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Thecatsmother

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  1. I was thinking maybe Deborah Bull who has links to government could raise the issue of the need for an independent enquiry. She would be well placed to do this given her past interests in dancers mental health etc?
  2. Maybe it was just me and this is totally only my opinion but I left the gala feeling rather underwhelmed. I was expecting good things given how many talented students come out of Australia seem to be. I found Harlequinade a little dated and the corps costumes not the most flattering for the women. I enjoyed the Peck piece but the rest of the contemporary did not excite. There were several lead male dancers with phenomenal jumping ability and there was nice use of feet throughout but I felt a lot of the performance was rather ‘muted’. The Don Q seemed to lack attack and use of upper body but the audience seemed to enjoy. It must be hard to travel so far, adjust to the time difference and a new stage in what I assume would have been a short space of time. I did wonder how the size of stage compared to their normal venues? It did look as if they were struggling with it being larger maybe and adjusting to this? It did seem like several dancers ‘ran out of steam’ especially towards end of T pas de deux. I must say I was also a bit intrigued watching our Russian guest in the audience. I was positioned to be able to note how each piece was received judging by the presence or absence of his applause which was in rather short supply this afternoon!
  3. A real mix of pieces but it would definitely benefit from some sort of piece synopsis or introduction like they used to do for First Drafts. The mix of pieces led to a somewhat somber evening and perhaps they could have done with a bit more light relief. The piece by Norwegian National Ballet 2 was interesting and beautifully danced. The mood changed for the piece by Polish National Ballet which was a humorous take on the thieving magpie. A piece which seemed to be welcomed by the audience after several more somber pieces. There was a short piece by Ashley Dean and also ‘another’ new Tonga creation. I am not sure how many times hip hop and ballet need to be combined before it is concluded that it is an uneasy partnership. I am uncertain how invoked the dancers are with these ‘creations’ but perhaps if a choreographer had more insight into both ballet and hip hop then it might look less like a poor combination of ballet steps with some hip hop like arms and body movements thrown in ( just my opinion). I would say the running time was a little on the short side at 90 minutes including an interval. I am sure the earlier incarcerations of First Drafts were far more substantial in terms of amount of content although the International part worked well and it was nice to see dancers from a range of companies.
  4. I saw the matinee this afternoon. Was excited to see the new production. I agree with a lot that has been shared. I was a bit underwhelmed by Nunez. Reflecting upon it, perhaps it is not just the way that she has chosen to portray the role but also the interplay this has with some strong characters that share the stage (Avis etc). Things did not really get going until act 2 in terms of her performance. The costumes were on the whole most unflattering for the dancers. I wondered if the focus had been placed upon how they would move rather than look upon the dancers. Lots of fabrics which moved beautifully but were not kind to the performers especially those who were short in the waist. I would be inclined to scrap the Act 1 fairy costumes and have them do the solos in the tutus from Act 2. One of the highlights of Cinderella has always been the stars but the set in Act 1 did them no favours as it compressed the spacing and it lost its power which you can see return a bit in the later acts when they have more space on stage. The footwork was also disappointing. Positives-the elevation of the jester, the set in Act 1 in terms of entrance of the fairies although it has a knock on effect upon space for the stars. I also like the set for the final act. Fumi in the role as fairy godmother and her gorgeous costume.
  5. Yes, it is hard to ensure dancers get the right support. Dr Nicky Keay is a specialist (endocrinologist) in this area and sees dancers.
  6. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/bjsports/49/7/421.full.pdf
  7. Dr Nicky Keay does some excellent work in this area and sees dancers. https://nickykeayfitness.com
  8. It would be important to check that all staff are DBS checked given there is no information on the website re teaching staff.
  9. Might be linked to new recreational ballet training as these may also require uniform?
  10. My first attempt at seeing Raymonda was cancelled but I was fortunate enough to catch it on its last day. So nice the company managed to perform in the end. My opinion- there is a lot for the dancers to get their teeth into but maybe too much to chew fully. I think it needs editing. There were some lovely moments of choreography but it would benefit from being shaped together as a whole more. At times it felt a bit disjointed and I found the ending was a bit flat compared to other versions. On the whole the male dancers were on good form although some spacing issues in Act 1. I particularly enjoyed the performances of Francesca V, Ivana B and Georgia B as lead nurse. Although it would not have been my choice of cast the solos and pas de deux were well danced but Olivera lacked the lines of some of the other performers. Despite this, she is doing well given how long she has been in the company. There does seem to be a lot of younger members of the company beginning to come into their own so it will be interesting to follow over the next few years. I am undecided as to whether Natasha M would be better suited in a company with more taller dancers in order to look her best alongside other dancers. She has however grown in confidence since I last saw her perform. I found the dream act interesting but perhaps a little blue. On the subject of dreams, I am sure Fernanda would have been awoken by the deluge of noisy pointe shoes which clearly needed more hammering pre show. Despite this, it was visually pleasing to watch. Call me old school but I do prefer the more ornate ACT 3 version with costuming to show off the dancers legs better. The costumes were beautiful throughout the performance but the rustic look of act 3 was not my favourite. The character dances throughout were refreshing to watch and clearly somebody had spent a considerable amount of time and care rehearsing these. This was something that fitted well and provided a break from the usual typical dances that tend to be seen in full length ballets. I would like to have seen this once more with a different cast and would go back to see a slightly refined and edited version. Credit goes to the conductor who is a joy to watch as always and brings such energy and commitment to his work. I always find I spend part of the performance watching him conduct as it us truly mesmerising to watch and listen to. I shall never forget him in Strictly Gershwin some years ago where he ‘danced’ throughout most of the show. I look forward to the Forsyth program and hopefully easier conditions for the dancers to work through next time. They did amazingly well given the current work conditions.
