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Fonty

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  1. Fonty
    Frankly, I find the idea of a whole season with nothing older than 8 years a very depressing thought. The only work from the list above that I have seen is Woolf Works, and while I enjoyed it I am not sure I would want to see it again. Not as a 3 act ballet, anyway, although I would be interested to see one of the acts (maybe the first or last) as part of a triple bill.
  2. Fonty
    Oh, I know you are convinced, Billboyd. I think you may have mentioned it once or twice before. It is her tendency to do odd things with and to the music that I don't care for all that much.
  3. Fonty
    I am hoping to be able to get to the cinema on 26th. While I admire Osipova in certain things, I am yet to be convinced she is an Ashton dancer.
  4. Fonty
    You may, Alison. I went on Friday night, and I agree with you. In fact, the only complaint I have was that there was no synopsis of the story on the free cast list, so I wasn't sure which male character was which at the beginning. Fortunately, it isn't one of those ballets where you have to concentrate very hard on the plot. The Odalisques had some wonderful variations, although I must confess I am not entirely sure what the difference is between an odalisque and a concubine. Does anyone know who did the dance with all the pirouettes? I just loved her cool, controlled turns, all beautifully in time with the music.
  5. Fonty
    Like me, for instance. Even if you do, it is no guarantee that your e-ticket will work. I went to Bath with a friend, and I purchased tickets on line for something (can't remember what.) I said I would print the tickets off, but she said there was no need, I should just email the details to her and she would use her smartphone. When we got there, they told us they didn't have a reader for smartphones. Which puzzled me, until I saw that they weren't looking at the bar codes, but just examining everyone's printed tickets. We had to find an internet cafe and print our tickets off. And I can't remember the last time I flew without printing my own boarding pass first. But when I was at Faro airport this summer, there was a huge queue at the security gate, because lots of people had their tickets on their phones, but the technology was not reading them properly, so they all had to stand to one side. I thought there was going to be a riot. No idea what happened to all these people.
  6. Fonty
    The review from Mark Monohan in the Telegraph has the most wonderful typo that made me chuckle: "Whether or not ballet is traditionally your thing, you’ll leave with a small on your face". Are the audience getting so excited they are throwing their underwear about?
  7. Fonty
    It was Lyndsey Winship of the Evening Standard, Alison. I don't know her personally, but because the Standard is free, her comments will be read by a lot more people than some of the others.
  8. Fonty
    "Le Corsaire is not the show to convince you that ballet is a 21st-century art form." Hmmm, why do reviewers find it necessary to put something like this, and suggest that therefore this downgrades any stars they might give? Would somebody giving a review of one of many operas with enormously silly stories preface their comments with something like that?
  9. Fonty
    Thanks.
  10. Fonty
    I am going tomorrow, and can't wait. I enjoyed it so much the last time it was in London, I actually ended up booking for multiple performances, something I don't normally do. Sadly, this time I can only manage the one. What time does the evening performance finish?
  11. Fonty
    I've never seen anything by Crystal Pite, but have heard lots of enthusiastic reports. What sort of style is her choreography? Classical, or modern? Vest and pants, or more elaborate costumes?
  12. Fonty
    Never mind the ballet, I want that dress!
  13. Fonty
    First of all, I would like to say that I do not find anything offensive about your post, Penelope. While you have expressed yourself a little more forcefully than perhaps I would have done, I do agree that I think Darcey enjoys being in the public eye, and relishes the chance to branch out into television. Nothing wrong with that, but as I said before, I wish she would use her status as a judge on SCD, which has has made her well known to a wider audience, to attract a whole new audience to classical ballet. She has the profile to get a programme on the main BBC channel, and I am sure there is something she could do that would broaden the knowledge of the general public. I would love to see her do something similar to the programme that Rojo did a while ago. Edited to add that I posted before I read Janet's post. I guess the reaction to Penelope's post depends on whether or not you are a fan of Bussell. I was always fairly neutral when she was performing, appreciating the technical abilities, but not gushing in the way that others did. Personally, I thought her contemporary, Durante, was better all round.
  14. Fonty

