trog

I saw two performances, Friday evening and Saturday matinee and I thought is was a knock out! Act I is visually stunning, with the swimming scenes for Ariel and Ferdinand (although as noted above not in the matinee), the silk waves and the lighting, really invoking the storm. It is also very clever the way the score goes from sound effects to music. When we reached the masque in Act II, I thought "ah - it's gone into bonkers mode". There's nothing wrong with a ballet going a bit bonkers and I just let it wash over me. The only bit of this that I didn't like was the blonde wigs for the three goddesses. On some cast members they just don't work. I very much liked the sea creatures costumes; they really give the impression that we're underwater. The only other ballet version of The Tempest that I have seen is Darius James' (Ballet Cymru) and that was a number of years ago. I remember thinking then that The Tempest is not the best work to translate into a ballet, and I haven't changed my mind. I would very much like to see it again, so I hope that it remains with the company. There is no guarentee - there are at least three works that I'd like to see again that have vanished from the company's repertoire. Neil Norman in The Stage said ‘spectacular effects, but not enough dancing’ - the effects certainly are spectacular, but Bintley couldn't fit on more dancing if he tried - it's none stop. Janet: Prospero's Books - I agree - I used to be a Peter Greenaway fan, but I have found pretty much everything after Dante unwatchable. Two Pigeons: I'm afraid I find La Fille Mal Gardee a complete borefest (apart from the chickens), were as I very much like Beauty and the Beast and Take 5.

Rowing and cycling on the machines is boring (I've been known to fall asleep on the bike) but I don't find cycling on the road or tow path boring. I like to get out on my bike when I can, which won't be that often soon - I don't cycle in the rain. I like running on the treadmill - it's brain out and go for it. I wish I could reach that state on the gym bikes. I've too have had to give up running. I've substituted this with short bursts of skipping (do a set of weights followed by a minute or so of skipping). Keeps up the aerobic fitness, and I don't find it hard on the knees. As an added bonus, it's sped up my slow feet in tendus, etc. Skipping probably isn't for everybody, but it's working for me at the mo. This is what Playboy Bunnies did, except they used a coke bottle.

Gail Grant's book is a good oneTechnical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet It is one of the few that has arms for different syllabuses. I actually have this version Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet (Dover Books on Dance) by Grant, Gail 3 Rev Sub (1967) Paperback but I assume it hasn't changed. I have this one too A Dictionary of Ballet Terms (Ballet, Dance, Opera and Music) which is nearly as good. I don't know how suitable they would be for a 12yo. Pups_mum might be referring to The Visual Dictionary of Ballet for Children

I'll have to get my order it.

When I started high school, my parents filled in a form with a section "What career would you like your child to follow?" I've always wanted to follow the career Dad wrote in the box - millionaire. I've been stuck in IT for 35 years; when were started, we weren't in "IT" - it was "EDP" or "Computing". I did try to get out once but I failed dismally. Given my time again, I'd probably train as an engineer.

That is pretty much what the third seminarian wears in BRBs Carmina Burana.

Depending on the weather, how I feel, etc, I go for a biketard, or leggings that end just below the knee and a t shirt or full length leggings (no feet) and a t shirt. I always go for cotton lycra - it seems cooler. I generally go for custom made too - better fit and larger range of colours. Off the peg is generally available only in black, white or maybe burgandy. I like purple. Dance belts are a must. Over the last couple of years, we've been able to get full seat ones here in Blighty easily (rather than thong back). Full seat is much more comfy and still does the business.

Perhaps this is a peek into the future? I for one, hope that it isn't. http://balletnews.co.uk/dutch-national-ballet-presents-first-virtual-reality-ballet-in-the-world/

Plie22 if you're ever in Birmingham, drop into the DanceXchange - us chaps have always been welcome there. Actually, I've never known a class where I wasn't welcome, although if there had been giggles, I wouldn't have taken any notice. I'm like that - I reckon if I'm not causing anybody any grief, I've as much right to be in class as anybody else. When I started ballet about 23 years ago, I was the only bloke in class. It was that way for nearly the first ten years. It didn't worry me and it didn't worry the ladies. I used to do an RAD 5 class with a group of teenage girls. They were naturally wary, but they quickly realised that I was only there to take class and I had done grade 5 before and knew the syllabus well. At the barre, they liked me to stand at the back, so they had somebody to follow when we did the second side. They also used to like to follow me across the floor. I've often heard the teacher address the class as girls - I just ignore it. In one class I used to do, the teacher would teach both the girls and boys reverance, and we were all expected to do both. She also had the girls trying pirouttes from second, and tour en l'air, just so they could see how hard these are.

