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Fonty

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  1. Fonty
    Is Osipova saying that she wants the theatre to pay for Polunin to come as a guest artist as well? I am wondering how much power a guest artist would have in asking for these things.
  2. Fonty
    Does this sort of thing happen quite regularly in the opera world? I think I remember a few years ago, that a whole run of a new production of an opera was cancelled because the star was unwell, and unable to appear? Not their fault, of course, but I remember thinking at the time that surely it would be better to get a substitute, even if they lost some money, rather than cancel the whole lot.
  3. Fonty
    Thanks, John. As a matter of interest, have any ballet stars other than Fonteyn and Nureyev ever commanded higher prices?
  4. Fonty
    I know they used to put premium prices on Fonteyn and Nureyev performances abroad, but did they do this at ROH as well for their tickets? I think it is fair that if I have paid extra to see a particular star, and that star is indisposed, then I should get a refund on the difference between the price of a ticket for their performance and the price of the person I am actually going to see. People are bitterly disappointed not to see Osipova, but the price to see her is the same as any other Principal, isn't it? Edited to add that I have never actually checked whether prices for certain dancers are more expensive, but I've always assumed they are the same!
  5. Fonty
    I have found before that if there was a last minute substitution, I ended up seeing a dancer that possibly I hadn't watched before, and enjoying the performance very much. Sometimes I wondered why on earth I hadn't booked any of the substitute's performances before. Having a starry name replaced by a less well known one can be hugely enjoyable and a pleasant surprise. (Edited to correct my terrible spelling...)
  6. Fonty
    Is there going to be a repeat performance at the cinema? I can't go to the live broadcast?
  7. Fonty
    Yes, I have had the same thought in the past, and it is not a nice thought. I think R & J is one of those ballets where the pairings have to look appropriate; much more so than other ballets, otherwise the men start to look like perverts. I always think of Romeo as being not much older than Juliet, say about 16. So if the male dancer is very tall, and his Juliet is petite, then he has to be able to convey a youthful appearance. Mutagirov is tall, but he is not as muscular as some of the other males. Also, he looks young, so I am not sure it would matter as much if he was paired with a more petite Juliet.
  8. Fonty
    I agree with you. Rojo was a dancer whose strong dramatic skills made her shine, no matter who she was dancing with. But her partnership with Cope was very special, and I preferred that to the one with Acosta.
  9. Fonty
    Er - would asking you to explain this make me sound incredibly stupid?
  10. Fonty
    Well, we're back to casting decisions again. It is difficult to talk about any ballet, whether or not you have seen this particular run, without broadening the discussion a little to include these issues in general terms. Yes, I could start a new thread. This has been done before, with other topics that have been deemed to be slightly off topic. But without a specific ballet, and particular performances to refer to, the conversation tends to stutter to a halt after a couple of posts.
  11. Fonty
    "She told a press conference she had wanted to take on a contemporary dance challenge while she is at her “peak”, breaking new boundaries by making her performances more like “dramatic theatre”. I am not quite sure what to make of this. Osipova is a Principal with a classical ballet company which has a contemporary resident choreographer. I am sure she would be one of McGregor's first choices for any new work being produced. Does she not find his work challenging enough? Also, Osipova is just recovering from a lengthy break after injury. We have discussed before the physical problems that can be put on the body, as classical ballet dancers are required to perform in so many different styles. Will this put extra strain on her? Regarding Guillem, yes, she made the move to contemporary dance work, but this was at the time when she was cutting back on all her classical ballet work, wasn't it? I would just like to add that I make these comments because I am interested in the opinions of others on this forum. I am not criticising Osipova in any way.
  12. Fonty
    Well, the trouble is that not everyone can go and see the performances! So we are going to pick up on other aspects of the various comments being made.
  13. Fonty
    On that basis, and bearing in mind the comments on the Romeo and Juliet thread, do you think there might be some sort of public discussion with Kevin O'Hare on line soon? Or an interview with him in one of the papers? She asked innocently........
