Jane S

Apparently Bonelli rather than Kish is dancing Albrecht to Laura Morera's first Giselle this afternoon (announced on the ROH site - ooh - several minutes before curtain up) - I;m really looking forward to hearing how Morera gets on so please comment if you are/were there!

Alison, it's up on Annette Buvoli's page

Ellie, Peter Brinson wrote a book called Dance in Education, which was published in 1991 - I don't know if it covers the areas you're particularly interested in, but you can get an impression of what it's like here:

.http://www.questia.com/read/109415012/dance-as-education-towards-a-national-dance-culture

Or: Prince dumps titled, hunting-crazy girlfriend to woo world's oldest virgin (118) - will they find happiness?

A really lovely Giselle from Lauren Cuthbertson this afternoon including beautifully danced Act 2 - shows there's more than one way of looking lighter than air!

The 2nd act of Mats Ek's version is set in a psychiatric hospital, isn't it? (Never seen it.)

I'm pleased to see that she still calls it a flower shower - much nicer name than flower throw!

I've been wondering, how many people still call Covent Garden "Cuvvent" Garden? It was quite common among older people 50 years ago but I haven't heard it for decades and thought it had completely died out until I saw a discussion on another site which showed that it's still current.

It's more habit than confidence, Anne - I read the name long before I ever heard anyone pronounce it and had no idea there was any other way of saying it, and have just stuck with it.

I just follow 'quixotic' and say Don Kwiksot.

If you're really interested in this question you might like to take a look at a discussion on the BalletAlert forum from some years ago  - the topic called Pas de Deux. The answer seems to be that no-one really knows.

I've been putting off suggesting this for reasons of spelling, but isn't it The Fountain of Bakhchisarai?

Sorry to perpetuate the hi-jacking of the discussion, but I am sure the teapot featured in the Chinese Dance in David Lichine’s landmark production for London’s Festival Ballet in 1957.

 

I didn’t see the full length version, but, in the early 60’s Act 2 was often presented on the company’s regional tours under the title “The Nutcracker – The Kingdom of Sweets”. I must have seen it two or three times as a youngster at my local theatre, and, if my memory is right, the Chinese Dance featured two girls, and a “mandarin” character who emerged from the tea-pot. His silk parasol, I think, formed the tea-pot lid. The costumes were by Alexandre Benois.

 

James

Did steam come out of the spout? I just found a photo of a teapot in the Lichine production, taken from the back and saying 'note the apparatus for making the steam'.

I believe Peter Wright was a lot older than Bintley when he got his so I think there is still hope. I agree that he deserves the honour

.... though there's always the possiblilty that he doesn't want it!

Magnificent Diamonds from Nunez and Soares!

Gregory Dean, formerly of Scottish Ballet was promoted to solodanser (principal) of the Royal Danish Ballet tonight, onstage after a performance of Nutcracker.

He has been giving some very good performances recently si it doesn't come as a complete surprise but it is very good news for him.

The Times also features this story very prominently, explaining that Acosta is a principal guest artist with English National Ballet. And that he and  Bussell are 'often' referred to as the Nureyev and Fonteyn of our day.

Just a footnote: if you've noticed an older man in the photos of A Wooden Tree - it's Baryshnikov, who danced in the premiere. He did the bit with the imaginary roll - Marina Harss reviewed it for Dance Tabs:

http://dancetabs.com/2012/10/mark-morris-dance-group-canonic-studies-a-wooden-tree-silhouettes-grand-duo-sarasota/

He was at the Saturday matinee, which was the one the press were invited to review - Amatriain/Jones.

 I was there too and there will be a review on DanceTabs when I finish writing it!

Interesting remark in passing from Donald Hutera's 4* Times review of Osipova/Acosta - he wasn't impressed by Acosta and wondered "what would have happened had, say, Ricardo Cervera (an excellent Mercutio) slipped into Romeo’s ballet slippers"....

A 4* review by Donald Hutera has just appeared on the Times site, if you have access to it.

Doesn't have to be tobacco...

The Danish press reports today that among next year's attractions in Tivoli will be a visit from the Royal Ballet - no indication so far of dates or repertoire.

I haven't respected a ballet critic since John Percival died and this Sulcas woman appears from an online biography to be a general hack with a bit of ballet writing on the side.  No mention of any professional link to the dance world at all.  She just provides an opinion - no more no less. 

 

The snide comment about Milton Keynes will hardly win her admirers outside of London:  Taxi for ballet has a valid point.

I believe it was actually John Percival who gave Roslyn Suclas one of her first big opportunities, taking her on to write for Dance and Dancers sometime in the 1980s, so she has been watching and writing about dance for at least 25 years. And of course John Percival himself - and most other critics I can think of - started in the same way, with no other professional link to the dance world. All criticism is just opinion, isn't it? ( John Percival just happened to be right more often than the others!)

The current Sylphide production dates from 2003, I think, so yes - it's being replaced rather sooner than you might expect. The interesting thing is that it's Hubbe's own production - I wonder if he'll do the new one himself, too?

Apparently the people who have made this huge grant to the company also funded last year's Golden Cockerel and Bayadere as well as the Twyla Tharp Sinatra piece (Come Fly Away) which opens tonight. Directors all over the world must dream of finding a benefactor like this! (It's called Annie & Otto Johs. Detlefs Fonde and has given away hundreds of millions (kroner) over the last 10 years, especially to the arts.)