Balletfanp

Yes, at the stage door he came out with a big case and said he couldn’t stay long as he had to catch a plane, but still graciously found the time to speak to everyone and pose for photos.

A bit of a delayed report, but I was at the Osipova/Muntagirov performance on Saturday night (long journey home yesterday). I saw him with Nunez earlier in the run so the different performances made an interesting contrast. My mother-in-law wanted to see Vadim, but had been unable to come for his scheduled performances earlier in the run, so his extra performances with Osipova worked out well as she was able to attend this one (I managed to get hold of two fairly decent tickets!). I’m can’t say anything about Muntagirov, really, over and above what has already been said. Spectacularly beautiful dancing (more gasps from the audience!) and a very charming Basilio all round. It was interesting, though, to see the very different Kitris. Osipova’s Kitri was as expected - full on, dazzling, energetic and feisty. Nunez’s was also feisty and full of character, but in a gentler way, and beautifully danced (and the smile!). I was glad to see Osipova in the role and it is clear why her Kitri is held in high regard. I enjoyed her performance hugely but on balance I felt that Nunez had the edge for me as I enjoyed her actual dancing more. A personal opinion and I’m sure others will disagree. Someone mentioned in an earlier post that Osipova’s shoulders appeared tight and I couldn’t help but agree - they were almost up near her ears at some points, especially when she jumped. It’s a shame as it spoils her line. Her fouettes were amazing, taken at breakneck speed (how does she do that??) and fantastically controlled to boot, but her arms are almost crossed in front of her chest and tucked right in when she does them, and although breathtakingly impressive, for myself I preferred Nunez’s slower but more aesthetically pleasing fouettes. The partnership of Osipova with Muntagirov is interesting and works on a surprising level. It might be good to see them in more together. Their portrayal felt like Kitri was the wayward firebrand, with Muntagirov’s Basilio almost as an adoring, but slightly steadying influence! With Nunez the partnership seemed more “equal.” The rest of the main characters were almost the same casting as I saw before, but I have to say that Fumi Kaneko has now absolutely nailed that Queen of the Dryads solo - beautiful! Perfect control of that very difficult choreography. And having enjoyed Anna Rose O’Sullivan’s Amour before, it was lovely to see Isabella Gasparini’s performance this time - also excellent (please promote her, Mr O’Hare!). I too prefer Gary Avis as Lorenzo, I agree that some of the detail was missing from Mariott’s portrayal and the miming wasn’t as clear. I have to say that there was a row of Osipova fans in front of me, who cheered and clapped Osipova extravagantly in everything she did, but stubbornly refused to applaud ANY other dancer, Muntagirov included most of the time, although I think he had more or less won them over by the end and they gave him some rather grudging applause. I know that people have their favourites, and it is their choice to applaud or not, but to me it seems rude and incredibly narrow minded to think that only your favourite dancer can do anything well and worthy of applause. Ho hum.

No criticism of your comment intended, Scheherazade 🙂 - I’m seeing that cast on Saturday and very much looking forward to seeing Osipova. Just pointing out that the one-sidedness of that section of the audience seemed rather miserable....

I’m sure she was - but it does seem particularly mean-spirited to applaud no one else, especially since, if reports are correct, the whole cast was on fantastic form.

....and Vadim Muntagirov in Dance of the Blessed Spirits:-

Links as promised: Reece Clark - Sleeping Beauty solo:- A

They are both on YouTube - I’ll post the links later.

I watched it. Very interesting. I wish I had half her determination.

I liked it too. I remember a very enthusiastic audience when I was there, and if I recall, whilst the reviews didn’t enthuse over it, most didn’t completely pan it either.

I have to say, I quite liked it. It wasn’t perfect - there were various flaws in it that I thought needed fixing, but overall I think Scarlett made a good job of it. I saw it live, and at the cinema with two family members who thought it was fantastic (and they aren’t ballet novices). For me, the positives outweighed the undeniable negatives.

Thanks Yaffa - I will pass on that information?

Hi, I have an American acquaintance (a big ballet fan) coming to London from 8th - 15th July and she has asked me if there is anything worth seeing in London balletwise then? She has realised that the RB, whom she was hoping to see, is actually (ironically!) in LA then, but wonders if any other of the bigger companies are performing in London then? I have pointed out that most of them are on their summer breaks then, and of course she is too early for the Bolshoi, but just wondering if any of you knowledgeable people know of anything else (visiting companies perhaps?) who may be on that week? A shame she can’t see any of the “home” companies, but at that time of year....

It’s not always like that, no. But certain dancers do attract larger crowds than others sometimes.

Congratulations to all the winners!

No, but she thanks various people for checking on her and bringing her things “to get the show done,” so I deduced from that that she was starting to feel unwell at the very least.

