Sophoife

His name is Alexander, shortened to Alex. Not Alec, that's my late great-uncle who was the last of the Australians who fought at Gallipoli when he died in 2002. I first connected with Alex on Twitter many years ago now, because someone tagged me by mistake - I introduced myself as "the other cricket-loving A Campbell" 🤭 I actually knew his father through cricket and was vicariously thrilled when I heard he'd gone to RBS. I will miss his dancing but wish him all the very best in the new role.

Peter the Peregrine Preferrer 😘

...but it's Sunday night at the London Palladium! ITV and Bradley Walsh where are you?

...and I will remind everyone that AusBallet is not good for advance casting info - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland opens in Sydney on February 20 and the casting went up on February 15 2024. Booking for this production opened in October 2023. I don't have a choice - given that seeing the company involves travel by train or car to Melbourne (3 1⁄2-4 hours each way) plus a hotel if not squeezing in a matinée and returning the same day, or travel by plane (1 1⁄2 hours EW), train (8 hours EW) or car (6 1⁄2 hours EW) to Sydney plus a hotel twice the cost of one in Melbourne - I just book as early as possible to get lower cost preferred seats. Casting is a lucky dip and always has been. I can't just decide "Oh I want to go to the ballet tonight" and hop on a tram or suburban train.

Links – Saturday 17 February, 2024 Review – Jean Butler, What We Hold, Irish Arts Center, New York NY: Brian Seibert, The New York Times (paywalled) Review – Joffrey Ballet, Studies in Blue, Lyric Opera House, Chicago IL: Lauren Warnecke, Chicago Tribune Kathy D. Hey, Third Coast Review Nitish Verma, BNN Breaking/The People's Network Review – Madison Ballet, Paquita / Armistice / Agapé / Farewell / Dance Odyssey / Recession / Something to Remember You By, Promenade Hall, Madison WI: Dan Van Note, The Cap Times Review – New York City Ballet, Solitude, David H. Koch Theater, New York NY: Gia Kourlas, The New York Times (paywalled) Review – The Royal Ballet, Festival of New Choreography, Royal Opera House: Jonathan Gray, Gramilano Teresa Guerreiro, Culture Whisper David Jays, The Guardian Louise Levene, Financial Times Alastair Macaulay, Slipped Disc Mark Monahan, The Telegraph Siobhan Murphy, The Stage (paywalled) Joy Sable, The Jewish Chronicle Catherine Smith Perez, This is Local London Review – San Francisco Ballet, British Icons (Song of the Earth / Marguerite and Armand), War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, CA: Charles Lewis III, 48 hills Review – Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, Nelken, Sadler’s Wells, London: Teresa Guerreiro, Culture Whisper Louise Levene, Financial Times Vera Liber, British Theatre Guide Review – Twyla Tharp Dance, Ocean’s Motion / Brel / The Ballet Master, The Joyce Theater, NY: Christina Pandolfi, Broadway World Liana Wilson-Graff, Splash Magazine Review – The Washington Ballet, Jazz Icons: A Fine Romance, Eisenhower Theater, The Kennedy Center, Washington DC: Carolyn Keleman, MD Theatre Guide Celia Wren, The Washington Post (paywalled) Preview – The Australian Ballet, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, including discussion of 'blockbuster ballets', Capitol Theatre, Sydney NSW / State Theatre, Melbourne Vic: Hannah Story, The Age Preview – BalletMet, Asian Voices, Davidson Theatre, Columbus OH: En Face Magazine Preview – Birmingham Royal Ballet, The Sleeping Beauty, touring to Birmingham, Salford, Sunderland, Plymouth, Bristol and Sadler’s Wells: Vivian Summers, ATV Today Preview – Cincinnati Ballet, Don Quixote, Music Hall, Cincinnati OH: Janelle Gelfand, Cincinnati Business Courier Preview – Dance for Ukraine II gala, London Palladium: Stefan Kyriazis, Express News – Cape Town City Ballet reveals repertoire for 2024: Tamlynne Thompson and Staff Reporter, Plainsman News – A new Nutcracker as English National Ballet’s 75th season is announced: David Mead, SeeingDance News – Nigerian star of viral video stars in MADU, a Disney documentary filmed at Elmhurst Ballet School: Graham Spicer, Gramilano News – S.F. Ballet receives $60 million donation, the largest in its history: Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle News – San Francisco Ballet Star Yuan Yuan Tan Gracefully Exits Stage after 29-Year Career: Eric Tanaka, Hoodline.com Article – Endnotes: ‘The Swans of Harlem’ by Karen Valby, how the book came together: PW Staff, Publishers Weekly Feature – Dancer Tiler Peck makes her choreography debut at the New York City Ballet: Brooke Lefferts (Associated Press), ABC News Feature – Career-ending injury didn’t stop Ballet Kelowna director, Simone Orlando, AD/CEO Kelowna Ballet: Brittany Webster, Kelowna Capital News Feature – Why Houston Ballet’s Gian Carlo Perez Lives for the Stage: Emma Love Suddarth, Pointe Magazine (paywalled) Feature – Dance artist Elle Sofe Sara draws on Sámiland roots in Vástádus eana – The answer is land: Janet Smith, Stir Arts & Culture Feature – Beyond the Exaltation of the Individual Dancer, How Thomas Forster reminds us of the social dimension of dance: Alice Courtright, The Hedgehog Review Feature – How the Choreographer for ‘Poor Things’ Uses Dance to Tell the Story, Constanza Macras, founder of the Berlin dance company DorkyPark, uses “dance as a function, as a language,” in her work, be it for the stage or the screen: A.J. Goldmann, The New York Times (paywalled) Book Review/Interview – Tammy Greenwood, The Still Point: Sophie Bress, Fjord Review

