Jan McNulty

And I believe they all have to use the skin makeup for the likes of Swan Lake and Giselle.

Hello JupiterSmith and welcome to the Forum! Nutcracker-X has got the acronyms nailed. Please keep joining in.

Oh sorry, it was of course Nao Sakuma aka Superwoman! Yes, Alina is a very lucky lady to be partnered by Chi (who is a superlative Siegfried too but sadly he can't be in two places at once!)

You know how sometimes you see a performance and something about that performance has just clicked and it transcends exceptional. Well I saw TWO performances that fell into that magical category in Sunderland this week! All four of the performances I saw were excellent. I finally caught up with Samara Downs and Jamie Bond on Friday afternoon. Jamie is an experienced and absorbing Siegfried. He is a great partner and he and Samara looked great together. Samara was utterly magnificent in Act 3 - I think hers is probably the most marked contrast between Odette and Odile and you can see exactly why Siegfried is held in her thrall. She was even better in Act 4, incredibly moving. Lewis Turner was Benno in this performance and brought a lot of warmth to the role. Mathias Dingman made his debut as Siegfried on Saturday afternoon with the lady I now think of as Superwoman (Nao Sakuma) as his O/O. Mathias really inhabited the role. His Act 4 was very moving and I have to admit to having to wipe away the condensation that had appeared on my cheeks. In this performance Fergus Campbell made and excellent debut as Benno too - very well matched with Mathias. And so to those super-magical performances - on Thursday evening Nao Sakuma and Yasuo Atsuji just swept me away. I can't really think of anything else to say. Equally on Friday evening Yaoqian Shang and Cesar Morales transported me to heaven with them. They got a huge, and well deserved, standing ovation at the end. All praise due to the entire company too - all the dancers have been terrific throughout. Huge kudos to all the swans who have provided such a magnificent framework for the performances.

Hello Diana and Colman and welcome to the Forum both of you! I do hope you will continue to join in. I've just had a look at Youtube and there seems to have been a number of people who have uploaded the full documentary. You just need to type the name into the search.

Very sad to hear the news that actor Peter Baldwin has passed away at the age of 82. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-34621006

So sad to hear that Maureen O'Hara has passed away. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-27429621

DNB performed a version by Rudi Van Dantzig at the Coli in the late 1980s, I don't know if that is the one they have still been using. Looking at the company website Sasha Waltz is doing a new one for them.

It stood out to me and was easy to read. Great idea, Alison!

I am currently having fun with BRB in Sunderland and a fellow audience member recommended Osiel Guneo.

NB tend to use a thrust format there and the performance space is level with the front row of the audience. You are very close indeed at the front (even when the orchestra is visible). They now start the performance space slightly further back than when they first started appearing there. When they did Dangerous Liaisons first time around, the dancer performing Danceney (sorry if spelt wrong) ended up sitting on my friend's feet at one point!

Well you are a foot taller than me! I prefer sitting in the stalls, I like comfortable seats and (as long as they are not too low - as they are at the Palace Theatre in Manchester) I prefer sitting on the front row so I am not behind someone who is 6'3"!! Comfortable seats are always welcome too. I have often found there is less leg room in the circle, one of the reasons I prefer the stalls. On the ballet circuit I follow my favourite theatres (in no particular order) are The Lowry, Sunderland Empire, Liverpool Empire, Edinburgh Festival Theatre, West Yorkshire Playhouse and Norwich Theatre Royal.

At least we provincials were able to see him before he joined RB! He has been the most glorious of dancers since his earliest days at ENB.

Hello Jackie100 and welcome out of the lurking shadows! I can't answer your question but I am sure someone will be able to. Please let us know how you get on.

Just my luck - I'm travelling to Yorkshire on 20th November! http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-liverpool-tate-st-ives/performance-and-music/dance-performance-dance-within-us And I can't draw for toffee!! http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-liverpool/courses-and-workshops/dance-within-us-live-drawing-workshop

Very "Dangerous Liaisons" Bill! Let's hope she is well on the mend and will be able to dance her scheduled performances at ROH next year.

Happy Back to the Future Day people!

