Coated

This forum isn't the Holy Roman Church, so talk of 'schism' is perhaps a tad hyperbolic. If I needed to make an analogy of the slight pecking going on some times, I'd go for mother hens worried that their imaginary chicks don't get the choicest grains. Sticking with analogies, the Morera Giselle was like a lovely glass of vintage red after two effervescent champagne cocktails. Morera made me notice the beauty of the choreography. There is something in the way she dances that regularly makes me think "what a brilliant sequence of steps perfectly matching the music". Her mad scene was quite intense, and at some point she showed what looked like real anger, which I thought worked really well to flesh out the character and her agony. I think it's fair to say that Kish needs to work further on getting his stamina back. He was running out of steam very quickly, but he made his ballerina look good in every lift or interaction, and swung his cape admirably (other Albrechts, please arrange a cape swinging session with him) so overall there was a fair bit to like in his performance. (I will admit that he is not one of my imaginary chicks). The pd6 wasn't as glorious as it can be and I thought the combination of Harrods and Dyer didn't work as well as it might sound on paper. I did enjoy her solo and it's lovely to have her back on stage. Yudes and Sissons were a delight as well, and at times near perfectly synchronised. That leaves Myrtha, attendants and the corps, and what can I say that hasn't been said before about the corps? I feel they need a special billing for this ballet, and since listing their names isn't a workable option for the cast list, they should at least be billed as 'the marvellous, the amazing, the one and only CdB of the RB'. Or perhaps something a little more subtle. Mendizabel's Myrtha is proper fierce and she really commands the stage. She also seems to have escaped the Halloween make-up department and her subtle make up works so much better for me. She was well paired with Cowley and Turk as attendance and I thought Olivia Cowleys entrance as Moyna was particularly splendid (Yes, Cowley is one of my imaginary chicks).

I have seen the effects of bad workplace relations on a number of occasions, and what it can do to reasonably well adjusted, confident individuals. If anyone feels they need to leave a company because they are managed out or they can't continue working in an environment that affects their mental wellbeing, they don't just lose a job, they lose faith in their abilities, their confidence and sometimes their health. Stress can do awful things to people. Some of the issues mentioned might not sound like the end of the world by themselves, but living in constant expectation of being next in line will wear people down. Sometimes life is more important than art.

MellissaHuntsley, are you seriously trying to work out who might have come forward? Whatever actually happened, I'm fairly certain that the outing of 'whistleblowers' will help no one.

I'm starting to wonder whether there is a sweepstake going for the most ghoulish Myrtha make-up that dancers can get away with before they are conscripted as an extra for The Walking Dead.

The inexperienced standee next to me decided that I should move up into the space next to me and kept pushing my elbow non stop. Thanks for ruining the second act of Giselle for me, hope someone returns the favour. The thing I really didn't get was that there was ample space for her, when she stood back for a bit (only to return and push me again), there was nearly a space and a half between me and the next person and she had about an elbows width spare on the other side when I looked over at some point. Weird woman.

One of the lift ladies is perhaps a bit more militant than the others.

I wish other arts organisation would ditch their printed brochures as well (sorry Alison), the amount of stuff that goes straight from my letterbox to recycling is ridiculous at times. Perhaps they hey could provide a PDF brochure for home printing for people who prefer paper.

Oops, yes it's Hansel and Gretel, though I think of it as the Sandman ballet since the character really got under my skin. I'd love to see it again as well.

I loved Scarlett's Sandman, so I shall continue crossing my fingers for his Swanlake. Otherwise 2020 might consist of a couple of Woolf Works for me, and maybe the odd triple that doesn't have Strapless smack-bang in the middle. 2020 might end up being an excellent year for extended stays by visiting companies...

Two woman in their early twenties were discussing shows they had seen previously before the start of a show at the Barbican. One of them holds forth on how audiences at Sadlers Wells are usually so cool and, like, super enthusiastic, really engaged and totally showing their appreciation for the performers. But recently she saw something by ENB, and OMG, how amazing those artist were, how incredibly skilled, but of course the audience for that type of dance is all British, middle-aged and upperclass - someone even told her off for enjoying herself!!! No prize for guessing who was munching through a bag of crisps all through the performance. Feeling a little petty, I couldn't resist checking how she was showing her appreciation at the end of the show. Never seen such a limp-wristed impersonation of a clap on someone who is totally into showing appreciation for performers and super excited for this super cool show.

I accidentally saw a Peeping Tom show a while ago and was entranced , so I booked Moeder when I noticed it being on at the Barbican. Moeder felt like delving into a surreal reality where everything is oddly on edge, clinical but intense at the same time. Bits of it were heartbreaking, short interludes of humour dissolved into loss, tragedy became quietly amusing - I find it quite difficult to describe, but would definitely recommend it to anyone who is not opposed to surrealism and creepy nurses with very long arms. The piece is about Mothers and covers a spectrum of human relationships - expecting parents, unexplainable tragedies, family bonds, old men mourning their long dead mother. In one scene a woman is essentially making out with a coffee machine (first image in the post above) which then dies, and somehow the death of the coffee machine, its attempted resuscitation and the aftermath turn from a bit of silliness into a powerful study of grief. The physical theatre / dance element were sparse but pretty impressive, oddly disjointed movements, people falling and trying to get back onto their feet, a performer running up the walls, raging over the stage kicking furniture. (I did spend some time wondering about their average injury rate, there were no holds barred in the way some of the performers threw themselves across, or on, the stage). There were bits that made me think of Crystal Pite's Betroffenheit or Kathy Marston's Witch-hunt in terms of telling a story (not choreo), some elements of repetition and oddness were perhaps reminiscent of Pina Bausch pieces, but all together this was really its own piece of theatre with a very distinct and interesting language.

