Jan McNulty

Just saw your post after I'd written mine. I couldn't agree more. Both Chi Cao and Cesar Morales are superlative Seigfrieds. Mind you, Japanese fans are being treated to Celine and Tyrone!

It looks to me as though the company are not taking their full roster of principals and probably not all the lower ranks either. As they are so fondly regarded in Japan after being one of the only companies not to cancel in 2011 I do wonder why they need a guest artist, however stellar he may be in Japan. Or perhaps the rest of the company is busy preparing as much in advance as possible for midscale and beyond?

A late friend of mine used to describe so and so or such and such as a soubrette. Of those dancers that I knew I found they tended to make the best of Giselles too. I, probably erroneously, always thought of Agnes Oakes as a soubrette and because I of some of her performances I enjoyed I always link Swanilda and Giselle in my mind so if a dancer is good in one role I expect her to be as good in the other. Mind you she was also the most sublime of Auroras.

And a pet hate of mine. I just had a shock on my way home from Waitrose (and it's only 3 weeks since I went up that road). For some time a road has been being built from the M57/M58 junction to the road that leads through Thornton up to Southport. Well blummin' 'eck the shape of the road coming home has completely changed! It has been moved away from the current road going out (although I suspect that the next phase is to move that too) and a roundabout has appeared for which there was a whacking great queue to get on!! OK if the roadworks improve things but I am reserving judgement on this one!

And the controversy rumbles on. A letter in The Stage

The evening performances of the mixed programme are heavily booked although there are some tickets left. There is plenty of availability for the Thursday matinee.

Northern Ballet returns to the Royal Opera House with a Mixed Programme featuring two London premières Northern Ballet is returning to the Royal Opera House’s Linbury Studio Theatre following its sell-out inaugural visit in 2014. The Leeds-based company, who were recently awarded Best Company at the Taglioni European Ballet Awards, will perform a Mixed Programme of five works, including the London premières of Kenneth Tindall’s The Architect and Jonathan Watkins’ A Northern Trilogy, from 12 – 14 May 2015. Specialising in performing full-length classical narrative works, Northern Ballet’s annual Mixed Programme provides the opportunity for audiences to experience the athleticism, passion and technical prowess of the Company in a more intimate setting as the dancers rise superbly to realise the visions of each choreographer. This year the Mixed Programme will feature London premières by two of Britain’s most exciting emerging choreographers as the Company performs Kenneth Tindall’s The Architect and Jonathan Watkins’ A Northern Trilogy. The programme will also include Mark Godden’s Angels in the Architecture, Demis Volpi’s Little Monsters and Christopher Hampson’s Perpetuum Mobile. Opening the programme, Mark Godden’s Angels in the Architecture is set to Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring and is inspired by the beauty and simplicity of the lives of the Shaker people. A Northern Trilogy was created by former Royal Ballet dancer Jonathan Watkins for Northern Ballet’s 45th anniversarySapphire Gala in March 2014. Set to a soundtrack of voice recordings by Stanley Cooper; Yorkshire Pudden, One-Each-A-Piece-All-Round and The Lion and Albert; A Northern Trilogy is a light-hearted and witty piece capturing the spirit and humour of the North. This is Watkins’ first creation for Northern Ballet for whom he will create a full-length adaptation of1984 to première this September in Leeds. Northern Ballet first performed