Fonty

I am not quite sure what you mean by being "womanly" in build when it comes to ballet dancers. It always strikes me when I watch video clips of Margot Fonteyn that while she was obviously slender, she still looked like a woman. She didn't look scrawny. Shapes have definitely changed, and I for one would like to see some of the ladies with a fraction more meat on their bones. After all, the ability to portray youth comes from their ability to dance and act youthfully, not from being so thin they look prepubescent. I know very little about opera, but no matter how stout the individual is, they should be able to convey youth by their body movement. After all, there are plenty of well upholstered youngsters around, although I grant you an overweight consumptive is pushing it a bit. Maybe their acting skills leave something to be desired?

I absolutely adored being a boarder at 11. The calm, regimented life suited me down to the ground. On top of that there was no need to waste time travelling to and from school, and trying to find time to fit in homework. Looking back, I would say that I can think of only one girl in the whole school who was so homesick she left. Anyone who was a day pupil had to live very close to the school, and as someone pointed out not everyone can afford houses in the suitable areas. Personally, I would have hated living with strangers in an ordinary house, perhaps occupying the spare room. That sounds as though it could be a bit lonely, no matter how kind the owners are. Certainly I think that 7 or 8 is way too young to be at boarding school, but 11? I sometimes think the concept of boarding school is harder on the parents than the children, as they frequently find it more difficult to accept the separation. Edited to add my experiences were rather a long time ago. I will post a few thoughts when I get my ideas in order, but it might be a long post as I feel there are so many issues to be raised.

How much influence does it have? Well in my case absolutely none. The only social medium I use is FB, and that is because it is very easy to message and share photos with my friends, many of whom have moved away from the UK. It is brilliant for that purpose, and these people really are my friends and not some people with a rather vague connection. (Does anyone really have thousands of real friends?) . I have no real interest in the private lives of performers in any of the arts, and I cannot see the point of knowing what their pet/garden/kitchen looks like. I have no problem with dancers who want to share this sort of thing, but it doesn't make me appreciate Mr X or Miss Y's performance any more if I know that their dog has fleas or their daughter is teething. I don't care. Publicity is very important, of course, but self publicity is another thing altogether. My main concern is that there could be a possibility of one dancer being cast in something rather than another purely because they have a very high profile on social media. I think it would be tragic if a wonderfully talented dancer failed to be cast because they didn't self publicise. Theatres are not immune to the "bums on seats" principle, and if the public are clamouring to see an individual who has an enormous number of followers on Whatever, this might have an influence. With regard to revealing photos, there are some truly eye watering ones of Nureyev if you care to look. However, he was already a subject of great interest to the general public, and in any case those were taken by a professional photographer for his own portfolio. I haven't seen any of these current photos that you are referring to, but putting them on your own social media sounds so narcissistic it would definitely put me off that person.

I don't know if people remember, but in her early career, Helen Mirren seemed to display her magnificent figure in the nude in every film she was in.

The best interviewer, because he did his research and asked questions that meant the interviewees had to do more than just publicise their latest film/tv show/song or whatever. I remember watching the Meg Ryan interview and thinking that here was someone who clearly didn't understand the Parky style of interview and was totally thrown by it.

Goodness, that was very insulting to SWRB, surely? Maybe I am reading this the wrong way, but to me Demi-caractère implies it is somehow a lesser company? Not capable of putting on the pure classical ballets. Which is nonsense, because I have vivid memories of seeing them perform Swan Lake when I was very young, and igniting my passion for ballet. And such a description could never be given to BRB now. I haven't seen as much of Northern Ballet as I would like, but I consider them to be a classical company. I adore Matthew Bourne, and I suppose dance theatre is a good way of describing his ballets. I actually find his version of Swan Lake as moving, if not more so, than that RB's version. And I really like his Nutcracker as well. Although he didn't study ballet as a child, I find much of his work to be balletic, with wonderfully graceful movement. On the subject of Matthew Bourne, he puts wit and humour into his work. Why is it that contemporary ballet seems to be based on rage and pain? At least, that is my impression. Come on, McGregor, give us a laugh occasionally!

I cannot load the Ashton foundation website at the moment, as I am abroad and it says the website is not secure. I notice a tab that says "Ashton Ownership" which I assume contains a complete list of his ballets and who owns the rights to them. It is obviously too late to question why Ashton chose to bequeath his ballets in that way; is that normal for ballet ownership? What happens if the original owner dies without any instruction as to what to do with the rights in the future? Does the piece just drift into oblivion? Alternatively, if the current owner has no interest in ballet, why not just hand it over to the Ashton foundation? I have no knowledge of these things, would a huge amount of money be involved in purchasing the rights? Exactly how does it work in the arts world? And what exactly are they doing to La Fille? We waited ages and ages for the new Cinderella. The result was hugely elaborate stage sets for the second act, which I got used to, but it did seem a pity that the ballet had been out of action for so long just for that reason. What on earth could they do to Fille? Get rid of the summery colours and redo it in somber tones? Or worse, redesign in such garish shades that you need sunglasses to watch?

