Sophoife

@FrankH and @Richard LH the Greg Horsman Bayadère for QB, WAB and RWB is revised. As mentioned earlier in this thread.

Solor is the son of the Maharajah of Cooch Behar, being forced to marry Edith, the British Governor-General's daughter, to cement a treaty between his father and the British. He loves temple dancer Nikiya though. Edith stabs Nikiya to death...full story on QB's website at https://www.queenslandballet.com.au/on-stage/2018/la-bayadere/the-story

And don't get me started on Shades in bikini tutus. Or are they bare-midriff tutus? Or attempts at tutu-ising the "usual" bra-and-harem-pants ensemble?

I'm sorry - I was clumsy. I said:

2 hours ago, Sophoife said:

@stucha was commenting on his performance as a guest with La Scala in Brisbane last weekend, of which I have heard from other ballet friends, and not in a complimentary way.

What I meant was "@stucha was commenting on his [Hallberg's] performance as a guest with La Scala in Brisbane last weekend, of which I have heard (not in a complimentary way) from other ballet friends" - and yes, the consensus was that he was carrying some sort of injury.

I hope that clears up that I didn't mean to suggest that you were Hallberg-bashing.

I know the entrechats are not mandatory, I've seen enough productions myself 😉 and the POB are indeed marvellous - I love how they have the Wilis' veils whisked off (by wires?) while the Wilis are on stage, rather than so many productions which have the dancers exit and then re-enter, now sans veils.

13 hours ago, alison said:

It has to be said that not everyone - and every production - does the entrechats, but presumably you were expecting to see them in the AB production?

@alison, yes in fact Hallberg did do the entrechats with The (mustn't forget that capitalised "The" 😉) Australian Ballet when he did a one-night-only appearance with the soon-to-retire Leanne Stojmenov, who was on début as Giselle, on 31 August. He was a most generous, caring and engaged partner on that occasion, it was a real treat.

Amusingly, TAB's Adam Bull did brisés volés as in the Baryshnikov ABT film, which I happily thanked him for (as an alternative), to which he replied that his knees were now too old to let him do all those entrechats!

@stucha was commenting on his performance as a guest with La Scala in Brisbane last weekend, of which I have heard from other ballet friends, and not in a complimentary way.

Amélie (dansesaveclaplume) is usually pretty much on the money I have found; and I agree regarding the tribute to Karl Paquette - beautifully written. He truly has been POB's "useful étoile" - stepping in whenever someone else is injured or otherwise unavailable, partnering anyone and everyone, and just quietly getting on with the job, without as much fanfare as others. I wish him a happy future.

@stucha I had friends in Brisbane at the weekend who saw him twice and they said his second act was "the same disappointing nothing" both times. Apparently no entrechats, just "a bit of jumping around"...is that right?

However he seemed happy enough on a Sydney beach on the Monday and at TAB Spartacus that night...per his and others' public Instagram accounts.

He was Monsieur GM in my first Manon in July 1974, and Don Quixote for me in June 1994. I remember him coming out of stage door with a little dog like a true diva and being delighted to be asked to sign that Manon programme 20 years later.

On 16/11/2018 at 23:53, annamk said:

Just had this 

 

Cast change for The Royal Ballet's The Nutcracker

12 December 2018 at 7.30pm and 15 December 2018 at 7pm

 

Our records show that you are due to attend a performance of The Nutcracker. We are contacting you to let you know that due to injury, Kevin Jackson, who was due to perform as a guest artist with The Royal Ballet, will be replaced by Ryoichi Hirano as the Sugar Plum Prince. 

Interesting. The RB can already tell people Kevin Jackson is out, his own company still telling the world he's dancing Spartacus on Wednesday and Saturday this coming week. RB wins in this case 😉

On 17/11/2018 at 19:19, Sim said:

I hope you weren’t there, Sophoife!

Thanks Sim, sadly finances and work commitments dictated foregoing Spartacus in Sydney in favour of Cinderella (also in Sydney) with Alexander Campbell and Leanne Stojmenov who I love and whose retirement show it will be. I will have to catch Spartacus on its next run, whenever that may be.