The high waistlines place them between about 1800 and 1825-30. The narrow sleeves with varying degrees of puff at the shoulder in combination with the high waistlines suggest 1815-20.

I am very envious of the Forsythe evening. Uh, judging by the costumes in the Royal Ballet's Nutcracker party scene, Julia Trevelyan Oman plonked it firmly in the Regency era (c.1795-1837). Perhaps you're thinking of John Macfarlane's designs for the Birmingham Royal Ballet, which, with Frau Stahlbaum's stunning red gown with a bustle, are more 1870s, perhaps even 1880s.

No, they're learning it for AusBallet's upcoming performances in Sydney, 10-27 April (I asked Jill). It makes sense for them to go to London to join ENB in learning and rehearsing the piece rather than for Inger and his team to spread themselves too thin and travel all the way out here. Ten or so years ago when AusBallet revived The Dream, a small group travelled to London to learn it from Sir Anthony Dowell (who apparently doesn't like flying). It would be extraordinarily disrespectful to the ENB dancers if Elmes and Harvey, in particular, both just promoted from the corps to coryphée a month or so ago, were to guest in lead roles.

Half a dozen AusBallet dancers (principals Dimity Azoury, Callum Linnane, Marcus Morelli and Jill Ogai, with coryphées Adam Elmes and Lilla Harvey) have been learning/rehearsing Carmen with ENB. The closest we get to advance notice of casting 🤣

Indeed. Claire Calvert was rehearsed as Hermione in Brisbane on 7 July 2017 by Christopher Wheeldon and Jackie Barrett, a tour version of Insight I suppose. It was explained that Thiago Soares had sustained an injury so Claire hadn't danced yet, but that she was rehearsing with Ryoichi Hirano who was being rushed into his début as Leontes. Claire Calvert Hermione Brisbane He did indeed, making his Oberon début opposite Laura Morera on Monday 5 June. My last performance of that year's #BalletTourofEurope Alex Campbell Oberon début 😉

We've got a few down here who'd be stellar performers...

That's so kind Jamiel! Especially for those of us who are unable to attend in person (I do love me some well-done Spring Waters, but it has to be fast and death-defying) due to living in, say, Australia 😉

It takes 30 hours to convert from the opera house to a ballroom, with 500 working on it. Then 21 hours to go back to opera house. Information source.

AusBallet dancers get a gold pin/brooch from the company for their 10th anniversary.

🤣 In my case it was two years after I left school, as the rule was a girl had to be 18. Also we didn't get to choose our partners, they were from the police academy (!). I got lucky with a partner who didn't have two left feet and whose hands were not clammy. We're still friends.

It was in Melbourne, Australia, about 40 years ago @Sim🤭

It does appear to be a debutantes' ball @Sim. My German isn't great, but I can pick out words. There were parents in boxes with champagne and mobile phones 🤭 I would have liked to see them step off the stairs and into a waltz instead of that rather ungainly shuffle. Here are some stats - 160 débutante couples! and here is some history of the ball. I would have died of embarrassment if my deb ball had been televised - live or on delay! Also I'm shocked that some of the young ladies had strapless gowns and some gowns with spaghetti straps 🤭 We were allowed off the shoulder but the "sleeve" had to be a minimum depth/length. No plunging necklines and no very low backs either. This sort of style, minus the damn crinoline!

