Booklover89

It was extremely touching indeed.  Feeling very privileged to have been there and may have shed a tear or two at the lovely tribute from Kevin O'Hare.  Wonderful to see Sir Peter Wright, Monica Mason and others join the company on stage as well.  

A marvellous performance of Giselle by Marianela and Vadim, though my teeth were set slightly on edge by the incessant coughing in Act II...

Has there been any news on the other ENB promotions, joiners and leavers?

RB promotions were announced at about this time last year, before the company left on tour.  Could we find out next week?  I would love to see promotions for Yasmine, Matthew and Reece, to name but a few.

I've just managed to snag a ticket for Cuthbertson/Bonelli on Friday!  SO excited.  My first time seeing the Macmillan R & J.

 

In keeping with the dearth of dance in Sheffield, there is no ballet whatsoever, anywhere.

Although I am very much looking forward to going up to see Northern Ballet dance 1984 there next month!

No R and J tickets this time around for me (counting the pennies) but there are dancers I'll be really interested to see (primarily Nagdhi, Ball, Hayward, Muntagirov) when it inevitably comes back...

Going back to the topic at hand...it should be only a few weeks until promotions are announced.  For my two cents, I'd love to see Francesca Hayward promoted to First Soloist.  Even though it's only been a year since her promotion to Soloist, she's been so consistent in such a range of featured and solo roles, not to mention Manon and Alice (and her Juliet to come).  Otherwise, many of the people who have impressed me this season have probably been promoted too recently to go up again this year.  I would quite like to see Anna Rose O'Sullivan and Leticia Stock rewarded in the corps though.

I think there was some discussion of the First Soloist rank on here recently.  Is it the case that one really has to be under consideration as a future principal to reach this rank?  Or can it be a kind of 'reward' for particularly useful soloists with the understand that they probably won't go any further?  If the latter, I can think of a few soloists who consistently impress and might merit it e.g. Paul Kay, as a kind of specialist in the demi-caratere roles?

I was glad to finally see Song of the Earth and didn't think it a low point on which to end the season at all, though I can see why it divides opinion quite sharply.  Ed Watson was just so fabulous and powerful and it was a treat to see Lauren back.  Faun was intriguing, and Sarah Lamb does that intense, ethereal otherworldliness so well, but In the Night didn't do much for me.  I would love to see the company bring back Dances at a Gathering though.

I hope Melissa Hamilton attracts some kinder remarks after she comes back from Dresden.  She does seem to get some fairly brutal comments on here from the same people each time.  Is it really necessary to make the same negative points repeatedly about a dancer making a debut?

After seeing this on Wednesday, and enjoying Parts I and III, my next thoughts were how they would revive it. Does it necessarily need an older female lead to convince? And would it be as good without Ms Ferri?

I would really like to see Zenaida Yanowsky in the Ferri role...has she ever done any McGregor?  She doesn't seem to be in his group of regular dancers...

I begin to feel that critics should be required to disclose their date of birth, that way we would get some idea of the likely range and extent of their experience to help us gauge the value to be placed on their opinion.

FLOSS, with respect, that is a little bit patronising.  Not all young (in ballet terms) audience members are limited in dance-watching or other cultural experience and age doesn't necessarily equate with the kind of broad and varied experience which you rightly value in a critic.  Though I do agree that the response to Woolf Works above is hyperbolic, remember that the positive experience may well encourage the writer to go and see more ballet in future.

Discussion of Woolf Works on Radio 4 Front Row right now.

I like Hamilton, and do hope Dresden is an enriching experience for her and gives her a boost in classical roles.  It does seem a bit of a catch-22 when you need to develop in a particular part of the repertoire in order to advance, but there are 1) others ahead of you in the casting queue and 2) limited opportunities to try roles out away from the pressures of the Covent Garden stage.  It will be interesting to see whether others have the confidence to explore opportunities outside the company as well.

Edited for typos.

So - all the way to 14 January next, and no mention of Zenaida Yanowsky.  Is there anything that one should read into that, pray?

I really hope not :-(

Thanks BillBoyd - but stop asking Judith Mackrell to point out the 'young audiences' that new works have attracted to Covent Garden.  We do exist!!

And I find those Guardian comments pretty depressing, if I'm honest.  I'm in my mid-twenties and probably among the demographic that ROH are keen to attract.  Chroma was the very first performance I saw at Covent Garden and I'm looking forward to Woolf Works.  I've been contacted by several friends (the same age) who have spotted the adverts and are intrigued enough to look for tickets.  The overwhelming negativity towards McGregor and anyone interested in seeing or discussing his work is, however, really off-putting.  I might be tempted to go and see a play or something instead.

