Jan McNulty

1 minute ago, San Perregrino said:

To add to what I’ve already written above, conductor Paul Murphy, IIRC, in his introduction to the “Black” Swan pas de deux said that the piece of music used was originally in Act 1. The original character was Von Rothbart’s daughter, a sorceress in her own right, directed by him to cast a spell on Siegfried. And, that the costume/tutu was blue until the 1920s when a ballerina wore black after which it commonly became known as the black swan. 

 

I'd forgotten about that!  I think I may quite like to see a blue swan sometime - perhaps midnight blue.

 

It sounds like we could have a balletco meeting there next year!

10 minutes ago, CCL said:

Sadly no, but I would like to go next year!

 

Oh I do hope you get there.  The tickets are already on sale and it's on 15th February.

So were any other forum members there on Thursday evening who would like to tell us what they thought of the performance?

2 hours ago, Emeralds said:

I think the Ashton solo that Chou danced could be the one that the Royal Ballet production has (Monica Mason did retain a solo for Florimund in Act 2 made by Ashton for Anthony Dowell). I'll check when I see Peter Wright's production in late April if his version leaves it out. The Mariinsky and Bolshoi versions don't have it either (with anybody's choreography) I believe.  Nureyev's version uses the Entr'acte music instead. 

 

Having seen 7 performances of SPW's Sleeping Beauty I can assure you that this solo is not in it.

59 minutes ago, LinMM said:

When I go to site ( just had another go) a page comes up with two blank boxes but nothing is written! I assume these two boxes could be for name and then email but haven’t a clue! 
Will try again and fill in the boxes but there’s no indication of what they are for!! 
I am doing this on my phone so don’t know whether that makes a difference 

I’ve just clicked on the link from my iPhone and it comes up with no issues at all.

4 minutes ago, LinMM said:

Am a bit annoyed that Matthew Palluch has written a review for a different publication which I cannot access. I usually like to know what he thinks! 

 

If you mean Broadway World I don't know why you can't see it.  This publication is not paywalled so should be readily available to you.  I don't even think you have to sign up to see it.

Hello @keivi and welcome to the Forum!

The annual Evening of Music and Dance has long been one of the highlights of my year and this year was no exception.

 

Symphony Hall Is a fabulous venue and despite the fact that the dancers only have a pocket handkerchief to perform on it is so good to see the orchestra "in the open" instead of buried in the pit.  As ever the orchestra was conducted by the effervescent Paul Murphy and they were utterly magnificent.

 

The evening was opened by Carlos Acosta making a short and impassioned speech with the message of the need for everyone to support the arts.  This year the theme was Tchaikovsky classics and what an opening we had with what I think of as the ending of Theme and Variations.  The music swelled and soared and I was swept away!

 

All the danced excerpts were highlights and, as with every year, I was yet again I was amazed at how well the dancers use the tiny space available to them.

 

I must particularly mention Celine Gittens divine performance in the white swan adagio from Swan Lake.  What a privilege to see her from the centre of the very close front row.  Every tiny meaning and look had meaning - just beautiful.

 

Tzu-Chao Chou danced a very elegant short solo from Sleeping Beauty that I can't ever remember seeing.  The programme tells us it was choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton and it was sublime.

 

The 2 danced items in Act 2 rounded the evening off on a high with the glorious Miki Mizutani and Max Maslen performing the gpdd from the Nutcracker beautifully.  They looked wonderful together.

 

The final item of the evening was Yu Kurihara and Lachlan Monaghan giving us serious fireworks in the black swan pdd.  Even though danced completely out of context Yu was sexy, alluring and downright evil.  You could see she was leading Lachlan on and equally you could see Lachlan fell for her hook, line and sinker.  It was sensational!!

 

We left the hall and wended our way home on a real high.

 

I can't wait for next year's evening now!

 

16 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

I like Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Ashton's The Dream equally!  😊  For me personally, one can never have too much Mendelssohn.   I'm still hoping to catch John Neumeier's version one day! Hamburg Ballet, hint hint, please come and dance  here. (Hope Kevin O'Hare, Alex Beard and Alistair Spalding are all reading this!)  😀 

 

I don't mind whether they have the wig or use their own hair. Perhaps it can be left up to the dancer to choose. If a ballerina has fine straight hair or dry hair, she might prefer a wig rather than having it damaged by being curled and restyled repeatedly for performances.  Takada's wig was blonde- have a look on the ROH YouTube channel clips (or they do post it at least 3 times a year ....someone in the social media team loves seeing Takada as Titania. Must admit they have good taste there!) I saw her in 2017, and yes, it was blonde. She looked great!

 

I saw (I think it was PNB) perform the Balanchine at Edinburgh years ago and I was bored rigid!

