BristolBillyBob

If anyone's interested, looks like Nancy will be dancing in ENB's Choregraphics show at the Barbican this week. For only £15, might be a 'potentially-nearly-last-chance-to-see' no-brainer for us fans. B³

I thought I'd start a thread for this as it's coming up this weekend. I'll be seeing this at 7.30pm on Saturday 24th May. I'll be flying solo on this one, so if any of you will be there at the same time and fancy saying hello, do give me a shout.

If I have time, I might just do that!

Well, that's interesting. I'm an analyst by trade, and now you've got me all curious. There's a fair amount of data (I believe) to suggest that people who are older in their school year perform better at school work (and are more successful beyond). I would imagine this would be doubly true for dancers, namely that dancers who are older for their year would be more developed physically, stronger and so on, and so would have an advantage over their peers who are young for their year. Which is why, on face value, it would be surprising for lots of the top dancers to be May birthdays. I don't suppose anyone knows of a spreadsheet with dates of birth for a load of dancers? Hmm. Maybe I'll make this a new topic...

Heh. My extension at work is 18519. I was delighted when I found out it was Fonteyn's date of birth.

Oh, that is a little weird. It's only a few price points, but there should be plenty available in the £64 section in the Orchestra stalls. If you're still having trouble, you can phone them too. The number is on the first Evening Standard link I posted. Hope you get it sorted.

I know it's only the middle of May, but I'm calling it. This gets my award for The Most Surreal Forum Post Of The Year.

Hmm. It's before the checkout process. Just to double check, are you looking at the right date? This is only for the one performance I refer to in the title. When you get onto the seating plan, click on 'Orchestra Stalls' and then click on a seat, there should be two green boxes on the left. One with the full £64 and the other Evening Standard price of £35. That's what it looks like to me now, but that might be because I entered the code earlier (and I'm not being prompted to in the same way now). Earlier when I input the code, I can't remember which screen it was on but it was the top right and said something like "Do you have a code? Enter it here". Let me know how you get on.

I've posted this also over on the Special Ticket Offers page, but if anyone's interested the Evening Standard have a cheap ticket deal for the Monday 26th May matinee performance. Monday, don't forget, is a bank holiday, so no having to take time off work! Only £35 for stalls seats and £20 for amphi. Which I thought was a bit of a bargain, and have duly snapped up two tickets. Lots of great seats still going in the stalls. http://www.standard.co.uk/esrewards/serenade-sweet-violets-and-dgv-danse--grande-vitesse-tickets-from-just-20-9374129.html

Pretty good deal! For £35 I snapped up a great stalls seat for this. http://www.standard.co.uk/esrewards/serenade-sweet-violets-and-dgv-danse--grande-vitesse-tickets-from-just-20-9374129.html

I had a look too, because I'm generally suspicious of things without an official source (although I do trust Dancing Times), but couldn't find anything either. If anyone finds an official announcement, please do post it on here. 'Course, in an ideal world, the story is wrong and she's been recruited as a principal at Birmingham Royal Ballet who have simultaneously announced their rebranding as Bristol Royal Ballet and relocation to the Hippodrome ten minutes walk from my front door. A fella can dream, right?

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! From Facebook: Nancy Osbaldston, for those unfamiliar with her, won ENB's Emerging Dancer award in 2013 and is properly amazing. Of course, I wish her all the best at her new company. May her career go from strength to strength.