  11. https://allaboutpointe.weebly.com/to-the-parent.html
  12. For sale. 1 first drafts ticket for Weds 17th Nov. Row B of Clore Studio -£17.
  13. There is quite a bit in the literature now about links between EDS etc anx higher levels of anxiety. The article I posted was just an example. My point was more that it goes far beyond overly mobile ligaments, joints etc in many dancers. Here is something more linked with young people in general and education. https://www-tes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.tes.com/news/why-you-need-know-about-eds-hsd-and-hypermobility?amp There are very clear ways of assessing for anxiety disorders using DSMV so I think more could be done in this area. My understanding is that especially with things like EDS this is thought to be linked to differences in the autonomic nervous system hence the accompanying problems that can present with this like sleep disturbances, POTS etc.
  14. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3365276/ lots of other negative aspects to hyper mobility which are often not discussed.
  15. This makes very sad but important reading. There does seem to be a trans generational transmission of some of these practices which it is important to bring into consciousness within certain dance environments. One thing that strikes me (a general comment not referring to any school or company) is if a school or company is not acting on information concerning abusive teaching practices it should be possible to raise this with the individual teacher’s registering body eg RAD, BBO, ISTD etc. The problem here is there are a large number of teachers in vocational schools and companies who are not registered teachers. This in effect makes them almost ‘untouchable’.
  16. Unfortunately, restrictions due to anatomical structures are present regardless of age. Adults are even less likely to gain mobility so teachers are acting in the correct manner by limiting who can commence pointe work. If this is not heard by the adult then this says something about the adult rather than the teacher as it will lead to problems further down the line.
  17. Very true re adults going on pointe too early. Some young people who want to go on pointe may be advised against this due to not having sufficient mobility in foot and ankle to form a straight line whilst standing on pointe. On the whole they tend to cope with this quite well if it is explained that they risk injury or not being able to achieve a proper line on pointe. It therefore means that there will also be adults who should be advised against pointe work for their own safety but it is hard to stop an adult going out and buying a pair.
  18. This is interesting. When you look at places like SAB, Paris Opera School etc, there is a consistency of training style imbedded from an early age through years of work and learning the company rep. What happens to this when students drop in for the final year of US or indeed at 16? There is clearly room for improvement in the British training as it used to be the case their were almost full year groups of British students at RBS Upper School. Having said that the dance world is always attracted to ‘ new shiny objects’.
  19. I went to see the Upper School summer performance for the year 1 students at the Linbury this year. I do mot normally go to this but I was curious to know how many of the students, especially the girls, were from the UK? There seemed to be alot coming in from dance competitions abroad? I think maybe around 13 or 14 ladies in that year.
  20. Agree with many of the comments made re this production. I was lucky enough to see it at the beginning and end of the run. It was much improved by the final performance. The corps in Coppelia looked more assured by the final Saturday although I was surprisingly disappointed by Olivera’s Swanhilda given her strong technical performance in Three Preludes earlier in the run. Perhaps just a bad day but technically she was no match for her partner. I won’t repeat what has already been said but just add a few of my own thoughts. -Let’s hope we get more chances to see Streeter and his wife perform together, the chemistry was phenomenal! -I agree re Mair and maybe she just needs more time as joined the company at a difficult time in terms of limitated performance opportunities. She has amazing facility and you could see improvement in her stage presence and confidence in the Black Swan pas de deux compared with Corsaire earlier in the run. Despite this, I felt nervous watching both of her performances. It takes a lot of strength to hold and manage her long limbs and hypermobility but at present she looked weak in her core and turn out lapsed during the fast linking steps which impacted her credibility. I did wonder if she would benefit from a taller partner although Hernandez performed well and worked hard to support her. I shall be interested to watch how this pans out as there is a lot of potential here if nurtured in the right way to bulld her confidence alongside increasing strength. I wish her well as it cannot have been an easy time to transition company. She reminded me a little of Summerscales in her early days- a bit colt like but nice to see some taller principal dancers. -Totally agree re Playlist and this has to be considered a signature piece for ENB. I hope they use it more. The men looked relaxed and energised by the piece. They clearly loved every minute and were not limited by ‘fear’ in pushing themselves beyond what they thought they could achieve. A mention for another dancer who stood out for me in both performances, who was Yeomans. I know he has been the company a while but his attack, clean technique and interpretation was worth watching. He is one to watch over the coming years along with McWhinney.
  21. Did ENB manage to get all the funding to finish the building in City Island. I know they were short for a long time?
  22. I agree that she should continue with whatever she wants to do but it might be worth considering if the views of her current teacher might impact how she views her body later in life. Its v young to assess who will be suitable for vocational schools and her emotional well-being should be paramount.
  23. Such sad news. Shirley really fought for her dancers and was incredibly helpful at signposting me with a complex injury.
  24. There are a few younger students at Rambert School who seem to manage well. It might be worth considering although the majority seem to be 18+ in year 1. The students are very supported and looked after well.
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