work and looking after children she just wanted something she could watch and enjoy without having to think too much about it. Perhaps a lot of people see media entertainment that way these days...

It looks to me as though ROH has had a very unfortunate set of circumstances and that you personally have been extremely unlucky. We've had discussions on various threads in the past and I have to say that over the years I have come to appreciate that the two companies I follow only publish casting very late in the day so I always have to take pot luck on casting and sometimes book extra tickets to (hopefully) see casts that I particularly want to. I am also very lucky in that, at the moment, tickets for the venues those companies appear at cost nothing like those at ROH! You really have my sympathies over this one Penelope; I think I would be in despair by now.

I think it was on Bruce's previous site. Perhaps we should start a new thread!

You've expressed my thoughts with great eloquence there Dave. Thanks for articulating what I have been trying to think how to say!

I think, if you have seen it many times you know it hasn't finished but if it is your first time you may think it has. The late Christopher Gable did not encourage applause during narrative ballets and to this day I tend not to applaud while the dancing is still going on (or while the orchestra is still playing) unless there are clear "take the applause" moments.