capybara

I have only seen the Rehearsal and will not therefore comment on individual performances. But I thought it was a very well-balanced programme which, especially fittingly twenty years after his death, celebrated Kenneth MacMillan's genius wonderfully.

It is good to see Las Hermanas (again!) and to experience its stylistic quirks. I agree about the ever-lengthening intervals but I could never miss out on Requiem which, as someone else has said here, is heart-rending.

I believe that the now ex RBS dancers plus another student were on stage today for the final rehearsal of the MacMillan Triple Bill.

Three small pieces of advice about going to this wonderful theatre:

1) If you are picking up tickets, arrive in good time to do so as it can become a bit of a crush at the last minute

2) Be sure to hand in your coats as the ushers are very fierce and debar you from going in if you are carrying them

3) If by chance you have tickets for near the front of the Stalls, take your seats earlyish and beware of the patrons who tend to sit in them in the hope that you won't turn up. [This can otherwise lead to a last-minute scramble as the offenders shuffle from one seat to another and eventually away!]

I think that your forthcoming trip has made everyone on this site suitably envious. Ekaterina Kondaurova in Raymonda sounds an especially wonderful prospect. And don't forget to look out for Xander Parish! Enjoy - and please report back.

Alastair Marriott's Children of Adam falls into this category too.

ENB now has the main casting for The Nutcracker in Southampton next week on its website as follows:

Apologies: what I cut and pasted was virtually illegible. What it says is:

Thursday 22 November: Oliviera/Gruzdyev (mat); Klimentova/Muntagirov (eve)

Friday 23 November: Takahashi/Konvalina

Saturday 24 November: Rojo/Berlanga (mat); Klimentova/Muntagirov (eve)

Sunday 25 November: Takahashi/Konvalina (mat)

I seem to remember it was originally open to anyone below Principal level, wasn't it?

It still is and the forms on which the audience can vote for the People's Choice include the names of every member of the Company at Artist, First Artist, Junior Soloist, Soloist and First Soloist level.

Interesting - haven't a couple of them been nominated before? Surely they're not still "emerging"? Just a thought...

You're right, JulieW. Laurretta was nominated for 2011 and Nancy for 2012.

In the first year the competition was held, the nominees included the winner Anais Chalendard (a First Soloist who had achieved a similar rank in other companies before joining ENB and who was taking leading roles that year) and Crystal Costa, the winner of the audience (People's Choice) award (also a First Soloist who had been a Principal in Hong Kong and was dancing Giselle that year). So neither of them could be described as 'emerging'. However, since then, the emphasis seems to have been on the younger talent in the company - of which there is an abundance - including dancers who are beginning to get their chance to dance leading roles even though they are at the rank of Artist. Every one of the nominees this year is an Artist and two (Ken Suruhashi and Guilherme Menezes) are only in their second year in the company. Two of the others (Nancy Osbaldeston and Laurretta Summerscales) number among the best young British ballerinas of today. They are currently to be seen to advantage in a variety of 'fairy' roles in the Company's Sleeping Beauty

If anyone reading this wants a really enjoyable evening out, with the opportunity to spot new talent, why not book up for the Queen Elizabeth Hall on 4th March 2013?

A fellow ballet enthusiast went into the Coli to enquire and was told the dates. I expect that they are not putting anything on the website until the repertory has been confirmed.

The Coliseum is saying that the Mikhailovsky Ballet Company will be performing from 26th March to 7th April 2013 with programmes which (as reported here previously) are thought to include Swan Lake.

 

Elena Glurdjize was wonderful, her Rose Adagio was very special. You could see her growing from an awestruck teenager to a young woman during the course of it.

 

Again, I thought all the fairies were on good form with Nancy Osbaldeston standing out as the Songbird Fairy. Junor Souza and Ksenia Ovsyanick were splendid as Gold and Diamond.

 

Absolutely agree about Elena - a delight - as was Ksenia Ovsyanick at the Thursday matinee - her debut. Tamara yesterday evening gave us the amazing technically assured performance of the rose adagio that we have come to expect from her but she subsequently softened and was, quite simply glorious. Vadim Muntagirov was not only technically breathtaking but he succeeded in turning what is so often a colourless Prince into a character to cherish. This young dancer is very, very special.

