Irmgard

By a stroke of good fortune, I was able to attend the matinée performance on 11 January and witness again Fernanda Oliveira’s dazzling Medora with a completely different cast, as she was replacing Cojocaru. Considering the cast change was only announced a few days ago and, given the company’s hectic rehearsal schedule, they must have had little time to rehearse together but the performance of the three leads in the Act II pas d’action was astonishingly polished and assured. Jeffrey Cirio brought nobility and a quiet dignity to his Ali and, as always, the brilliance of his technique, especially in his firecracker of a solo, was imbued with impeccable elegance, as was his partnering of Oliveira, with whom he was extremely well matched, despite this being a chance pairing. Likewise, Isaac Hernandez, in his only performance of the run, proved an excellent partner for her. Being slightly taller than Joseph Caley, her partner for her scheduled performances, the lifts were slightly higher and this made the upside down lift in the Act II pas de deux even more breath-taking, especially as they were able to hold the position for just that little bit longer so that it really registered. I was also impressed by the tenderness he displayed towards her, especially during this pas de deux, which she reciprocated, and there was a palpable chemistry between them throughout the ballet. There is a raw energy to his dancing which made him a believable leader of a gang of pirates, and this made his fight with Birbanto very realistic, especially when he continued to attack the other pirates to bring them into line. Erik Woolhouse, on top form, was even more extraordinary in the role of Birbanto than his performance which I saw in Milton Keynes, more than matching Hernandez in hot-headedness and showing some splendidly virtuosic dancing to boot. It was a joy to see the diminutive Adela Ramirez, as the Lead Villager, dance up a storm with him in Act I, in a wonderful mixture of vivacity and coquettishness. With Woolhouse being so tall, the two overhead lifts were jaw-dropping in the height achieved. It is one of my regrets with this season’s casting that we have not been treated to her incomparable performance of the first Odalisque solo which I remember so well from 2016. In less than twenty-four hours, Shiori Kase changed from Medora into Gulnare, a role in which she enchanted me in 2016. As with the previous evening, her flawless technique and artistry raised her performance to another level, especially with her ability to move from delicate, legato movements to electrifying fouetté turns and pirouettes with the same serenity, and her charm was given full rein in her Act III solo. As with last night’s cast, she and the Medora of Oliveira were an excellent match physically and artistically. As to Oliveira, her performance was even more radiant and assured than on Thursday afternoon, with a particularly breath-taking balance in attitude derrière in the jardin animé scene which was so secure that it looked like she could have held it for the rest of the ballet. The fiendish pirouettes à la seconde also looked smooth as silk, as did the series of fouettés into attitude in Act III. My delight in the performance was completed by a sparkling rendition of the score by ENB’s fabulous orchestra under the baton of Gavin Sutherland who received a huge ovation from the packed matinée audience, as did the whole company.

Friday evening (10th) was another hugely enjoyable feast of dancing from ENB. Erik Woolhouse, making his London début as Ali, made an initial spectacular jeté onto the stage, seeming to suspend in the air, but for me the rest of his dancing was not as electrifying as in Milton Keynes, perhaps due to nerves, but it was still an outstanding performance. Brooklyn Mack was all bravado and flashing smiles as Conrad but there was an untidy element to his dancing which was disappointing, especially after witnessing the exceptional finesse of Francesco Frola’s dancing the previous evening, who also gave depth to the character. I felt Mack sometimes played too much to the audience and I did not feel any tenderness from him towards his beautiful Medora. Miguel Angel Maidana, in his second performance as Birbanto, impressed me even more with his dancing. He might have been slightly shorter than most of the other pirates but he is a human dynamo! He also impressed me with his characterisation, making the moment he first sees Gulnare and his immediate attraction to her more obvious. He was helped greatly in this by a standout performance from Katja Khaniukova as the forlorn Gulnare. This consummate dancer-actress also galvanised Aitor Arrieta into finding more menace in his characterisation of Lankendem, which made their pas de deux in Act I very moving in a ballet which is otherwise bereft of much deep emotion. While always partnering her to perfection, Arrieta’s body language showed him controlling her every move, almost wrenching her back every time she tried to escape and forcing her to display her beauty which she tried to avert, even when veiled, with an inclination of her head imbued with sadness. This infinite sadness of her body language made the moments when he held her aloft in a deep backbend achingly beautiful. Her solo in this Act, in which her Gulnare could not help but take pleasure in dancing, was memorable for a set of beautifully soft changements en pointe amongst other delights. In Act III, when it appears Gulnare has taken to life as the Pasha’s chief wife, her solo in the jardin animé scene was exquisite, starting with the fleetest of runs en pointe. Her soulfulness was perfectly contrasted with the brilliance and fearlessness of Shiori Kase’s superb Medora. These two dancers are so perfectly matched physically and in the flawlessness of their classical technique that Medora and Gulnare could be sisters in this ballet, especially given their wonderfully natural interaction at every opportunity in Act I and III. Kase definitely gave the ballet its heart, with her love for Conrad shining through at every opportunity, but she was not averse to teasing the Pasha charmingly in her Act I solo while making the fiendishly difficult choreography look effortless. Her pirouettes and fouetté turns were even more electrifying than her performance I saw in Milton Keynes, as were her gorgeously serene balances, especially in the jardin animé scene, and her pointework was, as always, a thing of beauty in its delicacy. In fact it was these two lovely ballerinas who stole the show for me. Kase is listed as a Principal and Khaniukova as First Soloist but, on the evidence of their performances last season and so far this year, promotion for both of them must be imminent as the company’s next generation of Lead Principals.

