Sophoife

Oh @Scheherezade can we do a thread on Ballet Mondegreens? 🤣

Just to remind those who've heard French and/or British people call it "Don Quickshott" or "Don Keyshott" that the French spelling is in fact Don Quichotte 😉

Examples: Pharaoh's Daughter at the Mariinsky in April/May 2022. Flames of Paris, Bolshoi, November 2022 through June 2023. Little Humpbacked Horse, Anna Karenina and Concerto DSCH remain in the Mariinsky repertoire, with his name removed, and claims that Tony Candeloro reconstructed PD. I'm sure with your Russian interest you can find others at other theatres.

This is sadly familiar to me from AusBallet's strategy over the last five or six years. 1. Sell subscriptions in late Year 0, no casting information whatsoever available, but best seats all go then. 2. Make single tickets available, again late in Year 0, no casting information available. 3. Season commences in, say, June Year 1, and only 60% of the house is sold. 4. Special offer of A and B Reserve tickets for $99 (more than a 50% discount even for B Reserve) to fill house. 5. Pissed-off subscribers, many of whom (not me) regularly buy more than one ticket for each production. 6. Subscriptions for Year 2 open late in Year 1. Prices have gone up by approx 19-23% across the board. No casting information available. 7. Rinse and repeat.

Fiona, I was very careful not to insert politics. Withdrawal of performance licence is both legally enforceable and respected, anywhere except Russia it seems, as some organisations there are still producing his work, but with his name removed. To be specific, he was born to Ukrainian parents in Leningrad but grew up in Kyiv. His parents and other family still live in Kyiv. I was simply seeking to add some context to your sweeping statement that Russian audiences don't want to watch his ballets - because they are watching them, against his express wishes. Further comment would verge on the political, so will not be made

The licences haven't expired, Fiona. He was very, very clear that he withdrew them, despite that withdrawal having subsequently been in practice ignored by various organisations inside Russia. A hint as to why that might be is in the title of Marina Harss' excellent new Ratmansky biography: The Boy From Kyiv. He did not "dissociate himself from his previous directorship, training and productions", he withdrew the performance licences. Which has been ignored. I do recommend people read Lyndsey Winship's interview with him published in August.

Can't speak to the minuet, but can definitely confirm the wig-pulling in the Nureyev Don Q, which of course is wot we 'as 'ere Dahn Unda. Last seen in Sydney in April this year 😉

The way I look at it is, sure, it's really nice for us if a dancer comes out stage door and we can say thank you. After all I've been doing just that for over 50 years now! However, no dancer should feel obliged to do so. The idea that a principal (either in rank or role) should feel disrespectful if they, tired, choose to exit other than at stage door, is not one to which I subscribe.

Well, it was Mercutio and Tybalt who were already dead but had to hang around for curtain calls, and at the first interval it was Lord Capulet who was one of the ballet masters (whom, amusingly, I had met at interval aka smoking break at ROH earlier in the week!), and Benvolio. Definitely not Romeo or Juliet!! Dancer acquaintance at that time with Stuttgart said they were all fine with it as everyone knew who was rostered and those who wanted could nick straight off home after (using the exit through the bar!).

Stuttgart Ballet has meet and signs in the foyer at interval. Costumed, made-up, the works. Certainly Mercutio, Lord Capulet, Tybalt... Avoiding Floral Street in order to head for the Tube is easy if a dancer wants the Central, Northern, Piccadilly, Circle or District lines (Holborn, Temple, or Leicester Square). I made a close study of Tube lines earlier this year as a tourist 😉

I'm with you @Dawnstar and @capybara - I hate selfies as I don't like myself in photos. The only ballet ones I've ever asked for are Johan Kobborg after what was his last Des Grieux, in Sydney; Federico Bonelli after my first Mayerling, and Gary Avis because he's Gary Avis 😂 I was asked at a Richard E Grant signing session after An Evening With... to hand my phone to the publicity person so they could take a pic of me with him and I said, "No offence Mr Grant, but no. I didn't come for self-aggrandisement but to hear you speak and get my books signed. Thank you for your time." And I got a hug and a thank you!

😳😳😳😳😳

Looking at your gorgeous photos @Rob Sam I going blind or has Miss O'Sullivan gone back to her original dark hair?? It suits her SO much better! Lucky all those who got to see not one, but two Basilios - and two such Basilios! Best of luck to Mr McRae - he's not yet posted anything on his Instagram. I was watching the Bailey's Christmas Nutcracker ad "making of" from 2014 yesterday (it came up in my YouTube feed) and my goodness his body is a completely different shape these days!!

