capybara

The situation must have changed as the Box Office assistant was reading off her screen last Tuesday.

I am shocked that ENB said it did not know the cost of the rebrand. Surely anything of that kind needs to be planned and budgeted for very carefully before it is approved and the process then closely monitored to ensure it stays within agreed limits. Perhaps (hopefully) it was simply a case of the spokesperson being poorly briefed?!

I went to the Coliseum yesterday and decided to risk booking for a possible Osipova/Vasiliev as first night Giselle casting. The ENO box office didn't have any Giselle casting at all despite every night but the first having being announced for a while on both the ENO and the Mikhailovsky websites. Joan

When I was at the Coliseum Box office last Tuesday, I overheard a member of staff reading out all the Mikhailovsky casting, including the first nights for Osipova and Vasiliev. So, unless that has changed, it is very odd that someone there is now saying that they do not have the information.

I wouldn't want to detract from her achievements in any way but, unlike most dancers, Darcey had a very active agent from an early age and was therefore to be seen and heard from more widely than the ballet world. Being chosen by Kenneth MacMillan to have the role of Princess Rose created on her in Prince of the Pagodas was headline-making in itself. Her 'brand' was also, of course, very attractive - youth, beauty, Englishness, apparent niceness - and she arrived on the scene at a time when people were craving for 'the next Margot Fonteyn'.

There is a debate to be had, but perhaps not here, about the relative strengths of Darcey and Lauren!!! For the moment, all our fingers need to keep crossed for Lauren's recovery from injury.

We also found ourselves attending 5 performances with different casts. We thought that Vadim Muntagirov (as the Prince), Erina Takahashi, Elena Glurjidze and Ksenia Ovsyanick (as Aurora), Daria Klimentova and Laurretta Summerscales (as the Lilac Fairy), James Streeter (as Carabosse), Shiori Kase (as Princess Florine) and the ENB Corps were absolutely outstanding. Those of you who did not get the the Coli missed a real treat in terms of performances and the production.

It certainly has a way to go ,what is it representing? what do the captions mean ?it bears no relation to ballet or dance nor does it represent the current repertoire ,and must have cost a fortune .I agree the Whats on segment is clearer ,but same old photos of the dancers (none of the artists) all in all I am underwhelmed .,no doubt I will be in a minority!!

Speaking to several people at the ROH yesterday there was a common concern that ENB will have invested heavily in a rebranding (leaflets as well as the website) which will not bear the dividends it seeks. For the sake of the Company one hopes that we are all wrong, but........!!!!!

Lovely to see that Francesca is now cast as Stephanie and in the first cast too. Is Iohna Loots injured?

I also recall the ENB Documentary quoting the figures given above and am aware that ENB pay levels are generally much lower than the RB's. In the Annual Accounts for the ROH (2010/11), 6 performers are shown as being paid over £100k per annum with a further 50 or so receiving over £60k, the figure which is rumoured to be the starting point for an RB Principal. Although no distinction is made in the accounts between ballet and opera, given that most operatic stars are guests, not employees, most of the artistes at this pay level seem likely to be in the RB. And, when Tamara got her job at ENB, she did mention that she was giving up a "fantastic salary" for the £100k or so she is now receiving as Artistic Director. In both companies, it appears that there are deductions for time spent away guesting.

This is a very thought provoking topic and I respond as one who supports two ‘home teams’ (the RB and ENB) as, noticeably, do many posters on this forum (RB/BRB; BRB/NBT etc.). I also try to see most programmes by visiting companies and find the comparisons with British ones illuminating and helpful in keeping me ‘grounded’.

I need such ‘reality checks’ because I know that, in common with many others, I am really quite indulgent where my ‘home teams’ are concerned. I think that this is because:

• we feel that we ‘know’ the dancers even if that sense is borne solely of seeing them regularly on stage (and this applies as much to the Corps as to Principals and Soloists)
  
• we derive very real pleasure from seeing talented young dancers essaying their early roles and developing over time into fine artistes
  
• we feel a dramatic connection with certain dancers and, once we feel we have seen their souls and they have aroused our emotions, we tend to follow their repertoire and performances avidly
  
• we want, and have the opportunity to, attend multiple performances and savour the interpretations of several casts
  
• we get to know and love the repertoire
  
• we eagerly anticipate new works and an introduction to unfamiliar pieces in the knowledge that the dancers will be familiar to us and thus help us embrace the unfamiliar.
  

Ballet-going thus becomes a very personalised thing which comes to shape our lives and influence our thinking in a way that attending a series of performances by visiting companies would not do. [i have to say, however, that some performances, perhaps by the Russians in particular – for example, recently, Ekaterina Kondaurova in Firebird which has been mentioned above – leave an indelible image which shapes one’s view of a role, perhaps for ever.]

