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JennyTaylor

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Everything posted by JennyTaylor

  1. Just picked up a late ticket for tomorrow evening. SO happy. Will and Fumi one last time. Absolutely sublime performance in all respects on Wednesday (by everyone). Can only echo everyone's comments already made, and they seemed to reach quite another plane of perfection for me.
  2. Christmas has begun with the first flurry of glitter from Gary Avis's hat. The tree grew, the music is gorgeous and I have felt those prickles on the back of my neck several times.... and it's just a rehearsal!. Such a relief to be back on the world of real ballet.
  3. Back to Dante. I've so far seen all of Will Bracewell's performances, plus the associated cast so far, including the rehearsal. Previously, I had seen it once, for Ed Watson's farewell. I did wonder on Wednesday if it was growing on me, but I'm still not sure. First of all though, I must say that I think Will is awesome as Dante: the role really lends itself to his multiple dancing and acting skills. I find his movement breath-taking and his acting, incredibly intense. How does he get into that mood right from the first seconds of the ballet? The depth of his characterisation from the start is superb. Equally, the entire cast have danced in stunning fashion in every performance. The standard is so high! I am full of admiration. So many stand out individual performances. Do I know what's going on? Sometimes. Do I really care - sometimes and also feel frustrated. Like other forum members I do feel annoyed by the grey/black dingy costumes which make everyone look the same. I also still struggle to find meaning in much of the choreography of each section. Is pretentious an appropriate word? On Wednesday, I felt confident for the first time to be able to name all dancers, benefitting hugely from sitting near the front of the auditorium. That made it better. At the rehearsal, I didn't realise Mayara Magri had appeared at all until I saw her at the final curtain. I also started to hear the music in my head for the first time. For me, music is a really important part of my experience at the ballet, so that was plus, but I'm afraid that the Nutcracker pdd between Clara and Hans-Peter is still taking definite precedence following the recent Insight event. I love it! Still, I felt it was a step forward. I don't know about anyone else, but I find the repetition of the music used in Mayerling hugely distracting. Visions of the Empress Elisabeth and Rudolph keep interrupting my viewing of the dancers on stage. Finally - no flowers for the dancers on stage. Is this a policy? I sent some on one night and know they were happily received - but even so. So, one more performance tomorrow - Will et al again. Actually, I would have liked to see the other cast but decided to prioritise my time and money for Manon and Swan Lake. But, I will miss Tomas Mock.
  4. I had this conversation last week and 3 ballets that were mentioned were the Judas Tree, The Invitation and La Fille (very sadly). These days it seems that it's so easy to offend someone, anyone, with a wide variety of content and we have seen the rise of "wokeness" and cancel culture. So, does aging badly mean this - that it offends someone with its content, or does it just mean it looks old fashioned. I take it with the 3 ballets I mentioned that it's content, in which case there's a lot more that could come into that category: bullying an old man in Coppelia, the Rudolf and Stefanie pdd in Mayerling, suggestive sexual content in Mayerling and Manon - the list could go and on. Yet, are we being too sensitive about ballet? This type of content is regularly available on TV channels every evening.
  5. I think Benn had an operation on his shoulder. It was on his IG page.
  6. What a marvellous insight. They covered so much content! Lovely to see 3 new debutantes and hear the wealth of experience being passed on by Gary Avis. Now wondering which performances Aidan will cover as he is not yet on the publicised cast list.
  7. I have so many conflicting emotions about this ballet that I'm finding them difficult to articulate. I'll try. Up until yesterday, I had seen this ballet once, for Ed Watson's farewell and because it was Ed's farewell specifically. I enjoyed it for him and the "Thieves" section. Otherwise, once was enough, and I didn't see myself booking for it ever again. I didn't hate it as I do some other WMG pieces, but I had no desire to spend my hard earned money on further tickets. I stuck to that view when it was announced for this season, thinking - oh well, I can get more DonQs etc instead with a happy heart. Then Will Bracewell was announced a the lead role, so that changed my mind as I could see that this was a role which would be admirably suited to Will's special talents. So, I now have 4 tickets, one of each of his performances, plus I had the rehearsal as a bonus. So far I've seen the rehearsal (back of Stalls Circle) and 1 performance (front of Orch Stalls). Positioning definitely makes a difference. First of all, Will Bracewell was brilliant. He is made for this part, which must be incredibly challenging to execute. Concentration, acting, dancing, partnering. All aspects were superb. Equally, the entire company was on brilliant form with some incredible dancing on display. It's difficult to highlight individuals as all were superb, but I'm going for Calvin Richardson, who has wowed me in every role he has performed in recent weeks. Fumi, Melissa and Francesca Hayward were all luminous. Overall, I felt that the individual dancers did not receive sufficient plaudits that their dancing deserved. It's a ballet that doesn't lend itself to applause after each scene, and sometimes it is difficult to be sure of exactly who is dancing at any one time as the costumes and hair make them look similar. However, I was more successful than the previous run, so I too conclude that the lighting must have improved. Did I enjoy it - I'm really not sure. I appreciated the high quality of the dancing and the dancers' incredible performances. Did I feel a wow factor - no. Did I come away walking on air as I did after certain performances of DonQ, R&J etc - no. Did the music move me - no, but I am trying to keep an open mind here, as at least it is played by a proper orchestra. Perhaps it may grow on me. Do I have a clue what the story line is - sort of, having tried to assimilate it over time, but I'm sure there are subtleties which are lost on me still. Do I really care - not really. Would I be sorry if a WMG ballet was never seen again in the RB repertoire - no. So, I have 3 more performances to see. I know I will like to watch Will, Gary Avis, the wonderful RB dancers. As for the rest of the "user experience" only time will tell.