I hope they do revive The Four Seasons in that case, FLOSS. I confess I hadn't heard of it before (I've only been watching ballet for a few years) but would very much like to see it.

I really enjoyed both clips! Edward Watson is an inspired choice for movement derived from Orlando, imho. Will definitely try and get to see this now. I hope people will give it a fair viewing.

Whatever you think of McGregor's work, he always comes across as a very involved and engaging presence in these videos.

Of course the author has only seen a very limited number of MacMillan's works.I keep wondering why MacMillan's Four Seasons is not revived. The only rational explanation that I can think of is that it does not fit the carefully cultivated image of MacMillan as a tortured,unappreciated genius.It's far too light and entertaining and it would never do to reveal that MacMillan ever made a single ballet that was highly regarded by audience and critics alike from its first performance.

Wasn't Romeo and Juliet pretty much instantly well-received?  According to the ROH it "received one of the most rapturous receptions of any work in ballet history"...http://www.roh.org.uk/news/ballet-essentials-romeo-and-juliet 

I remember Monica Mason saying something similar, but can't remember where...

Ed loves those practice clothes, doesn't he 

Rather different in tone, but I do think Robbins 'The Concert' is a perfect comic ballet.  I'm sure others will disagree, but I love it! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biUQGfZnVlU

Oh, I don't know - I hadn't even realised it was supposed to be anyone in particular, so I doubt anyone will be looking at those posters and going "OMG, it's Osipova!  I must go and see it"

I didn't even realise it was a candle!

I don't know...I'm looking at the first soloist names and most of them seem pretty 'active' to me, having danced (or down to dance) prominent roles in the most recent triple bill, Onegin, Swan Lake and Fille.  Hikaru Kobayashi has recently had a baby, I believe.  Perhaps there is just more 'buzz' around certain younger dancers who clearly are on the up and that leads to the impression of 'stalling' (which I agree is not a nice word to use in this particular instance).

I hope that the roles of the artist and young girl are cast with a view to their ability to give a wonderful performance of the Ashton choreography, rather than their age.

 

I agree with previous posts that some performances seem to have been cast according to seniority rather than suitability.  However, I would hate to see the pendulum swing the other way.  Some of the senior dancers have not yet had a chance to perform roles for which they seem ideally suited.  I would love to see Morera as Juliet, for example.  

And I would love to see her in Two Pigeons...

As this is the 50th anniversary of R&J, I think that a mix of younger and older dancers interpreting the roles is entirely appropriate.  Lauren Cuthbertson is still my favourite Juliet in the company, but contrary to Booklover89 I would absolutely drool at the thought of Obraztsova coming here to dance Juliet again.  She was an absolute revelation, and whether she is from this company or another one doesn't matter to me on this occasion!! 

 

Oh no, I love Obraztsova and would certainly book to see her as Juliet again.  I just wish it didn't also have to close one potential Juliet 'space' off for a younger dancer to move into!

Yes, I hope that some of the principals (eg Lamb, Nunez, McRae, Acosta and Soares) will be 'rested' in this run of R&J as I feel that they can become a bit stale in roles which they have danced for years / many times. This will allow younger dancers to have a go and freshen up the ballet. I would like to see Muntagirov (not with Takada, please), Ball, Hayward, Naghdi and Stix-Brunell in the lead roles.

I agree, though I think McRae should be kept on as Romeo.  I can't decide whether I would want to see Obraztsova as Juliet again though.  She is an extraordinary dancer, but I think I would rather they began developing someone from within the company as a partner for McRae.  

And yes, I would be disappointed if they paired Muntagirov with Takada again.  I don't think that's a partnership for dramatic ballets.

I agree, R&J has been on too many times now for me to be interested, but I would go if newer casts were offered for a change, so Hayward, Hamilton, Choe and others please. I think Morera should also be given Juliet - I mean, if she can dance Manon and Tatiana, she can dance Juliet! And Osipova too, for who knows how long we will have her for.

I would be extremely surprised if they weren't offering some new casts.  I would love to see Hayward, Naghdi, Morera (how has she never been given this role??), Muntagirov, Hay, Ball...I think there are a few less obvious candidates who would be good as well.  Fumi Kaneko perhaps?  I think she has real spark on stage.  

Edited to add Osipova, but I think it's probably a given that she'll be cast.