Um, if you're not a fan of gushing praise you'll probably want to take this opportunity to finish the ironing. WHAT A SHOW. Birmingham Royal Ballet are a company on absolute fire at the moment. This triple bill, as a showcase of the immense depth and diversity of their talent, is second to none. Les Rendezvous was a lovely start to the show. The setting was simple, the costumes sumptuous, and the dancing full of summery joy. I'm not necessarily Ashton's biggest fan, but this was a candy-store delight. While it was danced beautifully by all the cast, two things really stood out in Les Rendezvous. Firstly, just how strong the dancing of the men at BRB is. It's a recurring theme for my reviews of the company. My ballet buddy and I had a chat in the interval about this and she suggested that this might be partly because David Bintley carefully picks pieces and choreographs ballets with such strong parts for male dancers. In any case, I've mentioned how talented they are before and I'm happy to repeat myself. The second thing that stood out is just how good Laura Day is. I'd enjoyed her performance in Card Game earlier in the season, but I'd suspected it was largely because the role suited her so perfectly. But here she shone whenever she was on stage. It's possibly the highest compliment I can pay at the moment when I say that Laura strongly reminded me of ENB's superb Nancy Osbaldston, as Nancy is already one of my all time favourite dancers. They both share a small stature, but actually the connection is that they both have a sublime grace of movement. It's agonisingly hard to describe what I mean, but there's that indefinable something that makes them both an absolute pleasure to watch. I note from the programme that she was born in Cheltenham, so I hope she had lots of family and friends in to witness what a talent she's becoming. Kin. If Jenna Roberts were to declare that she doesn't love contemporary choreography above everything else, I would eat my trousers. It simply can't be possible to act the way she inhabited her role in Kin. She was equally perfect in Lyric Pieces the last time BRB were in Cheltenham, too. It's almost like she is in the company as the contemporary specialist! She was utterly mesmeric to watch in a piece that I came to adore as it went on. Kin is a fascinating piece. In brooding monochrome with a similarly monochromatic but subtly textured score to match, this abstract ballet's choreography was complex, fiendishly difficult-looking in places and fascinating. In one pas de deux with Jenna Roberts and Joseph Caley, the two dancers seemed completely separate on the stage, seemingly disconnected. In places, though, the two synchronise and match movements or come into contact with one another. As a means to express the invisible but powerful bonds that exist between people, it was immensely powerful. Alexander Whitley's choreography was some of the most interesting I've seen, and has further whetted the appetite for more contemporary works that Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet first instilled in me last year. More please! I should also mention that the costumes in this were fantastic. Jean-Marc Puissant provided the costumes for Take Five too, and these shared the same elegant, cool simplicity of that show. Elite Syncopations I've already waxed lyrical about this performance here, and it all applies equally here. I love this piece. Once again, the curtain simply going up got a gasp of approval from the audience! Getting to see Yvette Knight and James Barton's Alaskan Rag again was an absolute joy - I don't think I've seen anything in a theatre that has made me feel so happy! Once again, this was danced beautifully by everyone, including a lovely solo by Samara Downs. Because I'm slightly worried that you lot might have concluded from previous reviews that I have the least discerning taste on the planet, and that I'm someone who probably just dishes out worship indiscriminately, I wish I could find some criticism, somewhere, of this triple bill. I simply can't. If you think I've waffled or written too much in this review, think yourself lucky. I could've written ten times this amount and still not have covered off everything I wanted to heap praise upon. It was immaculate, simply immaculate.

