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Fonty

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  1. Fonty
    And I was just commenting on the link posted in 256.
  2. Fonty

    Room 101

    Fonty replied to taxi4ballet's topic in Not Dance

    It makes me wonder what the government is doing. If someone must turn their front garden into a parking space, there are perfectly good permeable surfaces that could be used, and there are some very attractive ones around. It should be compulsory, not voluntary. The evidence is there for everyone to see, but nobody in authority has made this very simple move. Also, I have just checked, and under permitted development rights, extensions "should not exceed 50% of the total area of land around the original house." That is a huge amount, and completely wrong in my opinion. If you have a very large garden to start with, you end up with a ground floor that is way out of all proportion to the rest of the house. If you have a small garden, you end up with a tiny landing strip of decking at the back, which is equally unsightly.
  3. Fonty

    Room 101

    Fonty replied to taxi4ballet's topic in Not Dance

    How horrible, LinMM. I get so upset when people rip down hedges, chop down trees, dig up lawns, and then wonder where all the wildlife has gone. And what is this trend for having an ENORMOUS open plan kitchen/dining/living room? Apart from the fact that they must be horribly expensive to heat in the winter, it means you have to have all these gadgets and gizmos to prevent cooking smells and noise going over the whole house. While a large kitchen is nice, I don't particularly want it to invade the entire ground floor. And don't people want to shut a door and have a bit of piece and quiet occasionally?
  4. Fonty
    I though one of the reasons Osipova joined the RB was to perform more of the Ashton rep? I am sure I read that mentioned specifically somewhere, or I have I just imagined it? I only mention it, because while I am a fan of some of things she does, I do think she takes the most appalling liberties with the music of quite a lot of the classics I have seen her in so far. I hope her idea of concentrating deeply is not to simply adjust the speed to suit herself and show off her own strengths at the expense of the overall piece.
  5. Fonty
    It was a long time ago, but I remember thinking at the time that I hoped he would be given the chance to overcome this, because I was (and still am) a huge fan of his. I was pleasantly surprised to see that he was in Monotones when I went to see it recently, and I said at the time how nice it was to see him doing something different from all the contortions he is often given.
  6. Fonty