Links – Saturday 10 February, 2024 Review – The Royal Ballet, Manon, cinema relay: Jim Pritchard, Seen and Heard International Review – Birmingham Royal Ballet, The Sleeping Beauty, Mayflower Theatre, Southampton: Matt Davey, Southern Daily Echo Lyndon Hogg, New Milton Advertiser & Lymington Times Review – New York City Ballet, The Four Temperaments/Liebeslieder Walzer, David H Koch Theater, New York NY: Mary Cargill, danceviewtimes Review – West Australian Ballet, Metamorphosis: Ballet at the Quarry, Quarry Amphitheatre, Perth WA: Melinda Webster, The West Australian (paywalled) Deborah Jones, deborah jones: FollowSpot Review – Milwaukee Ballet, Genesis International Choreographic Competition, Pabst Theater, Milwaukee WI: Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Review – Madu, documentary feature: Carlos Aguilar, Variety Preview – Royal Opera House, Festival of New Choreography: Teresa Guerreiro, CultureWhisper Preview – Jamiel Lawrence Ballet Nights, Ballet Nights 004, Lanterns Studio Theatre, London: Vera Liber, British Theatre Guide Preview – Ballet West, Swan Lake, Capitol Theatre, Salt Lake City UT: Les Roka, The Utah Review Preview – Ballet Kelowna, Mustard/Delicate Fire, Kelowna Community Theatre: Dan Walton, Penticton Herald Preview – DBDT: Encore!, Dallas Black Dance Theater, McMahon Auditorium, Lawton OK: Safak Costu, The People's Network Preview – Avant Chamber Ballet, Walpurgisnacht/Swan Lake Act 2/Romeo and Juliet (Mejia), Moody Performance Hall, Dallas TX: Manuel Mendoza, The Dallas Morning News Preview – Asian American Ballet Project, Beginnings, on-demand stream: San Francisco Examiner Preview/Feature – Dance on Camera 2024: A Festival of Love, Water and Kinesthetic Empathy Starts Today: Caedra Scott-Flaherty, Observer News – Backlash against Northern Ballet recorded music plans intensifies: Georgia Luckhurst, The Stage Video News – Royal Winnipeg Ballet deals with online ticket fraud: CBC (Canada) Feature – The Dance Locker: Tzu-Chao Chou: David Mead, SeeingDance Feature – Jessica Lang’s Twinkle – A Star-Studded New Ballet: Teresa Guerreiro, CultureWhisper Feature – WA Ballet presents George Williamson world premiere at Metamorphosis: Ballet at the Quarry for Perth Festival: Tanya MacNaughton, The West Australian (paywalled) Feature – From Peruvian folk dance to Nina Simone: Miami-born choreographer comes home with new ballet: Christine DiMattei, WLRN Miami Feature – How Cuban Ballet is Helping Latinos Preserve Their History in Miami’s Hispanic Cultural Arts Center: Rocio Magnani, The Latin Times Feature – We have MS and we’re not invisible: We’re dancing at the Royal Ballet & this is our story: Stefan Kyriazis, Daily Express Feature – Central New York Ballet ushers in era of artistic collaboration and community involvement: Emma Misiaszek, CNY Central Feature – RNZB named ‘Bloody Good Workplace’: Sarah Griffiths, The Post Feature – Interlochen ballet dancers reunite with their 1960s performance dresses: Alli Baxter, UpNorthLive Video Feature – ‘Athletes are beautiful artists’: Kansas City Ballet challenges San Francisco Ballet to dance off: KSHB 41, YouTube Video Feature – New film tells life story of New York City Ballet’s first Asian dancer: CeFaan Kim, The Citizen Warning: 🔰

...not to forget the ol' contaminated meat excuse! Alberto Contador anyone? 🤭

Oh but Shane Warne's mum gave him one of her diuretics because he was bloated. NOT. He got a year's suspension. The ban covered all organised cricket. In addition to international matches, the leg-spinner was also ineligible to play for Victoria, English county Hampshire or his local district club St Kilda for 12 months.

!!! https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/feb/07/kamila-valieva-blamed-failed-drug-test-on-grandfathers-strawberry-dessert

To see the post in the *other* PdL thread (in Ballet news and information)...

I've reproduced Stella Abrera's post-competition Instagram post below. The photo shows Cynthia Harvey, Julio Bocca, Alessandra Ferri, Stella herself, and Sascha Radetsky. All ABT alumni/alumnae, and Harvey was Abrera's predecessor at the ABT JKO School. Ms Abrera's comments in the post informed me that Do you care? was an ABT dancer's piece, and she also (and this is rare from a school AD) acknowledged Natalie Steele's previous teacher before she joined the ABT JKO School last year. I'd guess that her previous school was preparing her for PdL and when she was offered a place at JKO it was negotiated that she be permitted to compete, if selected from the video auditions. Note that Miss Abrera herself trained for a time in Sydney, and won the gold medal at the Genée competition (as it was then) in 1995.

Oh I much prefer either an indoor gig or, if it has to be outdoors, an "intimate" one. I don't want to have to spend hundreds or (these days) thousands just so I can see the artist without a giant screen or binoculars! And, @Peanut68, aren't we supposed to be intoxicated by the music? 🤭 I saw Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in about 1990 in a former theatre turned nightclub in Melbourne and i felt punch-drunk, it was so visceral.

At home over Christmas I copied some stuff from my old DVR and one of them was a broadcast of a documentary called Béjart : The Show Must Go On. It shows Roman and the company, including excerpts, in the years immediately post-Béjart's death in 2007. Quite interesting. Multi-lingual with subtitles. Bolle seems to do Boléro whenever he feels like it including with the Béjart company. I missed him in Milan last year by two days. It premiered in 1961, with the dancer Duska Sifnios on the table. The first man to dance it was Jorge Donn in 1979. The links are to YouTube videos. In Paris last year I was booked to see Amandine Albisson and then Hugo Marchand. Due to minor injury I saw Mademoiselle Albisson twice, and I did wish I could have stayed on for Alice Renavand's [second] retirement show. I also got to see both Germain Louvet and Mathieu Ganio as the blue man in Wayfarer and I can die happy now. The LINES my dears!