GTL

The Marquis Costa de Beauregard was danced by Ruslan Skvortsov, who replaced the injured Dmitri Gudanov. I didn't hear or see any announcement of Skvortsov's replacement in his listed role of King Louis XVI, and as both characters appear on stage at the same time, there must have been one.

I'll let your neighbours be the judges of that. Enjoy the show.

Nothing is guaranteed but there is a chance on the 10 30 am tour of seeing company class if you pass through the glass corridor adjoining the studio. Even if you don't, the stage machinery is fascinating and all that Russian over the tannoy should get you into the right mood for the show.

I'm not sure if you're joking, but in case you're not, you need to know that shoe-removal is a sure-fire way to make an appearance in the "bad-behaviour" threads on some theatre forums!

To be fair to Meunier, the principal casting link on the ENB website has only appeared there very recently, I looked for it when I read his original post and there was nothing. Thanks all round anyway, as I'm not a "friend" of any ballet companies, I rely on this forum for advance information.

Sometimes I wish I had the talent of a Glazunov, a Petipa, a Nureyev, even the competency to dance their version of Raymonda. When real life gets really tough, I console myself for my utter ordinariness with a brief wallow in tutus and lush music.

Petrushka is quite a rarity in London, the last I saw must have been by the Mariinsky a decade ago, which I remember as much more expansive than this staging, despite the Royal Opera House stage being much narrower than the London Coliseum. I haven't yet managed to work out who did it for ENB: Isabelle Fokine is listed in the programme as one of ENB's guest repetiteurs, would it be her? In the tricky role of the Moor, Shevelle Dynott's stage presence stood out last night - an emerging Character Principal? The Song of a Wayfarer presented last night was a brighter version than the one I remember Nureyev dancing, led more by Fate or Destiny than Death, but that is appropriate for a younger dancer and no less effective, the final sequence as moving as MacMillan's ending to Song of the Earth. Vadim Muntagirov has made it his own: again, a sense of a dancer's career taking a step forward and upward. I've seen two revivals of Raymonda Act III in London this year and there is no doubt in my mind that ENB have done the better job: the ensembles dancing well and in unison, sparkling soloists, the magic we've come to expect of “Klimentagirov” (and the enticing prospect of Tamara Rojo or the wonderful Elena Glurdjidze to come), overall the grandeur I missed “round the corner” last January. So, whether you get a top price seat for £25 at TKTS in Leicester Square tonight or tomorrow, or an £8 seat in the Balcony, go see!

This is the crucial bit (perhaps for another thread now?). Do dancers have an opt-out if it bothers them? We are confronted with images of topless females constantly in this country, to the extent that it is generally no longer considered indecent, but I have heard of dancers being distressed that it is required of them. Edited after seeing the most recent posts: I take the point about the skirts being the main focus and the athletic form of both male and female dancers. However, in a picture, the moment is fixed, the image enhanced by the painter or photographer and ultimately his vision. In the theatre, the performer does not have the same level of control. Maybe it just boils down to some men feeling differently from some women about watching topless women live, a gut instinct that it's unbalanced and should not be accepted unquestioningly. Rant over!

Thanks Lynette and well done to them all. It looks as though Kevin O'Hare is spending his money at home and thinking very long-term. Or possibly being held hostage by some of our more militant forum-members.

Pain over with the arrival of the confirmation email after a 75-minute wait - otherwise, easy.

Agreed - I prefer ballet to be suggestive in its costuming rather than literal, if Manon can manage it, anything can. I think that "pull down top" moment in Mayerling unnecessary, given what MacMillan so powerfully conveys fully-clad.

It has been going on for years already, affects mainly the Underground and bus station and is due for completion in 2018. The TfL website lists the improvements as: A new underground North ticket hall at the junction of Bressenden Place and Victoria Street with an entrance at street level Larger Victoria line ticket hall (South ticket hall) Nine new escalators A new interchange tunnel connecting the two ticket halls New lifts providing step-free access between street, ticket hall and Victoria line platform levels New lifts providing interchange between the Victoria line and District and Circle lines platforms Improved access and new lifts between the National Rail and Tube platforms. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/2359.aspx

If it's any consolation, a marketing person told me in another non-ROH context that "plus a free glass of champagne" offers are aimed at those who are as unfamiliar with champagne as they are with the product on offer. Friends are obviously too sophisticated for this!