    Room 101

    Fonty replied to taxi4ballet's topic in Not Dance

    I think the whole Brexit campaign has been absolutely appalling. No academic analysis, just political soundbites from anyone who can get their opinion expressed in the media. How the heck are we supposed to vote, based on the information we have been given so far?
  7. Fonty
    It has even made the Metro today. Unusual for a piece about a ballet dancer to get so much space in the newspapers. I remember Watson came in for a lot of criticism on the old ballet forum because of his poor partnering skills.
  8. Fonty
    Just to change the subject slightly, I find the building on green belt land so depressing. What is the point of having it at all, if the politicians allow strident lobbyists from the building sector to persuade them to raise dreary housing estates or blocks of flats. There are so many studies that say people need open space or they become depressed. You can guarantee that the people who allow this are in no danger of having vast swathes of concrete being erected near where they live. Anyway, back to birds. We had a visit from a pheasant last year to the local park at the back of my house, which was a bit startling in central London. No idea where it came from, but it strutted across the grass and hid in some growth around a tree. I was watching from the kitchen window, and many dogs went past and didn't spot it at all. When I went out later, I had the greatest difficulty seeing it, even though I knew exactly where it was. Perfect camouflage.
  9. Fonty
    If someone is a principal with the RB, and dances elsewhere, does the other company pay the RB for their services?
  10. Fonty
    Sorry, I wasn't speculating, I thought from Andy's post above that it was common knowledge she was pregnant. Apologies if this is not actually the case. However, I would say in a situation like this, the way in which the official announcement has been posted is positively asking people to speculate.
  11. Fonty
    How lovely, Janet. They usually have them on the top of Tate Modern as well. Not been along there recently, so I don't know if they are nesting this year.
  12. Fonty
    I do find the use of the term "medical leave" a bit odd, personally. What's wrong with saying she will be on maternity leave? The word Medical sounds like she has a serious physical problem of some sort. While pregnancy can be very uncomfortable, I don't think it counts as an illness, does it?
  13. Fonty
    I live in the centre of London, about half a mile from Tower Bridge. Most people round here feed the birds, so we get quite a good variety - tits, goldfinches, woodpeckers, a few sparrows. Lots of pigeons of course, and the occasional visit from Mrs Sparrowhawk. However, we have two very large problems. I used to have swarms of chaffinches, goldfinches and even the occasional bullfinch. However, I had to change my seed feeder when swarms of pesky ring necked parakeets moved in and started to eat everything in sight. I had to put up a feeder with a cage around it, which the finches don't like at all. So now I don't get any. And don't get me started on the subject of grey squirrels. I would happily support any council plan to get rid of both these pests, although so many people think they are cute.
  14. Fonty
    Oh, I realise that, Floss. I didn't think for one minute it wasn't. On the other hand, I have seen some rather ordinary performances from principals who seem to have been cast simply because they were principals. I am not referring to Nunez and Lamb when I say this, as I have never seen them in this role. However, I am sure they will be wonderful; they never seem to give anything less than their best in everything they do. However, looking at the casting, there is a fairly broad spread amongst principals and soloists. It seems a trifle odd to me to give Stix-Brunell and Calvert just one go at the role. I am not sure if they have danced it before, I am assuming they haven't? If so, surely they need at least two performances, given that they will probably be suffering from a few nerves on the first night. Instead of bringing in a guest to do two, couldn't they have given another performance each to these ladies? If they are considered good enough to do one, they should be able to manage two!
  15. Fonty
    Regarding the likes of experienced dancers such as Nunez and Lamb, I am surprised they even want to be cast as the SPF in the Nutcracker. It always strikes me as being a bit boring for the female principal, having to wait so long to come on stage. And then, the amount of dancing is actually quite small, isn't it? I haven't seen the RB's version for quite some time, but does the male principal have more to do, or does he spend the same amount of time on stage as the female? Or is it a case of bums on seats? People expect to see principals when they come for their annual dose of ballet? Sorry if I sound a little bit disparaging about the Nutcracker. I know it is a gorgeous looking ballet, with wonderful music, and very appropriate for Christmas, but I suspect the bulk of the audience are not the people who attend ballet regularly throughout the year. I agree with Floss about Les Patineurs. I think I have seen it once in the last 20 years (?) when it was part of a triple bill. Otherwise, it was always paired with The Tales of Beatrix Potter, which I just couldn't stand, so I never saw it more often.
  16. Fonty
    "Why, in the wake of Sweet Violets, Raven Girl, The Age of Anxiety, Carmen and Strapless – all expensive failures – does the company not insist that its narrative choreographers are guided by experienced directors? Britain is home to some of the most brilliant theatrical minds in the world. Is the Royal too proud to ask for help?" A quote from Luke Jennings in his review of Frankenstein. He gives it 3 stars, so he isn't panning it. But many people on this forum have made suggestions that in their opinion would improve the ballet. There are some points that are common, such as pruning the first act, and showing more of the creature when he first comes to life. Surely anyone with experience of watching three act ballets would have said more or less the same things, let alone an experienced director? Which brings me on to the next point. I can't believe that all the ballets mentioned arrived on stage without input from other people. Apart from Keven O'Hare, who must have looked in from time to time, who else would be suitable, or have the experience that Mr Jennings refers to?
  17. Fonty
    When I was a child, a robin nested in our garage. It had flown in through a tiny crack in the window my father had not got around to fixing. He wasn't very pleased, because he had to wait weeks before he could get his car out. I was delighted, though. We have masses of crows, but the real nuisance here in my part of London is Magpies. They seem to drive everything out, although we have had successful crops of blackbirds in the past. None this year, unfortunately, as far as I can see. Probably just as well, The strain of distracting the neighbours' cats from our garden is quite tiring. How wonderful. Again, as a child, we had masses and masses of house martins every summer in oour town. Then people started putting up netting to stop the birds nesting. Even the police station did it, and to my horror, the local primary school. Apparently, people didn't like the mess they made. In the case of the school, the teachers said the birds left droppings on their cars. What sort of example does that set the future generations. I mean, come on, a bit of rain and the droppings were soon washed away. It is illegal to destroy a nest, and it should also be illegal to put up things that prevent visiting birds from nesting in their usual places.
  18. Fonty
    A critic?
  19. Fonty
    He must be a huge fan of Wayne McGregor, that's all I can say! And maybe Ashley Page was before his time. Reading this thread, I would say that most people seem enthusiastic about it. It's obviously not perfect, but the majority seem to have enjoyed it. What was the applause like at the end?
  20. Fonty
    The BBC had the official name announcement as Breaking News. I think that might be attaching just a little bit too much importance to it.
  21. Fonty
    I am getting quite overwhelmed by all these reviews! Can someone tell me, is there any moment in the ballet where you genuinely feel sorry for the monster?
  22. Fonty
    Perhaps they should use Bournemouth as their role model? A very small team, with a ground that only holds 11,000 people. yet they managed to finish safe in the middle of the table.
  23. Fonty
    This seems to be an ongoing theme with just about every new work for the last few years, whether it is a one act or full length ballet. It does seem to me that before they go the whole hog, and shell out on very expensive sets and costumes, there should be some way of previewing new works in a more simple way. A big ask, I know, but I would have thought they could come up with some way in which the choreography could be judged on its own. How many times have I read: "should be pruned" "lacks emotional depth" "not particularly exciting". It wasn't exactly a rumour, was it? It was in response to a statement in The Arts Desk article, which some people knew to be incorrect?
  24. Fonty
    Strange, I could have sworn I saw her in it. Must have been wishful thinking! It must have been Benjamin then.
  25. Fonty
    I know I have seen Anastasia, and I think I must have seen Tamara in the role (?) I can't remember that much about it, though. However, from the bit I can remember, I just cannot see Cuthbertson performing it. Has she done it before?
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