Hello Missfifi and welcome to the Forum. Here's an earlier thread on a similar topic: http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/8902-is-this-too-much-for-a-6yo/ And another one for a slightly older age group: http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/10232-progress-in-balletenough-training/ I do hope you will let us know how your DD progresses.

Is it an anniversary? 30 years?

Check the ITV2 listings for tomorrow afternoon Fiz!

Philip Schofield arrived at This Morning in one this morning!

I've just picked up off Northern Ballet's website that Kenneth Tindall is collaborating with Linder Sterling again on a work called Children of the Mantic Stain. The performance will be on 20th November at Leeds Art Gallery. http://northernballet.com/linder-sterling-children-of-the-mantic-stain

Phoenix Dance Theatre’s 2015 London season: 11 – 14 November Linbury Studio Theatre, ROH, Covent Garden, London WC2 A trademark triple bill from Phoenix Dance including an Itzik Galili world premiere. Under Artistic Director Sharon Watson, Phoenix Dance Theatre proudly presents its London 2015 season at the Linbury Studio Theatre, Royal Opera House, featuring the world premiere of Itzik Galili’snew version of Until.With/Out.Enough, alongside the London premieres of new work from Sharon Watsonand New Adventures Choreographer Award winner Caroline Finn. Until.With/Out.Enough was originally created by prominent Israeli choreographer Itzik Galili way back in 1997. His new version of Until.With/Out.Enough has been created for seven dancers with immersive music by Henryk Górecki and is a unique Phoenix Dance Theatre and Royal Ballet co-commission, receiving its world premiere on Wednesday 11 November. Speaking about the creation of Until.With/Out.Enough Itzik Galili said “What I have made for Phoenix is an old piece that I have adapted and given a facelift, with new costumes and lighting. I created it fairly early in my career, but I don’t like to leave pieces, because as we change our pieces also change as we develop. We see this revision process in writing all the time. Essentially I am recreating it based on the abilities of the dancers, who naturally influence the work, because it is important that they own what they do. The company dancers currently look very good. Until. With/Without.Enough will be an emotional journey for the viewer, essentially abstract but with intimacy and tension. A good work should move you emotionally and intellectually and I think it works with this ballet.” Sharon Watson follows up her audience favourites Melt (2011) and Repetition of Change (2013) with TearFall, a piece for eight dancers with music by Christian Steffes, which explores both the science and emotion of tears. Supported by the Wellcome Trust, TearFall was inspired by the exploration of the biochemical make up of tears, how their appearance and composition is affected by different emotional states and looks at the differences between how tears function and how they are perceived. For TearFall, Watson worked in partnership with Professor Sir John Holman from York University and dramaturg Lou Cope. Caroline Finn’s Bloom, for seven dancers, examines how people create ‘facades’, behind which they can become the person they believe they should be. The title Bloom was inspired by the idea that a tree in blossom - a beautiful layer – only masks the true nature of the tree beneath. Finn’s work often presents darkly comic expressions of life and humanity using a playful, quirky and highly engaging choreographic style. Bloom was commissioned in partnership with the New Adventures Choreographer Award. Finn was recently appointed as the Artistic Director of The National Dance Company Wales. Wed 11 – Sat 14 Nov at 7.45pm Linbury Studio Theatre, Royal Opera House, London WC2 Box Office: 020 7304 4000 Tickets: £8 - £25 www.phoenixdancetheatre.co.uk / www.roh.org.uk NOTES TO EDITORS: Sharon Watson – Phoenix Dance Theatre Artistic Director Sharon Watson was appointed as the 7th Artistic Director of Phoenix Dance Theatre in May 2009. Trained at the London School of Contemporary Dance, Sharon danced with Spiral and Extemporary Dance Theatre before joining Phoenix as a dancer from 1989 to 1997. During this time Sharon choreographed Never Still and Shaded Limits for Phoenix as well as creating new works for the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, National Youth Dance Company, Union Dance and a specially commissioned piece for the opening ceremony of the Royal Armouries in Leeds. She formed ABCD in 1998 and returned to Phoenix in 2000 as the company’s Rehearsal and Tour Director. In 2006 she embarked upon a fellowship with the Clore Leadership Programme and in 2008 she was one of 26 aspiring leaders from around the globe selected to attend Dance East’s fourth Rural Retreat. Sharon was named as one of the Cultural Leadership Programme’s Women to Watch, a list of 50 influential women working in arts and culture in the UK selected by a distinguished panel made up of figures from the cultural and creative industries. Phoenix Dance Theatre Formed in 1981 in inner-city Leeds, Phoenix Dance Theatre has grown to be one of Britain's leading international dance companies. As a repertory company, Phoenix aims to bring together the best choreographers from the international contemporary dance world. A diverse company of dancers works with these choreographers and the Artistic Director to create innovative work, which is communicative, highly accessible and represents the cultural diversity and experience of life in multi-cultural society. Phoenix is inclusive and open to people from all backgrounds. The company has a commitment to widening access to dance through its education, audience development and creative programmes. Phoenix Dance Education’s highly acclaimed programme of education work promotes participation in the arts as a stimulating and creative pursuit within schools and community settings. The company takes on dance apprentices and dancers are encouraged to develop their skills as teachers and choreographers. Sharon Watson was appointed as Artistic Director in 2009. A more detailed history of Phoenix is available at www.phoenixdancetheatre.co.uk Royal Opera House - Linbury Studio Dance Programme The Linbury Studio Theatre is programmed by The Royal Ballet and The Royal Opera as part of the Royal Opera House Season. The Royal Ballet’s Studio Programme aims to build coherence across dance performances on the main stage, in the Linbury and other spaces. The Studio Programme also includes a variety of choreographic projects involving both young and established choreographers and dancers from inside the Company and from the wider dance community.

