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Fonty

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  1. Fonty
    I am going on Friday, with my brother and my niece. Neither have seen Giselle before, so I sent them a link from ENB explaining all about the second act and the Wilis. Really looking forward to it.
  2. Fonty
    Yes, the Wayne Sleep clip was great, wasn't it? So much fun stuff being shown. I've seen the clip of Fonteyn in Giselle many times on Youtube, and it is gorgeous. I always find it interesting that the cross on Giselle's grave is a huge one with the appearance of being carefully prepared. Clearly this Giselle was not buried in unconsecrated ground if that is anything to go by. I also love the bit of her dancing the Rose Adagio. Again, I have seen that many times, and in this programme it only shows the final bit. The camera angle is slightly strange, but the one thing that comes across is her radiance in the role. The cavaliers saunter casually up to give her a hand with the balances, as if there is all the time in the world. They are all done without a trace of a wobble, with a beaming smile on her face. She really was a magnificent Aurora.
  3. Fonty
    I don't know much about Tharp. The only thing I have seen by her is Mr Wordly Wise. Was it 2 acts or 3? If it had a third act I can remember nothing about it. I enjoyed Act 2, but nearly left the theatre after Act 1.
  4. Fonty
    It would seem that the Russian Orthodox Church no longer does a service in remembrance of Pavlova either. At least, a search didn't reveal anything.
  5. Fonty
    Madness to take out the Ashton. I've no idea why there was this desire to "go back to the original" when there is such an exquisite addition. I seem to remember going to an event and the Garland Dance being mentioned. There was talk that nobody could remember exactly how it went nowadays. Surely it must have been notated?
  6. Fonty
    In the second episode, the excerpt from Apollo was wonderful. I love the way Fonteyn described Balanchine's choreography as "unemotional". A lovely pdd from Don Quixote as well. It was also fascinating to see Tchaikovsky's house, in very picturesque snow, and the interior of Pavlova's home, Ivy House.
  7. Fonty
    According to Wikipedia "The series caused a stir because up to that time she had not been known for speaking on camera, and after rehearsing what she would say on each segment, she ad libbed the lines without cue cards. " She looks so gorgeous as well. I found myself gawping at her teeny, tiny waist.
  8. Fonty
    Broadly speaking I would agree with you. Interesting you mention Giselle. I can't say I have noticed dancers struggling in that. I am not particularly bothered what speed the SPF is danced at, as I have never seen choreography that I like for that particular solo. However, I hate it when music that is already reasonably slow is slowed even further. I did notice the grand pdd was being played at a different pace at the performances I went to, and that is not exactly a fast piece to start with.
  9. Fonty
    Read the article, and saw the alleged budget, to which the RB is contributing half. I wouldn't know whether 2 million dollars (just over £1 million) is a lot or not for a new production, knowing nothing at all about the various costs.
  10. Fonty
    Indeed it is, but I thought I would watch one or two on a weekly basis, thoroughly enjoy them and relish the anticipation of the next programme. Am I very peculiar in that I never binge watch anything?
  11. Fonty
    I am glad someone else feel the same way as me, I sometimes wonder if there is something wrong with me for not liking him. I went to Woolf Works and heard so many people saying they were really blown away by it. To be fair I can't say I actively disliked it, but having seen it once I feel no desire to rush back. I haven't seen the Dante Project, but I have seen the pictures of some of the truly horrible costumes, and that was enough to put me off.
  12. Fonty
    I hate to say this, @PeterS but standing ovations are ten a penny these days. It seems that every production I go to now, be it drama, musical, or dance, gets one at the end., no matter how unremarkable. I sometimes wonder if there are people in the audience paid to rise to their feet and cheer loundly, forcing others to stand so that they can see who is taking their curtain call.
  13. Fonty
    I haven't read MaddAddam, but I really enjoyed other Margaret Atwood novels. They are not exactly a barrel of laughs though, and the ones I have read would be extremely difficult to portray in dance. I would be interested to know McGregor's reason for choosing that particular novel. Incidentally, each time I read the novel title, I get the theme tune for the Addams Family in my head. How much power does the dreaded ACE have? I can imagine a scenario which insists that in order to get funding the RB has to show it deserves it. I can hear the words "innovative", "meaningful" and "inclusive" being used.
  14. Fonty

    Oh dear ...