But, as others have suggested, it is the strength in depth which so characterises ENB. Every Prologue Fairy is a joy; the Lilac Fairies (from Senior Principals - Daria Klimentova and Elena - to Artists - Laurretta Summerscales and Jia Zhang) are assured and gracious, the various Carabosses really reach the furthest flung parts of the theatre, and the Act 111 divertissements are all strongly and winningly danced. The Company certainly seems to be thriving under new management.

Don't forget that Sleeping Beauty follows Nutcracker into the Coliseum from 9th to 19th January 2013.

Is anyone able to report on the Alina/Federico performance last night, please?

Isn't it interesting that, after two years years, most of us are still speaking and writing about Nehemiah Kish as Kish whereas all the other RB/ENB and BRB dancers tend to be referred to more by their Christian names or Christian names plus surnames?

I would just like to point out that we're not made of money either. We wanted to go to this gala to support Wayne Sleep largely because he, in turn, had supported (and danced at) a recent gala in aid of an African Charity. We had to wait, however, until it became clear that not all seats were priced at £200/£100 and we chose to go to this charitable event rather than the Gala at the ROH on 30 October. I posted the programme on this site because I thought that people here would be really interested to know about the content and the performers.

This event, in aid of the Dance teacher's Benevolent Fund and the Wayne Sleep Foundation took place last night. All the expensive seats (£200/£100) were sold but the back and sides (£50) were, alas, sparsely occupied - such a pity as it was a good cause and an excellent evening of dance.

The programme was introduced by Angela Rippon and 'hosted' by Monica Mason with spoken contributions/tributes to teachers from Anthony Dowell (very touching) and Simon Callow. As is often the case, understandably, on such occasions, there were the usual last minute substitutions - this time involving Lauren Cuthbertson, Yonah Acosta/Shiori Case and Yuhue Choe. But what we saw was a treat all round:

STOMP - Luke Cresswell and Company

BRAHMS (Wayne Sleep) - Emma Maguire and Alexander Campbell

LOOK WEST (Alastair Marriott) - Melissa Hamilton and Gary Avis

LE CORSAIRE PDD (Marius Petipa) - Yoaquin Shang and Esteban Hernandez (Royal Ballet School)

JE NE REGRETTE RIEN (Ben Van Cauwenburgh) - Sarah Lamb

INFRA PDD (Wayne McGregor) - Marianela Nunez and Edward Watson

TWO PIGEONS (Frederick Ashton) - Jenna Roberts and Robert Parker

NOWADAYS AND HOT HONEY RAG (after Bob Fosse) - Summer and Scarlet Strallen

INTERVAL DURING WHICH TWO OF LOTS AUCTIONED WERE: Lot 3 - the chance (provided one was not too large to get into the costume!) to appear onstage with ENB at the Coli in January as a courtier together with 4 tickets for the performance and a programme signed by the cast (which went for £750 i think) and Lot 4 - the opportunity for 2 people to watch a Royal Ballet performance from the wings and have a backstage tour (which went for £1500 I think).

JOY - (Rebecca Wilson) - Rambert School

PIE JESU FROM REQUIEM (Kenneth MacMillan) - Danielle Muir (Royal Ballet School)

CLEOPATRA PDD (David Nixon) - Martha Leebolt and Tobias Batley

STRICTLY COME DANCING (2 pieces) - Natalie Lowe and Ian Waite

ASPHODEL MEADOWS PDD (Liam Scarlett) - Leanne Cope and Dawid Trzensimiech

LIMEN PDD (Wayne McGregor) - Sarah Lamb and Eric Underwood

SWAN LAKE ACT 2 PDD (Petipa/Ivanov) - Marianela Nunez and Thiago Soares with Henry Roche (Piano), Sergey Levitin (Violin) and Adrian Bradbury (Cello)

THE MIND ON FIRE (George Williamson, new Associate Artist at ENB) - Begona Cao and Zdenek Konvalina

SING, SING, SING (Steven McCrae) - Redman Rance - a current Billy Elliot; Steven McCrae and Wayne Sleep

PUCK'S WORDS FROM A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM (recited by Thomas Round - Leane Benjamin's son)

The audience appeared in the main unfamiliar with ballet and, not unexpectedly, the 'Strictly' sequences, Swan Lake and the tap dancing piece Sing, Sing, Sing (Steven McCrae sensational but Wayne Sleep still able to put on a good show) garnered the most applause/cheers.

