Shirley

 

I had wondered why at the performance on 29th November the sleigh had not made an appearance at the end of the first act. Now, I suspect, we know. It looks like it was to accommodate the BBC cameras in the wings. They always take preference in my experience.

 

Didn't the sleigh break down? I know it wasn't there for the couple of shows I saw towards at end of November and beginning of Dec but was back just before the live screening.

In the meantime, if anyone *would* like a balcony D standing for the 17th, do drop me a PM.  Although I'm perfectly happy to see Nunez as Myrthe, she's in the third performance as well, and I've seen Lamb and Golding once already, so am not hugely bothered either way.

Hi Alison

Tried to pm you re the ticket but it would not send.

If John does not take the ticket ticket and if it hasn't gone I would like to buy it.

Many thanks

Shirley

I think it was Gary Avis in that show rather than J Cope.

If I remember correctly they both did the show. Mr Cope was in the the first run in 2007 and then Mr Avis in 2008.

Mara Galeazzi?

I think Mara is learning the piece as cover.

Gave the same info but have left the link for the season announcement.

http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/6441-rb-season-2014-2015/

Edited

Not one to defend the ROH but they did announce on twitter( @RoyalOperaHouse and  @TheRoyalBallet ) that there was a change of cast as well as an announcement on news section ofthe front page of the website and the news section on the main page for Don Q. Not sure why they haven't changed the actual casting under the date but it the information is there.

(Edited to clarify the final sentence)

According to the ROH database, Yanowsky and Bolle danced Swan Lake in 2005 and 2009 and La Bayadère in 2007. I wonder if Bussell was supposed to do the pas de deux at the Jubilee performance and had to be replaced, because it seems a bit weird to have had a Spaniard and an Italian dancing for the jubilee when there was a home-grown British ballerina available.

No Zenaida didn't replace Bussell in the Jubilee performance  - The RB were about to start a tour in Australia a day or two after Jubilee and the company were already in Australia.

I didn't see the broadcast, but it's odd that Darcey was apparently so poor as she has been fine in the television programmes which I have seen her in. I assume that what made the difference was that all the interviews were live on Monday evening. I think that the RB should show her the recording and suggest that she prepare better in future. Doing live interviews can't be easy but preparation will almost certainly improve them.

I didn't see the broadcast either on Monday but from reading reviews of the new ITV breakfast show that started this week it looks like live tv can be a struggle for presenters, even for those with hours of previous experience.

I've always thought that Darcey must have had a magnificent agent working on her behalf.  However wonderful a ballet dancer she was, that talent alone is not enough to make you well known in the wider world.  Someone was organising the tv appearances, the photo shoots, publicising the books, and so on on her behalf. Brand Bussell was very well marketed, and the "nice girl" image exploited to its fullest extent.  Hence the fact that people who have never seen a ballet in their lives would know her name.  

 

I would have thought that the Royal Ballet Press Office would have arranged quite a bit of the promotional work that Darcey undertook. I'm pretty sure I remember reading about a press officer being with her at most photo shoots and TV appearances although I'm sure she also had an agent for other work, especially towards the end of her career. 

I also think Alison hit the nail on the head that she was willing to give up her time when so many others wouldn't.

Wouldn't your non-ballet friends know the name Pavlova? Or do they just think it's a meringue dessert?

Only the dessert 

I wonder how many people would be thinking that Darcey Bussell was so great if she hadn't had so much non-ballet-related publicity. Actually I wonder how many people would have even heard of her, outside the small group of ballet aficionados. It almost seems insulting that she's on the list and Lynn Seymour isn't.  

 

I'm not sure what you mean by non-ballet related publicity Melody? Are you referring to publicity after Ms Bussell retired or when she was a principal with the Royal Ballet?

I wonder how many dancers on the list the general public would be aware of. Apart from Fonteyn I don't think any of my non ballet friends would know any other name on the list.

The bleep test is used to measure fitness and a cd is usually used for the bleeps as they occur at specific intervals.