Well, yesterday was proof of this completely. For the price of a cinema ticket and popcorn, Bristol Russian Ballet's production of Cinderella was a real treat, and my thanks and congratulations go to all at the company for a wonderful show. Firstly, I should say how lovely it was to meet Terpsichore - and to learn how to pronounce this! - and Dave after the show. I'm so glad you enjoyed the show, Dave. What a memory that will be to take with you to America! All the very best of luck stateside. I'll keep an eye out for you in SFB's casting. It's so hard to review this production, because there are so many layers to how enjoyable it was. Elena and Arionel were predictably fantastic (surreal as it was seeing them on a mid-sized stage in a slightly tacky seaside resort). Neither tried to steal the scene, and you could tell that both were there solely to share their talents with the students of the company. It must have meant the world to the students to be sharing a stage with such stars, and the generosity of spirit on stage was both apparent and abundant in Elena and Arionel. They both interacted with subtle, kind encouragement with the younger dancers and gave the older dancers respect as equals. It was actually genuinely moving, and I have the utmost respect and adoration for both of them for what they've done for the company. While the ENB pair were predictably the most accomplished dancers, they weren't the only stars on the stage. The younger dancers in the mice scene would have walked any Britain's Got Talent phone vote just on their adorability factor alone! Dave Wilson and William Griffin were brilliant fun as the King and Minister respectively, particularly in their scenes with Vargas. Andrea Santato was astonishing as Mr Time, with a fantastic crispness in his dancing. The seasonal fairies were all very strong, particularly in their solos. My ballet buddy and I were both particularly taken by the Spring Fairy, Georgia Smart, who danced beautifully and just had that hard-to-define likeability. I was also particularly impressed by Ellie Wilson as the Spanish Princess. Terpischore was kind enough to introduce me to her after the show, and I wish her all the very best at the Rambert ballet school. She has a bright future, I'm sure. There were a few teething issues at the curtain call, but these were largely, I suspect, caused by surprise at the enthusiasm of the response from the audience. There was so much warmth from the auditorium, from adoring parents and friends seeing their loved ones on stage, from local ballet fans still probably disbelieving that two ENB principals had come to their tiny town, from enthusiasts like me just appreciating a jolly fun afternoon at the ballet... It's a very different event to a night at the ROH, but smaller shows like this have a special quality and enjoyment that you simply can't get elsewhere, all of which makes the already cheap-as-Weston-Super-Mare-sandy-chips £16 seem even more like a preposterous bargain.

Thanks very much for the posts, Terpischore! I wouldn't have known about this (or even, for that matter, the company itself) were it not for this thread. As there were two rather nice stalls seats still free, I've booked in for the WSM show, so maybe I'll see you there! £16 to see two amazing ENB principals, the famous Dave and some potentially very talented young dancers? Bargain. One of the delightful things I've discovered over the last few years exploring the ballet world is that, with the right expectations, as fun an evening can be had paying under £20 for a ballet school performance or touring company as can be had for £100 at the ROH. And this forum is a goldmine for discovering events like that near me that wouldn't ordinarily cross my radar. So to everyone who posts regularly about the smaller events, thank you very much!

You'll often hear me rattle on about how Northern Ballet's Beauty And The Beast at the New Theatre, Cardiff, was the ballet that first properly connected with me about two years ago and sealed my love for the art. As a result, they will always have a special place in my heart and I always look forward to my annual pilgrimage over the bridge. Indulge me a moment a few words about Martha Leebolt, if you wouldn't mind. While watching her, it dawned on me why she is so special to watch. It's because she's in precisely the right place. That she and Nixon have ended up in the same company and working so closely together, it's clear to me now, is simply no coincidence. She is just perfectly suited to exactly the kind of role that Nixon loves to choreograph. Martha doesn't act and dance so much as her dancing and her acting are one and the same thing. Some ballerinas have the technical skill and you can watch their faces for their emotions, but with Martha you feel the role's character defined and explored in every movement. Every step is like a thought or a feeling given motion. As someone who tries to write music from time-to-time, I imagine that for most artists the ultimate goal is to translate what's in the head into reality in whatever art you're practicing. Nixon surely can't believe his luck that, in Martha Leebolt, he's found someone to translate his choreographic vision so effectively to the stage. Watching Martha Leebolt dance sometimes feels like a duet between the dancer and the choreographer. I can't wait to see Cleopatra, a role that was created on Leebolt. I bet that's awesome. You might have gathered I'm a bit of a fan. Anyway, onto other thoughts on the night! I won't be exhaustive, but these are the things that stuck out... The final pas de deux that Janet has enthused about so frequently certainly didn't disappoint. Its restraint at the start gave me goosebumps. That Nixon doesn't feel the need to show off throughout the PDD means that the audience has time to actually feel the connection between the two characters during their reconciliation. The moment where all the dancing from the last two hours has stopped and Prince Mikhail and Cinderella are merely standing on stage, and he reaches out ever-so slowly to gently touch her arm, is as moving as anything I've seen in a ballet. The dancing was excellent throughout. A few dancers stood out, but I'm not certain I could identify them properly. I think one of them was Michela Paolacci, who had a wonderfully classical elegance to her and lovely hands. My Ballet Buddy on this occasion was particularly taken by 'Acrobat Number Two', who I think we managed to identify as Matthew Topliss, but I suspect that was as much to do with his physical appearance sans chemise as artistic performance. Pippa Moore was superb as the stepmother, excelling particularly during the staccato pent-up rage where she's awaiting the errant Cinderella's return. The pacing was wonderfully snappy (I get restless through endless variations), especially in the first act, and everything ticked along nicely. The sets were generally very good, and I need to remind myself it's a touring show, but I found a few of the settings a little bland in places, especially where there was just a plain backdrop. This was made more noticeable by the fact that some truly excellent bits of staging (Cinderella's coach, the moon in the sky and the 'Cinders' drape) were literally only seen on stage for a few seconds. And I don't mean 'literally' in the way people say "I laughed so hard I literally died", I mean they were actually visible for less than a minute. Don't tease us like that! Let's see the fruits of Northern Ballet Technical properly! As usual, so, so much I could enthuse about but I need to go to sleep at some point so I'll round it off now. All in all, Cinderella is a terrific production from a company that knows its strengths and plays right to them with consistently excellent results. They have a special place in my heart, but also, I think, an identity that gives them a uniquely special place in the British ballet landscape. Cinderella is brilliant. Go and see it.

