Naomi M

One more here http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-35049787

I have seen Lady of the Camellias in Stuttgart and Paris so many times, and also Hamburg Ballet's tour to Japan. And of course the Marcia Haydee DVD recording many many times. This time via YouTube but this was the worst experience I had ever had, it was unbearable. Did Kevin Haigen ever see the rehearsals? There was no spirit of the ballet at all, Zakharova's acting was a nightmare and her OTT extensions and mannerism were horrible. The point of this role is not to fear looking ugly when Marguerite is fallen ill and noticing herself the signs of her illness and age is affecting her looks. I know opinions differ and some might have loved it but IMHO it is a shame that a performance of this quality has been transmitted live. Also Revazov was weak in both technique and acting (even though he is a dancer from Hamburg Ballet. His partnering were okay) I did think other performers, Anna Thkhomirova as Manon, Chudin as Des Grieux, Lobuhin as Gaston were superb. I hope Hamburg Ballet will record Die Kameliendame with their own dancers one day.

I also met Natalia once almost 10 years ago and she did seem exactly the same height as me who is 5'4" (of course she is much better proportioned with a small face!) . But I felt she was rather small compared to other Bolshoi Ballerinas (and she was still a soloist then)

Osipova is quite petite. In this quote of an article from the Times that is beyond paywall http://balletalert.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/18563-tall-vs-short-ballerinas/page-3 She was mentioned 5ft 5in in the article, and people have the impression that she is shorter, so it is unlikely Coviello is too short for her.

Here is an article on dynamic pricing at the MET and American Ballet Theatre. Which means, popular tickets will be more expensive. http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2012/02/23/metropolitan-opera-adopts-dynamic-pricing/ and here is a quote from the ballet alert forum about exchanging tickets with dynamic pricing. http://balletalert.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/34991-abt-met-season-ticketing-strategy/ At ABT it is possible to exchange tickets if you are a subscriber. but this dynamic pricing strategy is annoying. And I suppose that was the reason why they brought in so many guest artists last season. Well in Japan, the audience usually favors visiting guests because some of the audience still thinks foreign guests are better than their own which is a pity as Japanese artists are very good these days. So not many in the audience complains about this. But I don't know audience in other countries think the same.

At ABT, they do charge different prices per casting and date of the week, Osipova performances are always expensive. And now they apply dynamic pricing, which is based on how well the tickets are selling. So if Osipova cancels there is a similar groaning heard (I am not sure about how they refund this, someone in NY could explain) In Japan, for instance at K-Ballet Company Tetsuya Kumakawa performances are much expensive than the other male leads. So if he cancels you can get refunds. Also usually the price is different when you have a guest artist.

I have seen Bolshoi's Taming of the Shrew in St Petersburg (as a part of the Dance Open Festival) and that is very different from the Cranko version. There is no signs of misogyny shown in the original story, very modern, stylish but passionate and sometimes a bit sensual. I loved it. And it is very enjoyable. The dancers featured in this production are excellent.

Official announcement by the Royal Opera House http://www.roh.org.uk/news/bolshoi-ballet-to-return-to-the-royal-opera-house-in-summer-2016 (no new information yet)

Maybe it is not the answer for day tickets but there are always return tickets that could be able to purchase a couple of days before the performance or the day of the performance. They seem to release some category 1 and Optima tickets a few days before the performance. As A frog suggests, if there are tickets still available it would be better to book online now.

The Bolshoi Ballet has announced a three-week summer season at the Royal Opera House, London in 2016. http://www.dancing-times.co.uk/news/item/1875-bolshoi_summer_london_2016

Cast Confirmation: Natalia Osipova to dance scheduled performances in New Year http://www.roh.org.uk/news/cast-confirmation-natalia-osipova-to-dance-scheduled-performances-in-new-year Natalia Osipova will dance her scheduled performances with the Company from the New Year starting with Rhapsody on Wednesday 20 January. She will appear in Rhapsody, New Christopher Wheeldon and Giselle.

Johan Kobborg danced the Sylphide in the Funny Gala of World Ballet Festival 2012. (Saw it live and he was great, plus it is on YouTube) https://youtu.be/4t6TpovbUX8

Osiel Guneo was amazing when I saw him at World Ballet Festival in Tokyo this summer. Such a virtuoso and especially his pirouettes are so controlled. He is Cuban-trained, not tall but worth a watch and I think how lucky the UK audience are to see such great dancers in this Corsaire. (Brooklyn Mack is also wonderful) Here is an introduction of him in ENB's blog and a video of him taken by Daniil Simkin. http://blog.ballet.org.uk/meet-guests-osiel-gouneo-brooklyn-mack/ A video of his Acteaon.

Also nice is that Osiel Guneo and Brooklyn Mack are guesting with this company. Both are absolutely fabulous danseurs, brilliant, almost jaw-dropping technique with also elegance. Their brilliance has nothing to do with their race but I am very happy that those two virtuoso dancers are getting international recognition.

Bruce, yes I am sure Russian names are confusing! I sometimes mix up too. And good point no Cojocaru in ABT either. (of course Cojocaru is great but good ABT is trying to nurture their own talents)

Bruce, I understand what you mean about ABT but Semionova is scheduled to perform in Sylvia, Romeo and Juliet and Swan Lake. (You are right that there is not Osipova, Vasiliev or other guests other than Ferri in R&J. So it is true that ABT seems not depending on overseas guests which looks good) http://www.metopera.org/calendar#/all-events?year=2016&month=5

Sorry i should have checked with reading Different Drummer again, thanks for the correction.

When I read MacMillan's bio "Different Drummer", I found this episode. In fact MacMillan and Cranko were close friends. They both saw the new MacMillan version together, and MacMillan said "I have not seen your version yet". Cranko answered "you have just seen mine". Which means Cranko thought MacMillan's one resembled his. (This is what Billboyd is mentioning I assume) But their friendship was not harmed. There are some similarities in both RJs, but I think there is a big difference. I always think MacMillan's RJ has the shadow of death everywhere, massive killings in the beginning, the pas de deux with the lifeless body of Juliet, this one is much darker. I feel much life and festiveness in Cranko's, the carnival atmosphere where the crowd throws vegetables, the Romas, the Mondolin dance is performed by clowns, It doesn't mean which one is superior, both RJs are great and I love both of them. Although the Lavrovsky production is very dated, it was the inspiration for MacMillan and Cranko to create their own, and I love the simplicity and modesty of this one so it is nice to see this once in a while to know how the prototype was. We have to respect this one too.

An unofficial (but apparently closely related) instagram account of Nikolai Tsiskaridze shows a photo of Ralph Fiennes visiting Vaganova academy performance at Hermitage Theatre. He might have been there for research of his Nureyev film. https://instagram.com/p/8VMclIne9t/

There are some selected clips available from World Ballet Day on BBC Arts http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03424qz

Lilian88, Try this http://www.bbc.co.uk/events/ebd5v2

I think it is a great opportunity to see companies we don't know so much. We should be more broad-minded, not just to see their home companies and the super stars, and open our eyes to new findings.

Napoli release is the new production (see Charliewise's comment on top and the link)

Speaking about the leads Ferri and Corella it is a wonderful one. La Scala dancers are weaker but it is okay. The Georgiadis sets are beautiful and the quality of the film is good so I will recommend this too. Ferri is still very youthful.

Well that is not a nice comment to say about a replacement....It has been a last minute replacement and I believe the Scala is doing the best they can do. Injuries and sickness does happen because dancers are human beings. Anyway Zakharova is dancing and as Janet says this might be a star in the making.