18 hours ago, capybara said:

 

They should have invested in an elephant for Solor to ride in on for his betrothal. Nothing less does credit to performances of the calibre  of Muntagirov’s. And, if the Russians can do it, why can’t we?

Because elephants have no brakes.

Welcome to casting announcements à la The Australian Ballet. Allegedly they are up on the website a week before opening night. I have known them not to go up until after opening night.

As for cast changes, the current season of Spartacus is still showing the original casting, with no acknowledgement at all that Kevin Jackson not only didn't dance opening night, replaced by Jarryd Madden, but that Jackson is out of the whole run. Disrespectful to him, but far more disrespectful to Madden!

1 hour ago, Richard LH said:

 

Anyway I understand he has just  been signed up for "Cats" . 

Goodness he will find the McGregor style very different from the Ashton! Imagine him trying to do the Fred Step for Wayne: "No, no, no! More...earthy!" 😉

Thanks indeed @squadron, Tim Harbour's work always interests me. This sounds like something I would enjoy seeing - and thank you for posting the music link on your (?) blog. If I can hear the music I can visualise a review so much better! Tim does often use interesting music - for Filigree and Shadow for TAB he collaborated with 48 Nord, for Sweedeedee he and Chong Lim put together score that used live blues singers (and players!) in the pit, which really told a story when I was able to read the lyrics of the songs used.

Tim's wife Madeleine Eastoe was one of TAB's most well-loved ballerinas until her retirement in 2015, and unlike some others, we are lucky to have several of her performances recorded on DVD.

6 hours ago, Mary said:

Great idea Richard- the word is that Peregrine has been feeling for a while that he doesn't get the roles..fears he's been typecast really as a one-trick pony. Come on Kevin, a promotion is overdue- or he'll be off - on an exchange contract with a foreign company, joining a West End show, doing Xmas ads, developing his modelling career, starring in an expensive book of photos, getting bit-parts in films,  making a pop video or - heaven forbid - exploring contemporary dance......(No, that last one is too far-fetched....) Peregrine fans need to get behind him...(not too close)

 

The short piece I read about Peregrine recently (on the Sadler's Wells site) says he's now 21, and that if you see a professional Fille in the UK, odds are it's him. So he's just been in Belfast with BRB even, therefore unavailable as a mount for Solor. My fave was the BRB pony cam https://www.brb.org.uk/post/presenting-pony-cam of a stage call ..

2 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

Oh, of course.  But KJ will presumably be performing here in a different Nutcracker to the one at TAB, albeit both by SPW.

Yes indeed but much less to learn as SPF Cavalier isn't exactly dancing for a roolly roolly long time 😉

2 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

I thought the Nutcracker TAB has is the one SPW created for BRB?  Although, of course, Mr Campbell is familiar with SPW's versions for both RB and BRB.

We must have crossed wires, Jan 😀  AC is dancing the Prince in Ratmansky's Cinderella, not any version of Nutcracker. 

Kevin Jackson had cortisone in mid-October per his Instagram, but was unable to dance the opening night of Spartacus as scheduled on 9 November.

However, I'm looking on the positive side that this unscheduled longer than planned break from performing will give him the chance to properly heal up. 

As regards partnering, aren't professionals at Principal level frequently expected to rehearse then perform a pas de deux with new partners in a couple of days? I know Alexander Campbell is coming here for longer but he has a whole ballet to learn that isn't in the Royal's rep, whereas Peter Wright's Nutcracker is in TAB's rep and it's basically one piece. 

Just an FYI: Kevin Jackson is out of the current run of Spartacus in Sydney with an ankle problem. Here's hoping he is fully recovered and travels to London.

9 hours ago, Sim said:

But I think the point that was trying to be made is that western ballets don't portray Europeans smoking opium.

And I was sure Greg Horsman's Bayadère for Queensland, West Australian and Winnipeg Ballets was set in the British Raj and the Solor part was a European so an example of a European smoking opium. Nope, oops, he's the son of the Maharajah of Cooch Behar, who's in love with fellow Indian the temple dancer Nikiya, but whose father has agreed a treaty with the East India Company that betrothes Solor to...the British Governor-General's daughter Edith. That's even less likely than that low-caste Solor is rewarded with the hand of the Rajah's daughter Gamzatti, as in Stanton Welch's version! Golly I think I'm going to stick with Makarova!