    Fonty replied to alison's topic in Not Dance

    One of our local tube stations was closed because of flooding a couple of days ago.
  15. Fonty
    Just to remind everyone that the second and third parts of this are going out on BBC4 tonight at 9.30pm and 10.30pm.
  16. Fonty
    Sad isn't it? I read the words "the Royal Ballet with be performing a new 3 act ballet" and I get all excited. Add in the word "MacGregor" and my enthusiasm vanishes. I wish he could be restricted to one act ballets, I might be tempted to go. But with 3 act ones? I'll wait and see what the general opinion is, and then I might try and get a last minute seat. In the meantime, the article in the Guardian says "the Royal's founder choreographer, Frederick Ashton, has his own moment in the sun." Yes, a moment indeed. A whole fortnight I believe? 10 performances in total, out of the whole year. MacMillan gets more than twice as many. I am not complaining about the latter, I am upset about the former, although a fortnight is certainly better than nothing.
  17. Fonty
    So many of us have commented on the slow pace of the music. I am sure the original score is clearly marked with the speed at which the composer expected it to be played, and if by some chance it isn't, there are a fair few older recordings which must indicate the correct tempi. Surely it cannot be because the dancers prefer it that way? And even if they do, it is the old, old question as to whether this should be allowed? I know that some people said it could be because inexperienced dancers can cope better, and I can understand a certain amount of caution on the part of a dancer making their debut. But once someone has gained experience and got over the beginner's nerves, then I would have thought they would be expected to dance it "properly".
  18. Fonty
    @Kerfuffle I think that should read "British ballet was known for its petit allegro...... That was the real thing I noticed when watching both Fonteyn and Seymour in the first Magic of the Dance programme. Their arms and hands were glorious, and I still can't get over how fast the Sleeping Beauty pdd was. All performed by Seymour looking as though it was the easiest thing in the world to perform at that pace.
  19. Fonty
    Absolutely. I am told that today's dancers really don't like Cecchetti, and hate classes devoted to it. I don't know why; I did Cecchetti classes when I was a teenager and loved them. Been so long since I did them I can't remember exactly what was included, but I believe it was brilliant at correcting tiny errors in body alignment and placement. I really don't think today's dancers are better overall, just different. Yes, the majority of men can jump higher and do more spins that the males of the past. But as far as the women are concerned, broadly speaking athleticism seems to be the key attribute now, rather than artistry. Watching Fonteyn's Magic of the Dance programme only emphasises what seems to have been lost.
  20. Fonty
    I never had the chance to see Makarova live, and normally I would say that if a composer has created something specifically for a certain ballet, then dancers should dance it at the the composer's pace. However, I agree that her exceptional talent meant she could get away with it and create something very special. However, her influence means that it now appears to be the norm to take things at a funereal pace. Several times I have watched a dancer in Swan Lake struggling with a very slow tempo, making the whole thing not only seem rather laborious and lacking in drama. The "crooked foot" is a particular dislike of mine. My teacher was a stickler for correct placement, and she used to shout at girls who may have done this , saying that the foot should form a perfect and elegant line with the rest of the leg. . It is considered a real fault to tip your foot up in arabesque, or it was in my day.
  21. Fonty
    I had a feeling it was her who started the trend, but I wasn't quite sure.
  22. Fonty
    @alison Maybe Geoff's post could come over as well?
  23. Fonty
    Oh I am so glad a separate thread has been started for this. I watched the first episode last night, and thought it came out as fresh as a daisy. Fonteyn was a terrific presenter, allowing sufficient time on each segment without dwelling on the subject for too long or becoming too technical. I'd seen it before, but my partner hadn't and was slightly reluctant. He enjoys ballet, but thought it might be a bit above his head. Not a bit of it, he was as enthralled as I was. I kept fairly quiet because I was interested to hear his reaction to the various pieces. He thought Makarova was a very beautiful dancer, "but why is it so slow? Isn't it normally danced bit faster?" I wasn't actually timing it, but it felt slow to me too. Although I could enjoy her wonderful technique and exquisite arms, and the whole piece was very beautiful, for me it lacked drama. Sacrilege to say so, I suppose! His reaction to the Le Corsaire, which he was seeing for the first time with Fonteyn and Nureyev? "Oh my, now I can appreciate what all the fuss was about at the time." We both thoroughly enjoyed the Fascinating Rhythm piece, and he said it was "much better than almost all that new stuff I have seen at Covent Garden." Can I add that to the Wish List thread please? And finally the Sleeping Beauty pdd. "Wow. She was amazing, really exciting." For me, it was a joy to see Seymour in such a pure classical role. As there are so few clips available of her dancing anything, I could appreciate what a unique talent she was and why MacMillan adored her so much. Observing all the wonderful ballerinas - Fonteyn, Seymour, Makarova - I relished their style. Their arms and hands were glorious, and their feet were lovely, especially in the arabesques. No crooked foot on the end of the leg. Their extensions were beautiful, and there was nothing wrong with the height of their legs. And above all, the speed shown, especially by Seymour. It was so thrilling I could watch it over and over.
  24. Fonty
    Didn't we do a wish list on another thread? Or am I imagining things after partying hard during the festive season? Anyway, would love ENB to perform Le Corsaire again. Lots of dancing, and it was certainly packed out in London when I saw it. If RB is not performing Nutcracker in 2024 as rumour has it, then I do hope Matthew Bourne brings back his version. I've only seen it live once, and I loved the costumes for the Kingdom of the Sweets. Please, no more new stuff by modern or contemporary choreographers. And no revivals with dancers in horrible costumes.
  25. Fonty
    I am assuming this is the complete series?
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