 

Obviously Ashton's Dream reigns supreme but David Nixon did a wonderful version for Northern Ballet.

Hello @Rosieribbons and welcome out of the lurking shadows!

3 hours ago, Peanut68 said:

I've heard of this happening to lots of dancers too...it's almost as though directors enjoy giving hope in person...then it's actually quite easy for them to dash these by an impersonal email.....not good HR practice is it? would this be allowed/tolerated in any other profession?

 

 

I don't know if it is still allowed but many years ago a lady transferred to my team from down south.  Her husband, who had been a house husband was offered a job by his previous employer at the new location.  He accepted the written offer and waited for a start date.  It didn't come and when he contacted the company he was told that there weren't any vacancies left.

 

He went for legal advice and was told that as they hadn't given him a start date and a contract of employment had not been issued for signature no action could be taken against the company!!  How many people have been affected by this over the years.

Hello @lucy14 and welcome to the Forum!

16 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

 

I'd naively assumed that all the Ashton pieces Sarasota would be dancing weould be fairly, well, traditional. I am suddenly feeling rather apprehensive! I hope Valses Nobles et Sentimentales won't be too modern, given I'll be seeing that twice as it's on both programmes.

Dante Sonata is a serious anti-war piece and well worth viewing albeit somewhat different in style from what you may expect.

19 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

 

Does anyone know which ballet the photo used to illustrate Sarasota Ballet in this video is from? The costumes remind me of Corybantic Games rather than what I'd expect costumes in any Ashton piece to look like.

Dante … same costume as BRB.

I've noticed some dancers mention "paid partnership with xxx" if they are wearing new ballet wear.

17 minutes ago, sunrise81 said:

Just for info.....those of you who drive and would be using the A59 to Harrogate through the Blubberhouses....that road is closed from mid April for 15 weeks, so very long and busy diversion in place!

 

 

Useful information for anyone who uses that road.  I sometimes drive to Knaresborough that way.  I believe they are trying to do something to prevent the landslips that have occurred over the last few years.

Hello @halidon,

 

There's been a discussion about it here:

 

 

Links - Thursday 28 March, 2024

 

 

Reviews - Mark Bruce Company, Frankenstein, London:

Matthew Paluch, Gramilano

Bruce Marriott, Lifted Leg

Teresa Guerreiro, Culture Whisper

Siobhan Murphy, Stage

 

Review - London:  Rupert Christiansen, Spectator

Royal Ballet, Danses Concertantes, Different Drummer, Requiem

Crystal Pite & Jonathan Young / Kidd Pivot, Assembly Hall

 

Review - National Ballet of Canada, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Toronto:  Denise Sum, Danceview Times

 

Reviews - Mark Morris Dance Group, The Look of Love, New York:

Cecilia Whalen, Fjord Review

Joel Benjamin, Theaterscene

 

Review - Sydney Dance Company, Ascent, London:  Maggie Foyer, Seeing Dance

 

Review - Shanghai Ballet, Sigh of Love, Hong Kong:  Kevin Ng, HK Economic Journal

 

Review - Atlanta Ballet, mixed programme, Atlanta:  George Staib, Arts ATL

 

Review - Tulsa Ballet, Romeo and Juliet, Tulsa:  James D Watts Jr, Tulsa World

 

Review - Los Angeles Ballet, Next Steps (triple bill), Los Angeles:  Tom Teicholz, Forbes

 

Review - Ballet Austin, POE / A Tale of Madness, Austin:  Cat McCarry, Austin Chronicle

 

 

Preview Feature - Sarasota Ballet, Portraits of Expression (mixed programme), Sarasota:  Monica Roman Gagnier, Your Observer

 

Preview Feature - Alana Griffith and Parker Brasser-Vos, Milwaukee Ballet, talk Cinderella:  John Schneider, Shepherd Express

 

Video Preview - Grand Kyiv Ballet, Giselle, Indianapolis:  Divine Triplett, Wish TV

 

Preview - KVN Dance Company, Coppelia, London:  Teresa Guerreiro, Culture Whisper

 

 

Feature - Disrupting harm in dance:  Candice Thompson, Fjord Review

 

News - Bleuenn Battistoni promoted to Étoile at Paris Opera Ballet:  Mary Tyson, Paris Beacon

 

Feature - Lisa Yntema, founder Dance Data Project:  Judy Carmack Bross, Classic Chicago Magazine

 

Feature - West African dance and hip-hop play a key role in a revamped Juilliard track:  Michael Martin, Olivia Hampton, Ana Perez, NPR

 

Video Feature - Researchers in Fort Worth are studying female ballet dancer health:  Noelle Walker, NBCDFW

 

News - Ohad Naharin, choreographer, expresses sadness over Ballet Ireland axing:  Conor Pope, Irish Times

 

 

Hello @MomK and welcome to the Forum!

