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Melody

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Everything posted by Melody

  1. I wouldn't call it bright, but I found Symphonic Variations to be very peaceful and uplifting. I remember seeing excerpts from Tudor's Gala Performance years and years ago, and it looked hilarious.
  2. Definitely worth staying up all night for. I hope it works out for them - they haven't known each other nearly as long as William and Catherine before they got married, but they seem to have a lot in common, which is a good basis for a strong marriage. I'm glad the Duke of Edinburgh could make it, so soon after his surgery and just before his 97th birthday.
  3. Marguerite's black dress. I like the others but that one is just gorgeous. Cinderella's tutu and long sheer cloak. The Winter Fairy costume from Cinderella with all those crystals along the ballerina's arms. The new Australian Ballet Lilac Fairy tutu - not sure why, but I really like it.
  4. I don't think there's any problem with people having favourites, as long as they don't try and make a federal case of anyone else saying the slightest negative thing about those favourites. At the level of the RB dancers - especially the principals and soloists - there's going to be enough technical and artistic ability for any of them to be someone's favourite, and obviously some of the dancers are generally beloved in this forum. As long as this is a forum for thoughtful conversation and not just a fan site, anyone should be able to post constructive criticism or even just "this is why I don't particularly like so-and-so in this role" comments. Just as it isn't helpful to allow that sort of comment to become mean spirited (which doesn't tend to happen here), I also don't think it's helpful for fans to create a hostile atmosphere over any perceived criticism of their pet dancers (which has sometimes tended to happen). While I tend to bridle at comments (usually from much younger people) along the lines of "I don't know what you folk see in Margot Fonteyn, I think she's boring," that's just a personal thing and I don't think people should feel they can't say it, as long as they're prepared to defend it in a sensible way.
  5. She was known for having a wonderful technique, but those fouettés are brilliant. She barely moves off the spot the whole time, while some of the modern dancers wander around the stage a bit. I do wish they'd speed up the proceedings so it's more like those earlier performances. When Ratmansky does his restaging of the classics, like his Sleeping Beauty, does he use the faster tempo as well as the original costumes or is it still done at the modern funereal pace?
  6. Such a shame that things haven't turned out as you all hoped, but at least you all know what's going on and can work toward a happier future, whatever that might involve. As long as you're all communicating and she's being open about her thoughts and feelings, that'll help a lot. Life is more complicated for teens and young adults than for young children, but it sounds as though she's moving forward. All the best for her and for you, and keep communicating!
  7. Ondine would be a lovely tribute. So would Marguerite and Armand, and Symphonic Variations, but they were performed recently so I don't know if the RB would want to revive them so soon. It would be nice to have an exhibition of Fonteyn-related memorabilia, but since the museum at White Lodge was closed, I'm not sure if there's a suitable venue. Perhaps the Royal Ballet could coordinate with the Royal Mail to have a commemorative stamp issued.
  8. I saw him and Fonteyn in Swan Lake once. It was a very memorable performance; I think I managed to get a ticket that had been returned or something because I remember getting it at the last minute and staying late that evening when I hadn't intended to, and nearly missing the last train home. Worth it, though!
  9. Gosh, some of those articles make rather grim reading about the morale at ballet companies. I hope for the dancers' sake that things are generally happier than they're painted.
  10. Not sure if there's anything new in it, but there's also an article in the Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2018/mar/13/ballet-director-tamara-rojo-defends-relationship-dancer
  11. Is this still going on? When are your temps going to get back to normal?
  12. We're in the middle of a dangerous wind storm. We've had the power go on and off several times today, but thousands of people have been without power all day and will probably be out for a couple of days or more. A couple of trees have come down in the back garden, and out neighbour told us that there's a light pole lying across the road a street or two over. It's affecting the entire northeastern USA. This thing is normally called a nor'easter, but this one's being referred to as a bomb cyclone.
  13. It's so instructive to read some of these polls. I had absolutely no idea that going to casinos was considered posh! Maybe it's less of a posh thing here than in Europe, but you can sort of see people looking down their noses at my husband when he says he's been to the local casino for the afternoon. In contrast, ballet seems to have been labelled as elitist everywhere since forever. I've always assumed it's because ballet is perceived as being something that takes education and a bit of hard work to connect with, which isn't as much the case as non-balletomanes think.
  14. I was thinking the same thing. I'm amazed at the number of people who claim to like ballet but have never heard of her.
  15. Melody

    Old Money!!

    Well, when I saw the thread title, I was wondering if you were letting us know your family had just inherited a dukedom or something.
  16. I know this is a generalization, but principals tend to have longer careers than corps dancers (at least that seems to be the case from what I've been reading). I always thought it was because they had more time between performances for their bodies and minds to rest, although I'm sure their rehearsal schedule is as demanding as anyone else's. But maybe it's more because of greater job satisfaction or better pay.
  17. Season's Greetings, Lisa, and a very happy new year!
  18. We start in early November, but we're doing less than we used to as we get older. The village and the spectral tree stay in place all year. The four smaller trees (angels, fish, birds, and stars) are stored partly decorated - we just take off the breakable decorations. The trees are all on stands with wheels, so we wheel them to the room with the village and carry them down the three steps and store them there with bags on. The only ones we need to break down are the poinsettia tree, which is a bunch of artificial poinsettias in pots (which are stored under the tables with the village) on a frame, and the new tree in the hallway, which is going to be too heavy to move in one piece. If we need help with that one, we have some neighbours with twenty-something sons who can hopefully help with the dismantling and heavy lifting. It usually takes most of January to get everything stored away.
  19. It even snowed a bit on the day my husband took the outdoor photos, which was nice. Made those snowmen look a bit more authentic since we didn't use the light meshes out there this year.
  20. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Whatever! Here's our video for 2017. Anyone with photos of British Christmas decorations, please share.
  21. Melody

    Room 101

    What is it with all these airlines going bankrupt?
  22. Melody

    Room 101

    Same problem over here - people seem to be able to refuse to do parts of their job if they claim it offends their religious sensibilities.
  23. Melody

    Room 101

    I have no idea what these leaf-blower operators are thinking. If they don't haul the piles of leaves away after they've collected them, they might as well not bother to blow them in the first place because they'll be back again at the first breath of wind. What a waste of time and money.
  24. Margot Fonteyn in Swan Lake. The only other Odette who's really moved me to anywhere near that extent was Zenaida Yanowsky. I'd love to have seen Markova dance Giselle; I have a feeling it would have been a three-Kleenex experience.
  25. Well, apparently neo-Nazi blogs and websites were having a meltdown over this announcement. Must say I couldn't manage to summon up any sympathy for them.
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