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Fonty

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  1. Fonty
    Yes, Alison, I quite agree. I remember going to get my own tickets from the Box Office once, and being astonished to hear someone say loudly, "If it isn't Bussell then I don't want to go." Of course, the upside was that I could sometimes get tickets at short notice to my preferred casts.
  2. Fonty
    I didn't realise they filmed her during her first run of Filles. But she had already been in the company for a number of years when that was filmed, so it is slightly different to a completely new person being filmed. Anyway, I am sure with all the Osipova fans out there, her debut with the RB will be a triumph, and the DVD will fly off the shelves.
  3. Fonty
    Sorry, my computer crashed in the middle of my previous post I wanted to add that I can see that a new and different interpretation can be wonderful for the classics, but when it comes to Ashton, his works are meant to be the embodiment of the "English style". Osipova may well turn out to be terrific in the role, but she is an unknown quantity.
  4. Fonty
    When I used the word "foreign", I wasn't thinking of Osipova's place of birth, I was referring to her ballet background and her training, and the length of time she has been with the company. I don't see how that can possibly be described as insulting.
  5. Fonty
    Has it been mentioned anywhere on this website as to why the BRB are losing their season at the Coliseum? If so, I am sorry, but I haven't seen it, could someone enlighten me? I don't think it is as much to do with age, as the image that ballet has now. When I was a child, ballet was still basking in the huge interest generated by Fonteyn and Nureyev. It wasn't considered fuddy duddy, or elitist, or as only having an appeal to nobs and toffs. It was extremely popular, and I can remember my mother taking me on a coach trip to Covent Garden to a matinee organised by the WI. Today, a group outing of that sort would be much more like to go to see The Lion King.
  6. Fonty
    Sorry, my mistake. I had forgotten that Osipova wasn't a guest star. Oops. But she still hasn't been with the company that long.
  7. Fonty
    I think it is a pity that a foreign guest star, however distinguished, is the one being recorded, especially as she hasn't been there very long. I would have thought that the people to record are those who have established themselves as giving the definitive performance of a production, and surely that takes a few years of dancing it with the same company?
  8. Fonty
    Bintley says that young people are more likely to turn to contemporary dance "because they feel closer that that." I assume by this that he is talking about young adults. In my experience, children are much more likely to be attracted to the Tchaikovsky ballets, with their wonderful music, and clear story lines based on fairy tales. And they also seem to love gorgeous tutus, and ballerinas in point shoes. I have never yet had a child turn to me with shining eyes and beaming face after seeing a couple writhing together to some modern score, while dressed in their vest and pants.
  9. Fonty
    It is rare that any dancer fulfills both roles satisfactorily, which is why it is deemed to be one of the toughest parts, I suppose. Not only have you got the technical challenges, but you have to play 2 different characters. I do feel that some dancers become a completely different person when they perform the Black Swan. I have marvelled at the brilliant technique, but if they overdo it, then I find myself wondering why Siegfried doesn't find it peculiar that the woman he met and fell in love with has turned into such a flamboyant show off.
  10. Fonty

    Room 101

    Fonty replied to taxi4ballet's topic in Not Dance

    Ah, in my part of London that would probably result in him being given just the same treatment at social events, with queries about recycling and garden waste collection! After reading the audience behaviour thread on the subject of coughing, I absolutely hate people who cough repeatedly all over me in the tube. I understand that if you have a tickly throat you have to cough, but please cover your mouth and try to turn your head away from the person sitting next to you.
  11. Fonty
    I used to enjoy getting a drink from the Crush Bar, because I could stand and admire the magnificent chandelier at the same time. I was quite upset when I found that it was now a restaurant area, and the drinkers had been moved into the conservatory on the side. I think even that is now set up for eating?
  12. Fonty
    I went to see a play last Saturday afternoon, and I couldn't believe how many people were eating either sweets wrapped in noisy, crackly paper, or crunching their way through huge bags of crisps. As I was in the cheap seats up in the roof, at certain times I was having difficulty hearing the actors. I wanted to shout out, "The play started at 2.30pm. Why didn't you find the time to eat lunch before you came?"
  13. Fonty
    No, I didn't either. I thought that was the point of having someone as a guest artist from another company - that they were effectively employees of the company they are contracted out to, for whatever period of time is specified in the contract. I wonder if the Bolshoi have to buy the contract back again, and reimburse the Royal?
  14. Fonty