Yes, Frola and Takahashi tomorrow evening

Hopefully Jurgita Dronina will be dancing, who was simply sublime in ENB's performances in 2018.

Each time I have written about “Le Corsaire”, I have expressed my distaste for the fact that this story about human trafficking is treated by Anna-Marie Holmes more as a comedy than the dark tale of the original synopsis. Indeed, Tamara Rojo felt it necessary to write a justification in the programme for presenting a work with such outdated attitudes to women and other cultures, hoping we have “the knowledge and the critical frame of judgement to view [19th century ballets] in the context in which they were created”. However, unlike the myriad operas of previous centuries which have themes of misogyny and racism inherent in the libretti which it would be inappropriate to rewrite, at least in their original languages (“The Magic Flute” is a prime example), this ballet and its plot have been extensively reworked by Anna-Marie Holmes in the 21st century and therefore I fail to see why she could not have made it much more of a drama. Indeed, the confrontations between Conrad and Birbanto in Act II show how gripping it could be if the whole piece was given the same dramatic treatment, especially with the superb acting talents on display. Instead, we have the villainous Pasha and his assistant reduced to buffoons more suitable for a pantomime, and even the doping of the rose becomes a source of laughter. My gripes about the actual ballet aside, it does provide a showcase for the technical virtuosity, mainly of the male dancers, within the company. They receive the loudest ovations for their relatively short, explosive solos but it is actually Medora who has the lion’s share of the dancing in all three Acts and is a tour de force of a role. Watching both performances yesterday (9 January), I was struck by how lucky the company is to have two ballerinas in their absolute prime who have devoted their whole careers to ENB and, between them, have clocked up an impressive forty-six years with the company, to take on this marathon of a role and fill in for their indisposed colleague, Alina Cojocaru, plus the delights yet to come of Shiori Kase and Katja Khaniukova. Fernanda Oliveira (celebrating her twentieth year with the company) led the company for the matinée. I have always thought that she has the prettiest legs and feet in the company and uses them superbly here, especially in the many développés contained within the choreography, bringing a warm voluptuousness to it as well as a serenity to the jardin animé scene in Act III with her secure, effortless balances. She delivered all the expected fireworks in her various solos, encompassing the obligatory thirty-two fouetté turns and some stunning diagonals of quicksilver chainé turns (or petits tours). As with her performance I saw in Milton Keynes, the highlight for me was the Act II ‘Bolshoi’ pas de deux with her Conrad, Joseph Caley, and the exquisitely beautiful ‘upside-down’ lift, followed by the end position where she is draped down his body. Caley, as always, partnered superbly and is more settled in the role now but still does not deliver quite the fireworks one expects in his solos, perhaps because his technique makes them look so effortless! Lankendem was Aitor Arrieta whose innate nobility makes it slightly hard to believe him as a mercenary, sleazy dealer in women, but his dancing was a pleasure to watch, with his easy jump and gorgeous tours en l’air ending in the softest of grands pliés. Making a very impressive début as Birbanto was Miguel Angel Maidana, who not only impressed me with the fireworks of his dancing but also by the way he built his character, being totally believable as Conrad’s friend who only turns on him when denied what he believes is his right – the slave girls they have rescued/stolen from Lankendem who Conrad agrees to free at Medora’s request. His joyous dance with lead villager, the delightful Emily Suzuki, was like a ray of sunshine. Of course, the loudest cheers of the afternoon were for Daniel McCormick, with London audiences seeing his fabulous, bravura Ali for the first time. There were audible gasps from the audience during the Act II pas de trois when he suddenly slowed his pirouette à la seconde right down, as if we were watching in slow motion, completing several more turns. He also brought a noble elegance to his dancing and to his portrayal of the character. Due to Ken Saruhashi’s injury, McCormick replaced him at the matinée and then repeated the whole thing again in the evening for his scheduled performance, thrilling the even more vocal audience. If Oliveira’s Medora was like wallowing in luxuriant velvet, Erina Takahashi (celebrating her twenty-fourth year in the company) was like the most delicate gossamer, shimmering with morning dew. In what must be an almost unprecedented chain of events, she performed at the dress rehearsal on Tuesday evening, the opening night on Wednesday (replacing the indisposed Cojocaru at both) and then her own scheduled performance on Thursday and I am lost in admiration for her stamina! I can only describe her performance as radiant and effortless. Everything about it was exquisite, from her first jetés onto the stage until the last moment, holding her beloved Conrad as they (hopefully!) survived the shipwreck. There was an electrifying chemistry between her and Francesco Gabriele Frola as Conrad and, again, for me the highlight was the Act II pas de deux and the spectacular lifts which were done in such an astonishingly carefree manner as Takahashi threw herself into his wonderfully secure arms. Frola was a revelation as Conrad, with passionate, bravura dancing and acting. The height of his jumps was extraordinary, as were the panther-like landings and, if it had not been for his exceptional acting skills, it really would have felt like a gala you didn’t want to end! Adding excellent support was the scene-stealing Junor Souza as the arrogant slaver with a heart (witness his look of regret after he has sold Medora to the Pasha), who partnered the very sweet Gulnare of Emma Hawes sympathetically while remaining completely in character. Hawes was also delightful in the jardin animé scene. Birbanto was Henry Dowden, who has also found more to do with the character since I saw him in Milton Keynes, and his confrontations with Conrad were particularly gripping. His Act I dance with the vivacious Lead Villager of Stina Quagebeur was wonderfully exuberant. This performance benefitted from a lovely trio of Odalisques, with Anjuli Hudson demonstrating diagonals of true brisés where the feet actually crossed each other and Alison McWhinney bringing charm and elegance to the second solo. For the first time in the six viewings I have had of this ballet this season, I saw a ballerina performance of the third and longest solo. This was the radiant and regal Katja Khaniukova whose effortless balances and secure turns, whilst displaying the softest of ports de bras, offer a sneak preview of her Gulnare tonight and her Medora on Monday evening. For those who have seen the production at the Coliseum in the past, I am sure I am not alone in welcoming the absence of children from the jardin animé scene this time, leaving us free to enjoy the lovely choreography for the flowers, looking as if they had just stepped out of a Degas painting of the foyer de danse at the Opéra. I was also pleased to see that action at the back of the stage in Act I had been toned down since the performances at Milton Keynes and was blissfully free of slave girls being dragged around! As always with this production, it is best not to think too hard about the story and just enjoy the profusion of fabulous dancing on display plus the wonderfully uplifting music emanating from pit, whether under the baton of Gerry Cornelius or Gavin Sutherland.

