Two Pigeons

Having seen a lot of ballet during the 80s the number of times Makarova didn't appear they would have been refunding money much of the time had prices been raised. I must endorse the point about Fonteyn hardly ever cancelling. This is not from my own experience but from a lot of evidence from a number of sources. The person who sticks in my mind who always turned up was Sylvie Guillem. Thank you Sylvie, I really appreciated that.

Hear hear Capybara!

My tickets are for one of the Karla/Laura shows so I hope they both do themselves justice. My husband is coming for his first ever trip to the ballet. I am really hoping he will enjoy it.

It's an interesting mix of established and newer casts. I think it speaks well of the company's overall position that they can offer so many casts rather than a higher number of performances of certain couples. I would have liked to have known who is due to be Drosselmeyer as well though.

The Hippodrome website asks you not to leave single seats if to can avoid it but I have never been refused booking a single seat. I can see the point of asking people not to book a block of seats leaving a single one if you could simply avoid this by shifting your request one along. However, refusing to sell seats for this reason is just plain wrong.

It would be advantageous to have a clearer idea of exactly what is on offer. Dancers from Cuba could mean a rare chance to see some wonderful classically trained dancers who may become major stars in the future. Alternatively they could be some folk dancers which I would find less compelling. I think i'll keep an eye on this one before I decide whether to book.

I am not a close observer of the Royal Ballet but I am really surprised that some dancers seem so ready to burn their boats when they leave the company. Kobborg was another. Given the fact that the RB is unquestionably one of the top 6 companies in the world with a unparalleled repertoire it seems to me that it would be both sensible and professional to make sure if you leave you do at least leave with the door slightly ajar. The history of the company does indicate that even if you are one of the most outstanding dancers in the world if you are also unreliable and temperamental you cannot guarantee to be asked back when you feel like it.

Thank you

Out of interest, what was Judith Mackrell's list of great Juliets?

Many thanks for that information. Either way it's high time they brought it back.

I really wish BRB would perform Les Patineurs as they really have the dancers to do it now. I have been racking my brains and I cannot remember them doing it. SWRB used to do it fairly frequently, including in some of the Big Top seasons. No doubt Janet will know.

It was at the Coliseum and they performed it with Daphnis and Chloe. I didn't see it there but I did see the programme at the Hippodrome the same month. It was just glorious and for all Ashton fans a real treat.

I was extremely lucky that my first pair of young lovers consisted of Lesley Collier ( in her favourite role) and David Wall ( allegedly one of Ashton's favourite in the role). It was at a time when Ashton was either still alive or he had only died very recently so his influence was very much in the work. I was utterly enchanted by it and have looked forward to it every time it has been performed. I even remember Alessandro Ferry as the gypsy girl. The ballet's importance to me can be indicated by my nom-de-plume. I am so pleased that it is to be filmed and issued on DVD as it is one of Ashton's total gems and should be appreciated more widely. I will be very amused if lots of European companies suddenly start to perform it. As I remember Nina Ananiashvili introduced it to her company in Georgia. I know some people find it twee but I think everyone should ask themselves why there are so few ballet's of this calibre and could we not just do with some more. One final point, it has never failed to impress me the number of dancers who have expressed a wish for this to be their final farewell before retirement. Robert Parker got his wish but Sandra Madgwick said she was very disappointed it wasn't in the rep at the right time for her. I have known other dancers say that at interviews.

As a fan of BRB I am amazed how many London ballet goers have not see Two Pigeons. SWRB were performing the ballet at Sadler's Wells in the mid and late 80s. I remember seeing Kevin O'Hare as the young man with Susan Lucas. BRB performed the ballet at the Coliseum as recently as 2012, including the farewell performance of the great Robert Parker. Could there be a lesson in this?

Raven Girl got a mention on University Challenge tonight. The teams had never heard of it.

You are very welcome. After Tyrone Singleton Brandon is my favourite male dancer. It is rare I can take my eyes off him either.

I bet you anything you like it was Brandon Lawrence. He is pretty much the tallest member of the company. The other dancer to look out for is Matthias Dingman but he is not as tall as Brandon. They are both stars of the company and each has a very keen following. I am very pleased you enjoyed the triple bill.

Back to Katherina, the doyenne of ballet critics, Mary Clarke, was adamant that Katherina tames Petruccio. Not the other way round. I agree that there is a lot of room for different interpretations of the story. Either way I am really looking forward to seeing the ballet again.

Thinking of The Bard should we consider Katherina in the Taming of the Shrew, not least as BRB are performing this in the Summer?

P.s. Maggie Hobson. She is the only real man in the ballet.

Myrtha. I well remember seeing Giselle with SWRB in the 80s. It was at the old Sadler's Wells and we were sitting on the end of one of the first 3 rows. When Siobhan Stanley told Hilarion to go away and die my friend almost found himself creeping out he was almost that scared.

Nothing wrong in that Mary. Brandon is a comparative newcomer to the company, I first remember seeing him in 2012. He completely stole every scene he was in playing the cymbols in the Salvation Army interlude in 'Hobson's Choice'. Needless to say he has been catching my eye ever since. That he is one of the stars of the company is assured. We are really lucky to have him at BRB.

Will is on record as saying he had a number of offers but he actively chose BRB as it would offer him more opportunities earlier in his career.

One thing that I would add to this discussion is that I have been very surprised with a number of created roles that often the second cast turns out to be more cohesive and effective than the first. I cannot say why this is unless it is a case that there is less pressure for a second cast to 'carry' a new work.

I was lucky enough to see all of the original cast except, regrettably, Seymour. I have seen the ballet a number of times over the years and for my money no one has ever touched Merle Park as Marie Larisch. Presumably there is a recording of all most the complete work. Shall we all pray to the gods of ballet that one day it is released.