  8. I attended last night, primarily to get my last fix of DonQ happiness. I definitely received it with the highlight being Calvin Richardson's performance. Fantastic! I thought James Hay had this one completely sewn up as the "best", but now I' not so sure. How delightful to see them both in this run. I enjoyed Clarke/Osipova very much and took them at face value on the night. I'm not critical on technique I just know what I like and what I don't like - it's quite straightforward. It was happy, vibrant and good fun. That's all I need. OK, there wasn't the emotional pull of Will and Fumi, but there was never going to be anyone who topped them for me. It's all in the eye of the beholder. I've read the debate about the "greats" with interest. Some of I saw, and some I didn't. Sylvie Guillem was a huge favourite for me because she was the first dancer who gave me that emotional pull, which I had never experienced before. Yet I seem to remember there was a lot of criticism of her too, at the time. Irek was another, and his last Mayerling was a night to remember for sure. Yet technically, it wasn't brilliant. Did anyone care - no! So, it's all down to personal taste and we see that time and time again on this forum. I also believe it's unviable to try to compare dancers or anyone else, such as footballers, from different eras. They are of their own time. I'm at the ROH to see Will Bracewell tonight. He is one who does move me emotionally and I would not be here, but for him, because the choreographer concerned, is certainly is not one of my favourites. Let's see what happens.
  9. A good start. As far as I can see, the programme has no "action" or rehearsal photos of either of the 2 principal men taking the role of Dante this time round.
  10. 17th November is now Sold Out again. I was very disappointed to see what I perceive as negative comments to my earlier post on ticket availability. I put this information up in good faith with the aim of trying to be helpful to anyone who was looking, as I have been for the past week. Perhaps, I did help someone out there - who knows. The reaction I received including one comment from a Moderator, will make me think twice in future.
  11. Very good seats just become available for November 17th, if anyone wants to go still?
  12. I watched last night's stream at a new cinema in Egham, Surrey which proved to be very comfortable and satisfactory. Last time round, our local at Staines, completely let us down, cancelling the stream as we arrived. I always take my husband as he likes all the extra interviews and context around the performance and he didn't fall asleep at all - this is quite a feat! We have long since agreed that I go alone to the ROH. I loved the entire performance though it didn't have the emotional pull for me of the Will/Fumi partnership. I felt everyone on stage was particularly energetic (rising to the occasion?) and apart from Matt and Mayara, we had the additional joy of Calvin Richardson and James Hay. It does bring me a lot of joy every time I see it. I so felt for Mayara as she danced so well. I do hope she wasn't too upset afterwards. Finally, finally, I discovered how the horse's ears twitch, a question I have asked on several occasions but never with any success. I did tweet about it in the first interval and was amazed when they answered the question in the second. Must be coincidence as they had obviously planned the 2nd interview topics beforehand, but even so.... I will miss DonQ. I've booked for Dante because of Will Bracewell but am not expecting the same amount of sheer happiness from it.
  13. I completely agree. I was really surprised to see Hannah doubling up in those 2 major soloist roles where there are so many ballerinas to whom opportunities could be given. Also, I do wish the cast sheet would give the names of all the matadors rather than just two (one of which changed in Act 3). So annoying as I spend half my time trying to work out who they all are. I have loved Ashley Dean as Amour every time I have seen her.
  14. Will and Fumi - Take 3 - oh the joy! Died and gone to heaven (again). Tonight's performance capped the last 2 which is an accolade in itself as all have been brilliant. 3rd time round I think, saw Will marginally more relaxed and I felt there was a "let's go all out for it tonight" feeling about it. He did and they did. I cannot describe how their performances together are so exquisite compared to others, but I will try. Definitely their obvious chemistry, their facial expressions (so much more than any other couple), the total belief they can portray in their story telling, the humour, and of course the way they dance together with such obvious trust and enjoyment. Add to that their individual talent. Fumi has been off the scale in all 3 performances but tonight even more so. Will brings such musicality, grace, elegance and beautiful dancing, plus some fun and his acting skills are unique. I have loved that right at the end of Act 3, as they move to the table at the front of stage left, I have caught them exchanging what are clearly a few personal words to appreciate each other. A magical partnership. Thoroughly enjoyed everyone else's performances too, Hannah Grennell worked hard in dual soloist roles and of course we had James Hay's glorious Gamache. Once again, I was also impressed with Tom Whitehead's DonQ. My main complaint remains - I still don't know how the horse's ears twitch. Finally, I think I spotted Will's real life partner, Andy Monaghan this evening during an interval but didn't have the courage to approach and ask. If you follow both on Instagram, you will see a flower theme so perhaps we can possibly guess who sent Will his distinctive flowers? I'm now just trying to commit it all to memory because who knows when we will ever see the like again.