Definitely Hernandez with Fernanda Oliveira.

I didn't dress for LFB, only NBOC but I remember those very heavy costumes - especially for the Queen! Having to heave the two sides of the skirt together to fasten the waist and then all the other hooks and eyes! It was a great workout for the arm muscles! As for Nureyev and LFB, I remember him coming flying into my wing at the end of his manege in his Act III solo and almost crashing into me but my knees went weak anyway, purely from his electrifying eyes!

I, for one, am delighted NBOC is bringing Nureyev's "Sleeping Beauty" to London as it will be nostalgic in so many ways for me. It was the production I grew up with and watched Kain many times as Aurora. I was a dresser for their summer season of 'Beauty' before returning to the UK as a student so I got to know those fabulous costumes intimately! It was also in the rep of LFB/ENB for many years and I thought it sad when it was jettisoned for the much less interesting production by MacMillan. I saw many stars in the ballet and my abiding memory is of standing in the wings to watch Nureyev with Evdokimova because the Coliseum was completely sold out during the Nureyev and Friends season. It would be interesting to see Hynd's "Merry Widow" but it is not a very challenging ballet for the dancers and I think Kain, during her final season as Artistic Director, will want to showcase the strengths of her dancers at all levels, and there is nothing like Nureyev's 'Beauty' for doing this, as anyone who has danced in it will tell you!

That looks like the current casting, apart from Tuesday 14 when Aitor Arrieta replaces Ken Saruhashi as Lankendem. Likewise, McCormick will probably replace Saruhashi as Ali in the evening performance although the ENB website still has Saruhashi listed.

On the basis of last night's dress rehearsal, anyone watching tonight will be in for a real treat with the Takahashi/Frola combination, as will anyone watching the Saturday matinee as, in the Milton Keynes performance I saw, Oliveira was glorious as Medora.

My absolute highlight of the last decade was Fernanda Oliveira repeating her incomparable Giselle in the Mary Skeaping production (ENB) in 2010, having completely blown me away when I first saw her rehearsing and performing the role in 2005. It was hugely disappointing that she was injured in 2017 and therefore unable to perform the role that year. However, it did lead to my other main highlight of the decade which was the sublime guest performances of Jurgita Dronina in the role, leading to her becoming a permanent member of English National Ballet. Since then, everything she has performed with the company has been a highlight for me, most especially her incandescent Juliet in 2017 and her heartbreaking Manon in 2019. My other highlights are in chronological order: Yurie Shimomura and Dai Sasaki in the Mary Skeaping production of “Giselle” for Japan Ballet Association in 2012. Two wonderful dancers completely immersing themselves in a production new to them and giving a magical performance of it. The glorious dancing of the ladies of English National Ballet in Act IV of “Swan Lake” at the London Coliseum during the wonderful Olympic summer of 2012, a fitting tribute to the outgoing artistic team. Elena Glurdjidze’s stunning performances as Raymonda in Act III, as part of the Nureyev Tribute by ENB in 2013. Daria Klimentova’s farewell performance as Juliet in 2014 with Vadim Muntagirov as Romeo. Anything Muntagirov does is always a highlight but this was especially so. It has been such a privilege to watch him develop over the decade from the shy 18-year-old in the studio (with the formidable technique!) to the international superstar and I always remember with affection his filmed interview for the Emerging Dancer competition in which he stated that the most important thing for him was to be a nice person – which he genuinely is! Fernanda Oliveira, Ken Saruhashi and Aitor Arrieta in MacMillan’s “Song of the Earth” (ENB) in 2017. Their hauntingly beautiful performances will stay with me forever. Cesar Corrales and Jia Zhang in Petit’s “Le jeune homme et la Mort” in 2018, which turned out to be Corrales’s last performances with ENB – electrifying! Katja Khaniukova and Irek Mukhamedov in “Broken Wings” by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, performed with ENB in 2019. This is a ballet I could watch forever, especially with the charismatic performances of these two wonderful artists. Cesar Corrales and Francesca Hayward as Romeo and Juliet with the Royal Ballet in 2019. Possibly the most heartbreaking performance I have seen of MacMillan’s ballet in the forty+ years I have been watching it! My lowest lowlight: “McGregor + Mugler” at the Coliseum in 2019 – what a complete waste of the dancers’ formidable talents!!!

