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JennyTaylor

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  1. JennyTaylor
    What I really liked was that when she had finished and was standing at the back right of the stage with her back to the audience, she had a little conversation with one of the dancers seated right at the back which was obviously full of encouragement and congratulation and another dancer to their left was also grinning widely - again obviously so pleased that she has performed them so well. Lovely!
  2. JennyTaylor
    WOW, WOW, WOW! It was one of those nights when I just felt "I'm so lucky and privileged to be here". 3 Odettes/ 1 Odile * 4 Siegfrieds, 2 Benno's and 2 von Rothbarts, 2 Queens and 2 * Siegfried's sisters. It was amazing and so seamless. Everyone gave their all and the entire theatre gave them a standing ovation at the end. Where to start. Marianela and Vadim were on fire in Act 3 - absolutely phenomenal. Natalia Osipova and Reece Clarke - utterly heart breaking in Act 4. Matthew Ball, an anguished prince in Act 1, and Will Bracewell partnering both Lauren Cuthbertson and Sarah Lamb in a beautiful Act 2. Joonhyuk Jun almost stole the show with his Benno solo in Act 1 - the height he achieved with his leaps was astonishing. A wonderful double act between Ben Gartside and Gary Avis as Von R. They were both at their dramatic best. All gestures seemed to be emphasised this evening - and such energy. What an experience. Once in a lifetime I suspect.
  3. JennyTaylor
    I'd just like to add my praise to everyone else who has delighted in last night's performance. It was a joy. A Month in the Country was exquisite, just sublime and the other 2 ballets uplifting in the technical ability displayed by all the dancers. The music , the dancing - what a contrast to the previous triple bill, which I can only say that I sat through and endured. I am going twice more and can't wait!
  4. JennyTaylor
    I went to a rehearsal today and saw the cast scheduled for the 26th April. I have a ticket booked for that date and was very happy to see how it was all going today. I think enjoyment is assured! What a joy it is to see an Ashton triple bill, with proper ballet. My April has been rather thin on performances so far as I have been sitting out the other triple bill, waiting for Ashton to come along. Month in the Country is sublime and how wonderful to see Anthony Dowell there, passionately coaching Will Bracewell in particular at the end of the session (this was from afar, but his portrayal of the steps was still clear).
  5. JennyTaylor
    Interesting isn’t it. All the different Siegfried’s are doing variations on a theme in their performances, so why can’t the Odiles do the same? I’ve gasped at Vadim, Cesar, Marci and Will - all for different reasons. I’m sure I could do the same for the ballerinas.
  6. JennyTaylor
    What a fascinating discussion. Personally, I find the Rose Adagio far more nerve wracking, possibly because it goes on for far longer and there is far more propensity for mistakes. I saw both Anna-Rose and Frankie's debuts in this role and they were both tear jerkingly wonderful. I saw Anna-Rose in rehearsal for Swan Lake and there were no mishaps. I was nervous for Frankie yesterday as I had read reviews of her first performance but it was all going so well in up to that point. For me, her less than perfect execution didn't really detract from the whole performance because it had so much depth in characterisation and chemistry with Will Bracewell, it didn't seem so important. Will was magnificent in his execution - though still different from Vadim and Cesar Corrales. He held one arabesque for so long, there were gasps from the audience. This was so in time with the music but so different from anyone else that it was breath-taking. Beautiful, I suppose. It just shows that you don't have to do exactly the same "showy" steps to get a reaction. I also don't think of Francesca as a "showy" dancer. Is that what is required to play Odile successfully - discuss - but I don't think so really? Of course, compared the Marianela's single, double and treble turns, all perfectly in time with the music, she fell short, but this was only her 2nd performance in the role. I was very curious with one comment on the Forum about Yasmine, Frankie and Anna-Rose all having graduated via Royal Lodge. What an interesting thought. Surely any budding ballerina dreams of and practices these fouettés from the year dot?
  7. JennyTaylor
    Lovely to meet you too @Dawnstar!