Well, as though I couldn’t be impressed enough by last night’s performance, I now hear that Marianela was actually ill with a fever! She posted it on Instagram so it’s in the public domain. Remarkable that she could pull off such a sparkling performance under those circumstances. She is a perfect Kitri in every way. She and Muntagirov were spectacular - every time I think Vadim can’t possibly get any better, he does. There were audible gasps from the audience at some of his leaps - those incredible split leaps, and the scissor action variation on the usual cabrioles - wow! Yet still technically perfect, effortless and elegant. The chemistry between them was beautiful to see, plus the combined effect of their megawatt smiles was pretty dazzling. And they hit the comedy moments perfectly. The production itself - well, Don Q to begin with has probably one of the thinnest, silliest plots in ballet. I agree with Capybara that the prologue with the Don could be considerably pruned. On the whole, though, who cares when it’s the excuse for dancing of the calibre we saw last night? The whole cast were lively and vibrant and if I have a wish, it would be that the orchestra matched the zip and verve of the dancers - I felt they were a bit subdued and even plodding at times. Hard to pick out individuals as they were all excellent - but Laura Morera was blazingly good as Mercedes. Anna Rose O’Sullivan was the most sprightly and musical Amour, and Fumi Kaneko made the difficult Queen of the Dryads solo look easy. And let’s have a hand for those gorgeous Act 2 tutus - surely some of the most beautiful anywhere? The first time I have ever witnessed a standing ovation in the ROH but it was richly deserved and a privilege to be part of.

Standing ovation tonight! Nunez and Muntagirov were on fire! More tomorrow....

Well, I am - will be there tomorrow night! 🙂

I don’t think Asphodel Meadows has been danced for a number of years, has it? So it would be reasonable to suppose that any photos existing would of necessity have to be older ones from the last run, at least in the ROH programme.

I go to the stage door sometimes and have always found the dancers to be friendly and charming. There has to be some sensitivity applied; for instance, it’s usually obvious when a dancer is in a hurry and doesn’t want to be stopped - in which case, don’t - but as long as you bear in mind the fact that they are tired, others are waiting to speak to them as well, and don’t keep them too long, then it’s always positive in my experience. You do occasionally get people who interrogate a dancer for what seems like ages, at the expense of others, and the dancer’s time, which is a big No for me. And a particular person who is there occasionally who doesn’t speak to the dancers but photographs them without asking their permission, and tells everyone else (including children, excited to see their idols) that there is no room and they should leave! 😡

Actually Mary, I’m with you there - I never quite “get” Bourne either! Ditto with the quality of the dancing - not bad, just not as good as elsewhere.

Sad to hear - but, as a few have said, perhaps not so much of a surprise. I wish him all the best in his future endeavours.

How lovely 😌. I too am reduced to a teary state by that final pas de deux, especially with Vadim. Agree with every word you say about him. And Ashton had a genius for stirring the emotions in an unexpected and unusual way - who would have thought that just adding pigeons, ribbons etc. could have that effect?

Well, they do say the only bad publicity is no publicity.....

Well, I was there tonight and thoroughly enjoyed it. I had never seen Asphodel Meadows before, so went not knowing what to expect and with an open mind. I found it undemanding and enjoyable in a mild way. It reminded me of Viscera a bit, which I also found undemanding and enjoyable in a mild way... that sounds like damning it with faint praise, which I’m not - I wouldn’t book tickets specifically to see it again, but I would be perfectly happy to sit through it again in another bill. Ahh, Laura Morera - she is just so special. I’m not sure why, but I love it and I love her. She and William Bracewell were outstanding in Asphodel Meadows, even managing to eclipse Marianela (who was also excellent). Morera and Bracewell looked really good together and really seemed to connect with each other. I was also delighted to see Morera as the Gypsy Girl in the Two Pigeons. I was so looking forward to seeing her last time around - having been told that it was very much “her” role - but she was injured before I got to see her. I was so glad to finally see her tonight, and I agree wholeheartedly that it definitely is “her” role. She was fantastic - seductive, exciting, electrifying, with wonderful dancing. She and Muntagirov have a lot of chemistry together (loved them in Fille). Last time Fumi Kaneko took over and I really enjoyed her interpretation, but....there’s no one quite like Morera! And once again, Cuthbertson and Muntagirov were amazing - charming, funny and sad. It seemed to me that they had developed in the roles since last time. The last pas de deux was simply beautiful - heartwrenchingly moving. The corps were on great form too and danced with huge joie de vivre making it quite a spectacle. The only slightly weak link, I felt, was Tomas Mock as the Gypsy Chief - it wasn’t that he was bad but I just didn’t really feel anything from him. Others may well disagree. Of course, the Pigeon Factor lends a whole extra frisson to the last ten minutes or so - will they behave or won’t they! The walk down the stairs with the pigeon on the shoulder in particular has me on tenterhooks - it would be rather awkward for the storyline if it flew off into the flies, or started pecking around the stage (not unknown!) - to say nothing of being just a tad distracting! Well, I can report that the Pigeons behaved impeccably tonight, although the second Pigeon at the very end came in a bit late - just as I was starting to think there was a problem, it appeared! Phew! 😂 Excellent evening and an appreciative audience!