Demis Volpi’s Little Monsters at their 45th anniversary Sapphire Gala in March 2014. Choreographed by Stuttgart Ballet’s resident choreographer, Little Monsters tells a love story from the passionate beginning to the despair of its end expressed through the lyrics of Elvis Presley songs Love Me Tender, I Want You, I Need You, I Love You and Are You Lonesome Tonight? Perpetuum Mobile, was one of Christopher Hampson’s first creations for English National Ballet with whom he danced until 1999. Now Artistic Director of Scottish Ballet, Hampson’s Perpetuum Mobile is a challenging classic piece inspired by, and set to, Bach’s Violin Concerto in E Major. Closing the programme, The Architect premièred in Leeds in June 2014 and is created by Northern Ballet’s Premier Dancer, Kenneth Tindall, who retires at the end of the season to pursue a full-time career as a choreographer. Taking inspiration from the story of Adam and Eve, The Architect explores the creation and temptations of mankind in an intensely physical performance with music by Zoe Keating, Olafur Arnalds, Kerry Muzzey and Balanescu Quartet and sets and costumes designed by Christopher Giles. Artistic Director of Northern Ballet, David Nixon OBE, said: ‘I am delighted that Northern Ballet is returning to perform in Covent Garden for the second time after receiving such a positive response to our inaugural visit in 2014. Northern Ballet is a company that possesses some of the most talented and emotionally engaging dancers in the world. Through our Mixed Programme we are able to showcase their versatility performing in any genre and the Linbury Studio Theatre is the ideal setting for audiences to experience our company up close and at their most physical. I would like to thank Kevin O’Hare for welcoming us back once more and for his continuing support of our company.’ Kevin O’Hare, Director of The Royal Ballet, said: ‘It is a pleasure to welcome back Northern Ballet to our Linbury Studio Theatre. There will be something for audiences of all ages in this year’s performances of their Mixed Programme and Elves & the Shoemaker and it’s especially exciting to see one of the latest works by former Royal Ballet First Artist Jonathan Watkins with the London première of his A Northern Trilogy.’ Tickets for Northern Ballet’s Mixed Programme at the Linbury Studio Theatre are still available and can be booked online atroh.org.uk or by calling the box office on 0207 304 4000. Northern Ballet will also perform its children’s ballet, Elves & the Shoemaker, at the Linbury Studio Theatre from 15 – 16 May 2015. All performances are sold out but call the box office on 0207 304 4000 to enquire about returns. -ENDS- Notes to Editors For more details of Northern Ballet's tour, on sale dates and booking information, please visit northernballet.com/whatson. Voted Best Company at the 2014 Taglioni European 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 48 dancers tours a combination of full-length new work and established repertoire to cities throughout the UK. Northern Ballet will introduce a new strand of touring in 2015, widening the Company’s already extensive reach. The new mid-scale tour will see the Company perform in nine additional venues. Northern Ballet 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. Mixed Programme – Tour Dates Leeds, Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre 6 – 9 May 2015 Box Office 0113 220 8008 theatreleeds.com London, Linbury Studio Theatre 12 – 14 May 2015 Box Office 0207 304 4000 roh.org.uk Elves & the Shoemaker – Tour Dates London, Linbury Studio Theatre 15 – 16 May 2015 Box Office 0207 304 4000 roh.org.uk Also touring nationally. See northernballet.com/Elves for more information. The Royal Ballet Studio 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 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.