But this makes it about financial compensation and greed, especially when Coppelius asks the Duke for the second money bag! The way both Swanildas I have seen offer him their money bag (which is most likely the fault of the production and not their interpretations) is as if to say "this will pay for the breakages" rather than apologising and consoling him for shattering his dreams! In Ronnie Hynd's version, Swanilda and Franz kneel at Coppelius's feet to ask for forgiveness and do show genuine remorse and, if I remember correctly, Franz then receives a bear hug from Coppelius! This is a very touching scene and again, gives the ballet heart, which for me is somehow lacking when Coppelius is only given the chance to play broad comedy.

As others have mentioned how many performances they have seen this year, I was curious to total mine up and they came to fifty-two, not including dress rehearsals but including two performances of Makarova’s “Giselle” in Stockholm which sadly did not make my list of highlights, apart from being in the presence of the legend herself! In previous years we have not been limited to only one highlight so I am listing my most outstanding ones, in no particular order, other than chronological: Jurgita Dronina in “Manon” and “Swan Lake” (English National Ballet) Begoña Cao and Aitor Arrieta in “Manon” and “Swan Lake” (ENB) The ladies of English National Ballet in Ashton’s choreography for Act IV of Derek Deane’s “Swan Lake” Katja Khaniukova and Irek Mukhamedov in “Broken Wings” (ENB) Cesar Corrales and Francesca Hayward in “Romeo and Juliet” (Royal Ballet) Ekaterina Krysanova in “Don Quixote” (Bolshoi Ballet)

For me, the sensational débuts of the charismatic Cesar Corrales and Mayara Magri on 30 December 2019 eclipsed everyone and everything else on stage in this delightful revival of the de Valois production of “Coppélia”. As this was not in the resident company’s repertoire from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s when I saw multiple performances of every programme presented at Covent Garden, it was my first opportunity to see Osbert Lancaster’s jolly designs, which set the ballet firmly in a timeless European fantasy-land, although some of the costumes, characteristic of 1950s ballet designs, do not compare so favourably. Dance-wise, I thought the Mazurka and Czardas in Act I were performed with great panache, if somewhat lacking in the épaulement which would have made the Mazurka truly stylish. At this performance, the Dance of the Hours in Act III seemed to be somewhat tentatively performed, especially in the circle in which each dancer in turn does a single pirouette from a kneel and ending in a kneel, rather than with the serenity the music suggests. The Prayer solo would also have benefited from more serenity and Dawn (Aurora) would have benefited from being more radiant. I was disappointed in Thomas Whitehead’s interpretation of Dr. Coppélius. Yes, he had found a funny walk and indulged in some slapstick humour, but he did not develop a character I could care about. According to the well-known saying, it was Delibes who gave ballet music a heart and nowhere should this be more evident than in the beautiful moment (especially with conductor Tom Seligman galvanising the orchestra) when Dr. Coppélius believes he has brought Coppélia to life. Although this moment was movingly portrayed by Magri, Whitehead just took it in his stride, rather than touching our hearts with his wonderment, or with pathos when he discovers his beloved creation has been destroyed. And it is my one criticism of the otherwise sparkling production of this ballet that there is no remorse, forgiveness or reconciliation between Coppélius and the two protagonists, Swanilda and Franz. In these roles, Magri and Corrales are ideally cast and perfectly matched in both artistry and temperament, with sunny smiles which light up the auditorium and beyond. There was such naturalness in their acting that everything they did felt completely spontaneous, despite obviously having been meticulously rehearsed. As the two squabbling teenagers in love, they delighted me with their completely natural reactions to everything and in making their characters so believable and engaging that they kept my attention even when supposedly out of the limelight at the side of the stage. Franz may have a roving eye and be only too aware of his attractiveness to the ladies, but Corrales made sure from his body language that we knew his heart belonged to Swanilda. Likewise, Magri, for all her protestations, made it clear that Franz was her true love, which made the pas de deux in which the ear of corn fails to confirm his faithfulness particularly poignant. Corrales may have perfectly caught the character of the bucolic villager but there was no denying the nobility of his dancing, notably in the Czardas (which was, after all, originally a Hungarian court dance), bringing a touch of class to it with the aristocratic carriage of his upper body and his beautifully clean, precise footwork. He had to wait until Act III to unleash the fireworks but it was worth the wait to witness his flawless technique and the power of his pirouettes and leaps, especially in the final manège, and all set off with his dazzling smile. The spirited and utterly charming Magri enchanted from her first entrance, demonstrating a lovely ballon from her first solo onwards, and bringing an exuberant energy to this tour de force of a role. I particularly liked the panache she brought to the Spanish solo in Act II. I loved her grace in the final pas de deux, and the moment that will stay in my mind is the beauty of her delicate backbend en pointe over Corrales’ arm. These were débuts to treasure from these two highly accomplished young artists! Spending the evening down the road at the Coliseum at yet another enthusiastically received performance of “Nutcracker”, I marvelled at how lucky we are in London to have such a wonderful selection of Christmas treats!