There are, of course, some fans who can appear a touch obsessed with individual dancers or a little biased or blinkered in their appraisal of performances or companies. But, generally, I don’t think that having a ‘home team’ means we lose our critical faculties. After all, along with others and however rosy-tinted our spectacles, it seemed to us that the corps for Raymonda was not looking its best at the last performance on Friday.

But, hey, here’s to more ENB Sleeping Beauties and RB Onegins in the immediate future.

Actually a friend who saw that performance was telling me about it yesterday in terms of what I would call rather outright languge: he didn't mince his words.

That is why I have hesitated to post on this site about what was otherwise a superlative company show by ENB on Wednesday night.

Most of the reviews of ENB's Sleeping Beauty included in John's press collection today illustrate well the gentle art of being critical of a performance (in this case Aurora) in terms of careful use of language and in a manner where praise of other aspects of the show takes away the sting.

Haven't we seen Classical Symphony before?

Yes, the San Francisco Ballet brought it to Sadlers Wells last year.

Apparently it is being reported in the Russian Press that the Bolshoi Ballet Director, Sergei Filin, is saying that Natalia Osipova and ivan vasiliev will appear with the Company in London this summer, notably in Flames of Paris. The Triple Bill is being announced in the same paper as including: McGregor's Rite, Possokov's Classical Symphony and Balanchine's Diamonds. Otherwise, the repertoire is given as previously reported on these pages. The press also alludes to the Bolshoi having sought to contract direct with Osipova and Vasiliev rather than through their US agents.

A fabulous last performance of Nutcracker from all the Company last night. The pdd from Daria and Vadim was out of this world and deservedly received a rave reception. Also terrific were Zsenia Ovsyannick as the sister/Mirliton, Shiori Kase and Jose Becerra in the Chinese and Russian dances respectively, Laurretta Summerscales as both a Lead Snowflake and a Lead Flower and (although uncredited in the programme) Juan Rodriguez and Anton Lukovkin as two of the strange 'show' characters at the first act party.

The audience remains confused by the constant swapping between the Nephew (Prince) and the masked Nutcracker and this element needs sorting if the production is to return next Christmas. But one has to admire the professionalism of all concerned to deliver this exceptionally high quality after 36 performances with matinees as well as evening shows on most day for nearly 4 weeks. And there is no chance for a rest as Sleeping Beauty starts on Wednesday with Tamara, Vadim and Daria in the lead roles on the opening night.

capybara, your last sentence is a bit ominous.

I'm sure he's not going anywhere yet, Aileen! I just want to urge people to see him NOW!

It strikes me that there may be many users of this site who have not yet seen Vadim dance. I urge you to remedy that situation and book for one of the following ENB performances at the Coliseum:

Tonight: Nutcracker with Daria

26th Dec matinee: Nutcracker with Daria

28th Dec: Nutcracker with Daria

5th Jan: Nutcracker with Daria

9th Jan: Beauty with Tamara

13th Jan matinee: Beauty with Tamara

19th Jan: Beauty with Tamara

You will not be disappointed. Vadim is in demand all over the world now. Catch him and treasure him while you can.

Just a thought. To get web links to work easily you need to include the http:// so it comes out like this http://www.ballet.org.uk or you can highlight some text, click on the little chain link symbol and paste the link into the box so it ends up like this.

Apologies for not doing this. I'll remember next time.

The casting is now on ENB's website in a user-friendly layout.

www.ballet.org.uk

Please does anyone know what the position is with Lauren? Someone the other night mentioned her needing a further operation. I feel very concerned for her - and, of course, disappointed for us all that she is not on stage at the moment.

Anna Rose O'Sullivan and Marcelino Sambe, both from the Royal Ballet School and whom some of us will have spotted on stage during the last week, are now listed on the ROH website as Artists of The Royal Ballet.

Anna Rose O'Sullivan and Marcelino Sambe are both now listed as Artists of the Royal Ballet on the ROH website.

Have the names of the two new RB recruits been divulged officially yet?

Men might feel more at ease in a suit (and my husband thinks he wore one). But I seem to recall that some were wearing a more tunic-like garment - a bit akin to what Barry Wordsworth sports at RoH. My overall impression was that everyone was looking 'tidy' and that things weren't quite as relaxed as they are at Covent Garden.

 

I didn't comment on Steven and Yuhui in Concerto earlier. Needless to say, they were great. Yuhui is so versatile. She seems to be able to do every type of choreography. Is she good in dramatic roles? I've never seen her in a narrative ballet.

Yuhue has danced The Lesson, La Fille Mal Gardee, Nikiya in La Bayadere and Cinderella wonderfully, each time showing her acting skills to great advantage. She is beautiful currently in the second cast of Requiem.

We first went there in February when snow was thick on the ground and in the air. I have the impression that people did not dress up for the Mariinsky quite as much as at the Bolshoi so you will feel quite OK in anything black. We actually found it quite warm inside the theatre.