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Fonty

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  1. Fonty
    It reminds me of the old joke: "you are the 300,000th person I have told today- there is no demand"
  2. Fonty
    Funny how the same ballets can arouse love and dislike in equal measure. I adore Bourne's Swan Lake, and the last time I saw it I was moved to tears at the end. My brother hated every minute of it.
  3. Fonty
    Perhaps Golding will be given the lead in Mayerling and surprise everyone, in the same way that Cope astounded me when he performed it.
  4. Fonty

    Room 101

    Fonty replied to taxi4ballet's topic in Not Dance

    I would like to put the amount of media time spent on the American Presidential election into Room 101. I feel as though it has been going on for so long, and there has been so much time given to reporting the results in various states, I am starting to wonder if they will ever get around to a final election.
  5. Fonty
    Yes, I agree. I know we are meant to suspend belief, and we do. But I love the sound of the earlier touches, and they sound like an improvement on the current production. And while I appreciate that this was created for a touring company, that must have been a very long time ago.
  6. Fonty
    I missed Hilarion's death completely this time as I was busy watching the Corps, but when I saw it live it reminded me a bit of Swan Lake, as it looks as though he commits suicide by choice rather than being hounded to death. I also did not spot that Albrecht makes his first entrance swordless. I have always wondered how he managed to get access to the hut in the village, though. In a small place like that he would have to have a convincing story in place, to satisfy the curiosity of the peasants. Also, in the film i thought it showed him going into it shortly before Hilarion enters to search for incriminating evidence. I assume it was the camera angle. Either that or the hut has a handy back door.
  7. Fonty
    No,probably not, especially as none of them are principals and they usually have at least two in each cast. But I would still like to see them in it together. Who was in the cast you saw?
  8. Fonty
    I would like to Symphonic Variations with the cast that performed that magnificent pas de six in Giselle at the cinema, as they were so good together.
  9. Fonty
    Apologies if this has already been discussed on this thread, but I don,t remember the ending with Albrecht walking forward holding the flower. Etched in my memory is the image of him lying on the grave looking both exhausted and grief stricken. Am I thinking of another production? Also, I always find the appearance and final exit of Giselle very slightly disappointing. Myrtha directs her powers towards the grave to draw Giselle out, yet she makes her entrance from the wings, so she looks as though she was already up and about. A bit nit picky, but other companies make the connection more obvious, and it is much more powerful visually.
  10. Fonty
    I watched the performance in a nearly empty cinema in Portugal - about 20 people in total. However the live theatre audience provided plenty of atmosphere, and we added to the applause as loudly as we could at the end. I thought the dancing was superb from just about everyone, although I was slightly disappointed by Mendizabal. It was not the wobble, but I also thought some of her landings from the jumps looked heavy and untidy. I think it is a Principal role and should be cast that way. Apart from that, I loved it. I also enjoyed the fact that the close ups showed up little details. I was amused by the one sparkly earring of the Duke, for example. Very premiership footballer! Muntagirov? Wow! Those jumps will live long in my memory. And his hair was magnificent. :-)
  11. Fonty
    I am looking forward to seeing this at the cinema on Wednesday, but I am a bit concerned about the way in which some of the leading roles seem to have been played. For me, Albrecht has to be a very privileged, almost arrogant young man, used to getting what he wants, and Giselle has to be a rather innocent wisp of a girl, otherwise the second act doesn't really have the same impact.
  12. Fonty
    Has he been there 10 years? And after all that time, the only piece he has done that I found vaguely agreeable was Woolf Works. Time for him to moving on now, isn't it? (She said hopefully.)
  13. Fonty
    I'm not. All I can think of is Donald Trump.
  14. Fonty

    Room 101

    Fonty replied to taxi4ballet's topic in Not Dance

    I think I am probably heavy handed with the pepper myself. It is the salt I find overpowering in many of these things.
  15. Fonty
    Closing? Why? Please don't tell me they are knocking it down and putting up blocks of flats. Apologies for going off topic, but I used to live in Croydon, and have very fond memories of the various wonderful shows I saw there over the years.
  16. Fonty
    I did think about putting Mr Wordly Wise as one of my choices, but I did enjoy the second act, and would like to see it again some time on its own.
  17. Fonty
    Or perhaps he could insist on a hat being part of the costume?
  18. Fonty
    Takahashi isn't British, but she was a graduate of the ENB school
  19. Fonty
    As I haven't seen any performances from this run yet I can't remember what Hilarion wears, but I wonder if it is similar to the old Russian costume. I've just been watching the clip of Ulanova in Giselle in the Reviews and Features for Tuesday (7 Greats on the Bolshoi Stage), and he wears a very fetching pair of rust shorts, with matching thigh high boots. How could a girl resist that!
  20. Fonty
    As usual, Floss, you have explained it perfectly. Having said that, I don't think a lot of today's dancers do have a good line. I am particularly irritated by the tendency to crook the foot up and over when in a penche arabesque, rather then keeping it in alignment with the rest of the leg. It is so common now, it must be the way they are being taught to do it, but I do think it looks very ugly.
  21. Fonty
    No, Portugal has the same time as the UK. Thanks everyone. I must say I am slightly shocked at the lack of accurate information being given to the local cinema. Not to mention the complete absence of any publicity whatsoever. I think there could be quite an appetite for ballet in Faro. They have a competition at the local theatre each year, and the place is packed with little girls in leotards with their hair up in buns. And someone told me that when one of the ballet companies visited a couple of years ago, (not sure which one), it was sold out weeks in advance.
  22. Fonty
    That tickly cough sensation is just awful, isn't it? I have found the only thing is either a cough sweet which hopefully isn't wrapped in crackly paper, or little sips from my water bottle which gets rid of the dry throat.
  23. Fonty
    Regarding the live cinema broadcast on the 6th April, could someone tell me what time it is likely to start? I know the performance is at 7.30pm, but I assume there will be some sort of pre performance chat? I will be watching in Portugal, and they have very limited information. It was actually shown in the listings as "a performance by the Bolshoi". I thought it was odd they would be showing that on the same day as one from Covent Garden, so I insisted that they check. It is the Royal Ballet, of course! But apart from that, the staff don't know anything.
  24. Fonty
    Ashton described Fonteyn as "having the proportions of Venus." Today's "perfect look" that you describe is much thinner, which is apparent in all walks of life, not just dancing. Just compare the film actresses of today with the lush beauties of the past. Not to mention the current trend for stick thin, gangly models in magazines. I never saw Fonteyn perform live, only read about her, and I can't think of many clips of her on Youtube that show her at her best. A lot of this might be to do with the constraints of filming at the time. Some of it seems to be taking place on a rather cramped stage, and the camera positions are often from a strange angle, either slightly to the side, or looking up, rather than directly from the front, which is obviously how the audience would see her. Hence some of the leg positions look a little strange. There used to be a wonderful one of her doing the whole of the Rose Adagio, taken at a speed that today's dancers never, ever attempt, showing her perfect balance, and all done with a radiant smile that lights up the whole stage. No idea what happened to it; when I search now there are other clips but none of them as good as that one.
  25. Fonty

    Room 101

    Fonty replied to taxi4ballet's topic in Not Dance

    It does appear that carrier bags are less robust now. I seem to put holes in them very easily, whereas before I could keep them and reuse them for ages.
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