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Odyssey

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Everything posted by Odyssey

  1. Yes, Rooster is great fun. Carlos brought it to Birmingham with his Acosta Danza just prior to taking over BRB ( 2019?) Memorable because it was not long before COVID He was such a charismatic red rooster.
  2. I too grew up in Birmingham. Am I unusual in having enjoyed heavy metal and classical ballet ? Should they be separate ‘guilty secrets’ depending on whose company you are with? I quite happily embraced both in my youth, as I’m sure many have and do. It sounds a crazy mix but my curiosity has been piqued. I can’t believe my luck that it will also be part of the autumn tour in iPlymouth, - though as a Brummie, I feel drawn to seeing this at The Hippodrome where I think it will go down well. I admire what Carlos Acosta is doing. Projects like this are open to much cynicism, but I really wish him well with his endeavours. The Guardian article I read this morning provides further background to his community outreach.
  3. A unique, inside look into what it takes to get an aspiring dancer through the Royal Ballet School and through the ranks of the Royal Ballet Company to Principal dancer. Told with honesty and love. A very enjoyable and informative read. In extremely good condition. Just one careful reader. £23 including postage & packaging. PM me.
  4. That’s a lot of forward notice ( 2024). Capitalising on their coming dates in Swan Lake.
  5. There’s an interview with the author on The Royal Ballet School news page https://www.royalballetschool.org.uk/2023/02/01/a-chat-with-author-and-alumna-lucy-ashe/
  6. Radio Times featured it as one of the highlighted programmes of the day, but this is not going to attract a new audience .I think you’re right there could have been more promotional opportunities- BRB are normally quite astute.
  7. It was shown as part of mainstream schedule for BBC4 free to view . I think the comment refers to future plans which I understand will move BBC4 to an online platform, similar to how BBC3 used to be.
  8. In pondering whether to buy Diaghilev’s Empire: How the Ballet Russes Enthralled the World by Rupert Christiansen, I came across this conversation between Mr Christiansen and Lynn Garafola author of La Nijinska . It’s a lovely listen and I now find myself ordering two books instead of one!
  9. BBC4 7.45pm this evening Romeo & Juliet: Beyond Words. So pleased to see this is getting another showing. The current attitude of the BBC to dance programming is glaring - the ‘themed’ evening slots which BBC4 favour, and frequently do so well, in which they bring together some related documentaries and recorded performances from the archives , is tonight reduced to an episode of Terry Wogan presenting Come Dancing! The other evening slots are taken up by two programmes about Vivienne Westwood.
  10. It reminds me of several attempts in the old Sadler Wells days to have a second group of dancers perform in smaller venues. I really hope it works. The programme looks as if it would be an attractive proposition to a wide cross section of both regular ballet goers and newbies.
  11. It will be interesting to see how many lilac fairy ( plus other fairy variations) and bluebird casts we have in this run. Yes it’s good to see a fair few but I hope they all get the opportunity to perform the role several times. Certainly not the single performance of say Melissa Hamilton’s rose fairy at the end of the long run of ‘Nutcrackers’.
  12. I do wish one of the UK channels would pick up Roberto Bolle’ s annual gala Danza Con Me. The line up this year would be a real treat to start the New Year. see under the sub heading ‘top notch dancers’! https://www-repubblica-it.translate.goog/spettacoli/tv-radio/2023/01/01/news/roberto_bolle_rai_1_danza_con_me-381518352/?_x_tr_sl=it&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc
  13. The cast also included the wonderful Ann Jenner as Clara’s sister Louisa. It is possible to view the whole ballet on YouTube. If you search on Google under the video tab for the Nureyev 1968 recording, it appears a little way down.
  14. Merry Christmas to the Moderators and all of you who contribute to making this such a friendly and stimulating place to share thoughts and nuggets of knowledge. Thank you!