(I hope you can see this picture...) !!! That, on the right, is a very chuffed BristolBillyBob meeting Martha Leebolt, one of his ballet heroines. And Janet was absolutely right, she was charming and gracious, and very happy to have a photo taken and sign my programme. While it was very brief, meeting the dancer who first sealed my interest in ballet over two years ago is a memory I'll treasure for many years to come.

Hi everyone. I'm off to make my annual pilgrimage to Cardiff New Theatre to see Northern Ballet's Cinderella tonight, and Martha Leebolt is dancing the part of Cinders herself. Leebolt holds a special place in my balletomane heart as her performance in NB's Beauty (my third ballet) was pretty instrumental in sealing my love of the art. So, tonight I'd very much like to say a very quick hello at the stage door to thank her and ask her if she wouldn't mind signing my programme. However, as I only see NB once a year and this'll only be my third time watching them, I would recognise very few of their dancers, and even fewer if they were in civvies. I would feel a little bit awkward because I would love to meet and say hello to all the dancers but probably won't know who they are. Just waiting for one particular dancer seems a little mean to the others who certainly work just as hard and whose work I respect just as much. The potential social awkwardness is something that could put me off going to the stage door completely and as a result I'm still in two minds about tonight, but it would be really special to meet Martha and get her autograph. Does anyone have any words of advice or encouragement? Thanks!

Hear, hear. My thanks too. Great to hear about the full spectrum of UK ballet.

In case anyone hasn't seen - Yuhui Choe replaces Ospiova in tonight's performance: http://www.roh.org.uk/news/cast-change-yuhui-choe-to-dance-in-the-sleeping-beauty-on-27-march-2014

Looks like we're either going have to quit our jobs or start watching football instead.

I'll be there for that one, too. It'll be my first time seeing R&J and my first (and presumably last) time seeing Daria Klimentova dance. I'm very excited too!

I recorded the 8pm showing of La Bayadere and it had a really distracting Sky Arts logo and something like "8pm Show" in the top left corner of it. However, when I happened to switch on the TV this morning in the middle of the re-run, this logo was missing. So my suggestion if you you're recording it and want the best version, go for one of the early morning repeats instead of the 8pm one!

Glad you enjoyed it, LtD. I can second your thoughts about the company. I saw Moscow Ballet La Classique's Coppélia a while back in Yeovil on a last-minute whim. I had very low expectations of a Russian company I'd never heard of before (partly fuelled by a previous disappointment with Russian State Ballet Of Siberia) but was very pleasantly surprised! The whole production was beautifully staged, the dancing was high quality across the board and the corps very talented and tight. I'd definitely go and see them again.

Thanks for the heads-up. I had the RB Swan Lake recorded over Christmas and loved it, but then my V+ Box broke and too the recording with it. Boo! I though Yanowsky was incredible.