You have to cover 20m in an allotted time aiming to turn on the bleep. The bleeps start off very slow ( you can walk at the beginning) and for each level the time between them decreases. There are 21 levels and each level lasts a minute or just over

It always used to amaze me how some secondary students basic fitness was so poor that they couldn't complete 2 levels - that was 2 mins of fast walking or slow jogging. A total of 300m.

I think the police also use this test.

Edited to add comment about the police

I thought a new rink opened in Streatham in November last year. Not sure if it's in the same place though.

A link to a news piece about it.

Yes, it is shocking that ice skating rinks have been shut all over the place.  I used to go with my school to Streatham ice rink, as did all the other schools in the area.  Then, the site was bought by.Tesco.  Yep, just what we all need, another massive supermarket.  There was a huge amount of uproar over this, and the original planning permission insisted that the skating rink to be included in the design.  Tesco successfully negotiated to have this removed once they had acquired the site.

 

Great news

From my personal experience I used to go the the stage door quite a bit after shows and have been fortunate to meet many wonderful dancers who have always been kind enough to have a quick word or sign an autograph. Now I don't go quite so often as my circumstances have changed but sometimes after specific shows.

If a dancer didn't want to see anyone after the show, specifically at the ROH, then they can always leave via another exit - there are loads

It even has biographies of the dancers   

Hi Ann

This is the text form the contact us page

The Arts Desk Ltd. is registered in the UK, and our principal address is Northside House Mount Pleasant Cockfosters EN4 9EB. You can contact our publisher, Kevin Madden, by writing to address above, or by phone 07748 182490, or using the email form below.

Maybe some in the audience didn't feel she was the best actress but I'm sure many others did like her interpretation.

Opinions always differ - I know I have been to some shows this season at the ROH that others have raved about that have left me completely cold. Thankfully we all see differently - if not life would be boring if we all agreed.

So what would happen to the purpose built studios that are in the building? I'm sure it would be a struggle to find anything like they have already as well as all the other facilities they have - fitness, physio, rehab etc

Hi Zoe

10.25 is the time given on the cast sheet.

Isn't Ballet a visual art? Nothing sells ballet to an audience like great photos. You just need to see the recent success of photo books that have come out in recent years to realise that.

As others have mentioned the naming of the artists in photos, by Dave especially,  is fantastic and lets us know the whole company.

Perhaps the ROH wants to add complete sets of photos to their Website (would you be able to find it after a week) to showcase and the talent they have. Considering they haven't even got Biographies of any of the dancers I'm not hopeful.

As the thread was about people who made their choices based solely on the dancers they'd heard of, clearly it wasn't the general public. It was those who actually knew anything about ballet from personal experience: critics, regular balletgoers and so on.

Thanks for the clarification but I'm sure even 'regular balletgoers' and critics have differences of opinions on casts, productions, companies etc.

However, I don't understand how some people feel it is so wrong for someone to book a show to see a 'famous name' because a 'regular balletgoer' thinks that someone else would have been so much better. As far as I am concerned it doesn't matter what got them to the theatre be it a 'famous name', a poster on the tube, seeing 'Black Swan' or anything else. If that person comes out having had a great evening, then it does it really matter if the 'regular balletgoer' thinks that no way in a million years should they have seen that cast?

What makes this art form so great is there is no right or wrong. Just different interpretations, which some people love and other hate, and I'm sure that's why so many see different casts and different companies.

And there was a more recent case of an audience member actually complaining because they hadn't seen Carlos Acosta dancing (he wasn't scheduled, of course), despite the fact that the dancer who was dancing was recognised as being a lot better in the role than Acosta was.

Everyone has their own opinion as to who is better in a role, and reading the Onegin thread brings that home. One could ask by whom the dancer in question was recognised as being better by? The General Public, the Management, his family?

I saw Las Hermanas on a Dance Bites Tour in Feb 1998 but I think it was in Woking, not Dartford. I also saw a couple of shows at Sadlers Wells in November of the same year.

If you haven't found the post this link should get you there I hope.