    Room 101

    Fonty replied to taxi4ballet's topic in Not Dance

    Must be very irritating for the estate agent as well. I can see the logic of taking it off the market, and doing a bit of work on it, but to just remove it from view and stick it back on again a week later seems stupid to me. I was helping a friend look for a new place recently, and I have to say that I was impressed with the estate agents we spoke to. They were helpful, pleasant, and realistic about the properties they were showing us. However, this wasn't in London, which is almost like a different planet when it comes to buying property in the UK.
  15. Fonty
    What kind of "system" is that? The Argos experience?
  16. Fonty
    Why do they owe her so much money? Just curious, so if you don't want to say, then that's ok, but it does seem an awful lot of money! That reminds me of an article I read some years ago, when payment on the internet first started being used. A journalist paid his bill for something on line. I can't remember what it was for ( tv licence? council tax?) but at the time, payment by internet wasn't recognised by the system they were using, only cheques or cash, so their accounting system kept sending him letters saying he hadn't paid. On each occasion, he telephoned, wrote letters, and sent copies of his bank statement to prove the money had been removed from his account. He even got his bank to write on his behalf and say the money had gone to the correct account On each occasion, they promised to sort it out, and a month later another threatening letter would arrive. Eventually he was taken to court, and I think the case lasted about 5 minutes, when they had to admit that he had paid and it was their mistake. The judge was angry that time and tax payers' money had been wasted because the people concerned hadn't not updated their system to include internet payments.
  17. Fonty
    I find it sad that there should be what sounds like lots of empty seats for wonderful performance from one of the best ballet companies.
  18. Fonty
    I thought it was amazing too, but it didn't really have very much to do with Swan Lake (at least in the clip I saw). It was a series of moves displaying the incredible balances and stunning flexibility of the main dancer, set to the music of Tchaikovsky. Which is remarkably similar to a lot of new choreography I have seen at Covent Garden over the last few years!
  19. Fonty
    Somebody sent me this link, which I had not seen before. While the perfomance is jaw droppingly amazing, I don't think I want to see anything like this incorporated into the RB's Swan Lake. https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152511134641512
  20. Fonty
    It is terribly hard to get in contact with these companies and get them to change the details they have for you. A friend of mine still gets a tv licence reminder addressed to her father. He died 10 years ago, as she has tried telling them on numerous occasions.
  21. Fonty
    I think I was out of the country at the time, Alison. Either that, or I couldn't get tickets for it. But it is such a lovely ballet, I am always pleased to see it.
  22. Fonty
    I wish BRB would bring Coppelia to London.
  23. Fonty

    The Dress

    Fonty replied to swanprincess's topic in Not Dance

    This is interesting. i agree, when I saw the article yestereday, I had no problem at all seeing that it was blue and black. I showed it to several other people, including my husband, and they agreed with me. Likewise, on the website, it is very obviously a very strong blue and black. The dress comes in other colours, and I can see quite clearly what colours they are supposed to be. However, in the link that Swanprincess posted, the picture shows only a part of the dress, which is not being worn by a model, and both my husband and I say that it looks white and gold i.e the bits that should be blue show up as white, and the black lacy bits show up as gold. So, are we all looking at the same pictures??
  24. Fonty
    You mean there is more than one sort of maternity leave?
  25. Fonty
    Maybe the scenes with the courtiers could be choreographed by Ashley Page? With a modern, or futuristic setting? I have seen some pretty pathetic death scenes for Rothbart in the past. I remember laughing at a description from one writer, who said Rothbart looked as if he had died from "a nasty case of torn sleeve". And on another occasion, he appeared to suffer death by moulting, which had me stifling the giggles, as all I could think of was the legendary Dying Swan by the Trocks.
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