  15. I thoroughly enjoyed the RB World Ballet Day programme. I thought the programme was well thought out and managed to showcase the entire company very well. The Class consisted mainly of artists and first artists with a sprinkling of more senior dancers, then there was a mix of Principals and artists in rehearsal, along with features which highlighted other aspects of the company repertoire. The RB school rehearsal was lovely, though the cynic in me might have wondered if this was also the RB giving the school a positive showing after the bad Panorama publicity, particularly with the sequence preceding the rehearsal. The most annoying part for me was the coaching of the Dante project which for the majority sounded like complete gobbledegook. I understand this is a WMG invention. Forgive me if I view this is pretentious and unnecessary.
  16. Has everyone got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning? I will repeat - this performance was fully justifiable of a standing ovation regardless of which audience members it was who gave it, and it was even better to see this, given that this ballet is not a "standard" offering such a Swan Lake where one might expect ovations for the 2 Principals involved. I booked because a friend had recommended Calvin Richardson in the Cello role and they were absolutely right. He was phenomenal. I completely agree with Bruce when he writes about his colour seeming to drain away - it did. The expression he brought with his arms, legs, body language and face was extraordinary. Can't wait to see him in Manon. Mayara brought extreme pathos to the role as well as joy and together their dancing was immaculate. I was fortunate enough to be able to see the real cellist Hetty Snell as she performed parts of Elgar's cello concerto and the combination of the music and the emotional dance made for a great audience experience for me. I'm not a fan of modern work and normally avoid "triple bills" of such. However, last night's performance was an exception for me, such was the brilliance of the dancing and acting.
  17. Stellar performance this evening from Mayara Magri and Calvin Richardson which drew a standing ovation from the audience. Equally stellar performance from Hetty Snell on the cello and the entire orchestra. I feel privileged to have seen and heard both.
  18. I've been a few times but always booked a seat as far forward as possible in the Stalls. I think La Scala is quite problematical if you don't choose the Stalls as it is a series of boxes on all levels. If you are going on your own then that's problematical as you will need to share, otherwise those towards the centre could be OK. You will still be quite far back relatively speaking of course, but on the plus side - no tall heads in front of you as can happen in the Stalls. My experience of boxes at the ROH - is don't even bother unless you are going to be in the front row - and even then, the view from all side boxes is pretty dismal. La Scala may be slightly better rounded. I hope that helps. For me, going has been a total treat (Marianela Nunez and Roberto Bolle every time) so I haven't looked at the expense, having once decided to "do it" - but it's once a year only so....
  19. "Invited audience" can also imply NHS workers, as it has done in the past.
  20. I really enjoyed last night - wonderful dancing from Marianela and Vadim and they really did seem in party mood. I also enjoyed the whole cast with Ryo being a particular favourite as Espada. My attention has been caught by Tom Whitehead in all the roles he has played in this run. Last night he was Gamache and I was beguiled in Act 3 to look at his interplay with his fiancee at the side of the stage which was very funny. I felt there was less characterisation from the two Principals than I've seen with other pairings: the emphasis was more on the spectacle of the dancing. I love ballets like DonQ - happy, happy, happy plus gorgeous music.
  21. In which case, that's fine as the dancers are always welcoming and pleasant.
  22. Very rarely, usually because I have to dash to get the train home in the evening. I did go last Saturday because I had time between the 2 DonQ performances and it was Will Bracewell. There weren't many people there and it was all good I think. When Will came out, he spoke to everyone who wanted to see him and even took a selfie with 2 women who wanted one (with their phone). He then went off down the street with no-one following him down the road (yes, I agree - that would be unacceptable). James Hay also was approached by a few and he was smiling and friendly too. I would be hesitant to approach someone who I didn't already know but the dancers don't seem to mind at all. If you think of what happens in Japan where literally hoards of people wait and the dancers patiently go down the whole queue which can take well over an hour, signing autographs and posing for selfies. So, they are used to it in other countries and the numbers outside the ROH stage door (Marianela and Vadim excepting) seem to be manageable. As I can get to London, I like the Ballet Association meetings and annual dinner for meeting dancers . The dinner gives unprecedented access because so many RB dancers attend and they are perfectly happy to be approached in that environment. You can also have in depth conversations during the meal, which you can't in the street at the Stage door. But, if you just want to say hello and well done on your performance, the Stage Door is a great way to do it.
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