I was back at the Coliseum this afternoon (27th) for my first post-Christmas visit to “Nutcracker” and, as always at these matinées, I was surrounded by many children seeing it for the first time, including a pleasantly surprising large number of boys as well as the expected profusion of girls in their Christmas finery who, along with the adults, seemed as enchanted as I was, once again, by the magical partnership of Jeffrey Cirio and Katja Khaniukova in the leading roles. Other delights were the Mouse King of Shevelle Dynott who seems to discover more comedy in the role at every performance whilst cleanly executing every step of the choreography, a deliciously delicate lead snowflake from Francesca Velicu, a thrilling Russian dance with gravity-defying leaps from Rentaro Nakaaki and beautifully stylish lead flowers from Jia Zhang, Ken Saruhashi, Emma Hawes and Skyler Martin (the men replacing those listed on the cast sheet). It is always a pleasure to see Fabian Reimair’s genial and benevolent Drosselmeyer overseeing the proceedings and to watch his elegant partnering in both the Mirlitons pas de deux and in the past de trois which opens Act II in which he and Daniel McCormick, as the Nutcracker, made the effervescent Khaniukova look light as a feather. As always, it is the grand pas de deux which concludes the ballet which should be the highlight and it certainly was this afternoon, with Khaniukova and Cirio bringing both grandeur and magic to it, despite conductor Orlando Jobling never quite letting the orchestra reach the same magical heights in the slightly slow tempi he took for the entrée and sugar plum fairy solo. In a partnership which has blossomed even more since I saw their first performance two weeks ago, Khaniukova and Cirio sparkled and demonstrated why they have both been nominated for outstanding classical performance in the National Dance Awards for this year. Cirio’s partnering is both refined and secure, presenting his ballerina to perfection, and he showed us his beautifully clean technique in his solo, bringing elegance to the wonderfully soft landings from his jumps. Khaniukova shone in the most serene of sugar plum fairy solos, with her delicate footwork and some amazingly slow multiple pirouettes which were both unexpected and breath-taking and looked as if they could have gone on forever if the music had not dictated otherwise. This very classy couple were rewarded with a prolonged ovation of enthusiastic applause and cheering. I shall now look forward to watching them and several other thrilling partnerships that ENB is presenting in its post-New Year feast of dancing - “Le Corsaire”.

We are slightly getting off the topic of "Cats" here, but I don't think Shearer's retirement had anything to do with not being strong enough - like Beryl Grey, she had been dancing leading roles on the company's gruelling wartime tours during her teens and indeed had been a principal dancer for several years before she made "The Red Shoes" (at the age of 21!). By the time she retired, she had also given birth to the first of her four children, and ballerinas in the UK in those days did tend to retire after they had had one or two children. Plus, she never had the easiest of relationships with Ninette de Valois (which she herself has spoken about), especially after finding international fame independently outside of the company. (I doubt de Valois realised what a huge hit the film was going to be when she gave her leave to make it, as Shearer was actually better known in the USA than Fonteyn was when the company made its first visit.) Hayward's position is therefore very different.

Just a small correction. Moira Shearer danced with the Sadler's Wells Ballet for a good six years after filming "The Red Shoes", retiring in 1953, and danced the premiere of Ashton's "Cinderella" after the film wrapped and was one of the leading ballerinas on the company's first two tours of the United States. However, she did make at least one more feature film ("The Tales of Hoffmann") while still with the company. If Hayward is offered more film work, hopefully she will be able to successfully combine it the way Shearer did and for much longer!

It is more like 2 hours and 15 minutes by the time they seat the full house before it starts!