Links - Tuesday, Oct 20 2015 Review – New York City Ballet, Fall Season roundup, New York: Alastair Macaulay, NY Times Review – New York City Ballet, Harlequinade, NY Export: Opus Jazz, New York: Mary Cargill, Danceview Times Review – Jose Limon Dance Company, The Unsung, The Moor’s Pavane, The Winged, New York: Brian Seibert, NY Times Review – Birmingham Royal Ballet, Theme and Variations, Enigma Variations, The King Dances, London: Judith Mackrell, Guardian Cristina de Lucas, Bachtrack Preview – Boston Ballet, Third Symphony of Mahler, Boston: Sharon Basco, WBUR Review – Twyla Tharp, 50th Anniversary Tour, Berkeley: Janice Berman, SF Classical Voice Review – Washington Ballet, Latin Heat programme, Washington: Hilary Stroh, Bachtrack Review – Silicon Valley Ballet, Giselle, San Jose: Terez Rose, Bachtrack Reviews – Dan Canham. Of Riders and Running Horses, London: Lyndsey Winship, Standard Josephine Leaske, London Dance Feature – Corella’s Pennsylvania Ballet gains a Spanish flavour: Nancy G Heller, Philadelphia Inquirer Review – Lost Dog Dance, Paradise Lost (Lies Unopened Beside Me), Bath: Emily Brown, Bachtrack Review – Idan Sharabi, Ours; Claire Cunningham, Give Me a Reason to Live, London: Rachel Elderkin, London Dance Review – Fall for Dance Festival, New York: Olga El, Broadway World Review – Velocity Dance Festival, Washington: George Jackson, Danceview Times Review – Abou Lagraa, Le Cantique des Cantiques, Paris: Laura Cappelle, FT Review – Sarasota Contemporary Dance, mixed programme, Sarasota: Carrie Seidman, Sarasota Herald Tribune Interview/Preview – Merli V Guerra (Luminarium Dance Co): Janine Parker, Arts Fuse Feature – Ching Ching Wong and other Princess Grace Award winners from Northwest Dance Project: Gavin Larsen, Oregon Artswatch Review – Jose Mateo Ballet, Isle of the Dead, Circles, Covens, Cambridge, Mass: Iris Fanger, Patriot Ledger Review - In the Heights (ch. Drew McOnie), London: Clare Cohen, London Dance

The emphasis is on the dancer but the dancer must be in a company...