It always amazes me that we are even having these discussions about dance. I know absolutely nothing about opera, but surely it would be unthinkable for the Royal Opera to abandon much of its operatic repertoire in favour of new works by contemporary composers? With the argument that today's highly trained singers are willing and eager to leave behind Mozart, Rossini, Verdi, in order to embrace works by the radical new composer, Mr Rusty Nail. Cue new works that show them making gargling or loud coughing noises, screeching like badly oiled doors, or imply standing still in complete silence, with the critics going wild and exclaiming that it will encourage a whole new audience to come and enjoy opera.....

What? Can someone enlighten me as to what Toonga has actually done? I have seen only one of his works, I can't remember what the programme was, but I think I wrote a very scathing review of it on here. Frankly, I thought it was ghastly. The idea that he is "continuing" anything with the RB fills me with horror!

How extraordinary. I would have thought audiences in major cities would be very keen to see something like this. Just goes to show you never can tell what will or won't be popular outside London. Just musing here, but is it because keen ballet followers will travel to London to see a broad variety, but the audiences in other major cities are more likely to consist of people who don't go very often? I am making the very sweeping assumption that once a year audiences will probably want to see what they call "proper" ballet - females in tutus dancing to Tchaikovsky music.

It really is time that the ridiculous issue of Ashton's ballet ownership was taken in hand. Are there no wealthy patrons who are fans who could persuade the current owners to part with them, so that they could all be brought under the one umbrella of an organisation that could cherish them? Assuming, of course, that the owner is obvious?

I didn't try on Wednesday. I have limited internet access abroad, and watching a circle go round and round is depressing. I have tried for the days and casts I want to see, and there is nothing. Lots of expensive seats in the stalls though.

As I am not a Friend, the chances of my getting a standing ticket are nil. I think my viewing this year might be limited to the cinema relays. I am not going to pay over £100 for a seat when the chances are high that my view will be blocked by someone else. On that topic, why are the Ashton triple bills not being shown at the cinema?

You've missed out Matthew Bourne - Afternoon of a Nymph - she stays in the background, peeking out at some fauns cavorting with one another. Although having said that, he would probably go down the all male route.

I really dislike this "you can get a programme on your phone" attitude. I buy programmes for posterity; I like to go back to them again. Often, I think, "Goodness, what a cast that was" or "What a fabulous triple bill, I'd forgotten I'd seen these together. " In the past there would be interesting articles, and wonderful pictures, memories to treasure. It simply isn't the same scrawling through files on line. In the same way, I prefer reading "proper" books, rather than ones on a Kindle. Although I have one, it is not the same as holding a book in your hands.

Oh, I think I could manage Glasgow. I really like it there.

Er - I have just looked at the prices for going on the tour. When I had picked myself up off the floor, I thought maybe my bank account might have a fit. Especially as it included lots of things I don't particularly want to do, such as cooking, sake and calligraphy. So, if anyone wants to arrange an independent tour in the future, I might be interested! Incidentally, do we know where they are going next year?

I've always wanted to go to Japan. Maybe we should organise a BalletForum trip?

I notice the mention of the multiple curtain calls in Japan, which seem to be a rarity in London. Why is that? It can't be because the audiences are less enthusiastic.

Goodness, is that right, she is nearly 6 foot tall. Surely that is huge for a ballerina in a classical ballet company? The tallest dancer I have seen was Yanowski, and she is 175cm (or 5' 8" ) and they had enough problems finding suitable partners for her. Didn't they have to bring in a male guest dancer especially for Yanowski?

Very sad news. He was an experienced hiker, must have been dreadful for his family when he went missing.

I hate the current ENB Nutcracker. I used to love the production where the Kingdom of the Sweets featured costumes that looked like liquorish allsorts. To be honest, I am not much a Nutcracker fan. I think BRB does the best of the traditional ones, and I really enjoyed Matthew Bourne's production as well. The second act of MB's was great, and the costumes made me smile. Er - hang on, isn't it a bit early to be discussing Nutcrackers? It doesn't feel right while I am dressed in shorts and a t shirt. I would love to see Coppelia performed by just about any company.

I think there is a certain prejudice felt by some individuals against touring companies. I remember in the old days with the RB touring company, there was this idea that anyone dancing there "wasn't good enough" for the main company. Not by me, I hasten to add. But probably because there was this perception that if you were performing at a regional theatre in the suburbs, rather than in the capital of the UK, then you were somehow inferior. Total rubbish of course. I love ENB, and often think their performances in the classics are better than those by the RB. Edited to add perhaps I should change that to "sometimes think their performances in the classics....."

Well, Hingis was my first thought, but only because she wore a sun visor and had a dark ponytail. I don't remember her having a great rivalry with anyone though. And on that topic, why are two males who haven't actually won Wimbledon yet given pride of place at the front? I know the official explanation is that this is a potential great rivalry of the future, but if that is the case, where is the equivalent female potential rivalry? Unless it is those two ladies tucked away at the back of the queue that nobody can recognise? Shame on Wimbledon. Guilty of both terrible art work and sexism!

Ok, this is really bugging me. This is the latest artwork for Wimbledon, depicting great rivalries. Who are the two ladies in the white sun visors at the back supposed to be?