  8. JennyTaylor
    Man of the Day was indeed William Bracewell. I've waited 4 years to see him perform this role after being bewitched in Madrid by the performance he gave when standing in for Steven McRae. I just didn't want it to end tonight. From the first ironic and half hearted salute to Von R (no one else does it that way) all the way through his vulnerable portrayal of Siegfried, superb partnering and lyrical Act 3 variations with a difference, to the wonderful bouquet presented to him at the end, this was ballet heaven. Book to see him now in May, if you haven't already got a ticket. Just hang on in there until a Return comes up. I loved Francesca Hayward as Odette and the two blended together beautifully as we already knew they could from their R&J performance. She certainly wasn't the best Odile I've seen technically, and this role doesn't seem to suit her particularly well. However, I felt the way she played it made it far more convincing that Siegfried would be beguiled by her. I suspect she needs to grow into this role as her career progresses. Added bonuses of Gary Avis at Von R and Calvin Richardson as Benno. Calvin and Will are so well suited together and far the most convincing pair of friends I have seen so far. The dancing was pretty good too! Gary was as ever, a very malevolent Von R. I note again that he is the only Von R who when rebuffed by Siegfried at the end of Act 1, runs off the stage making bird arm movements. I questioned that at a forum I attended - and he said "of course", it's part of the transformation. No one else still does it though, but I think he is correct. I watch his hands in Act 3, when he is sat on the dais with the Queen. There is so much more going on there than with anyone other Von R. Fascinating. The whole cast once again performed to the highest standards. What a company!
  9. JennyTaylor
    Back in ballet heaven. Will Bracewell, Francesca Hayward, Gary Avis, Calvin Richardson. What’s not to like. I don’t want it to end
  10. JennyTaylor
    I enjoyed myself last night, but that is because I talked to some nice people, not because of the actual performance. Where to start - well, with a positive. The quality of the dancing was wonderful in all respects. Sadly, not even 24 hours later, I'm struggling to remember the first 2 ballets in any sort of detail. They have merged together in my mind as dark (the lighting), anonymous (the costumes) and meaningless. I had no idea what was going on and I did read the programme notes. So, no emotional connection at all. I spent most of the time trying to work out which dancer was which in the dim lighting and featureless clothes they were wearing - and I was in OS Row F. Heaven help anyone even a few rows further back let alone any of the higher tiers. DGV was better but still not enough to make me ever want to see it again. The audience reaction was OK, but nothing more than that, I would suggest. Perhaps any ballet which starts with the black screen in front of the stage, rather than the red curtains, should be given a health warning. It seemed so last night. So, it's back to Swan Lake for me - this evening, and I can't wait.
  11. JennyTaylor
    I've booked once for tomorrow. I'm hoping to be proved wrong, but I think that will be enough for me.
  12. JennyTaylor
    I booked for this afternoon's performance having seen this couple at a rehearsal. If I had been allowed to comment on the rehearsal, I'd have said that Cesar Corrales looked like he would give even Vadim a run for his money in Act 3 in particular, and although they are 2 very different dancers, I feel my words would have been justified after today's amazing show. I love the attack Corrales gives to his bravura dancing, but it was also apparent in his Act 1 solo where he used the attack to emphasise his mental torment. Beautiful! I also like it that Siegfried's are allowed licence in their Act 3 solos to enable them to add their own personal touches to the choreography. Stunning - and the speed of attack was phenomenal. I loved Mayara too and she can only get better and better. What a pity they get so few performances each. My first sighting of Ben Ella as Benno and he was excellent. A shame that he and all the others bar the swans, Gary Avid and the 2 principals did not get a curtain call. Added bonus of seeing Gary Avis as Von R from Act 3 onwards - he was particularly evil, I felt today. Very best wishes to Bennet Gartside, as I have really enjoyed his Von R's too.