Links - Wednesday 27 March, 2024

 

 

Review - New York City Ballet, Opus 19/The Dreamer, Solitude, Symphony in Three Movements, New York:  Leigh Witchel, dancelog.nyc

 

Review - Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, PUUR, Ghent:  Graham Watts, Bachtrack

 

Review - Mark Bruce Company, Frankenstein, Ipswich:  Louise Levine, FT

 

Review - Boston Ballet, Cinderella, Boston:  Jennifer May, Tufts Daily

 

Review - Yorke Dance Project, California Connections: Three Pioneering Women, London:  Rachel Nouchi, British Theatre Guide

 

Reviews - Sydney Dance Company, Ascent. London:

Lyndsey Winship, Guardian

Teresa Guerreiro, Culture Whisper

Amanda Jennings, Bachtrack

Nicola Rayner, Stage

 

Review - Black Grace, Paradise Rumour, Wellington:  Jennifer Shannon, ... on dancing

 

Review - Los Angeles Ballet, Next Steps (mixed programme), Santa Monica:  Jillian Verzwyvelt, Ballet Herald

 

Reviews - China Oriental Performing Arts Group & Meishan Song and Dance Theatre, Dongpo: Life in Poems, New York:

Joel Benjamin, Theaterscene

Wendy Perron, Blog

 

Review - Justin Peck, Illinoise, New York:  Ethan Eisner, Tufts Daily

 

Review - West Side Story, Sydney:  Rebecca Whitton, Australian Stage

 

 

Preview - Pett | Clausen-Knight, Imago, London:  Teresa Guerreiro, Culture Whisper

Feature - Pett | Clausen-Knight talk Imago:  Maggie Foyer, Seeing Dance

 

Preview - Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, mixed programme, Berkeley:  Lou Fancher, 48 Hills

Feature - Chalvar Monteiro, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater:  Jim Provenzano, Bay Area Reporter

 

Preview - Ballet Arizona, Contemporary Moves, Phoenix:  Staff, Queen Creek Sun Times

 

Preview - Ballet of Bordeaux National Ballet, La Sylphide, Don Quichotte Act 3, Shanghai, Shine

 

Preview - Phil Chan & Doug Fullington, Star on the Rise: La Bayadere … Reimagined, Bloomington:  Vaishnavi Banali, IDS News

 

Feature - Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, choreographer:  Aimée Ts’ao, San Francisco Classical Voice

 

News - National Ballet of Canada tours to Paris in October 2024:  Anya Wassenberg, Ludwig Van

 

News - New Jersey Ballet celebrates 65th anniversary:  AA Cristi, Broadway World

 

Feature - Ioanna Avraam, Vienna State Ballet:  Sara Douedari, Cyprus Mail

 

Audio Feature - West African dance & hip-hop play a key role in the revamped Juilliard track:  Staff, WFDD

 

Feature - An Su-yeon, Korean National Ballet, to dance Odette/Odile in Swan Lake:  Hwang Dong-Hee, Korea Herald

1 hour ago, jmhopton said:

I started a thread on Jan 1st this year as I usually do, for a 2024/25 wish list.

 

A Wishlist rather than predictions but here is the Wishlist.  (Companies other than the Royal Ballet also included)

 

 

1 hour ago, LinMM said:

I think we do have a thread not long ago for next seasons wish lists etc

Perhaps this thread should be for the actual reality of what is happening in the RB 24/5 season. 

 

I've just done a search and, unless the title and content are particularly esoteric, the last predictions thread was for the 23/24 season.

It's  not just his technique it's his emotion and sheer elegance that grab the eye.  Thanks Roberta.

9 hours ago, San Perregrino said:

 

I don’t know why this is such a difficult topic to clarify.
If a seat hasn’t been sold it has to show as available to purchase in the listing. e.g.

 

 

But is still no use to anyone who wants to buy a ticket but doesn't fall into one of the categories.

 

Perhaps it may be worth checking back in case they are released but as pointed out elsewhere for those of us who have to book train tickets, hotels and kennel for dog it is frustrating to say the least.

 

I had my eye on a ticket for Manon at a performance where, when I first looked, there was a decent choice of seats.  By the time I made up my mind to go for it a few days later not only had that ticket gone but the whole auditorium was showing as sold out.  Then it became like the Hokey Cokey - some appeared, some disappeared, some appeared elsewhere, some disappeared elsewhere, the train and hotel prices had gone up so I gave up and settled for the cinema viewing which, while I enjoyed, was not the cast I had wanted to see.

Hello @MA-mummy and @Gemroar and welcome to the Forum!