In the forty-plus years I have been watching the company, ENB has always had a tradition of strongly casting its matinées, and 18 December was no exception. In what I believe is her second season as the young Clara, Sophie Carter’s stage presence has matured and there was a lovely feeling of tender sorrow when she cradled the broken nutcracker doll in her arms, which was beautifully reflected at the end of Act I when the older Clara comforted the wounded Nutcracker, performed by Henry Dowden in a marvellously sensitive performance, despite the mask. Angela Wood was the sweetest of Nurses in the opening scene and interacted naturally with the Mother of Sarah Kundi, whose graciousness and elegance lifted the party scene. This was almost stolen by the Grandmother of Amber Hunt, replacing the listed Jennie Harrington, who brought her knitting to the party, providing the Grandfather of Michael Coleman with the opportunity to improvise some very entertaining high-jinks. Snowflakes was danced enthusiastically, if still lacking in style. In Act II, the lovely pairings of Jia Zhang with Francisco Bosch and Emma Hawes with Junor Souza added a touch of class to the Waltz of the Flowers. Anjuli Hudson, as Louise, was as gentle and as delicate as a butterfly in her charming pas de deux with the genial Drosselmeyer of Daniel Kraus, and brought a delightful lyricism to the small pas de deux in Act I, gallantly partnered by William Simmons. The mischievous antics of Shevelle Dynott as the Mouse King entertained both the many children in the audience and adults alike. The crowning glory of the performance was the grand pas de deux in Act II by James Forbat as the Nephew and Fernanda Oliveira as the adolescent Clara. Oliveira, like Erina Takahashi, has danced Clara in this production since its first season and brings an enchanting freshness to the role from her first entrance, with an expression of wonderment on her face when she realises she has transformed into the adolescent Clara. Her actions during the battle between the soldiers and the mice are just unsophisticated enough to convince us this is a very youthful Clara, but her dancing is glorious, bringing a mixture of soulfulness and joy to the pas de deux which concludes Act I and then a wonderful sense of glee to the pas de trois which opens Act II. Forbat is every inch a Prince Charming, starting with his gallant partnering of the young Clara in the party scene. In the grand pas de deux, he presents his ballerina to perfection, securely and elegantly holding her aloft, especially in the super-smooth ‘bum’ lift in which he carried her across the stage, eliciting gasps from some of the audience members around me. Oliveira reinforced her ballerina status with exquisite use of her legs and feet, particularly in her luscious développés à la seconde in which she filled out every millisecond of the music. Her ‘sugar plum’ solo was quite simply ravishing, using the slightly slow tempo to her advantage, letting it flow through her whole body to hold some beautifully serene, breath-taking balances, and showing some genuine double ronds de jambs in the series of gargouillades. I think this was probably the finest performance of this solo I have seen her give and she was rewarded with thunderous applause and cheering from the audience, as were both she and Forbat at the end of the coda. Since it has just been announced that she will be replacing the indisposed Cojocaru in the performance on 22 December, I can assure anyone attending that they are in for a real treat.

For my first “Nutcracker” of the season, and ENB’s second performance in their 32-show run at the Coliseum, there were some disappointments but there was also much to love, not least Tchaikovsky’s ravishing score given its usual Christmas magic by the ENB Philharmonic under the wonderfully sympathetic baton of Gerry Cornelius. Now being rolled out for the tenth year, the sets look in need of refreshing (as do some of the Act I costumes), as they appeared washed out at times with the lighting also appearing somewhat dingy, especially in Act II. Most disappointing was a general lack of style in the dancing of the ladies in their various ensemble dances, starting with the party scene in Act I which lacked its original elegance but my eye was caught by Emily Suzuki and Jia Zhang, mostly dancing at the back of the group, who can always be relied upon to add a touch of class to whatever they do. Likewise, Alison McWhinney brought her ballerina sheen and a much-needed lyricism to the dance of the Snowflakes, with a masterclass in how to fill out a musical phrase with her gorgeous ports de bras, letting the music flow through her entire body. Hopefully the other dancers will follow her example, especially on the beautiful exiting step which needs this wonderful style to give the choreography its true magic. Indeed, it was another pair of dancers who have been in the production since its première, Adela Ramirez and James Forbat, who brought elegance and class to the waltz of the Flowers in Act II, with Ramirez exquisitely demonstrating the wonderful sliding step choreographed by Eagling which seems to have all but disappeared in the last few years. Another ‘veteran’ of the production, Junor Souza, made much of the Arabian Dance, channelling his Ali from “Le Corsaire”, with an extremely sensuous yet always elegant performance, enhanced by a very sultry group of harem ladies. Shevelle Dynott repeated his wickedly mischievous Mouse King, making much of the comedy with his highly amusing body language. The whole evening was presided over by the warm and genial Drosselmeyer of Fabian Reimair with his fatherly love for both his nephew and Clara shining through. Indeed, he and the Nutcracker of Daniel McCormick made the pas de trois, which begins Act II, look effortless as there was an almost carefree manner to the way they lifted and tossed Clara who responded with the most delighted of smiles which took on an extra rapture when the Nutcracker transformed into the fabulous Nephew of Jeffrey Cirio whose devastating charm lit up the whole theatre as well as the face of his adoring Clara, played as a child by the tiny Amelia Clark before transforming in her dream into the exquisite Katja Khaniukova. Less than a week ago, I was watching her on the same stage in the ultra-modern “Radio & Juliet” and yet tonight she was the quintessential classical ballerina displaying her heritage of the Russian school with her heady mix of delicious footwork, evident from her first exquisite run onto the stage in Act I, and beautifully languorous upper body movements and ports de bras, bringing depth of character to Clara who can sometimes be portrayed as rather two-dimensional. There was a moving soulfulness to her first pas de deux with the Nutcracker, especially with her meltingly beautiful bourrées around him as he knelt, which she repeated with even more delicacy in her delectable Sugar Plum solo in Act II. Cirio partnered her to perfection in the Act II grand pas de deux, both of them radiant and glittering in the entrée, and then showed us his beautifully clean technique in his bravura solo and the coda, never losing his youthful charm and that lovely smile. Khaniukova also shone in the coda with her trademark multiple pirouette into an immaculate set of fouetté turns. She and Cirio received rapturous applause and cheering from the capacity audience, many of whom appeared to be seeing the ballet for the first time and were no doubt as enchanted as I was by this glorious partnership.

