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Odyssey

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  1. Odyssey
    Yes indeed.
  2. Odyssey
    I think you also have to add into the mix, Sir Peter Wright and Sir David Bintley’s contribution in keeping some important Ashton works in the repertoire of BRB. I doubt if Carlos Acosta will have this high in his list of priorities.
  3. Odyssey
    I’ve been following the latest Bolle and Friends tour of Italy. Such gorgeous locations, including outdoor performances at wonderful venues in Verona and Rome. The guests this year have included( for the first time?) Vladim Muntagirov and Fumi Kaneko, as well as his long time friend/ guest partner, Melissa Hamilton. The venues appear to be pretty much sold out and the reception they receive is pretty amazing - he seems to command rock star status in his homeland. As well as the dancers’ own Instagram pages, there’s a lot of clips on YouTube, including dancersdiary (Andrej Uspensk)’s beautiful short films at the various location. I’d love to see Bolle tour here. He’s such a special dancer and the team spirit he appears to generate amongst his guests is great to see.
  4. Odyssey
    Isn’t part of the remit for the Arts Council grant, that the Company undertakes a number of tours? I don’t think London would count as part of this remit, but who knows. I’d also hate the twice yearly Plymouth visits to be reduced or disappear.
  5. Odyssey
    I saw her dance Kitri in Plymouth earlier this year ( I think it was her debut). I was mightily impressed and am so pleased to hear of her promotion. So much talent in the junior ranks of this company.
  6. Odyssey
    I thought I’d search online to see if I could find out anything about the aforementioned programme and I have found it http://www.mikedibb.co.uk/filmdet.php?filmid=39 Enjoy!
  7. Odyssey
    Many years ago I watched a documentary about Alicia Alonso and her pioneering work to establish the National Ballet of Cuba. I distinctly remember some moving footage of dancers going into factories to perform for workers and the wonderful response they received. Not only is this another example of the type of interesting arts programmes that used to be a fairly regular feature of the BBC, but also a pertinent example of the ridiculous argument that ballet is something that only appeals to the rich and (unrelatedly) well educated in society.
  8. Odyssey
    There’s an excellent article in next week’s Radio Times written by Waldemar Januszczak, ex head of arts at Channel 4, about the axing of TV arts programming on the BBC and Channel 4. He is scathing in his criticism and argues that both have betrayed their public-service remit. I have to say I have come across very few current and former arts’ presenters, producers and the like who have voiced similar dismay.
  9. Odyssey
    One thing I will credit the BBC with is that they have maintained their screening of major (three act) new work at RB. So, in more recent years we have had The Dante Project, Frankenstein, Woolf Works, The Winter’s Tale and Scarlett’s Swan Lake. I am hoping for Like Water for Chocolate. It’s slim pickings I know, but it’s something. There have been some relatively recent half decent programmes like the Dancing in the Blitz, Nutcracker and the RB men ones, but nothing like the quality of the aforementioned in-depth documentaries.
  10. Odyssey
    This dismal assessment of the state of televised dance for me mirrors the news of the demise of Dance books. The opportunities to experience , enjoy and develop your knowledge about this wonderful art form are becoming fewer. Ironically, it’s at a time when there is so much to celebrate in the richness and quality of our dance companies. What can be done? I wish we knew.
  11. Odyssey
    Such sad news. So many happy memories of visits to the shop in Cecil Court and finding such gorgeous books. Thank you David Leonard.
  12. Odyssey
    Without wishing to divert from the main topic of this thread, I’d just add that hopefully the BBC might show it once it has been filmed. They have done so with each major new RH production in recent years. Though with the changes to BBC4 who knows?
  13. Odyssey
    I saw Makarova dance Tatiana as guest of ENB with the wonderful Alexander Sombart at Birmingham Hippodrome, but I’m uncertain of the year.. He had the most incredible stage presence - a memorable Onegin. Together they were dynamite!
  14. Odyssey
    I am of the same view. I find it rewarding if I have a fuller understanding of a choreographer’s intention with regard to narrative and / or characterisation. In the case of this ballet, Christopher Wheeldon has highlighted the aspects of the novel, he is drawn to, and how he has dealt with these will add to my involvement when I see the ballet for the first time.
  15. Odyssey
    With the sad passing of Liam Scarlett, who has been entrusted with the care of his ballets? It is so sad that he is not amongst us to make the adjustments which occur prior to a second run.
