Irmgard

I remember Mandy being at the Royal Ballet School in 1977/78. I think she joined Sadlers Wells Royal Ballet after that.

I've eaten a number of times in the Cafe Consort and the food is good but it is very much a cafe atmosphere. I also ate in the Elgar Room a few years ago but it looks like that has been 'modernised' to an upmarket bistro. I haven't tried the Coda restaurant but it seems that has replaced the Elgar Room as a proper restaurant. Hope you and your husband enjoy it, whichever one you end up choosing.

The company has worked so hard to increase the number of dancers from the time when it was reduced during Ivan Nagy's directorship and every single one of them is needed for the autumn tour of 'Beauty' and 'Nutcracker' and the Christmas season at the Coliseum. As it is, they often have to supplement with students from ENBS (as they did with 'Rite' recently). I, for one, hope that if savings have to be made it is not at the expense of the extremely hard-working dancers.

Much as I deplore the manner of Wayne's leaving, I am pleased that Tamara Rojo has maintained strong links with the company, guesting recently and being a judge for the Emerging Dancer Award. I am not sure we need to be too worried about her lack of experience - after all, even though it was a smaller organisation then, Beryl Grey took over as AD at the tender age of 41 and without the benefit of the courses Tamara has attended in preparation. I am sure the dancers will give her their full support and that we can look foward to the present excellent performing standards being maintained (and hopefully a revival of "Manon"!).

I was at the last performance there in 2009. The front section of seats seemed to be reserved for press and VIPS. I sat at the front of the next section facing the stage and could not see the feet which was very surreal in "Les Sylphides" - hearing the gentle rumble of the bourrees - and of course we lost the final position of "The Dying Swan"! The piece that came off best was Thomas Edur's new work which was mainly pas de deux with a lot of high lifts. Unless they have raised the stage by about a foot to eighteen inches, my advice would be to get a seat near a pillar so that you can stand up if you want to see anything below the knees. People were allowed to do this last time. Last time was a very special event, despite the restricted view, as it was the last performance given by Thomas Edur and Agnes Oaks with ENB.

For the past few years an intrepid group of dancers from ENB has taken part in the Walk for Life in aid of the Terrence Higgins Trust. This is not company led and is initiated entirely by the dancers who seek sponsorship from friends and family. They have a modest objective of raising £1000. I wonder if anyone else on this forum would be interested in sponsoring them and boosting their total? The link is http://fundraising.tht.org.uk/Francisco_Bosch. The walk takes place on Sunday 20 May 2012 and is 10km starting at Tower Bridge. Their team name is Tutu Much! Perhaps if any other dancers have a similar initiative, they could also post here?

I should add that the movement was arranged by the very talented Jenna Lee who is also the co-choreographer for the Flawless tour.

The dancers are Fernanda Oliveira, Begona Cao, Crystal Costa and Desiree Ballantyne.

Yes, Wayne is/was Artistic Director of ENBS but the school is searching for a new Director of Dance to replace Michael Corder who left at the end of the last school year.

I must admit I didn't go to many ballet performances in the mid 90s so I guess I missed that revival although I do remember seeing Mukhamedov so that might have been either on film or with another company. I definitely saw Bintley and yes he had that wonderful 'floppy' vulnerability so necessary for the role. I saw BRB at Sadlers Wells a few years ago, as Aileen mentions, but I remember thinking the production was not as lively as the wonderful ones I remember by LFB in the 1970s/80s at Festival Hall.

Sorry, I always think of RB and BRB as two sides of the same coin! As you say, Petrouchka is very much dormant at the RB (don't think its's been done since the Fonteyn/Nureyev period as I certainly haven't seen it there and I've been going to performances since 1977(!) so it is good that BRB has taken it over if only occasionally. I didn't realise that BRB now do Tricorne which is great as the RB haven't done it since the 1950s (Fonteyn was always praised for her Miller's wife) and I don't think ENB have done it since they were LFB but I could be wrong about that.

None less glamorous than our beloved Peggy Hookham!

Yes, you are correct that de Valois created the role of the Hostess. I would say that what remains of the Ballets Russes rep is split pretty evenly between the two companies with RB having the two Nijinska works, both companies having Petrouchka and Les Sylphides with different producers, both companies having Apollo, ENB having Scheherazade and Spectre (possibly RB has this somewhere in its history) etc. There are also the Massine works with both companies at some point having Tricorne in the rep (would love to see those Picasso sets again). These are off the top of my head but there are probably many more.

