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Fonty

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  1. 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!
  2. Fonty
    Yes, a great article. It seems to be totally different to what Barry Wordsworth was saying. Unless I have misunderstood?
  3. Fonty
    That was lovely, thanks.
  4. 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.
  5. 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?
  6. 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?
  7. Fonty
    Just off to lick the road clean with my tongue.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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?
  11. 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!
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. Fonty
    I agree completely with your post, Floss. I don't see why Bussell couldn't use her popularity and fame to present a more serious programme about ballet. I am sure her Strictly audience would find it interesting.
  16. Fonty
    I am not sure why a ballet such as the Nutcracker really needs 5 choreographers working on it. I didn't realise it was so complicated!
  17. Fonty
    I've not seen Haywood in anything except Woolf Works. I understand from other comments that people think she is enormously talented, but do people think she is ready for Principal roles yet? Having said that, what qualities do female dancers need to display, to get that promotion? I have seen some very accomplished performances from soloists over the years, but very rarely have I seen anything that made me think that they were so stunning they should be promoted immediately.
  18. Fonty
    Yes, and by casting a comedian such as Perkins, they are indicating what that feel should be. Nobody would expect that tone if the voice over was by, say, David Attenborough.
  19. Fonty
    Thanks for that, Floss. I remember reading that de Valois thought very highly of Nureyev's Nutcracker. Anybody know why they got rid of it?
  20. Fonty
    When I posted briefly on Ballroom and Ballerinas, I said the commentary reminded me of Come Dine with Me. If you have never watched CDWM, the voice over is probably the best thing about it, with its wry humour and mocking remarks about the various dinners being cooked. Unfortunately, that type of commentary seems to be creeping into quite a few other programmes now. I think Sue Perkins does a lot of these voice overs, and she always manages to make it sound as though she is taking the micky out of everything she is watching. In this instance, it was Tamsin Greig, and she has obviously adopted the same style.
  21. Fonty
    I shall record the Darcey programme when it is on again. I am still puzzled by the inclusion of Underwood, though. I find it quite hard to believe that he is a hero to her, what explanation did she give?
  22. Fonty
    I am sorry, this is probably terribly naughty of me, and I might be reprimanded for "Bussell Bashing", but I just have the image in my head of yesterday's programme beginning with the words: "When I was a little girl I dreamed of being a ballet dancer. Well, I was lucky enough to achieve my dream, and I danced with some of the best male dancers in the world..." Followed by loads of footage of Darcey dancing with some male dancers, none of whom feature in the programme.
  23. Fonty
    I didn't watch Carmen, did they show the rest of the ballets, or was it just people talking about it and Carlos? Did anyone see Darcey's offering on BBC2? It is being repeated, so i might watch it then.
  24. Fonty
    It is quite amazing the way modern cameras work (to me, anyway.) They are constantly filming for television in our local park, and they always do so after dark, when the park gates are locked and the normal public can't get in. We can, however, see what they are doing from the road. An advert filmed on our bandstand at midnight came out as a wonderful summer's day picnic when we saw it on tv. I just wondered if they doctored it much after filming? I think the Opera House has to decide whether its live broadcasts should be done in such a way that the film looks wonderful, but the theatre audience has less than perfect lighting, or carry on as they have been doing. As these filmed versions are sold afterwards, I would have thought they would have to go for the former option, and give the theatre audience cut price seats on those evenings. I would be perfectly happy to see R&J or The Nutcracker live with a few gloomy bits, if I am only paying half price or less for a seat in the stalls.
  25. Fonty
    Absolutely, Floss. I remember being at a filmed performance many years ago, when I was a child. There was an advanced warning that the stage lighting would be much brighter than normal, and it could get quite hot in the theatre. The whole performace was geared towards the fact that it was being filmed. As a consequence, tickets for the audience were cheaper. It was quite strange in a way, because it was like sitting in broad daylight, and the dancers must have been able to see the people in the stalls quite clearly.
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