I do hope this is okay: Jeanette Kakareka (Lily leotard) and Xander Parish (Will Plié For Pizza hoodie) wearing Cloud and Victory, ethical balletwear from Singapore. Min and her squad post to anywhere, beautifully wrapped.

I bought the hoodie and a leotard each for two of my nieces and now half their dance school has the hoodie! They have gorgeous ombré rehearsal skirts in two lengths, as seen on La Nuñez 😉 I found them via Min's very funny repurposed (captioned) ballet videos and photos...and a mutual love of The Abs of Roberto.

@jmb perhaps we should offer the Europeans a compare-and-contrast with the Stanton Welch version TAB did a couple of years ago? 😂

14 hours ago, Yaffa said:

Premières Danseuses
Mademoiselle Marion Barbeau
Mademoiselle Héloïse Bourdon  

 

Sujets
Mademoiselle Bianca Scudamore

Coryphées
Mademoiselle Victoire Anquetil
Mademoiselle Naïs Duboscq 

Incidentally, 6 ladies classified in the quadrilles and sujets, only Scudamore in the coryphées. No majority opinion on any of the others! Wow.

11 hours ago, Colman said:

It was delightful: really charming. The

first act was a little hesitant maybe, though that could have just been me winding down from the stress of running around a strange city on a tight schedule.

 

We had Karla Doorbar as Lise, Tzu-Chao Chou as Colas and Kit Holder as Alain. Michael O’Hare as the Widow. I don’t know the company at all, so they’re all new to me.

Tzu-Chao is our (Aussie-trained) pocket rocket as Jan McNulty so rightly says. And almost as sweet in person as I hear Peregrine the pony is! 😉 He sent a string of BRB dancers down to sign my nieces' programmes in Cheltenham last year.

On 26/03/2018 at 02:25, alison said:

15th October: Mayerling

 

13th November: La Bayadere

 

3rd December: The Nutcracker

 

19th February: Don Quixote

 

16th May: "Flight Pattern" mixed bill

 

11th June: Romeo & Juliet

And the Australian dates (Village Cinemas) for the above are:

11 & 14 November: Mayerling

9 & 12 December: La Bayadère

22-24 December: The Nutcracker

7 & 10 April: Don Quixote

30 June/3 July: Flight Pattern mixed bill

29 & 31 July: Romeo and Juliet

Paris and Russia are restricted to capital cities unfortunately.

Well what an experience! Village Cinema Albury advertised it on their website only plus one newspaper ad, had no cast sheets, and called it the Royal Ballet instead of Mayerling, as in when I asked for a ticket for Mayerling they looked blank.

There were 12 of us, one person under 50 (that's not me btw).

Darcey keeps saying "wiv" which is very distracting, and wanting to tell us about her Mitzi.

The stage looks very dark - I don't remember it quite that dark? And the whole-stage images were at a funny angle - looked like the stage sloped down from the front to the rear! Director's choice of close-ups is never going to please everyone, certainly not me.

McRae was better than I'd feared, certainly in the third act. Lamb was really very good, as was McNally - in fact she was wonderful. Standout for me was Morera as Larisch. Magri as Mitzi was also pretty good. 

Wish the second interval coaching had gone on for longer.

I took a large pile of flyers for the rest of the season and will personally deliver them to dance schools in the area as we must encourage the cinema chain to keep showing these events, and bums on seats is all they understand.

PS why Kish as Bay Middleton? Is Kish not dancing principal roles any more??

Thanks all, Vanartus I was hoping you might have seen Juliet, one of "my" dancers.

Her last role with Australian Ballet was Maina Gielgud's Giselle, and I was stuck in an airport lounge at a country airport waiting for a plane to be repaired, only finally getting to Sydney as the curtain went up on the evening performance (Stella Abrera guesting). When Juliet then resigned I was even more devastated at how I'd spent my day.

I've given up flying the same day as a performance. Sydney is eight hours away by train and about the same if I'm driving (I have to stop and stretch!!), so no viable alternative to a delayed plane. Twice I have had to get changed in the back of an Uber en route from the airport to the Opera House, with a plane due to leave Albury at 1pm not leaving until nearly 6pm.