The company (firstly as the Vic-Wells ballet) performed Acts I and II from 1933 until 1938, staged by Sergeyev. The whole ballet, again staged by Sergeyev, was performed from 1940 until 1953 (with Fonteyn giving over forty performances as Swanilda), with De Valois revamping the production the following year. The second company (through all its many changes of names) has been performing a production based on the Sergeyev staging since 1951. This information is from my Royal Ballet 'bible': "The Royal Ballet, The first 50 years".

I hoped I had made it clear in the first line of my post (in bold!) that the title of this strand was the title given to the programme by the organisers and was NOT of my making!

I hasten to say that the title of this topic is the title given by the organisers for this triple bill at the Coliseum performed 7 and 8 December 2019 and not one of my own making! This programme, which I saw on 7 December 2019, is one in which the choreographers rely heavily on the beautiful fluidity of movement and pliant bodies of their classically trained dancers with varying results. It is hard to believe that the first piece on the programme, “Radio & Juliet” is already fourteen years old and only now having its UK première, such is the immediacy of the wonderfully rhythmic and intriguing choreography. As there was no programme on sale in the theatre, with only a free cast list being available, I am glad I read an online synopsis beforehand so that I was aware this was not a straightforward telling of “Romeo and Juliet” but rather flashbacks entering Juliet’s mind in no particular order, apart from the final, heartbreaking moment. Costuming was contemporary and, as the title suggests, the ballet was set to music by Radiohead. Juliet was ENB’s Katja Khaniukova in a triumphant début and Romeo was the Mariinsky’s Denis Matvienko, with very strong support from five male dancers from Slovenia’s Maribor company who represented other character such as Mercutio, Tybalt and Friar Laurence. Much use was made of a black and white film projected onto the backcloth but, as effective as it was, I felt it went on for a little too long at the beginning before the dancers appeared. However, I enjoyed the filmed ‘replay’ of the very effective choreography for the fight between the Capulets and Montagues. Another high point was the choreography for the death throes of the character I assume was Mercutio. Overall, the sometimes quirky choreography contained motifs which seemed to draw on street-dancing for the various arm movements and undulations of the mid-torso, and was quite repetitive but this repetition had a strangely hypnotic effect. In one scene, the men, all dressed in black suits with open jackets revealing their bare chests, donned surgical masks and I gradually realised this was a reference to the Capulets’ masked ball in which Romeo and Juliet meet for the first time. I really liked the moment here in which the two of them are left alone at opposite sides of the stage and, in a series of blackouts, they gradually move closer to each other and finally Romeo takes off his mask. Although lit only in silhouette, it was in this beautiful moment of stillness, with the tiny Khaniukova looking up into the eyes of the much taller Matvienko that their love for each other was clearly visible in their body language, because the lighting in other scenes frustratingly obscured facial expressions at times during the various pas de deux. These were not pas de deux in the conventional ballet sense in that they were not passionate like MacMillan’s, but there was a quiet beauty to them, reflecting the fact that Juliet was playing back these lost feelings in her mind. There was also no pointework involved for Juliet but Khaniukova’s own exquisite sense of line and footwork made it seem as if she were en pointe instead of a very high demi-pointe. Juliet is costumed only in a corset and the briefest of shorts, reminiscent of Jiri Kylian’s “Petite Mort”, which emphasised her vulnerability, particularly when surrounded by the much taller men, but it did not stop Khaniukova showing us Juliet’s headstrong nature, particularly at the beginning, with wonderfully strong, dynamic movements which contrasted at other times with her beautiful legato quality. Poignancy is also something Khaniukova does extremely well, which made her final solo of grief over Romeo’s dead body heartbreaking as despair overcame her whole body but in a dignified, almost resigned way. “Faun” is only the second piece I have seen by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, the first being the disastrous (in my opinion) “Medusa” for the Royal Ballet last season. Set to Debussy’s ravishing score with interpolations by Nitin Sawhney of what sounded like chanting, this appeared to be the confrontation of the faun and the nymph, with costumes vaguely reminiscent of those for Jerome Robbins’ version but without the beauty of movement contained in his choreography. It was energetically danced by Anastasia Stashkevich and Vaycheslav Lopatin of the Bolshoi but, for me, there was rather too much entanglement of bodies in a somewhat clumsy manner and certainly not enough choreographic invention to keep my interest for the whole fifteen minutes. From the rapturous applause and standing ovation given to the final piece by those in the centre of the Stalls, I think the final piece was the one they had really come to watch. This was a collaboration between Wayne McGregor and fashion designer Thierry Mugler, unimaginatively entitled “McGregor + Mugler” and created for ballet stars Olga Smirnova and Edward Watson to a thumping soundtrack reminiscent of music used for the catwalk at fashion shows. Mugler dressed the two dancers in flesh-coloured bodystockings with a fishnet-type design and plenty of bling placed in strategic locations, gold for Watson and silver for Smirnova, which sparkled in the very bright lighting. The bling on the lower legs, and the helmets and masks were gradually stripped away so that we could finally see Smirnova’s arabesque in all its glory, although Watson was left with a ponytail which unfortunately covered his face for the rest of the piece. However, by this time, I had had enough of this style of ‘contemporary’ choreography and longed for the much more expertly created “Radio & Juliet” which I would happily watch again.