  14. Fonty
    The quality of Salenko's dancing is not the issue. The discussion relates to the broader theme which has been talked about before, regarding bringing in outside talent. If there was nobody else that could perform Juliet to McRae's Romeo, then I could understand the need to bring in a guest artist. But I don't think that is the case here. Also, McRae doesn't need lots of practise in the role, he has already danced it many times with several different partners. On the other hand, Naghdi and Ball apparently gave a terrific performance when they made their debuts in the roles. Why did they only get the one performance? (I think?) Why not give them two, to give themselves a chance to take advantage of getting over any first night nerves they may have had, and to relax into the roles? Now it may be that the reason is that the current rep means that dancers who could have danced more R & Js were tied up doing other things. Or it was felt that they might be overstretching themselves doing more than one performance. I don't quite see that myself, I would have thought they would have been eager to have another go, but that could be the case. Perhaps Billboyd could ask Mr O'Hare?
  15. Fonty
    I am sure I remember reading that Guillem always wanted to be partnered by Cope? Although that may be because he was the only one tall enough. Now I think about it, he seemed to partner all the tall ladies.
  16. Fonty
    I wasn't speculating, Billboyd, I was asking a question, based on the previous few posts about McRae and Salenko. Simply that some dancers are terrific together, but do not quite gel with others, however talented the individuals might be. I for one would be only too glad to see special partnerships developing, and cannot see anything wrong with two people who are obviously suited by physique and temperament being allowed to dance the bulk of their performances together. Going back to previous opinions expressed here, I would like to see this being encouraged within the company with the up and coming talent.
  17. Fonty
    Talking of petite Juliets, what has happened to Marquez? Is she still with the company? Also, the idea of bringing someone in as a specific partner for one of the other Principals seems at odds with the current policy of not having regular partnerships, and mixing and muddling the male and female Principals each season. I can understand that dancers from another company might do a few guest appearances with one of the Principals, there is nothing wrong with that, and it gives us a chance to see dancers we would not normally get a chance to see. But that is completely different to bringing in an outsider on a permanent contract. Will McRae be able to insist that he dances all his performances with Salenko? Or will this be another case of a dancer being terrific with one partner, but nothing particularly special with another?
  18. Fonty
    If that was the question, what was the answer?
  19. Fonty
    Thanks very much, Floss. I was going to ask about Ashton and MacMillan. It seems to make perfect sense to have a "friendly, trusted pair of eyes" to come along and offer a word or two of advice. And on a practical level, I am slightly surprised the people holding the purse strings don't think it is necessary. Or perhaps they do, and the final Carmen is the result of somebody else giving it the once over and making suggestions!
  20. Fonty
    I have to confess I had to look up what a dramaturg actually was, as I'd never heard of it before. Presumably, they would be involved right from the beginning? So that the creative process would be a collaboration? In which case, I can see there might be a few issues with that when it comes to cutting bits out. I was thinking more of a fresh pair of experienced eyes, who comes along when the whole thing is roughly worked out, who could then make suggestions. Of course, whether or not the creator takes any notice depends on the personalities of the individuals, but in the case of someone who is new to choreography, I would have thought they would welcome the input from someone else who is knowledgeable in that field.
  21. Fonty
    I have been reading this thread with interest. I am curious about one thing. When someone is creating a new ballet, does anyone else come and look at it and give advice/opinions/suggestions? Particularly if the creator is relatively inexperienced. I understand that sometimes it is impossible to know how successful certain things will be until they are performed live on a proper stage in front of an audience. But does anyone come along and give it the once over before it gets that far? There seem to be recurring themes in all the comments made about new ballets recently. The most common one being "It needs pruning." So why doesn't someone come along before then, watch it, and say, "It's too long." Or do they just wait and see what the reaction is from the ticket buying public or the critics?
  22. Fonty
    Osipova is a full time member of the RB, and I am assuming that any full time dancer makes guest appearances elsewhere with the full knowledge and consent of the company management. Therefore, I cannot see the problem in making the sort of public announcement that Sim outlined earlier. .
  23. Fonty
    Sim, you made me laugh out loud. If I go to the live cinema performance, that will be image I will have in my head!
  24. Fonty
    Well, it seems to me that the most logical explanation is that she didn't know how long her injury would stop her from dancing, so the obvious thing to do would be to cancel all the scheduled performances at the ROH for a specific length of time, and allow another cast to rehearse and get ready. Surely it would cause huge amounts of disruption to everyone involved if she suddenly announced that in fact she thought she could perform after all? On the other hand, I would have thought a couple (?) of guest appearances elsewhere are not going to bring about the same upheaval, and if she is recovering more quickly than was first anticipated, then that is great.
  25. Fonty
    Rather than someone who is obviously 7' 6". Or standing up.
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