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capybara

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  1. capybara
    I hope that I'm not breaking any rules by saying that the words of 'Song' were posted on the wall of ENB's main studio during the rehearsal period and dancers were reading them there.
  2. capybara
    This all too brief piece didn't do any kind of justice to MacMillan or to Donald MacLeary or Irek Mukhamedov. I'm afraid to say that it was yet more "look at me" from Darcey Bussell. Probably not her fault but this is supposed to be a major BBC arts programme. As it was, the very brief footage of Kenneth at work, the choreographic snippets, and the interviews were so brief as to be meaningless (surely?) to viewers unfamiliar with ballet or the signficance of MacMillan. Sorry - this this sort of thing makes me quite angry.
  3. capybara
    Yes, Senri Kou is most often the lead dancer in the 3rd Song. The listings for the singers has not always been accurate.
  4. capybara
    The key to getting into 'Song' is, in my view, really getting to know the music. I've had it playing for weeks now because I knew that I have previously found it difficult.
  5. capybara
    No, never!
  6. capybara
    Connie also impressed in the last Young British Dancer of the Year Competition although, that year, all the awards went to male competitors. She is also featured in some casts as the lead girl in the 4th Song.
  7. capybara
    I thought that Moscow was 3 hours ahead of the UK - hence my puzzlement!
  8. capybara
    The Curzon, 58 Victoria Street seems to have Le Corsaire if anyone in London is finding it difficult to locate a screening. The puzzling thing is that the 'live' show is advertised to start at 4.00pm but the performance in Moscow is at 6.00pm.
  9. capybara
    There is so much ballet on at the moment that it is difficult to find time to post on here Having now seen this double bill four times, I really feel that the combination of Song of the Earth and La Sylphide works very well. My only reservation is that the wonderfully modern look and feel to Song tends to make La Sylphide seem somewhat dated, especially in its appearance. But perhaps that is also good in a way as it illustrates how diverse ballet can be. The three central roles in Song are ones "to die for", especially that of The Messenger of Death. Ken Saruhashi, Aaron Robison and Jeffrey Cirio offer varying interpretations but each dancer makes his mark. I found Ken Saruhashi a particularly impressive presence within a cohesive team. Of the women, Erina Takahashi (new to the role) is the one who most nails it for me (lucky ROH audience on the 24th October!), slightly edging it from Tamara Rojo (who has been dancing the role at least 14 years IIRC), and Fernanda Oliviera (another debutante). Jurgita Dronina, at my one viewing of her, hadn't quite captured the essence of the role or fully mastered the movement. Perhaps I still have the image of Jonathan Cope in my mind but, in the ENB casts, The Man has has felt less significant, whoever is playing him. This may simply be down to the structure of the ballet but it will be interesting to see whether the role registers more as the dancers (Joseph Caley; Skyler Martin; Aitor Arietta and Isaac Hernandez) get more performances under their belts. The supporting ensemble in Song plays strongly and there are some delightful cameos, notably from Senri Kou and Adela Ramirez in the 3rd Song and Tiffany Hedman and Connie Vowles in the 4th Song. The singing and the orchestral playing really make Mahler and the dancing live. La Sylphide does not, I have to say, sit anywhere in my list of favourite ballets and the version mounted by ENB feels very much a period piece for connoisseurs. That said, the company dances it well with fine performances from all the leading dancers. Rina Kanehara as The Sylph was magically featherlight and her characterisation was beautifully judged. [See more about her from Bluebird above.] In addition to 4 Sylphs and 4 Jameses, I was fortunate to catch some interesting Gurns and Effies, including Giorgio Garrett, Henry Dowden, Anjuli Hudson, Adriana Lizardi, Francisca Velicu and Connie Vowles - the latter also impressive as a Lead Sylph, as was Jia Zhang. So nice to see these young dancers having an opportunity to shine. All the Jameses I saw were excellent. And, to top it all, straight from another triumphant appearance as Myrtha in Khan's Giselle, there was Stina Quagebeur being not acting Madge. In many ways, it seems a pity that this double bill is only touring to two venues this year (others have the Khan, R&J or Nutcracker) but surely Liverpool, Bristol and Southampton will have the opportunity to see it in the future. I hope so and I hope, too, that good news will spread and tickets sales for these performances will improve.
  10. capybara
    I don't like the new system for this site, either. It is slow to load and often jumps around. But I have had no difficulty in posting, whether short or long - indeed, if I start a piece and then have to go away from it, it reappears when I return to BCF hours later.
  11. capybara
    But there is lots of other wonderful casting, Alison.
  12. capybara
    I saw Rina in Manchester and absolutely agree with you, Bluebird. I see from the ENB website that she's had an extra show as the Sylph tonight, replacing Jurgita Dronina.