It was announced months ago that Matthew Golding was going to be guesting with BRB in Japan. A Japanese twitter chum told me. Perhaps MG has a big following in Japan. I know the audiences in Japan expect certain things and perhaps his appearance is one of them.

Birmingham Royal Ballet have arrived in Japan for a short tour opening on Saturday. The company has started a tour blog. If anyone is seeing the company in Japan I would love to hear about the performances.

A friend told me some years ago, when the work to convert to smart motorways started around Birmingham, that the hard shoulders had not been built to the same standard as the main motorway and that is the main reason for the length of the works. I found on the M6 that once everyone got used to the roadworks traffic flowed smoothly. Currently there are major roadworks at the start of the M5 and it took me 40 minutes to do about 5 miles a couple of weeks ago. J12-J21 on the M62 is also being worked on and has been a total nightmare on a couple of occasions. I took me 2hrs 59minutes to drive to Halifax last year - it took me an hour and 10 to get home!!! The works are not due to complete till some time in 2017!

Happy St George's Day to all our members http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/st-georges-day-6-reasons-why-st-george-is-the-perfect-symbol-of-multiculturalism-10197345.html

Paco Peña Dance Company Flamencura UK premiere Sadler’s Wells, EC1R Saturday 20 - Sunday 28 June 2015 Tue - Sun at 7.30pm, Sat 27 & Sun 28 at 2.30pm Tickets: £12 - £38 Ticket office: 0844 412 4300 or www.sadlerswells.com "Mr Peña is a virtuoso, capable of dazzling an audience beyond the frets of mortal man.” – The New York Times This season’s flamenco fever continues at Sadler’s Wells with the return of the legendary flamenco guitarist, composer, dramatist and producer Paco Peña from Saturday 20 to Sunday 28 June. The London-based Paco Peña Dance Company presents the UK premiere of Flamencura, a new work that reconnects with the sublime emotional essence and heritage of flamenco, featuring choreography by the award-winning Fernando Romero. After the experimental cross-cultural influences that the work of the company has explored in recent years, with shows like Flamenco sin Fronteras and Quimeras, this new production sees flamenco returning to its roots.Flamencura strips away theatricality and narrative, and instead provides a raw platform for the company’s artists to present and express their most quintessential emotions. The show demonstrates how the vehement feelings that moved singers, dancers and guitarists of days gone by will remain the life-blood of flamenco and continue to nourish the art today as well as connect it with other art forms. Flamencura presents ten dance pieces, a combination of solos, duets, ensembles and musical numbers, ranging from choreographies inspired by the Spanish folk traditions that give origin to the art of flamenco, such as verdiales, to cutting-edge contemporary takes on flamenco subgenres like martinete and petenera. The work also touches on the quality of spontaneous and deep emotional expression that flamenco shares with African-American blues music, with a gospel singer joining the flamenco performance at a poignant moment. The quejido, or anguished wailing, of the gospel singer echoes that of the flamenco cantaor, illustrating that both these styles rely on an essential state of emotional expression that transcends genre and culture. The show features acclaimed principal dancer Ángel Múñoz whose work From White to Black thrilled audiences at the London Flamenco Festival in 2014 and “gave way to an expression of energy and ecstasy that is only seen in the best of flamenco dancers” (The Telegraph). Completing the diverse trio of dancers areCharo Espino and Carmen Rivas “La Talegona”. The musical ensemble joining the dancers on stage includes guitarists Rafael Montilla and Paco Arriaga and vocalists José Ángel Carmona and Inmaculada Rivero. Paco Peña said: “Although the roots of flamenco are deeply embedded in the soil and the culture of southern Spain, the art form nevertheless deals with emotional ingredients that are universal and timeless and therefore felt and understood by all human beings. In this show I want to let my artists reach into their innermost sensitivities, to use the fundamental and primitive creative tools at their disposal to produce the ultimate flamenco experience – one that can reach and connect with any person in the world.” Over a career spanning more than four decades, Paco Peña has expanded the possibilities of flamenco and changed perceptions of the art form, bringing originality and energy to flamenco performance by mining the richness of its traditions while being inspired by contemporary culture. Since 1970 the guitar maestro has taken the Paco Peña Flamenco Dance Company to international venues including The Royal Albert Hall, New York’s Carnegie Hall and Sydney Opera House. Peña is regarded as one of the world’s leading flamenco performers, his skill, innovation and passion acclaimed by audiences worldwide. NOTES TO EDITORS About Sadler’s Wells Sadler's Wells is a world leader in contemporary dance, committed to producing, commissioning and presenting new works and to bringing the very 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 90 new dance works to the stage and its international award-winning commissions and collaborative productions regularly tour the world. Sadler’s Wells supports 16 appointed world class Associate Artists, three Resident Companies and an Associate Company and nurtures the next generation of talent through hosting the National Youth Dance Company, its Summer University programme, its Wild Card initiative and its New Wave Associates. Located in Islington in 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 9% of its revenue from Arts Council England. About Paco Peña Born in the Andalusian city of Córdoba, Paco Peña began learning guitar from his brother at the age of six and made his first professional appearance at the age of 12. In the late 1960s he left Spain for London, where his recitals of flamenco music captured the public imagination. Venues for his solo performances have included the intimate Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club and the monumental Royal Albert Hall in London, New York’s Carnegie Hall and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. He has shared the stage with fellow-guitarists, singers and instrumental groups, bridging diverse musical genres, including classical, jazz, blues, country and Latin American. Since 1970 Paco Peña has performed regularly with his own hand-picked company of dancers, guitarists and singers in a succession of groundbreaking shows. The Paco Peña Flamenco Dance Company based is famed for its passionately authentic flamenco. The company’s most successful recent productions include Voces y Ecos, directed by Jude Kelly, and A Compás! To the Rhythm which was performed at the Peacock Theatre in 2006 and 2007. In 2010 Peña’sFlamenco sin Fronteras came to Sadler’s Wells to critical acclaim. In 1997 Paco Peña was named Oficial de la Cruz de la Orden del Merito Civil in his native Spain; and in 2012 he was awarded The Gold Medal in the Arts by the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts, in Washington - these honours were both bestowed by King Juan Carlos of Spain.