I’m sorry, I was trying to be succinct but I guess I should elaborate. Dancers up to and including senior soloist level are required to dance in every performance, as necessary, either in the corps de ballet or in a solo or both. From my own experience with “Giselle”, non-principals could be making their debuts as Giselle and Albrecht in the afternoon and then back in the corps de ballet in the evening. They have an average of six or seven performances a week or, in the extremes of ‘Nutcracker’, ten performances a week. As soon as they are promoted to principal, this is no longer a requirement, although one exception I can think of is “Swan Lake” at the Albert Hall last year when Begona Cao and Sarah McIlroy appeared as Big Swans – and what a luxury for the audience! – which meant they had to participate in the corps work for the white acts. So, most of the time principals only get one or two performances a week, and sometimes, if they are not cast at all (I don’t remember Arionel Vargas in the Beyond Ballets Russes programmes), they need to be able to guest to keep their bodies in peak condition as just doing class is not enough. This was a problem for Wayne Eagling last year when Mr. Bonnino vetoed all the principals except Erina Takahashi and Begona Cao for the Roland Petit programme – he suddenly had seven principals with nothing to do during the rehearsal period and week of performances and not enough notice to get them guesting elsewhere. There are some ADs who don’t allow guesting anyway so I am just hoping that the new AD for ENB carries on Wayne’s policy of allowing guesting so that dancers like Vadim don’t start looking elsewhere for a permanent base!

Natalia is on leave of absence from ENB at the moment.

Last year I treated myself to a trip to Prague to see Daria and Vadim guesting in another production of "Giselle". I had a lovely chat with Vadim and he is very happy at ENB. Let's hope the new AD will keep up Wayne's policy of allowing guesting like this to keep up the morale, particularly of the principal dancers who find their number of performances much reduced (with the exception of the mixed bills) once they have been promoted to this level because they are no longer expected help out in corps de ballet work.

Yes Aileen, Daria did dance in the evening performance. I saw her just before this, by which time she could laugh about her tumble in the afternoon. Luckily she did not hurt herself but was just rather shocked to find herself on the floor after that wonderful series of pirouettes and didn't quite know how she got there!

Wayne Eagling has done it again! He has created a work of such originality and beauty that I am hungry to see it again. And with its thinly-veiled eroticism (surprisingly missing from last weeks’s “L’apres-midi d’un faune”), superb design, a ravishing score by Debussy, and, of course, world-class dancers, for me it embodied all that Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes delivered. Wizzy Shawyer’s chic dresses for the girls suggest post-WWI Chanel rather than the plain tennis dresses from Paquin used in Nijinsky’s version and allow greater freedom of movement. These are complemented by the flattering ‘Marcel-waved’ wigs cleverly created by Craig Forrest. Incidentally, Diaghilev wanted to set the ballet in the ‘future’ of 1920 so that he could have a dirigible floating across the back so the costumes seem particularly appropriate! The whole piece was bathed in atmospheric lighting designed by David Richardson and bravo to whoever threw the tennis ball across the stage perfectly in that thin strip of light! Eagling has cleverly woven the iconic poses from the few photographs of Nijinsky’s ballet into an expanded version, adding two men and one woman to the original trio. His choreography resonates with the influence of Nijinska’s “Le Noces” which he would know intimately from his RB days and which is a stroke of genius as Nijinska herself admitted in her memoirs that her choreography for this ballet was inspired by her brother’s “Jeux” and ‘Sacre’. And yet the piece is original Eagling, obviously created for the formidable talents of his dancers, in particular Dmitri Gruzdyev who appears to represent the tortured soul of Njinsky the choreographer. Having not seen any rehearsals and only the two Saturday performances, I don’t feel qualified to comment in detail on the choregraphy but, suffice it to say, it is a work I hope is kept in the ENB repertoire as I am sure each viewing will reveal new delights. And the appearance of Daniel Jones as Diaghilev in his iconic top hat and greatcoat was a moment of pure theatrical magic! By the way, no previous knowledge of the Ballets Russes is needed to enjoy this intriguing work. “Jeux” was showcased between Balanchine’s “Apollo” which the company performs superbly. At the Saturday matinee, the performance was so assured and flawless, that it belied the fact that all of the dancers were making their debuts in these roles (Vadim Muntagirov towering above the dainty muses of Erina Takahashi, Adela Ramirez and Senri Kou). In the evening, the talented Miss Takahashi changed muses, appearing alongside Daria Klimentova (bringing out all the wit of her Calliope solo), and an uncredited Begona Cao replacing Fernanda Oliveira, who excelled in the pas de deux with Dmitri Grudyev’s magnetic Apollo (apologies to Dmitri for the idiot in front of me who hadn’t turned off his mobile phone!). The evening ended with “Suite en blanc” which is a true showcase for the company’s talent across all ranks. I was only able to see the matinee performance and was impressed by all the soloists but would like to give special mention to Desiree Ballantyne who floated through “Sieste” along with her delightful companions Senri Kou and Kei Akahoshi, and to Crystal Costa for her amazing set of jumps in the “Pas de Cinq”. The runs on pointe across the stage by the girls of the corps de ballet were particularly exquisite and the boys series of jumps were exhilarating. Interestingly, this was an all black-and-white programme except for the splash of colour provided by Chanel’s swimsuit for the handsome young man’s solo from Nijinska’s “Le Train Bleu” (shame we could not have seen Picasso’s magnificent frontcloth for this ballet). This was danced with amazing ballon (not to mention acrobatic skill) by Nathan Young at the matinee and Vadim Muntagirov who not only did some ‘no hands’ cartwheels but danced with a cheeky grin that was a pleasure to see. All praise to Antony Dowson for staging this gem. For those of you who took advantage of the £10 tickets, you certainly got your money’s worth and then some! I haven’t had time to read any press reviews yet so will be interested to see if any agree with me about Programme Two.