    Room 101

    Fonty replied to taxi4ballet's topic in Not Dance

    Alison, I've got a feeling that the 5p charge for plastic bags will be like the congestion charge in London. When the latter was brought it, the amount of traffic on the road was significantly reduced for a while in the central areas. Then I think car drivers began to think that the convenience and comfort of travelling in their own vehicle outweighed any charges they had to pay, and gradually the cars came back again. I think the big stores don't want the expense of changing their bags, because they are expecting people to say after a while, "What the heck, it is only 5p", and start paying for plastic ones again.
  15. Fonty
    I get the feeling that some peope high up in the ballet world would be pleased to see that as the future of ballet!
  16. Fonty
    Yes, I agree that the No Photography rule should be strictly adhered to. I just thought from the angle of the photo that the person might be standing or sitting in the back left hand corner of the royal box as you face the stage. I've never been in Balcony Standing, so I didn't realise that you could see phones from there. I think the only solution when it happens is for people to start shouting "Turn that ruddy phone off, you morons sitting opposite me in box xxx " in extremely loud voices in the middle of the performance. See if that does the trick.
  17. Fonty
    While I am not a particular fan of the Beckhams, I don't dislike them either. I think we should cut Victoria a bit of slack here. She was taking her 4 year old daughter to the ROH for a Christmas treat, and perhaps hiring the royal box was part of the occasion. Not to mention that at that age, the child is less likely to cause annoyance to the rest of the audience if she wriggles, whispers or does any of the things that very young children might do, if she is tucked away in one of the boxes. Yes, you don't get as good a view, but I am sure the whole experience must have been terrific for Harper. Also, taking photos is obviously frowned upon, but it looks to me as though the person taking it was standing well back and they weren't using a flash, so I am not sure many people would have noticed, would they? Yes, perhaps Mrs Beckham was unwise to post the photo on the internet, but I don't think it is really as bad as someone texting or taking photos if they are sitting somewhere else in the theatre.
  18. Fonty
    As I booked specifically to see Tamara on the 15th, I certainly hope so too. However, I am guessing that her dance work load will not be as heavy, in terms of the variety of roles she would be expected to rehearse and perform, as it was when she was with the RB?
  19. Fonty
    Yes, congratulations.
  20. Fonty
    In response to an earlier question about Fonteyn, I can't find a clip of the solo, but here is the grand pdd with Michael Somes, dated 1958: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmp0QyTb-fU&list=PLYDXn3BlwllN3132mr7-tuzUQKAJTEabz
  21. Fonty
    I just wonder why the BBC feels this need to project ballet in this way. Compare and contrast with the way in which football is presented. Every Saturday night, Match of the Day shows the highlights of the day's play, presented by an ex England football captain, and with two people who also ex players. They analyse and discuss, in detail, each match, focussing on technique, style, team play etc. At no point does the director feel any need to lighten the programme by making the presenters perform jokey stunts. There are no outtakes at the end showing them larking about. Ok, there is a huge different between the audience for football, and the one for ballet. But why should one be treated with such reverence, and the other be seen as a subject that is either subject to gentle derision (Ballerinas and Ballrooms) or has to have the presenter seen to be taking herself not too seriously. And therefore, by implication, suggest that ballet is really just a bit of fun.
  22. Fonty
    Perhaps next time she could say "No." I am sure she was asked to do it, but she must have realised from previous programmes that it was likely to be included at the end. If she had been capering with some of the male interviewees that might have been different, but as it was it left me feeling irritated after what had been an interesting and enjoyable programme.
  23. Fonty
    Sorry, I thought I was posting on the thread regarding how much everything has slowed down. Some of the threads have commmon themes!
  24. Fonty
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvn2iiBrojw And here is Fonteyn and Nureyev indoing the same bit in Giselle (or at least the only bit I had time to look for). I much prefer the speed with which Fonteyn does her jumps and beats. Am I the only person who thinks that by doing that section so slowly Osipova looks slightly ungainly, as though she is bounding on a trampoline? Amazing elevation, but she reminds me more of a basketball player about to do a slam dunk. Sorry if I am offending anyone, but I don't think it enhances the choreography at all IMO.
  25. Fonty
    While I am sure Osipova is doing it beautifully, I still don't like the step. It has been a long time since I have seen Giselle, but I simply can't remember it. I assume all Giselles perform it, but maybe with the long skirts it looks better. I don't really like the choreography for the pdd that Osipova dances in the Nutcracker. It seems rather a waste of all that gorgeous music. To me, anyway.
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