Links - Thursday, April 23 2015 Review – Dutch National Ballet, Back to Bach, St Petersburg: Laura Cappelle, FT Reviews – Royal Ballet, La Fille Mal Gardee (Morera/Muntagirov), London: Ismene Brown, Spectator Graham Watts, London Dance Interview – Laura Morera & Vadim Muntagirov (RB) on La Fille Mal Gardee: Jann Parry, DanceTabs Feature – Australian Ballet, Male ballet dancers learn the art of dancing on their toes: Elissa Blake, Sydney Morning Herald Review – Royal Ballet School and American Ballet Theatre Studio Company, mixed programme, London: Alastair Macaulay, NY Times News – San Francisco Ballet 2015-16 season, including new works by Peck and Scarlett: Allan Ulrich, SF Chronicle Q&A – Rosie Kay, Choreographer: DanceTabs Feature with Gallery – Boris Eifman Ballet, Behind the scenes, Toronto: Racheal McCaig, Broadway World Preview – Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Berkeley: Rachel Howard, SF Chronicle News – Baryshnikov to star in a show based on Brodsky’s poetry: Roslyn Sulcas, NY Times Review – BalletBoyz The Talent, The Murmuring, Mesmerics, Richmond: Howard Loxton, British Theatre Guide Review - Company Chameleon, The Beauty of the Beast, London: Judith Mackrell, Guardian Feature – Mary Carmen Catoya moves on from Miami City Ballet: Jordan Levin, Miami Herald Review - Youth America Grand Prix Gala, New York: Melia Kraus-har, Broadway World Reviews – Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris, New York: Robert Gottlieb, NY Observer Michael Grossberg, Columbus Dispatch Feature – Moscow and Australian ballet primed for Sleeping Beauty Face-off: Candice Barnes, Sydney Morning Herald Reviews – Ross McCormack, Triumphs and Other Alternatives, Wellington: Ann Hunt, Dominion Post Anna Bate, NZ Theatreview Jillian Davey, NZ Theatreview Feature - Bageshree Vaze: Michael Crabb, Toronto Star

Behind the scenes feature in Broadway World

Here's a link to an Amazon search: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_14?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=margot%20fonteyn&sprefix=margot+fonteyn%2Caps%2C191 Margot Fonteyn's autobiography is a good read.

It was Alex Campbell's debut as Colas last night; he never had the opportunity at BRB (but I am sure he would have done it by now if he had stayed). I believe it is a role he has coveted so I, for one, am thrilled he has this opportunity!

Well enjoy a certain Mr C!

Links - Wednesday, April 22 2015 Review – New York City Ballet, Symphonic Dances, Pictures at an Exhibition, This Bitter Earth, Everywhere We Go, Washington: Oksana Khadarina, DanceTabs Review – Paul Taylor Dance Company, Aureole, The Word, Brandenburgs, Diggity, Death and the Damsel, Promethean Fire, San Francisco: Rita Felciano: Danceview Times Review – Dance Massive 2015 – Rebecca Jensen & Sara Aiken, Overworld: Melbourne: Jordan Beth Vincent, DanceTabs Preview – Boris Eifman Ballet, Anna Karenina, Toronto: Michael Crabb, Toronto Star Review – Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Odetta, Uprising, Revelations, Boston: Vanessa Alamo, Huffington Post Review – Martha Graham Dance Company, Appalachian Spring, Lamentation Variations, Errand into the Maze, Echo, Los Angeles: Margaret Gray, LA Times Review – Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris, New York: Melia Kraus-Har, Broadway World Review – David Neumann, I understand everything better, New York: Deborah Jowitt, Arts Journal Review – Texas Ballet Theatre, Petite Mort, Four Poems, Rubies, Dallas: Margaret Putnam, Theater Jones Review – Deutsche Oper Berlin, Romeo et Juliette, Berlin: Christie Franke, Bachtrack News Feature – Dance Education – The Real Challenges: Kirsty Alexander, London Dance Review – Isabella Stone, Mouseprint, Perth: Nerida Dickinson, Australian Stage Preview – Ross McCormack, Triumphs and Other Alternatives, Wellington: Tom Cardy, Dominion Post Review – Gallim Dance, Blush, Washington: Frances Steiner, Broadway World Feature - Figs in Wigs: Clare Evans, London Dance

A preview in the Toronto Star: http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/stage/2015/04/21/boris-eifmans-back-and-theres-going-to-be-drama.html

And a news feature in London Dance.

The news of the opening of registration for Dance Proms 2015 is in London Dance.