  13. JennyTaylor
    I'll try to see if I can add anything to the wonderful reviews so far of last night's performance. First, I agree with everything said so far on its exceptional nature. I was just so thankful I had refreshed the ROH website countless times to get a wonderful Return ticket in the Orch Stalls. I had booked for the last 2 scheduled performances which sadly were without Marianela, but not this one. My luck was finally in. I've seen Marianela and Vadim in this version of Swan Lake almost as many times as they have actually performed it, and they are always the best in comparison to anyone else (this is a very high bar). However, last night they hit heights as yet unimagined. The atmosphere was emotional from the start with the playing of the Ukranian anthem and then as the familiar overture started, my thoughts were - am I now fated to cry at every single RB performance I attend. I never used to, but these tears lasted well into Act 2. This show was such a thing of beauty that it is indescribable. The audience were very enthusiastic with both Vadim's and Nela's entrances being greeted by cheers. I don't think I have seen this before. The lyricism of their dancing was so beautiful and so nuanced. How is Vadim so elegant in everything he does? The lines of every part of his body are so beautiful and that's before he even starts to dance. Vadim was a different Siegfried last night, than even last Saturday. This was such a deeply emotional display in every acting and dancing move. He was matched by Marianela in Act 2, whose Odette was beyond delicate, sad , suffering and immensely beautiful. The music and the dance combined as never before with the technical excellence of the dancing but also its lyricism, and that was the key to the emotional experience they gave to the audience. Yes, I agree that Nela has upped her game as Odile. The dancing of course was flamboyant and superb but I have never seen her so openly laugh as the deception is unveiled and give such emphasis to the flourishes at the end of each divertissement. The joy! - and the audience reacted accordingly. I was almost surprised that the dancers on the stage did not join in the applause as I saw them once do at a rehearsal. Vadim's Act 3 was phenomenal, all the more so, because it appears effortless. It isn't as we know, and it takes my breath away every time I am privileged to see it. The entire cast raised their game as ever. The RB is so strong! 24 hours later and I am still buzzing. I never want to forget this wonderful 3 hours.
  14. JennyTaylor
    Act 3 even better, if that’s actually possible. What a partnership they are!
  15. JennyTaylor
    Ballet heaven tonight so far. Both Vadim and Marianela cheered at their first entrances and subsequently producing exquisite performances. We are only at the 1st interval
  16. JennyTaylor
    I know - gutted!
  17. JennyTaylor
    For the record, Anna-Rose executed perfectly in the rehearsal I attended. This all reminded me of my one and only performance of Swan Lake viewing Alina Cojaracu. She fell off her points towards the end of the fouettes. I'm not sure who was more shocked - the audience, or Alina. Anyway, of course, that's not how I remember her. There's also a passage in Yasmine Nagdhi's mother's book where she talks about this and how furious she was in Madrid when a member of the audience behind her commented that Yasmine "travelled" during the fouettes. Well, that might have been me, because Yasmine travelled so far to her left that we were all worried that she would end up on the dais with the watching queen's entourage. Everyone commented more out of concern than anything else. Mrs Nagdhi reveals in the book that Yasmine was far from well when she did this performance, but the audience, of course, have no idea of any dancer's personal circumstances except perhaps afterwards if they choose to share. Anyway, I am here tonight to see Marianela and I shall enjoy her whatever happens.
  18. JennyTaylor
    Gary Avis uses the train for quite a long commute so I suspect that might be the culprit. His posts on the Greater Anglia service are a regular feature. I've managed to get a ticket for tomorrow so fingers crossed for Marianela.
  19. JennyTaylor
    Vadim was lovely. Just a shame the interviewer was so poorly prepped.
  20. JennyTaylor
    I attended the performance last night and really enjoyed it. Top class dancing throughout the cast with special mentions for Vadim and James Hay. I've seen 2 rehearsals but this was my first proper performance in this run and it certainly lived up to expectations, apart from the ending, which I have now decided I REALLY dislike. I did think Vadim and Yasmine had a much better connection than in R&J and they both gave it their all. Yasmine's "holding balance" in Act 3 was one of the best I have seen. Comments made on this forum often flit through my mind as I watch. James Hay was certainly the most encouraging Benno (the use of those eyes!) I have seen, not that it did him any good in moving Vadim's Siegfried. However, I didn't feel that Vadim was over glum tonight, just playing it as it should be played. The lyricism and technical quality of his dancing continues to be out of this world. Once again very thankful for this thing of beauty in such an awful world.
  21. JennyTaylor
    Ah, Marianela is now out of Saturday's show. Cast change is on the website
  22. JennyTaylor
    Perhaps Vadim is feeling “down”
  23. JennyTaylor
    I'm sure I have seen very old photos where that occurs - in the ballet books I had as a child
  24. JennyTaylor
    Personally, I SO wish they would change the ending, but I suppose there is no chance of that now.
  25. JennyTaylor
    It's not always, but I'd say there's a high chance. Gartside was Von Rothbart today. Those are the only 3 of which I am aware, but who knows, there could be more. It's a long run As an aside, it was interesting to see how many dancers took the opportunity to watch today. I think I spotted William Bracewell, Matthew Ball, Francesca Hayward and Nicol Edmonds. I think there were undoubtedly more, but they were right over the other side of the theatre from me so it was difficult to spot them all.
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