In case you can't get one, here's how to make your own, and supersized too! http://www.pimpthatsnack.com/project/giant-chocolate-orange/

Plenty of scope for discussion. http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160819-the-21st-centurys-100-greatest-films

One of my teachers gave the class the following tip to avoid droopy arms - when you buy something from Amazon, it is packed in those little pillows. Save them and put them in your armpits. This is the stuff she means The above picture reminds me of a fright thay I gave my boss. This stuff is a pain to dispose of, as it very quickly fills up the bin, so you pop it, usually by stabbing it with scissors. We had a load of it in the resource room, and I decided to pop the bubbles by tap dancing on it. The boss was fiddling around inside a photocopier and I was doing this and leapt across the room. He didn't half tell me off!

I visited this exhibition yesterday and I agree with Janet - it is very good and well worth a visit. For me, the most interesting thing was the early demos that you can listen to - the sound that was to be come The Jam is definitely there. If you want to see this, you'll have to go to Liverpool. The staff said that there was a chance it might go to Japan but no other UK venues. It needs a huge amount of space and there aren't suitable venues to accomodate it.

The face and hands are amongst the most difficult things to get right. For some strange reason, when I'm dancing sequences, I cross the fingers on my right hand. I know that I need all the help that I can get, but I wish I could stop doing it.

Huge congratulations! I used to love grade 6, especially the silly running about with the scarf!

I found this using google http://www.quefaire.be/stage-intensif-de-danse-700231.shtml

Like Michelle's, my classes are on summer break. I also received some bad news a couple of weeks ago, in that a teacher that I have been going to for nearly 20 years has decided that she can't cope with teaching any longer. I'm really going to miss her varied and challenging classes. There are some private hires running at the DanceXchange over the summer, but these are of a far too high standard for my limited ability. Luckily I have found a class that is running through the summer, way over the other side of Birmingham, so I am getting a bit of ballet in. It wil be nice to be back at the DX come September. With the lack of classes, Ive been slipping in a couple of extra gym sessions. Where I go, there is a studio which has Les Mills Virtual classes running. Almost nobody goes in there, so I have the place to myself and I can do my own barre (using a stack of Reebok steps as the barre) and dance a few sequences (albeit to inappropriate music). I also started skipping, in a effort to speed up my slow feet - seems to be working too

Some AD do own the ballet company and invest their own money - I can think of at least two in the UK.

They might be wide elastic - some dancers use it as well as ribbons. I absolutely loved the production. The surrealist/dada sets made sense after a while. I quickly spotted Dali's Mae West Lips Sofa and Man Ray's Object To Be Destroyed was a brilliant idea in place of the usual clock. I've seen the stool (with the ladies legs) the Prince was using when trying to find Cinders before too, but I can't remember which artist created it. I've tried Google but it's not the easiest of things to lookup. I'll report back if I find it. Amber Scott is a delight to watch. She glides elegantly across the stage, barely seeming to touch the floor. It's a shame that I missed out on the other balletco-ers, apart from Janet McNulty who I know well. Maybe next time? Above, terpsichore mentions Darius James' version of Cinderella - I love that one too, as well as David Bintley's version.

Me too!

Merce Cunningham was a great jumper and it is said his plie was deeper than most. A lot of ballet is in the plie. Also, your biggest friend is the floor - push it away as you jump. <cue deep, breathy voice> - Use the floor, Luke

No it isn't an April Fool joke. In his book, Balanchine's Festival Of Ballet, he says "I thought of using sapphires, too, and had Schoenberg in mind, but the color of sapphires is hard to get across on stage." Unfortunately he doesn't say which music he had in mind. He says of Emeralds, "I suppose if this part of the ballet can be said to represent anything at all, it is perhaps an evocation of France, the France of elegance, comfort, dress, perfume. Further, he says, "Others seem to have found the second part, "Rubies", representative of America. I didn't have that in mind at all. Created in 1967, he "fiddled" with Emeralds in 1976 - he created new dances for Violette Verdy and Jean-Pierre Bonnefous. I assume these revisions remain in the production today.

Wow they're screening it in Dudley, a mere 10 minutes from home.

Ah ATG, the company that charged me an extra £6.90 for the privilege of booking a ticket at the Bristol Hippodrome recently. £4 booking fee and £2.90 admin fee.

I've just found this quiz http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2016/06/oed-june-2016-update/ so you can test yourself on the new words.I got 50% but some were lucky guesses.