A Sadler’s Wells commission Hetain Patel American Boy Lilian Baylis Studio, EC1R Thursday 28 & Friday 29 May Performances at 8pm Tickets: £17 Ticket office: 0844 412 4300 or www.sadlerswells.com “Patel is as much entertainer as performance conceptualist” – The Times Following multiple sold out performances and a national tour in 2014, Sadler’s Wells New Wave Associate ArtistHetain Patel returns to the Lilian Baylis Studio with his one-man show American Boy, a personal and humorous take on identity shape shifting, on Thursday 28 and Friday 29 May. Patel is a visual artist crossing a number of art forms, with the body and identity as core concerns, whose work for the stage has been attracting growing acclaim. Inspired by American movie culture and homemade YouTube videos, American Boy is a solo performance made almost entirely from film and TV quotes, looking at the multiple personas that we all inhabit in our day-to-day lives. An avid mimic as a child, Patel and his school friends would get together and reconstruct the previous night’s films and TV shows. Now, through a seamless synthesis of vocal and physical limitations, Patel revisits character impersonations from his playground days. The audience sees Agent Smith from the Matrix argue with Michael Caine, whilst Eddie Murphy dances alongside Spiderman. “If I asked you to list the films, characters and scenes that have influenced your life, what would it reveal about you?” asks Patel. “This is how American Boy started.” The show is therefore a compilation of all the films, scenes and characters that have made Patel, revealing all the contradictions in his personality, his dreams and nightmares, his empathy and prejudices, acting as both a self-portrait and a reflection on the mainstream popular culture that moulds much of who we all are, whether we are aware of it or not. Patel commented further: “Fantasising about being the archetypal tough, heroic or funny men from Hollywood films formed an important part of my growing up, and if I’m honest this desire and activity still remains in my life now. I still sometimes wish I were Spider-Man. My best friend and I still sometimes have phone conversations solely in film quotes.” Since 2004, Hetain Patel’s identity-based photography, video and live works have been exhibited nationally and internationally, by major international institutions including Tate, Southbank Centre, Sydney Festival,Bodhi Art in New York, Ullens Centre for Contemporary Arts in China and Chatterjee and Lal in Mumbai. Patel’s 2013 TED Talk Who am I? Think again has reached over three million views online, and he also received high critical acclaim for his piece Let’s Talk About Dis, created for Candoco Dance Company in 2014. Patel’s performances at the Lilian Baylis Studio follow his solo exhibition The Other Suit which runs fromSaturday 2 to Wednesday 27 May at The Agency. Also showing at the same time in Italy will be Patel’s new commission for the 56th Venice Biennale, as part of Doug Fishbone’s Leisure Land Golf project, fromSaturday 9 May to Saturday 26 July. American Boy is co-produced and commissioned by Sadler’s Wells, co-produced by BDE London 2012 Consortium, development supported by Mercy and Penned in the Margins, and supported with public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. Contains strong language Free post-show talk: Thursday 28 May The Monument Trust supports co-productions and new commissions at Sadler's Wells The New Wave Associates programme is supported by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation NOTES TO EDITORS About Sadler’s Wells Sadler's Wells is a world leader in contemporary dance, committed to producing, commissioning and presenting new works and to bringing the very 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 90 new dance works to the stage and its international award-winning commissions and collaborative productions regularly tour the world. Sadler’s Wells supports 16 appointed world class Associate Artists, three Resident Companies and an Associate Company and nurtures the next generation of talent through hosting the National Youth Dance Company, its Summer University programme, its Wild Card initiative and its New Wave Associates. Located in Islington in 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 9% of its revenue from Arts Council England. About Sadler’s Wells New Wave Associate Artists The drive of the Sadler’s Wells New Wave Associates scheme is to invite talented emerging artists at a crucial stage in their artistic and career development into Sadler’s Wells and to support them in a variety of ways, in a bespoke programme that is tailored to each artist’s needs. With practical production time in Sadler’s Wells’ studios and theatres, advice and introductions alongside direct financial support, the aim is to provide an artistic home while enabling them to feed into the programme with their energy, dynamism and fresh ideas. The current group of artists benefiting from the programme are: Alexander Whitley, Hetain Patel and Wilkie Branson.

Here's a feature that Ken Ludden wrote last year for the Huffington Post And the Academy website

I saw the final three performances of Gatsby over the weekend in Norwich. Gatsby has been toured extensively since it first premiered and it may be some while before we see it again. We will certainly never see the big 5 roles intact in the first cast again with Kenny Tindall's retirement in a couple of weeks. All three performances (of the three casts I described above) were outstanding. At Saturday evening's performance - led by Javier Torres and Dreda Blow - the cast really let their hair down at the parties! Myrtle's party reached new heights of drunkenness and made the violence Tom showed towards her all the more shocking. I don't think I have ever seen the Charleston scene danced with more exuberance. The party is over for the time being and I am so sorry to see Gatsby go ... let's hope it is not too long before we see him again!

Oh blummin' 'eck Katherine, I'm in Milton Keynes that day for Northern Ballet's Wuthering Heights. Also seem to be there on Thursday and Friday too!! Are you coming up to MK at all while I am there?