If you have the most recent Royal Ballet "Sleeping Beauty" DVD (Alina Cojocaru as Aurora), you can see Marianela Nunez do these as Lilac Fairy in her Prologue variation.

Thank you, Sim. When I have to miss an event like this, it's good to get the little details that the official reports normally leave out. My thoughts turned to the Royal Opera House a few times this evening.

Another consideration for the planners: those of the current female principals reaching their thirties, which I think is most of them, might be thinking of maternity leave in the near future. Also, I wonder how much longer Zenaida Yanowsky, with two children and a high-profile husband, might want to continue on a full-time basis.

That would explain my personal preferences, male and female: rightly or wrongly, I like the illusion of impetus over anything else.

About six months ago I made a passing comment on the "Raymonda Act III" thread about Sylvie Guillem dancing this bare-legged (for reasons I could not fathom) in 2003 but I doubt that's what you are looking for.

ChocChip, I didn't mean to suggest that the Royal Ballet men don't do 180-degree grands jetés, increasingly most do. What I was trying to say is that I don't mind seeing only 175 degrees from male dancers in general (whereas I do expect at least 179, preferably 180 degrees but no greater from women in tutus). I should add that I'm no expert, just a ballet-watcher. I love seeing the Bolshoi and Mariinsky on their visits to London, they have done so much to raise my expectations of ballet over the years.

Like ChocChip, I love In the Middle Somewhat Elevated, prefer a 160-degree penchée in classical ballet and dislike oversplits, but I do want a near-180-degree split in grand jeté, slightly less for the men. It used to be just the stars who were allowed these but now we are used to it I expect it of all the corps as well. Going back forty years, a friend defined the difference between the Royal Ballet and another company of the day as “The Royal Ballet don't fall over ”. Everyone can fall over and even the best sometimes do – didn't Balanchine say something along the lines that it shows they are still trying for more – but I rarely see it nowadays. On the other hand, my first viewing of the Royal Ballet in the Bayadère Shades scene was in 1982 when Nureyev staged it as a one-acter and I don't think I saw as many wobbles then as I did recently (admittedly few and at the end of the run), though memories can be rosy and the presence of the man himself in the wings a powerful incentive to perfection.

Aileen, I was at the same performance and had the same thought about two of my favourite dancers, paired up as substitutes due to injury. She is experienced and assured, he is relatively inexperienced but already an excellent partner: however there just wasn't enough height difference for it to look effortless. Moreover, he must have put everything into the pas de deux and I didn't think he did himself full justice in the solo work. It just goes to show how difficult things can be for an Artistic Director. Regarding actual heights mentioned in other posts, from standing next to them as audience members, I reckon McCrea and Kobborg are no more than 5'9”, both appearing very slightly-built in street clothes, Monica Mason about 5'6” nowadays and Beryl Grey perhaps 5'7” (and still amazingly slim and elegant!).

Meunier has a suggestion in his post of 25 May http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/3918-both-vasiliev-a-n-d-osipova-to-leave-mikhailovsky-this-summer/ and it looks as though Vasiliev sees a way forward for himself.

Not sure if it still applies, but a few years ago, graduating medical students were in the same situation with insufficient "houseman" positions available for all of them to progress as qualified doctors after long, expensive training.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01slqck The former Royal Ballet principal is tomorrow's guest on "Desert Island Discs" at 11:15 am (FM only).

I saw an example of this at the National Theatre. Some organisation or other (not Travelex) had taken several rows of the Olivier stalls, arranged a pre-show reception and invited Princess Anne. She and her husband were appropriately dressed, just smart enough to blend in with the rest of the audience, but many of the guests advertised their unfamiliarity with the venue by turning up in evening dress, to the amusement of National regulars and the derision of the school parties in the cheaper seats.