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Fonty

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  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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?
  4. Fonty
    Yes, congratulations.
  5. 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
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. Fonty
    Sorry, I thought I was posting on the thread regarding how much everything has slowed down. Some of the threads have commmon themes!
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. Fonty

    Room 101

    Fonty replied to taxi4ballet's topic in Not Dance

    On the subject of shopping, I am totally in agreement with the 5p payment for plastic carriers. I am someone who has always taken her own bags with her when doing my grocery shopping. On the other hand, I saw a dress I had been eyeing for ages had one of those flash "every item 40% off" sales when I was out recently, so I bought it. It would not fit into a normal carrier, but the assistant said she would have to charge me for a bigger bag. Given that their bags advertise their brand, I was not too happy about it. I know it is only 5p, but even so. In the end, I crushed it up into a normal bag, and arrived home with a dress wrinkled like an old dishcloth. I have now made a mental note to carry one extra large bag everywhere with me. A friend of mine bought a new winter coat, but was amazed to be told that she would be charged for the extra large bag it required. She flatly refused to pay, but it was too mild to wear it, so she left the shop with the item dangling over her arm.
  12. Fonty
    Goodness, Janet, you startled me. I read that as "I am sure I have seen similar donkeys, years ago." I was wondering what on earth donkeys were doing in The Nutcracker!
  13. Fonty
    Yes, a great article. It seems to be totally different to what Barry Wordsworth was saying. Unless I have misunderstood?
  14. Fonty
    That was lovely, thanks.
  15. Fonty
    Talking of slowing things down, I saw a snippet of Pavlova doing the Dying Swan on tv. (I think it was in Darcey's Ballet Heroes, but I am not absolutely sure.) Anyway, I was struck by the speed with which she was moving, so I went away and looked it up on Youtube. Then I watched Makarova doing the same dance and was astonished. The speed was much slower, and I am not sure at all sure when or why it was thought that slowing it down that much was a good idea. It didn't enhance the performance in any way, and in fact Pavlova's is far more moving than Makarova's. If anyone should know what speed a piece should be performed at, it is the person for whom the piece was created.
  16. Fonty
    All ballet dancers tend to walk a bit clumsily, I think. The turned out toes look rather peculiar when they are wearing normal shoes and walking down the street. I thought the park looked a bit like the square in front of the John Soane's museum in Lincoln's Inn Fields. Not sure how big it is, though, and whether it would be enough space for dance practise. I would have thought the uneven ground might have proved a little tricky for dancing on, but I suppose it depends on what they are doing. I know that some programmes or films have outtakes at the end, and I think that is fine if the content has been funny, and the people involved are comics or comic actors. But this is the second or third time I have seen this at the end of a Darcey programme, and I just wish they would stop. Yes, it shows she is good fun and a thoroughly good sport, but is it appropriate? Lucy Worsley has a lot of fun dressing up and play acting in her programmes, but it is relevant to the content. The producers don't have her giggling and peering round doors in Hampton Court or whatever at the end, do they?
  17. Fonty
    I finally got around to watching Darcey's Ballet Heroes last night. I have to say that I enjoyed it, and thought it was much better than other things she has done. The only thing that really annoyed me was the bit at the end, where she is larking about in front of the camera. I know she was told to do this by the director, but I still feel it was wrong to have this. I don't know why they felt this was necessary. Fine if the programme had been about Darcey Bussell, but it wasn't, the focus of the programme was male dancers. Just seemed a bit daft to me. One thing puzzled me, and apologies if someone else has answered this already, but if they have I don't remember. Why were Peter and Luke Schaufuss practising outside in the park? Is there a shortage of dance studios available?
  18. Fonty
    Just off to lick the road clean with my tongue.
  19. Fonty
    I really, really hope that O'Hare has read the posts on here, and 1) Does not promote anyone from within the company simply to fill a vacancy 2) Does not bring in an outsider from elsewhere to fill the vacancy. Let many of the talented youngsters that he thinks suitable for the roles have a go at them, and base any future promotions on those performances. Edited to add, please don't promote someone to any level and then not give them appropriate roles to dance.
  20. Fonty
    True, Janet. I am not saying lives are less or more stressful today. But I do think that current generations who complain about how frantic their lives are would have a terrible shock if they were transported back 50 years. One of the recent programmes said that in the 1950s, a housewife would spend an average of 70 hours a week on housework. Not sure about anybody else, but if I had to spend that long doing housework, I would be desperate for a bit of culture to take my mind off how dull my life was.
  21. Fonty
    Oh dear, reading some of these posts, it would seem that people today work much, much harder than those people in the good old days, and use tv as a form of relief from their stressful lives. P.S. I wonder what my parents would have had to say about that?
  22. Fonty
    Dave, I was going to edit my post to say that the gargouillades are probably one of the ugliest steps in ballet. No idea what their purpose is, but I for one would be ultra happy never to see another one again!
  23. Fonty
    So Mr Wordsworth was saying that the opening night Principals set the speed for everyone else? That might explain why I have seen many performances of Swan Lake where the ultra slow speed of the music did the Odette on stage absolutely no favours at all. And also takes away any chance of somebody who is not cast on the first night from putting their own interpretation on the role. As the first night cast is usually the Big Star, that seems very odd to me. If I had been a principal then, I would certainly have had something to say about that. Apart from anything else, the Big Star could deliberately set a pace that made her look wonderful, and everyone else slightly less than wonderful. If Big Stars were that way inclined, of course. And if I was a really naughty dancer, I might have said, "Ok, you got first night for Swan Lake, and you made me dance it at such a slow pace, I was struggling. Now, I've got first night for Sleeping Beauty, and I am going to do it as fast as I can. See how you manage those Rose Adagio balances!" I hope things have changed since Mr Wordsworth's day. I've never played in an orchestra, but is it really impossible for the conductor to say to them before each performance, "Miss Y prefers a slightly faster pace than Miss X, so please note that tonight we will be taking the solos in the white acts (or whatever) a little quicker then we did the last time we played. Keep your eyes on me" Which I assume they do anyway.
  24. Fonty
    Watching those clips, I was a huge fan of Yoshida, and it made me long to see her dance the variation at the same speed as Markova. I am sure she would have danced it wonderfully. I've never really liked the SPF solo in recent years, because I have always thought it felt slightly ponderous. Now I know why.
  25. Fonty
    Yes, but I would still like to see a programme about ballet with a bit more depth to it. It doesn't have to be hugely technical, just a bit more "educational" rather than "entertaining." An expert in their chosen field talking about anything is always interesting, no matter what the subject is. Darcey cleary has a wealth of knowledge, and I would find it very interesting to hear her using that knowledge in a more serious way. I didn't see the programme about contemporary dance, so I can't comment on that. But does everything about dance on BBC1 or 2 have to be done in the SCD style? I stopped watching that programme years ago when it became less about teaching people with no dance experience to do ballroom and latin american dancing, and more about "stars" with backgrounds at stage school, putting on the showiest routine in the skimpiest costume.
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