Jane S

The RB did 9 performances of Bugaku in the 1987/8 season but I don't remember it coming back later - if it did, I didn't see it.

Jennifer Penney and Fiona Chadwick were both scheduled to dance it but I don't know if either of them actually did - on the other hand Gail Taphouse did at least one performance, replacing Chadwick I think, and I remember her as being much better suited to the role than Brind.

BRB in its various earlier incarnations also danced Allegro Brillante and, of course, the one Balanchine made specially for them - Trumpet Concerto.

So, they did "Les Rendezvous"? (And with a fence and gate as well, which I think was more than the Royal Ballet managed last time around!). Impressive. Did they borrow costumes from somewhere else?

No, they had new, simpler costumes specially made. BRB had sold the old ones but they still had the gate and Elmhurst borrowed that.

Incidentally it seems to be Roland Petit's Coppélia. Does anyone know it?

It's very untraditional and a lot of fun - but Petit made a starring role for himself as Dr Coppelius and any Swanilda and Franz risk being overshadowed!

So it's the same supporting cast for both leading couples?

Any views on Cojocaru in Month in the Country?

Jacqueline, could it have been this one?

May 17th, 1973

Theatre Royal, Brighton

Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet

Allegro Brillante

Tilt

Pas de deux with Fonteyn and Desmond Kelly

Pineapple Poll

It doesn't say what the pas de deux was but she had danced the R&J balcony pd2 with the company the year before. So far as I can see this evening was a one-off, the only time on this tour she danced with the company.

Ahead of a longer appreciation for DanceTabs, I will just say that John - as critic, mentor and friend - was a major influence in my ballet-related life and one to whom I shall always owe a now un-repayable debt of gratitiude.

I'm amazed to find several Stalls Circle standing tickets still for sale, even for Swan Lake and Nutcracker!

I'm sure I've seen somewhere that she will dance Marguerite.

Also, I think this is maybe the first time it's been publicly stated that Rojo was taken out of Onegin because she was thought to be 'too fat'.

 

It's a pity we can't get at the ballet.co 'What's happening' archive - perhaps I'm imagining it, but does anyone else recall a discussion back in 2005 on Madge revealing a flash of a white dress or petticoat under her skirt as the final curtain came down? (It did not happen the other night - and all praise to Genesia Rosato, using all her experience as Carabosse to underpin her malevolence.) The question was, I think, who really is Madge; what prior connection has she had with James that causes her obvious distress in the last seconds; or is she simply another Wili, a woman wronged in love?

Here?

(Easiest way to get back to old ballet.co.uk stuff is to Google starting with site:ballet.co.uk and then some keywords - Madge Englund in this case)

For Friends of Covent Garden only: http://www.roh.org.u...den-ticket-hunt

The comments on yesterday's trial run for Friends can now be seen on the page Alison mentions - not exactly a problem-free experience for many, but I guess that's what testing is for.

The Royal Danish Ballet has just announced that Thomas Lund will give his farewell performance on September 29th, dancing the Teacher in The Lesson and James in La Sylphide, and will then take over as head of the RDB School.

Details on the RDB site

I guess he feels it's the right moment for him but it's hard for his audience, who might have expected to see him on stage for two more seasons before he hits the formal retirement age. At least he will dance the first few performances of Ratmansky's new Golden Cockerel before he goes!

(Edit: casting discussion relating to Prince of the Pagodas added from another thread)

I believe (from those more in the know than me) Stix-Brunell is replacing Nunez in Alice's Adventures.

This has not been confirmed by ROH or RB.

They said in the interview she would be the new Alice - but not who she is replacing.

As it's now been mentioned on the radio, I'm happy to say that Chris Wheeldon told me earlier this week that Beatriz Stix-Brunell & Nehemiah Kish will be replacing Marianela Nuñez and Rupert Pennefather in the forthcoming Alice.

I wish they were doing the dress rehearsal (for some pics). Much as I love Sarah Lamb, we had her last year for the Friends rehearsal, so would have been nice to get someone different.

That would have made perfect sense, Dave.
I never quite understand why photographers aren't invited to dress rehearsals for other casts; this time particularly as few photographs will exist of Stix-Brunell, although I recall you took an especially fine one during her solo in Ballo della regina.

Carol, sometimes there is more than one photocall with different casts but not all the photographers get invited. The photos the RB released for Alice last season were of Cuthbertson and Polunin (first cast) rather than Lamb and Bonelli who did the Friends' rehearsal.

But Dave we have got someone different .... Steven McRae ..... and presumably a few other cast changes too.

Stix-Brunell and Kish did Friday's rehearsal, so maybe there will be some pics from that. Also Paul Kay danced the Mad Hatter and Laura Morera the Red Queen.

The ROH site now shows Beatriz Stix-Brunell replacing Lauren Cuthbertson in Prince of the Pagodas on the 9th and the 17th June, partnered by Ryoichi Hirano - still shows Cuthbertson/ Pennefather for the 21st but presumably that will also be changed.

If Kobborg's production of La Sylphide is new to you, you might be interested in the interview he gave to ballet.co just before its first performances in 2005.

The ROH site now shows Morera replacing Cuthbertson in all her performances of Ballo della Regina.

Thank you, John. I guess it could be that Englund doesn't want to do it...

Has anyone heard anything about who's dancing Madge in La Sylphide?

His Dictionary of Ballet is one of the books I refer to all the time.

Today's Times carries a 4* review by Debra Craine of the Choe/Maloney cast in Fille - mostly about Maloney but she liked everyone else too.

I saw a Park/Blair/Morse performance, with Petrus Bosman as Simone - it was in January 1971 but might have been in the same run?

It's new.

The RDB has just announced its programme for the season 2102/13, plus a visit from NYCB next April:

Den gyldne Hane (Le Coq d'Or)

Alexei Ratmansky

Designs - Richard Hudson after Goncharova

15 Sept - 16 October

La Bayadere

Produced by Nikolaj Hubbe and Eva Draw

Designs - Richard Hudson

10 Nov - 15 March

Sleeping Beauty

Christopher Wheeldon's production from 2010

30 Nov - 16 Dec

Dans2Go

The Unsung (Limon)/ Chroma (MacGregor) / new Patrick Delcroix

!5 Feb - 1 March

Romeo and Juliet

Neumeier

22 March - 7 May

La Ventana/Kermessen i Brugge

New productions by Gudrun Bojesen (La Ventana) and Ib Andersen (Kermessen)

Designs - Jerome Kaplan

30 April - 21 May

Also:

Kom Bamse (Thomas Lund's ballet for children)

Hubberiet x3

Guest appearances by:

Dansk Danseteater (Tim Rushton's Love Songs)

Aben Dans

Akram Khan (Desh)

NYCB

Serenade/Four Temperaments/Symphony in C

NYExport: Op Jazz/Les Carillons/Concerto DSCH/ new Martins

4 - 8 April

If you haven't already picked this up from elsewhere, the Paul Taylor company will be appearing at the Theatre de Chaillot in Paris from June 19th to 28th, showing 14 different works including Aureole, Esplanade, Roses, Cloven Kingdom etc etc as well as some of his latest pieces which I don't think have been seen in Europe before.

Details here.

Paris in June - Aureole and Esplanade - unmissable!

This morning's Times carries a review (by Allen Robertson) of this and it sounds really charming as well as being an excellent idea - has anyone seen it?