A packed and enthusiastic house at Milton Keynes yesterday afternoon for ENB's Sleeping Beauty for a very enjoyable performance. Erina Takahashi's Aurora was simply beautiful and there were fine performances also from various fairies, the Act III characters and the King and Queen. Yonah Acosta is injured and was replaced by Esteban Berlanga.

I meant in the listings in About the House where we are now referred back to the production details.

Previous pairings, roles and the fact that Marianela moved away from Mitzi Caspar for the last showing of Mayerling surely indicate, whatever the RoH might say, that the artistes listed for Mitzi Caspar are in fact dancing Countess Larische.

Kevin O'Hare's willingness to reveal more of the line up than in the recent past is much to be welcomed but does anyone else find it more difficult now that the casts are no longer listed in the calendar of performances?

Tamara has made it known that Daria and Vadim will be dancing the opening night at the Coliseum but, beyond that, there is no firm news. However, if the timing of the Sleeping Beauty casting announcement is anything to go by, the Nutcracker roll call is likely to be posted sooner than was the case when Wayne was AD.

Earlier this year, Christopher Wheeldon was still being described (by Kevin O'Hare no less) as a member of the Royal Ballet's artistic team alongside Wayne McGregor. Indeed, his involvement seemed to be regarded as part of a 'new look' at the top of the Company. But all such mentions have disappeared from the new Royal Ballet Yearbook and Wayne is being referred to again as the Resident Choreographer.

Did I miss an announcement while I was on holiday? Can anyone throw any light on the situation, please?

it should be added that the ENB MasterClass with David Wall and Alfreda Thorogood [featuring Erina Takahashi, Esteban Berlanga, James Streeter (an amazing Carabosse), Alison MacWhinney (who is to dance Lilac Fairy), and Nathan Young (who is learning the Bluebird)] was terrific. Full of insights and recollections from working with Kenneth MacMillan whose production of Sleeping Beauty this is. A real encouragement to book for performances in the regions as well as London if ever there was one.

This 80 min feature film, starring Cindy Jourdain (ex RB and ENB) and Arionel Vargas (ENB), is showing as part of the Rain Dance Film Festival at the Apollo Cinema, Lower Regent Street, London. The published times are: Thursday 04 October at 8.30pm (which clashes with both the Ballet Association meeting with Laura Morera and Ricardo Cervera and the ENB Sleeping Beauty MasterClass) and Saturday 06 October at 12.30pm.

Re visas. Surely someone vacating a post briefs his/her successor, especially over something as vital as this?

We would rather have the casting listed at the booking stage (i.e. month beforehand) and then have to cope with last minute changes through injury etc. Unfortunately, the current ENB approach - i.e. only to publish names about a month or so beforehand - means that, if one waits, the seats one wants to buy are gone.

Lovely to see on this post the amount of justified interest there is in Vadim. Let's hope he stays with ENB under the new management. Having seen copies of the rehearsal schedules over the last couple of weeks in Markova House (ENB's HQ), we believe that the Company was genuinely hoping that Vadim would get his visa in time. We don't think that they were 'pulling a fast one'. After all, they announced other changes as soon as it was apparent that Elena wouldn't be able to dance.

Tonight is indeed Irina and Zdenek. We have changed tickets at the Coli before but can't remember whether they charge a handling fee. it is such a shame, however good the substitute casts are - and they are, of course, that Wayne's last show as Director has been disrupted by both injury and, apparently, visa problems.

Yes, of course, one is very happy for Maina and Ros if new, exciting opportunities have opened up for them - and Maina is in great demand as a coach all over the world. But, although changes are almost inevitable when a new Artistic Director arrives, the consummate skill these two amazing former Principal dancers bring to their work will be very hard to replace at ENB.

This is terrible news.

Maina and Ros are the ones primarily responsible for the amazingly high standards currently attained by ENB and will be sorely missed.

We would like to thank them for everything they have done for the Company and for our enjoyment.