Fonty

There speaks someone who has obtained one of the cheaper seats or standing tickets? You might feel differently if you've paid over £100 to see the performance.......

Yet often a restaging of a ballet can end up with something not very attractive at all. Costumes that were originally in subtle colours are redone in garish ones, scenery that gave a suggestion of the environment is replaced with eye walloping structures that distract from the whole piece. I am thinking specifically here of the BRB production of Les Rendezvous. I have only seen pictures of the original white costumes, but I still can't get those hideous colours and ghastly scenery of this production out of my head. Whoever thought those were a good idea I don't know, but the problem was it was so off putting it really affected my perception of the ballet. I live in fear that someone will come along and decide that Symphonic Variations needs modernising and livening up and give it the same treatment. Then I might suddenly find I don't like it as much any more. There has also been talk of the costumes and makeup for The Dream being old fashioned. I thing the only horrible thing in that is the long blonde wig that poor old Titania is saddled with. They can get rid of that, but I love the rest. I've mentioned Ashton ballets, but I know I have seen some horrible designs for Swan Lake too. I appreciate costumes must wear out, but it must cost a fortune to make these new costumes, and often they are so nasty I wonder why they didn't just copy the old ones. On the topic of M & A, I am not overly keen on it and it wouldn't bother me if I never saw it again.

@Sim Do these people also find the Tchaikovsky ballets old fashioned? Or the romantic ballets such as Giselle? I am curious, because if young people don't like these, then perhaps the problem is they don't actually like classical ballet very much. And that leads us neatly back to the fact that ballet is no longer considered a popular art form, and is hardly ever shown on television any more. We don't have the variety shows I remember from my childhood, and even when we did ballet and opera, even Gilbert and Sullivan, were no longer standard fare. Add in the lack of music in schools, which introduces pupils to classical music, and the prospect for the future seems rather bleak.

With regard to ballets seeming outdated now, I wonder if in part it is because the performers themselves don't quite understand what is required of them? Surely it takes a while for dancers who are unused to a certain choreographer to really get to grips with it. I expect we have all seen certain ballets resurrected after many years, and been disappointed by something that looks rather dull and uninspiring. Yet I go on Youtube, and see exactly the same ballet danced by the original creators, and the ballet comes to life and sparkles. With regard to Checkmate, I saw Bussell as the Black Queen. I loved the set and the costumes, but I did think she was miscast. Nobody can question her technical abilities, but I didn't get any sense of menace from her at all. I didn't get a chance to see Yanowsky in the role, I suspect I would have enjoyed her performance much more as she was wonderful at playing these sorts of characters. I thought Pineapple Poll was great when I saw it with the BRB. Lively, fun, sent me off on a high. I also really enjoyed ENB's Le Corsaire. I don't care if a ballet features pirates, slave girls, men playing women. No different to watching ballets about fairy tale princesses, fairies, ghosts, lively happy peasants in clean clothing. Just give me fantastic dancing and wonderful music and I am happy. On the other hand, I never, ever want to see the Judas Tree again. It might be deep and meaningful, but I find it dreadfully boring. And the same goes for a lot of other newer, more modern stuff as well.

I thought the female parts in Shakespeare were played by boys rather than men? Or at least, by very young men who could pass as female more easily. I believe that once they got past a certain age, their days of playing the female roles were over? I suppose this is slightly off the original topic, but as Shakespeare has been mentioned, he very rarely describes what his characters look like physically. However, the description of Othello is very specific. He is a Moor. Obviously if there is a black actor they would be the obvious choice. Having said that, if they are playing the lead in Othello, then I would expect to be seeing them in other leading roles where the characters are of a similar age - Macbeth, say, or Hamlet. I would have no problems whatsoever with seeing a black actor play either of these two characters. By the same token, I have no problems watching actors (or dancers) who are on the mature side playing Romeo and Juliet. I saw Carlos Acosta as Romeo several times; it never bothered me that everyone else in Verona was white. Didn't even give it a thought. Now here comes the controversial bit, but I'll say it anyway. Supposing there is no non white actor of sufficient calibre to play Othello? Does the company put the play on hold until there is? Or cast someone purely because of their skin colour? Why should one of the leading Shakespearean actors of their time be denied the chance to perform a terrific role if they don't happen to have naturally very dark skin? Apparently the Moors had a variety of different complexions. The Encyclopaedia Britannica says they were variously described by Europeans as black, tawny or swarthy in skin colour. Actors routinely wear make up and wigs to alter their appearance, and that description covers a lot of different possibilities. I'll wait for my post to be moderated after someone objects.......

