Balletfanp

I didn’t see Paris’s reaction as “assault” really - it came over to me as short-lived anger over Juliet’s (to him) inexplicable rejection of him when she had seemed willing before. I thought Nicol Edmonds portrayed that very well, as he very quickly looked contrite, and stared at his hands as though he couldn’t believe they had just manhandled Juliet. It didn’t seem that he was a man of habitual violence. After all, her parents and nurse were present, and despite the fact that they were exasperated and angry with her, I doubt they would have stood there and countenanced any real violence towards her.

I was at the cinema last night. I thought Yasmine Naghdi was utterly wonderful. Her dancing was gorgeous and I didn’t find it too classical or restrained - on the contrary, I thought it expressed Juliet’s feelings perfectly, especially in the bedroom pas the deux when her anguish and despair was palpable. And her acting, particularly in Act 3 was fantastic. The sitting on the bed moment, with her dawning hope and determination, along with that beautiful swelling music, was spine tingling, and a real test with the camera close-up. At the end of that particular sequence, my sister turned to me and just said “Wow.” Wow indeed. I’m afraid I’m in the camp who doesn’t think Ball matched her. They did have lovely chemistry, and his partnering in the pas de deux was very strong, but although he looked the part, I just didn’t feel him. It wasn’t that he was bad in any way - just that I found his dancing good without being outstanding, and his acting fine but not mindblowing, and not on Naghdi’s level. I thought Zucchetti was very good as Mercutio, but having seen Sambe recently I think he may have spoilt me for any other Mercutio! I did, however, really enjoy Ella’s Benvolio - I always like to watch him and last night both his dancing and acting were very strong. I’d like to see him promoted (but that’s another thread!). Regarding the broadcast itself - yes, it was very dark, and after Tybalt’s death, if anyone wasn’t sure of what was going on, they would have been hard put to guess as Lord Capulet lurked dimly in the shadows at the top of the steps and Lady C gesticulated at - apparently - nothing. It was only really a problem at certain moments, but still.... When Juliet sits on the bed with “that” music, I find it very effective, and it’s a bold choreographic move to use stillness rather than movement at a time like that. When Juliet runs to find Friar Lawrence, though, I do see in my mind’s eye the In the Round version staged in the Albert Hall, and remember Daria Klimentova’s beautiful fleet footed run (she barely seemed to touch the ground) around that huge arena with the billowing cloak streaming behind.... I always think it’s a shame they don’t have all that room on the ROH stage, as the music really lends itself to the run, and it remains a wistful memory!

I’m intrigued now, as to what they were raffling?? 😂

Anna Rose O’Sullican has just congratulated him on Instagram, so it must be true. Clumsy of the Times, though. However, I’m delighted for Sambe - extremely well deserved.

A while ago there was some discussion on here about this very thing, and it was decided that we would wear a blue button badge to identify us. I wore mine a couple of times but never saw anyone else wearing one. I gave up after I almost accosted a woman I thought was wearing a blue badge, but realised in the nick of time that she just happened to have blue buttons on her top...!

John McFarlane too! How wonderful!

Wow, huge congratulations to Vadim!! Absolutely deserved!

Muntagirov wasn’t promoted as such - he joined the RB then as a Principal having been Lead Principal at ENB.

I would have loved to see Beatriz as Juliet but sadly there is a limit to the number of performances I can make!

Finally getting around to my thoughts on my first ever double ballet day on Saturday, seeing both the matinee and the evening performance. I really enjoyed both performances - both wonderful in their own ways. For me the evening performance had the edge but I should point out that I was sitting in the Amphi for the matinee and the front row of the stalls in the evening, so I did get two very different perspectives! Hayward was wonderful as Juliet. She has a very youthful and childlike look in any case, which suited the character perfectly, but more than that, she “projected” right up to the Amphi - I was never in any doubt as to her emotions, both from her face and every movement of her body, which seemed to express everything she was feeling just in terms of its movement. I had come to the matinee specifically to see this cast - I wanted to see Hayward’s Juliet - but had also heard so much about Corrales and really wanted to see him too. I wouldn’t hesitate to see him again, but I did find myself wondering if he was fully recovered from his injury yet, because he did seem a little more cautious in his dancing than I had expected - although “cautious” is possibly too strong a word. Also, I didn’t really “feel” him from right up in the Amphi as I did Hayward, but, as several people have already said, the mop of hair was probably at least partly responsible for that as it obscured his features - and any facial expressions - too much. I did think that they made a lovely pairing although I’m not sure the chemistry was really buzzing as yet, but I think that could well develop if they continue to dance together. Hayward’s terror and revulsion as she contemplated taking the potion was palpable and pitiful and one of the highlights of the performance for me. I thought Ball’s Tybalt portrayal was very good, although I preferred Whitehead in the evening, if I’m honest - more menacing. The supporting cast were all wonderful - Hay in the afternoon, Ella in the evening - and I don’t think I can really add to the plaudits already given to Sambe - brilliant dancing, engaging characterisation, and a special round of applause from me for doing it twice in a day! I even felt that he was even more on fire in the evening, although that may have been partly the effect of proximity! I love Lamb’s Juliet. Possibly a more restrained, gentler, shyer portrayal than Hayward’s, but just as effective. I don’t see the coldness/coolness that some say she has, she has the most expressive face, particularly her eyes, which she uses to great effect. I loved her adoring, smiling looks at Romeo, although hardly surprising when that Romeo is Muntagirov! One of the (many) things I love about Muntagirov’s performances is his sheer exuberance and love of dancing that he always projects, and it’s irresistible when combined with the portrayal of a young man in love as Romeo is. His ecstatic smile could light up the darkest of days, and his dancing was, of course, a thing of beauty. I didn’t find this performance too “tidy,” as someone suggested. The passion was there in spades. And both portrayed the tragic downward spiral as events overtook them so well. Muntagirov emotions dancing with Juliet’s “dead” body felt heart-wrenchingly real - Lamb’s scream of realisation and despair was visceral and ugly. No wonder they both looked wrung out with emotion when first taking their applause. I love the ballet itself but it always bothers me that nowhere does it hint that Friar Laurence sent a message to Romeo to explain the situation, but it never reaches him - to me, quite a crucial point. It does explain it in the synopsis but there is no indication of it in the ballet itself. But that’s just me nit-picking! The practical part of my mind takes over too much sometimes and I always find myself wondering why Juliet doesn’t stab herself on the bed rather than having to drag herself on to it and over it to reach Romeo.... but I’d better stop that now! 😂