  13. capybara
    I felt that this programme worked well in illustrating some of the many different styles in MacMillan's work. It also showed off the visiting companies to considerable advantage. In terms of quality, the 'honours' appeared very even. Good to see. Led by Momoko Hirata and Tzu-Chao Chou, Concerto got off to a buoyant start. Jenna Roberts was very much the star with a lustrous rendering of the central pas de deux.(with a proud husband watching last night). However, bearing in mind that MacMillan developed this ballet in order to improve the classical technique of his German company, I did wonder slightly about the cleanliness of movement and coordination of the supporters dressed in orange who appear in all three movements. The third movement looks fiendishly difficult and the Company carried it off with aplomb. So nice to see this wonderful ballet back on the ROH stage (although, of course, the RBS included in their last summer show). Le Baiser de la Fee is, of course, a relatively early MacMillan piece and it was interesting to see many difficult moves which he deployed in later works. The dancing was very assured but I didn't feel that the interpretations told the story. For me, the demanding role of the Fairy needed more other worldly allure and the Young Man bore more or less the same facial expression throughout. I was very taken with the way the houses were superimposed onto the otherwise static set but, although I enjoyed spotting some familiar tunes, the music didn't seem to carry the narrative along. So, after two viewings, this is not a ballet that I will be rushing to see again. Elite Syncopations is a lot of fun and an excellent way to end a collaborative evening. The idea of including guest dancers from ENB, BRB, SB and NB in distinct solos and pas de deux was a brilliant one. Precious Adams (ENB) shone slinkily in the Calliope Rag - nice to see she has garnered many plaudits from the critics. The audience loved The Alaskan Rag (tall woman/small man) duet but I found it slightly overplayed, especially when things really did go wrong at the second performance. Riku Ito (NB) was the energetic, airborne Friday Night soloist. Both Ryoichi Hirano and Nicol Edmonds brought off the main male role really well. But honours for the main woman go to Yasmine Naghdi. Both she and Akane Takada danced beautifully but Yasmine gave the role the sassy substance it requires and remained in character whether dancing or being a bystander. A great start to her career as a Principal - and she wasn't cast originally, of course. So, hats off to Kevin O'Hare for this initiative. Now looking forward to rounds two and three next week.
  14. capybara
    The cast for Jeux (last night and, reportedly, on the 19th and 24th also) is: Muntagirov, Naghdi, Gasparini, Stock, Donnelly, Dubreil and Mosley
  15. capybara
    Just briefly because the Concerto/Baiser de la Fe/EliteSyncopations needs (for me) a second viewing before comment.......... Yasmine Naghdi in Elite last night.........WOW! Glorious dancing and terrific characterisation. This was Yasmine first main stage show as a Principal: what a moment; what an impact. A privilege to be there.
  16. capybara
    I do agree with you FLOSS, especially over what I have quoted, but I wish so much that you wouldn't use phrases such as this when you write on BCF: I appreciate that your ballet knowledge is far greater than that of most of us on here and, in common with many others, I learn a lot from you. However, sometimes you come across as preaching, I'm afraid.
  17. capybara
    There are no 'Friends Rehearsals' for these triple and double bills and each ballet seems to have its separate stage rehearsal slot. For example, ENB was rehearsing Song of the Earth at the ROH on Monday evening.
  18. capybara
    But wouldn't you expect that, Lilian88? I'm not wishing to detract from the achievements of any of those dancers but Alison Kent is based in Munich. Other Munich news. Laurretta Summerscales, having learned and danced Nikiya in only 5 days, is now scheduled to dance Alice ( a massive role) this coming Sunday. Amazing!
  19. capybara
    Yes AND we have Muntagirov and Ball as Armand as well. Oh dear, too many tickets needed.
  20. capybara
    There are currently some tickets available online for 1st Nov.
  21. capybara
    Ciro Tamayo had danced La Sylphide in Uruguay and is therefore known to the principal Stager Frank Andersen.
  22. capybara
    I believe that Precious Adams is dancing the Monica Mason solo. Some of the performances of Elite Syncopations have ENB in the mix, others not, so the casting is a bit confusing. I wish that Ken Saruhashi, who has been with ENB since his time in the ENB School, had been given one of the shows as The Messenger. He was stunning last Saturday in Manchester - but more of that later on another thread.
  23. capybara
    Apparently Laurretta learnt the role in five days so kudos to both her and Sergei. [ BTW Yonah Acosta was the Golden Idol in the same two shows! ]
  24. capybara
    Hmmmm. Directors often see things differently from their audience and Kevin may want to be nurturing partners of a similar age (among other considerations).
  25. capybara
    Has anyone seen this programme yet?
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