I am going in January. I bought my ticket in June......

Accompanied by a single snowflake that dies dramatically in front of the tree.....

I thought it was Ricardo Cervera, but I wasn't sure. Also, how do people feel about smiley snowflakes? I've always associated snow with freezing cold, not sunny warmth!

I haven't seen the Nutcracker for years. How many snowflakes were there, and how many are there now? And who were the lead dancers in the clip above? Didn't recognise them.

Sorry, misunderstood! Having computer problems today.

Ah yes, I forgot about them!

Is this friend a Friend then? I thought he was only an occasional ballet goer?

I really hope I can get to see Kaneko dance in something. Never had a chance yet, for a variety of reasons.

Sadly I have not yet managed to see either Kaneko or O'Sullivan. I saw Naghdi some time ago, and was very impressed, but she always seems to be dancing on days I can't go.

All this talk about past Principal dancers sent me off to Youtube, where I have spent a happy hour looking at historic performances. A lot of good stuff on there, but I always seem to return to clips of Fonteyn and Nureyev. I am not allowed to put any links up, I assume, but a search for them will bring up a number of treasures, including a 1962 clip from Le Corsaire. When I watch these, I am bowled over yet again by what a perfect ballet couple they were. Looking at principal dancers I have actually seen live in the past, I was always interested to see how some dancers excelled in certain roles, but disappointed me in others. I was a huge fan of Rojo's wonderful dramatic skills, and adored her in the McMillan ballets, but I didn't always like her quite so much in pure classical roles. Bussell was the other way round, gorgeous in the Sleeping Beauty, for example, and anything that allowed her to be smiley and happy on stage in pure dance roles. Not my first choice for anything else. I loved Durante, who has been mentioned already, and always tried to catch Leanne Benjamin if I could. Guillem was always astonishing, and her Giselle was one of the best I have ever seen. But not to everyone's taste. Of the current crop, I have yet to choose a new favourite now Morera has retired.

I didn't get anything from the ROH either. Lots about the opera, and several Nutcracker related emails recently. But none about the latest cinema broadcast. Don't they want people to go?

The lack of classical music really upsets me. I find it very sad indeed that today's children know absolutely nothing about any classical music unless their parents play it, or it is featured either in the intro to a film or tv programme, or a pop singer uses a scrap in their song. Both my schools had a full time music teacher. I can remember at primary school she used to play records, and we listened to masses of stuff including opera and ballet. We also had Children's Choice on the radio, which was extremely popular. It had an eclectic mix, which included humorous songs by the likes of Danny Kaye and Flanders and Swann, hymns, and it always ended with a piece of classical music. I only have to hear the tune Puffin' Billy and I am right back in my kitchen as a child with "Uncle" Mac. I know it continued with Ed Stewart for a long time, but the BBC decided to appoint Tony Blackburn as the new presenter. He said himself he had absolutely no interest in anything other than the latest pop music, and that was all he played. So the programme was cancelled.

I think lack of publicity may be a part of it. If I wasn't a member of this forum, I wouldn't know about it. Also, I know many people who never go to the cinema at all any more. They prefer to watch something on their own tv when it becomes available. This is a great pity, because I have been to see several old films recently at the cinema. The NFT is doing a season of Powell and Pressburger films, and it is wonderful being with a live audience, many of whom have clearly never seen the film before and react accordingly.

If I recall correctly, it was the static poses they hold while not dancing that caused them problems?

I can't see a problem with RB dancers flying somewhere in Europe to dance, provided the flight isn't too long. Presumably if they are travelling further afield, then issues such as different time zones, jet lag and so on are factors that have to be taken into consideration. I am sure professional athletes, whether they are dancers or marathon runners, do this when they plan their schedules?

Interesting looking at the first Youtube clip with music. It is a ballet where there really is no place to hide. I noticed that the two ladies were not perfectly matched. Also, I seem to remember that one of the original Symphonic dancers (Shearer?) said they couldn't walk afterwards, it was so hard. I know that the second clip is from the dress rehearsal for the ballet. I hope the film has been speeded up, it looks way faster than any performance I have seen live.

An example of the way in which the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs operates. This is not a political post, merely a statement of fact. https://www.oss.org.uk/coffey-kowtows-to-landowners-and-destroys-public-path-consensus/

That sounds typical of the way government departments work. Are you a member of the Open Spaces Society? This is the sort of thing they are always involved in, and they do great work.

It is an absolute gem, one of my all time favourite ballets. The fact that it hasn't been danced for 6 years is tragic as far as I am concerned.

You beat me to it! I was just looking it up.