They are tons better than mine!

The fringe was certainly blocking the view - I was in the Amphitheatre (unusually for me) and I found it hard to see any of his facial expressions for the mop of hair, which detracted from the performance for me. Double show day for me - my thoughts tomorrow - too shattered now!

I have described Lamb to people before in just those words, Dawnstar. She always seems to me every little girl’s idea of the perfect ballerina with regard to how she looks 🙂.

I’m completely with you on seating choice, Dawnstar! I like to be close and see expressions, with the first couple of rows of the stalls for preference, but Stalls Circle side as second choice if I can’t afford the stalls.

I tend to disagree about Muntagirov. He is the most wonderful dancer, of course, but I also find him extremely moving in more dramatic roles, largely because his acting is very natural (which I generally find more convincing). I think he is almost typecast in princely/classical roles, and that’s a shame because he is capable of so much more. I found him and Lamb heartbreaking in Manon, and I still haven’t recovered from Winter Dreams when, besides the spectacular dancing one would expect from him in this role, he delivered a performance so full of emotion and passion that it left me breathless. I only felt tearful about it when recalling it later but that was because, at the actual performance, it was almost too much - I felt almost as though I couldn’t take it in at the time, but it is etched on my memory forever. Amazing. I also think he and Lamb are a good fit in these types of roles. I don’t find her at all cold. But that’s just my opinion 🙂. I’d like to see him with different and younger partners occasionally - Hayward springs to mind, or Naghdi in classical roles. I hope it will happen at some point, much as I love him with Nunez. Anyway, I am seeing Muntagirov and Lamb in R&J next Saturday, along with Hayward/Corrales in the matinee, so it should be a double show day of interesting contrasts!

They were cast together in the last run as well.

I couldn’t bear to watch it last night and it looked as though the damage was far worse than it has actually turned out to be - thank goodness! Very fond memories of mine and my husband to be’s first holiday together in Paris when we first met - one of the highlights was Notre Dame and the climb up the towers. We went back several times and I hope we will do so again.

To say nothing of Roberto Bolle coming out as Roberto Bubbles.....

The brass section always jar on me. They let down the rest of the orchestra. Surely they can do better?

Let me guess - the brass section?

It was actually from the official Benois site but through Google translate, so....

Oh, and Kate Wheatley - missed her in the list! Nice to see our British companies represented.

Came across this do thought I would start a thread. Congratulations to Vadim Muntagirov and John McFarlane for their nominations! <At a press conference in the Bolshoi Theater of Russia, the nominees for the International Ballet Prize Benois de la Dance (Benois de la danse) were announced. 28 artists from Russia, USA, France, Austria and other countries will compete for the victory. Six choreographers claim for the award: Juanho Arques (Birmingham Royal Ballet), Septim Webre (Kansas City Ballet), Manuel Legrey (Vienna State Ballet), Justin Peck (San Francisco Ballet), Fredrik Benke Reedman (Stockholm State Ballet), Christian Shpuk (Zurich Ballet). Anastasia Stashkevich (Bolshoi Theater), Amandine Albison (Paris Opera Ballet), Ashley Bauder (New York City Ballet), Eliza Carrillo Cabrera (Berlin State Ballet), Maya Makhateli (Netherlands National Ballet), Yuan Yuan Tan (San Francisco Ballet), Kaho Yanagisawa (Swedish Royal Ballet). Vyacheslav Lopatin (Bolshoi Theater), Audric Besar (Paris Opera Ballet), Andile Ndlovu (Washington Ballet), Daniel Simkin (American Ballet Theater), Daniel Camargo (Netherlands National Ballet), Vadim Muntagirov (Royal Ballet of Great Britain) will compete for the title of best dancer , Abel Rojo (Malpaso). In the Composers category, Matthew Pierce (The Wizard of Oz, Kansas City Ballet) and Kate Wheatley (Flame, Birmingham Royal Ballet) are nominated. In addition, four artists are applying for the prize: Jerome Kaplan (“Bayadere”, Berlin State Secretariat), John Macfarlane (“Swan Lake”, Royal Ballet of Great Britain), Robert Perdiola (“Harlequinade”, American Ballet Theater), and Michael Rayford and Liz Vandall (The Wizard of Oz, Kansas City Ballet). The award ceremony will take place on 21 May.>

By the time we arrived at the ROH it was virtually impossible to get down to Covent Garden market and down Floral Street. We - and most others - walked the long way round. I’ve never seen so many people there and all the noise and chanting made it sound very aggressive, even if that wasn’t the intent. There were still some of them around and shouting when we went round to the stage door after the evening performance.

Yes, Campbell is another who is always very generous with his time at the stage door.