Jane S

Via Dansomanie, news of a gala in Montreux on March 3 including Rupert Pennefather, Ivan Putrov, Delphine Moussin and Agnes Letestu in an in-the-round piece based on Sartre's Huis Clos, with choreography by Ludovic Ondiviela. https://www.montreuxdanse.ch/ https://www.24heures.ch/culture/montreux-choisit-etoiles/story/19016279

The French site Dansomanie gives a link to a complete version of the programme on Facebook - no guarantee it will stay there for much longer. The section with Harrison Lee starts about 2.01. (Also at about 2.48 you can see Kristina Shapran and Xander Parish dancing the pas de deux from Diamonds.)

It was the opening night of Dowell's Directorship, wasn't it? And people looked at it as a sort of statement of intent. Programme was La Valse, then the 1st London performance of Bintley's Galanteries, then Opus 19, then The Concert. I believe Bruce Sansom did one performance of Opus 19 but I don't know if there was a second cast for Cynthia Harvey.

Song of the Earth: I liked Rojo on opening night but she's been even better in the past and the rest of the soloists didn't live up to her - though the young Fernando Carratalá Coloma, the Messenger of Death, showed a lot of promise. So did Henry Dowden, making a very confident debut in the same role the next night, and I also liked Aitor Arrieta as the Man in that performance. Sylphide: A really attractive Sylph from Erina Takahashi last night and nice Jameses both nights from Isaac Hernandez and Ciro Tamayo (who would be even better if he could slightly turn down the volume on his acting in places). I like the way they are casting Effie, and Daniel Kraus as Gurn had the character very well. Praise also for the two leading sylphs, Precious Adams and Jia Zhang and - of course - for Eva kloborg's Madge and also for Jane Howarth in the same role. I didn't like the comedy act of the two farmhands, though, most especially when they were hamming about at the back of the stage when Effie was making her decision to accept Gurn. Some work needed on Wing Release and Cradle Management. I'm afraid I simply don't get Jurgita Dronina - I've seen her in three big roles now and she's disappointed me each time - nothing wrong with her dancing but she seems to me very short of expressiveness and she doesn't hold my eye - I saw a lot more of the corps de ballet work in last night's Song of the Earth than I ever have before. Others may see her differently.

In a rush just now - but Sylphide in much better shape.

It was a bit shorter tonight, I think. Also a much more enjoyable evening, mostly.

Sakker and Rhonda Browne last night

I'd like lots and lots of triple bills, packed with challenging choreography and with enough shows to allow a junior second or third cast to be shown. Also I really wish they'd think about different ways to present triple bills - I very much enjoyed the way Kim Brandstrup's Invitus Invitam was linked to the preceding work and it would be interesting to see the concept taken further. (It would also be nice to see some of Brandstrup's works revived.) And as I said last year, I'd love to see Balanchine's Donizetti Variations for Sambe (and others) - how can they resist?

I can imagine a lot of men would happily accept a CBE and indeed might not mind being able to write KBE after their names, but would not even consider the title that goes with it.

Well, not necessarily - it's enough for Siegfried's tragedy for him to believe she's real, I guess.

But if Odette is Rothbart's magical creation, controlled by him, she won't really be dying?

Well, with no disrespect to Alexander Campbell, I for one am extremely disappointed.

Macleary did dance Aminta, but only a couple of times I think - the ROH Collection database makes no claim to cover everything, and there were at least 5 other casts for both Sylvia and Aminta in the 1950s.

The Times 2 section this morning has a long interview with Irek Mukhamedov (by Sarah Crompton)

I thought it was created a couple of years earlier, for the Metropolitan Opera in New York? - unless Ashton altered it substantially for the RO?

Does the Birmingham Nutcracker run usually sell out?

They've just sent out a press release with the B'ham casting so presumably it will be online very soon.

There's a long (20 pages ) piece about the Markova Dolin Ballet, by Kathrine Sorley Walker, in the magazine Dance Now dated Summer 1999. I'd guess that's the most informative history you 'll find anywhere. There's a chapter about it in Dolin's book 'Markova, her Life and Art' but that's written from a very personal point of view though it does include a list of the original company soloists. He concludes that "The two years that the Markova-Dolin Ballet existed have passed to a great extent unnoticed in the chronicles of English balletby many critics and writers", though the KSW piece quotes lots reviews, including some from the Dancing Times. (Totally off topic but I'm always happy to look at the Dolin book as my copy has a handwritten dedication from Markova starting "For dear Erik..")

I think Monica Mason was actually the first cast of Summer - I remember it particularly as it was a rather different role from the ones she was usually associated with.

RDB will be showing a Raymonda rehearsal on their Facebook page tomorrow at 14.00 Danish time - facebook.com/kglteater. Dancers to include Gregroy Dean, Kizzy Matiakis, Andreas Kaas and J'aime Crandall.

The sets and costumes are described as being by Pablo Nunez 'after Georgiadis with the approval of Lady Deborah MacMillan' - the same designer did the Santiago Ballet's Mayerling a few years ago, when the credit read 'with the approval of Lady Deborah MacMillan' but no mention of Georgiadis . (A newspaper report -via Google Translate - noted that "The demands of the widow were high and approval was required for every detail" and also stated that this was the first time the ballet had been redesigned. ) From what I've read it looks as if the sets and costumes seen on the first night were as planned, but whether they were a copy of the Santiago version or newly imaginined for Houston, I don't know - does anyone else?

There was one in the Times last week - can't remember which day.

There isn't a list as such but If you go to this page https://kglteater.dk/om-os/kunstarter/den-kongelige-ballet/ abd click on the links on the left starting with Solodansere (principals) and going down to Korpsdansere, you will find them all - they just updated the list for the new season.

Today's Times2 has a 2-page spread about the Skelton Hooper School in Hull and the extraordinary number of male dancers it produces: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/times2/the-boys-in-tights-who-became-hulls-most-unexpected-export-l3d9xw62z (I was a bit surprised to see the Trocks described as "an all-male troupe who do bowdlerised comedy versions of the classics" - really?)

They've now added another video, of the 2nd International Evening, featuring many of the same dancers in different works - Hayward and Sambe this time in the Romeo and Juliet balcony pd2 . (and Lauren Lovette whose name I misspelt last time)