Just re-read the post and there doesn't seem to be any limit on the number of seats plus the offer should also be available on the Coliseum website. To take advantage of this exclusive offer please visit the London Coliseum website or call the London Coliseum Box office (after 12 noon on 28th March) on 0871 911 0200 0871 911 0200 and quote RUSSES (copied from Ballet News website)

One of the dancers has informed me that Ballet News has just posted a ticket offer for ENB Programme Two at the Coliseum: Top price seats are available for £10 each (!) at a limit of two per person for the rest of the performances. Offer available by telephoning the box office after 12 noon on 0871 911 0200 and quoting "Russes". Hope this helps fill the place.

Going even further back, Gavin and Gary Pollard (Australian) danced with London Festival Ballet in the late 1970s/early 1980s. As far as I remember, they were not twins but were extremely similar-looking. With regard to flowers, in the same 'era', there was a chap named Sam who would go to Covent Garden Flower Market (already at Nine Elms) and buy boxes of flowers to throw at the stage, both at RB performances and LFB, although I think it used to be mainly at the Coliseum as it was more difficult to get close enough to the stage at Festival Hall. He and a few others would stand each side of the stage (invading a box if necessary) and 'pelt' the dancers. It was known amongst us fans as a daffodil shower! I remember Madonna Maree Benjamin with RBS and then in the company but she didn't stay too long. However, she went into television and I remember seeing her name as producer/director? of the documentary "The Secret Life of Margot Fonteyn".

Thanks so much for your kind words. See you at Saturday matinee?

Sorry for all this fuss about my name. I realise no-one is trying to attack me and Alison has clarified that all I needed to do was put my FULL name against my post which I am happy to do. Incidentally, I have sent letters of tribute about Wayne to Dancing Times and Dance Europe and both have agreed to publish in full. Dancing Times should be online tomorrow and I was asked by the Editor if I am happy to have my name published which of course I am. Irmgard E. Berry M.A. Adviser to the Skeaping Estate (to clear up any confusion!)

Please see my post made at 1.46pm. Irmgard IS my real name. I would not dream of posting my take on ENB using an anonymous username.

John, ENB previously had designs by Yolanda Sonnabend for 'Rite'. The new costumes have tightly curled wigs and I totally agree that one sees the ballet with new eyes - personally I felt I could see the choreography much more clearly than previously and for me it gave a greater poignancy to the fate of the Chosen One as you could actually see a face for a change! Beryl, I think I can help with the Train Bleu solo - it is very short but very acrobatic interspersed with the dancer strutting around like a sailor or one of the 'beach boy's in "Le Biches" - deceptively difficult! I saw Nathan Young rehearse it last week. It isn't really the sort of solo one would normally put by itself in a programme but I think it is meant as a tribute to Dolin, the company's founder.