Rina Kanehara has been off for a while but is due back this month in "Nutcracker".

I was not going to make any more comments about Ratmansky’s production until I had seen the live-stream. However, further clips have been posted online, including the Act II Fugue in full. I have double-checked my copy of the Justamant notebook and, as I remembered, there is no fugue in it as it had been cut from French productions by the time Justamant made his notes in the 1860s, moving from Giselle guarding Albrecht at the cross straight into Myrtha commanding Giselle to dance. Looking at Ratmansky’s choreography, I note he uses a lot of the same steps that Mary Skeaping created, starting with her versions for Ballet Alicia Alonso and the Royal Swedish Ballet in 1953 but in a different order. Therefore, I surmise that Ratmansky also used a filmed recording of the Mary Skeaping production as one of his sources! I also would like to respond to a few statements made by Floss in her lengthy post. As mentioned, I have had the facsimile of Justamant’s notebook for some time and can confirm that this is definitely a ballet master’s aide-memoire. The mime scenes are written as prose with absolutely no indication of the gestures used (Justamant would not have needed to do this) and with no indication of the timing. In fact, there is very little indication of the musical timing for the danced scenes or the drama scenes. Justamant wrote these notes in the 1860s, at least twenty years after the première of “Giselle” and when the original choreographers, Perrot and Coralli, were not around to have any input or any say in what was cut or added. Petipa’s version of “Giselle” did not come out of the blue. He was in Paris when his brother, Lucien, created the role of Albrecht and travelled to Russia with Perrot in 1848 as his assistant, working on the version the Mariinsky already had, having been staged by Titus who was sent to Paris in 1842 to learn the Coralli/Perrot staging which he reproduced exactly for the company (no choreographic copyright in those days!). After Perrot left Russia, Petipa worked on the ballet, more or less taking credit for the whole thing by 1862. Therefore, it is just as likely that his version of the mime scenes which he taught to Karsavina, amongst others, is what the Paris audiences of 1841 saw, especially as his perfectly fit the conductor’s score from 1841, of which I have a copy. This score was neatly handwritten by a copyist from Adam’s own messy autograph score for use by the conductor at the first performance and has never, to my knowledge, been published. Indeed, it languished in the Opéra archives until the 1950s when Mary Skeaping obtained a microfilm of it (which I have) and had a copy of it printed, which has been used almost in its entirety in her various productions. Interestingly, the Royal Ballet also used this orchestration in their most recent revival of Peter Wright’s production (courtesy of ENB’s music department), although it had to be chopped and changed to fit his conception. I therefore wonder which “traditional” score Marian Smith used. Of course, because the music of “Giselle” was so popular, the Paris Opéra took the step of publishing a piano reduction of the orchestral score in 1841, almost unheard of for a ballet score at that time. Because of this, productions of “Giselle” which sprang up quickly afterwards in Russia, the United States and England, amongst others, were able to use the Adam music although it was left to house composers to make the orchestrations (apart from Milan, where the ballet was danced to music by another composer and acquired a further two Acts). I have a copy of this piano reduction of 1841, which Mary Skeaping discovered in the archives of the Royal Opera House, Stockholm in the 1950s, the ballet having been first performed there in 1845. Although there are no metronome markings to indicate exact speed, it has invaluable information about the various scenes, with Adam commenting on the action. My favourite is “rire satanique” which corresponds to the moment when the Wilis despatch Hilarion! One final comment on the mime, anyone who has studied ballet mime knows that mime in 19th century ballets was ‘written’ in French, as I always mention when talking about the mime in “Giselle”, as this explains the odd syntax when translating into English. When working with dancers, I always ask them not to mumble (i.e. make the gestures clear enough to be understood at the back of the amphitheatre) and to watch their punctuation, plus to use the same dynamics as they would if actually speaking the words, and of course to fit whatever they say to the rhythm of the music, which it does perfectly when the Adam score is used in all its glory.