All I can say is somebody better film these hops. They were amazing and looked utterly right for a Giselle.

Great review, nearly as good as watching it again (Though I'm still holding on to my Sat ticket for one more helping of Corrales and Zhang)

The dreaded singalong is spreading from musicals to restaurants now. Having a quick bite before tonight's Giselle, I was treated to the dulcet tones of a middle-aged 80s pop fan. *Le Sigh* Hope this doesn't spread to opera...Carmen has a few well known tunes, innit?

Affirmed

I have seen a quite a few performances at the Coli over the last week and Cesar Corrales and Jia Zhang in Jeune Homme were definitely my personal highlight. There was a smouldering passion that seemed to amplify every move, each gesture seemed to have a meaning. Casar's dancing was fearless (he matched Ivan Vassiliev in this regard, though some of Ivan's pyrotechnics remain solely his own brand of death-defying) and gorgeous to watch, but it was his characterisation that made an even bigger impression on me. I could practically hear his inner torment and yearning. Jia Zhang was in control from the second she entered the stage, toying with Cesar like a bored cat with a mouse. Her gleefull joy at having succeded in driving the young men to his death was as delightful as her clean lines and beautiful dancing. I'm definitely going back for seconds on Saturday, though I probably don't have the stamina to see an 8th Sylphide. My other personal highlight included Erina Takahashi in Song and in Sylphide, and the divine Rina Kanehara in Sylphide. I enjoyed Ciro Tamayo as James, though perhaps more in comparison to the other Jameses I saw in this run than as an ideal James. Joseph Calay surprised me with his expressive characterisation - his James was fully fledged, a slightly foolish but likeable man. Rina Kanehara brought a sweetness and childlike innocence to her Sylphide that could perhaps be cloying on a different artist, but in her hands created an otherworldly delight. Her dancing was so delicate, light and moving - I could have watched her for hours on end. Erina Takahashi was so strong and solemn in Song, I couldn't take my eyes off her. She brought a crispness and gravitas to the piece and made me hang on her every move with bated breath. To see her shortly afterwards dance a beautiful, fleet footed Sylphide made me realise what a wonderful, versatile artist she is. Overall these probably weren't my favourite performances by ENB. The first song in the cycle was nearly painful to watch for the first couple of performances, the was no harmony and the dancers seemed to all do their own thing. Things did improve, and the same dancers performed more evenly in later performances but it really wasn't a great start. I still don't enjoy the very loud costumes in Sylphide, and the seemingly never ending (not very clear to me) mime. Most of all, I felt that the programming did not really work that well. I had to forcefully switch 'moods' to enjoy Sylphide after Song, and Jeune Homme is even less suited to it. And as much as I enjoyed Sylphide despite a few quibbles, I didn't like the choice of watching a (large) number of them in a row or going downtown for a 20min 'bill'

Kevin O'Hare came out onto stage before the rehearsal today and gave a short speech to dedicate the rehearsal to the memory of Violetta Hanington. He mentioned that she started watching the company in 1947 and hasn't missed a production since.

I will reseat myself when they close the balcony at the Coli and I'm plonked right behind people obstructing my view instead of getting row A of the balcony. Though last week I then had a woman sit herself right in front of me in the first interval. Somewhat rude, I thought, so I moved one row further back and didn't tell her about the fidgety lady who would be sitting down in front of her once the intermission was over. Rude lady moved shortly after curtains down...

They do have cast lists as normal, just not enough for everyone today (or an extra churlish guardian of the precious). I don't particularly enjoy the mix of ballets in this bill, though either of them are fine by themselves. I wasn't bowled over by the first (male only) song for neither yesterday's nor today's cast, but my interest perked up when they were joined by the female cast. I thought Sendri Kou was particularly lovely to watch. I'm still getting used to the Sylphide costume but adore the fleet footwork

Cast list apparently only available with programme when I asked tonight...seeing that the balcony is closed, I'm a little surprised they don't have enough printed up.

She was injured doing Kitri and was out for quite a bit after that, IIRC. She was very spirited and rather fab in the bit she got to do before needing to be replaced by Nunez mid-performance, and I hadn't seen her in big roles since (apart from the Gypsy Girl in Two Pigeons).

It was wonderful seeing Fumi Kaneko dance again in a principal role an completely recovered, and the description of 'having soul' describes her dancing and stage presence beautifully. I'm hoping to see a lot more of over the next few years. William Bracewell looked very promising as well, definitely someone who I'll book for in future.

Back to audiences and their inability to use/carry tissues. Is it really that hard? Did no one ever explain to them that their nose is for breathing, not sound production?

Oh my. I've always wondered what Osipova and Muntagirov would be like together. Hope there is time for them to rehearse with Osipova being busy at the Coliseum.

Hmm. The same writer described Muntagirov in Sylvia as dancing with 'laconic breeziness'. Not sure that I find her reviews very informative.