alison

I suspect it probably is, too. Is it linked to dancers taking curtain calls "in character"? Anyway, as long as it's "good-hearted" I don't suppose it matters much - it's still a compliment.

I certainly thought that what we saw in "Carlos at 50" was a distinct improvement on the RB performances, and that perhaps it will just suit his own company better. Plus it's about twice as long as the original version, so who knows? Still can't decide whether to go and see it, though, so I'd better make up my mind fast.

Plenty of seating, but not of tables. Or power sockets. (Or even WiFi) Both should have been provided on trains where your journey could easily be of several hours.

Oh, really? When that happened to me in August 2021 it was rather better organised - railway staff were arranging taxis from the London terminus. Once word got round, I imagine there were a lot of black cabs drawing up - one guy got a fare from London to Lewes or somewhere!

Never mind, Dawnstar - at least they're on-topic

Bumping this, because I've just discovered that there are a whole load of Kafka-related events going on in Oxford this year as part of the centenary of his death: https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2024-03-04-oxford-kafka-2024

Hadn't realised until I saw it on the train indicators today that that's a lot of the local London train providers on strike the same day as the London tube. That is going to be horrendous.

PS: I notice they will also be broadcasting Massenet's opera Don Quichotte later on in the season. Potential for confusion there!

Thank you for the link, BeauxArts. I must admit, having gone to https://www.operadeparis.fr/en/info/cinema, I'm a bit confused about the general availability of internet screenings. Are they showing all the cinema relays live online? (If so, I've just missed La Fille Mal Gardée ) I can't see any indication that they're expanding (much) to cinemas outside France (a few screenings on the US East Coast, some in Australia, but little beyond that).

Okay, sorry, it does appear to be a tour en l'air (even though I thought that term generally referred to turns with leg à la seconde when I'd seen it used) : "Turn in the air. This is essentially a male dancer’s step although contemporary choreographers use this tour for girls. lt is a turn in the air in which the dancer rises straight into the air from a demi-plié, makes a complete turn and lands in the fifth position with the feet reversed. The turn may be single, double or triple according to the ability of the dancer. Fifth position R foot front. Demi-plié and push off the floor into the air, turning en dehors (to the right). Land in demi-plié in the fifth position, R foot back. The arms assist and the head must spot as in pirouettes. Tour en l’air may also be finished in various poses such as attitude, arabesque, grande seconde or on one knee. It may also be done in a series." https://www.abt.org/explore/learn/ballet-dictionary/ Ignore my rabbitings-on earlier

ABT's normally useful ballet dictionary doesn't seem to define various forms of assemblé, so I can't be sure I'm right. I thought it used to contain videos of the steps?

I'm not sure the above posts necessarily reflect responses to the questions immediately preceding them - just be warned!

Yes, but only a landing in 5th position then immediate take-off again, presumably? Which reminds me: ice skating ...

Double assemblé, then (or is that only a single turn in the air? Does it need to be a double DA?), land and take off for another one immediately? All done on the spot rather than travelling. I went on the hunt on YouTube for the footage of Patrick Armand doing the same which I found years ago, but sadly it got taken off due to a copyright claim so I couldn't link to it as an example. But yes, they are VERY impressive. If anyone wants to spend loads of time hunting on YouTube, it should come in at about 6-7 minutes through your average Black Swan pdd, gala variety

With just one month to go before local elections, and a probable general election later in the year, please be aware that you are now required to show photo ID in order to be able to vote You can apply to your local Council for a form of ID if you don't have anything suitable, but you only have about 3 weeks to do that in. Either that, or it's apply for a postal vote. Or be disenfranchised.

I'm pretty certain it does. All you should need is the departure time, the time it should have got to your destination, and the time the train you got onto got to its destination, I think. Drop me a PM if you need help!

Will it work for the UK, I wonder?

Dawnstar, take a look at http://realtimetrains.co.uk - for a week afterwards, you can put in details of your train and find out how long it was delayed for. (Just go for the simple version: the advanced one is for rail geeks!)

I've moved Don Q Fan's comments on German theatres into the specific "German theatres" thread for ease of finding. No comments on Zurich as yet?

Rather more of a viewing restriction than expected owing to the people in front ☹️ Sim, the cast sheet I saw maybe 30 mins before the show had Gasparini in the Neapolitan dance.

I just wish I could have seen more of it. I missed so much.

Ticket has been resold.

Ticket is still available

Have checked - it's D30, which may have something of a restricted view, albeit still less than the Balcony B and C standings.

Thanks, Carol. Useful to know that my £$^%£$& phone had switched off my regular nighttime Do Not Disturb settings! I doubt Carol's friend is going to want the ticket, so don't let that put anyone else off, although she does get first dibs if I'm wrong.