  15. I believe that there is more than one company class. I’m not sure if they are concurrent, but dancers are frequently required for rehearsals
  16. Yes, it was. But the Arabian dance was revised for two dancers last year. https://www.classicfm.com/artists/royal-ballet/alters-arabian-dance-nutcracker-scene/
  17. Like the late Queen, she is someone who has been there for as long as all of us can remember. Such a remarkable lady who made a tremendous contribution to ballet in this country. I hope there will be some way found to mark her memory.
  18. Like Janet, I have had the pleasure of seeing the BRB’s Nutcracker over many years - I was privileged to see it in its first run and can recall the thrill I felt, and continue to feel, at the climactic moments of the transformation scene. I have never known an audience not respond, with a spontaneous burst of applause, to that precise coming together of the stirring climax in the music with the choreographed moment, brilliantly realised in the staging. ( I’ve deliberately left this vague for anyone who hasn’t yet seen how this production conceives the transformation). I could list a whole range of ways in which this production doesn’t disappoint, but delivers what seems to me a perfect vision of this ballet - and I have seen many of the major productions since the 1970’s. Does the production design dominate the ballet? I have never thought so, but as I’m now in South Devon I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing the newly refurbished production. I can well imagine the bold colours and swirling design for the Kingdom of Sweets is pretty eye catching. But at the heart of this production is some lovely choreographed dancing - the Snowflakes, which PeterS notes, is a lesson in how to create beautiful shapes and patterns. The cherry on the cake is the quality of the dancing that BRB regularly achieves which permeates through from the wonderful principals to the corps. Having read the reviews regarding the loving attention given to the refurbishment, I’m definitely booking a couple of days in Brum next year.
  19. I’ve just enjoyed listening to the latest episode. Very entertaining hearing Mr & Mrs Campbell discuss everything from home improvements through to their latest project- Prima Dance Academy. Loved their fantasy ballet choices- so typical of Claire to be loyal to her original Siegfried and Alex’ s evident ‘man crush’ for Vadim It’s also fun having regular updates with each podcast on what Brandon is doing and the activities at BRB. Thank you Julia.
  20. Glad you made it and pleased to hear the refresh is as stunning as promised. Yes, it really is a special Nutcracker, and glad to hear the dancers are responding accordingly. Which cast did you see? I recall the early years of the German market when you could be assured of getting a few interesting gifts. Sadly it changed its profile, as you describe a good few years ago.. incidentally note to moderators, would it be more accurate to change the title of the thread I started to ‘refurbished’? .
  21. Those pictures are stunning. It looks to be a wonderful refurbishment. Lucky Birmingham to have this in its repertoire.
  22. Another factor may have been that William Bracewell was then a ‘star in waiting’, There are several superb first soloists, Melissa Hamilton being one of them, who are well into their dancing careers and now unlikely to rise to the rank of Principal. I realise this is just my opinion, but as such, I think they are unlikely to be in line for the lead in a livestream, other than as part of a triple bill - Apollo is a good recent example.
  23. Yes, Janet, but this isn’t new for the Hippodrome. As far as I can remember, the Nutcracker season has always finished quite early in December with panto season, which is a long standing tradition at this theatre, starting pre Christmas rather than Boxing Day, which is when I think many pantomimes get going. As you say, they pack a lot of performances into those weeks.
  24. Yes, it’s such a lovely moment. Macfarlane mentions the magical tricks and indicates the secrets will not be revealed, so that suggests they are going to remain.
  25. Looking forward to hearing members’ thoughts on the newly designed BRB Nutcracker which I believe premiers this afternoon. There’s an interesting insight from the Company which includes an interview with John Mcfarlane about the redesigns and the way, over the years, the Company has ‘patched up’ the original costumes and sets. It would be lovely to have a livestream of this iconic production with a follow up dvd/blu-ray. The filmed version of this production from many years back, which features Yoshida and Mukhamedov, is very dark, and hard to get hold of on dvd . It’s well overdue for a new version. Interesting to learn from this insight that the Australian Ballet’s version (which has been filmed) has its own, unique design. https://www.brb.org.uk/stories/zoom-insights-john-macfarlane-and-elaine-garlick-talk-about-the-rebuild-of-the-nutcracker
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