If it's an Android phone, the same thing works too!! I have three actual lights linked to my phone so when I said "Lumos" it asked me if I was sure I wanted to turn them all on 😂 I said "no, Lumos torch" and it turned on the flashlight built in to the phone aka the light also used by the camera. Thank you @bangorballetboy!

AusBallet hosts will again be Livinia Nixon representing The Iggerant Audience, and Jarryd Madden combining the roles of both Kristen McNally and Alex Campbell. Bet he won't say "I love a glitter shower, me!" 🤣

I would say yes, give it a go @Pas de Quatre because I can't make a fair assessment of the production from the cast I saw - the couple I saw in the lead roles had (to my eyes) technical excellence but zero chemistry (which is how I feel every time I see them dance together, very weird as they are married in real life!). I'm also buying the stream, as I'm very keen to see a different lead couple and it's way cheaper than going to Adelaide, Sydney or Brisbane 🤣

I am happy to report exemplary behaviour from all those around me at the sold-out Swan Lake in Melbourne last week. Including all children and old ladies.

For clarity, the Victorian State Ballet and Victorian State Youth Ballet are based in suburban Melbourne, Australia. The main company is largely made up of "emerging artists" and "pre-professional artists". My ballet teacher friend says she has not heard of any of their pre-pro students auditioning successfully for any of the known ballet programmes/companies. On the other hand, she hears good things about their contemporary work. HTH.

They'd be on their knees praising Providence they're not in an American company in that case @Benjamin😂 NYCB 48, ABT 12, SFB 31, PNB 37, Colorado 28, Ballet West 24... Not to mention AusBallet's new/old Swan Lake which premiered last week will have been performed 53 times by Christmas. With an intervening Ashton season.

How lovely - and what a beautiful name! Congratulations to Alex and Claire. On a side note, I'm catching up on Masterchef UK, and the show I'm up to sees the contestants in the kitchen at Piazza at the ROH. Not one word about any of the core activities of the ROH.

Commissioned by AusBallet, sure. It's a virtual guarantee that a new full-length Wheeldon/Talbot will be licensed to other companies regardless of co-production status, vide Winter's Tale, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland , and not to forget Cinderella.

I am extremely annoyed that next year will see only three productions in the company's home city of Melbourne. The Ashton double bill exclusive to Sydney this year? No. The gorgeous Nutcracker without the angels on wheels and the nephew? No. Carmen? No. Alice that we've seen quite recently? Sure. Oscar? Sure. Études/Circle Electric? Yes. Stephanie Lake's piece BTW was created on the six more junior company dancers who "led" the recent "national regional tour", so cannot be claimed as a 2024 première. The dancers loved the process. The theatre to be used is extremely inaccessible for the less-mobile, i.e. my lovely mum. No close parking and lots of steps. Next door to a major building site (the new Metro tunnel). Ty King-Wall notoriously had back and other injury issues throughout his career. The best thing I ever saw him do was an astonishing Lensky, I couldn't believe it was him, I was so thrilled and happy. There was acting. Otherwise he was wonderful for me in parts that required lovely dancing but no actual acting [smirk]. Amber Scott is a beautiful dancer and person who will be much missed, I hope RNZB takes advantage of her when Ty takes up the AD job. Sadly my subscription night isn't her but I'm going to try and get a return (the entire season is sold out) for one of her shows. Re Swan Lake and the company "needing" a brand new classical version: Stephen Baynes' 2012 production has been completely chucked out, including the stunning designs. Yes, it needed a dramaturg but gosh the lake acts' patterns were beautiful and there was one great coup de théâtre. Quite sad and extremely expensive to ditch and replace. Could've kept the production and spent the money on dancers?

An actress friend of mine, who successfully completed one of the then-top two courses in Australia, got quite a lot of stage work, but never succeeded in her film/TV auditions. Eventually her agent said "darling it's your mole". She had a mole in the vicinity of her upper lip, approximately 2mm in diameter. She had the mole removed, and promptly started getting TV roles! The (tiny) scar was easier to hide using TV makeup than the mole had been. So, not just ballet!

🏆 Typo of the day albeit a few days late! Thank you! (my emphasis in the quote)

No idea sorry @Benjamin but I must say I'm pretty sure Mr Hallberg never danced Crown Prince Rudolf. At this date we are told that Lady M will not allow the company to perform Mayerling as they are locked in to using the Sydney Opera House Joan Sutherland Theatre and the stage and particularly backstage space is considered too small.