  16. Odyssey
    I have always been fascinated by his mother, the Empress Elizabeth, or Sissi, who met an equally tragic end. I believe there has been a ballet made about her life , but I don’t know anything about it. Having read a couple of biographies, I think her character would be an interesting one for a choreographer to tackle and a fantastic leading role for a ballerina with a strong dramatic gift.
  17. Odyssey
    From a design point of view, one of the aspects I like about this current production is that the four princesses are dressed having an individual identity. It always bugs me when productions have them as four clones. In this production, each princess is more closely linked to their national dances and similarly the accompanying retinue. However, I do wish the choreography for the princesses might have reflected this a little more. Incidentally, when I watch back the recording of the production, I always chuckle at the various disdainful / distasteful reactions towards Odile of both the much missed Beatriz Styx- Brunell and Melissa Hamilton.
  18. Odyssey
    There are some short extracts from her Act 2 Swan Lake on YouTube if you search . Melissa also has a channel on YouTube to which you can subscribe which contains, amongst other things, rehearsal footage of Concerto, The Dream pas de deux, Monotones, This Bitter Earth pas de deux and other gems. Sadly, I don’t think she will have the opportunity to reprise her Sugar Plum or any of the other classics. But hopefully Mayerling next season and I’d like to see her in more Balanchine.
  19. Odyssey
    So pleased to hear these richly deserved promotions . Look forward to hearing about the other levels.
  20. Odyssey
    I agree. I don’t think it’s necessary for virtually every Principal to dance Odette/Odile in a season. I realise that COVID was an important contributing factor, but should all the ‘junior’ principals have debuted this role in the same run? As we’ve also noted earlier in this thread, it seemed equally unsatisfactory (and wasteful ) that Clare Calvert was given just a single performance. If Kevin O’Hare believed in her ability to carry this role, then I find it difficult to understand why he didn’t demonstrate this more fully. A single performance smacks of tokenism. The Royal Ballet has such a wide repertoire, with the major classical ballets regularly in the repertoire. As such, I would like to see slightly fewer casts having more opportunities to develop their interpretation. .
  21. Odyssey
    Found this old thread so thought it best to post this here. Melissa has recently been rehearsing with Roberto Bolle for the forthcoming Roberto and Friends tour this summer.
  22. Odyssey
    Melissa has danced Odette/ Odile when she was a guest principal for 2 years at Dresden Semperoper Ballet. (She also danced Aurora in Sleeping Beauty and Nikiya in La Bayadere) I was surprised, when she returned, that the opportunities didn’t come to widen her repertoire. Melissa touches on this period of dancing the classics in her interview with The Ballet Association in 2020, which makes very interesting reading https://balletassociation.co.uk/pages/reports-2020-melissa-hamilton
  23. Odyssey
    I’ve just finished reading Leanne Benjamin’s autobiography, ‘Built for Ballet’ and I can highly recommend it. It came as no surprise to me that it would be refreshingly down to earth and honest, from what little I had previously read or heard about her. It’s a insightful, entertaining read which takes you through her career, mainly at Sadler Wells and the Royal Ballet, providing some fascinating glimpses into the life as a principal dancer. Her career spanned an interesting time for the Royal Ballet including the temporary closure of the Opera House, the directorship of Ross Stretton ( a fellow Australian, whom she had previously worked with) and the flourishing of the Company under Monica Mason and Kevin O’Hare. As such it is also a lovely reminder of productions and revivals that have come and gone along with former stars of the Company. I hadn’t known that her husband is the son of the much missed Georgina Parkinson and the photographer, Roy Round. She writes touchingly about her in-laws, particularly in the final years. Sarah Crompton is credited as co-writer and the introduction suggests they enjoy a close and trusted relationship. It’s a substantial read, but never drags. Well worth reading.
  24. Odyssey
    I enjoyed the film but, as is often the case, I enjoyed the book more. I think Carlos’ life story is remarkable and as such the film is inspiring and has a wider appeal than for balletomanes. Having said that, I totally appreciate the point Fonty makes regarding the lack of substantial focus on the balletic qualities of his dancing .
  25. Odyssey
    I find it quite moving that so many of the Company have shown such genuine support . The Royal Ballet appears to be in such a good place right now with a real ensemble feel to all they do . Obviously, we only pick up fragments from the communications we are able to read, but it’ also comes across in the way the whole company behave on stage, fully commitment evident right across the company. I really hope Clare gets a second chance to dance this role. The quality of dancing from the first soloists ( and we’ve recently lost two very talented females) is particularly high, with several very experienced dancers who regularly shine. I wouldn’t envy Kevin O’Hare in the difficult decisions he has , but he does seem to be able to keep his dancers interested and happy.
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