Balletfanp

A fair point, Bill - and I see no reason at all not to use it for promotion. I just don't like to be bombarded, that's all. My personal opinion and I accept that many will disagree

Lovely to see Muntagirov getting some well-deserved recognition. Especially as he is a dancer who doesn't seem to feel the need to plaster himself all over the social media on a daily basis.

Ooh, thanks!

I'm not a last minute person. I'm usually there too early! So thanks, I will be at Covent Garden early and will keep an eye out for growing queues.

Fab, thanks LinMM!

A quick question - and I apologise if I should be asking this in a different thread - but I'm coming up to see the Nutcracker on the 5th. Is the ROH still checking bags on entry, and if so, is it adding much to the entry time? Should I come prepared to queue, and for roughly how long? Thanks in advance!

Ah yes!

I haven't seen that clip - which dancer, Capybara?

Like RuthE above, I tend to warm far more to those dancers who use Twitter etc. For more everyday, personal interactions. On the other hand, why not use the social media occasionally for a bit of self-promotion? However, there's a line to be drawn here. There are a handful of dancers who (IMO) take this to saturation point - you can't open Twitter, Instagram, or whatever without seeing yet another "Here's me again in the studio"; " Here's another video/photo of me with X"; "Want to watch me stretch? Here I am again" type of posts. I'm not naming the dancers; I'm sure most people who use social media will know what I mean anyway. To me (again, my personal opinion), this is too much and I just think "enough"!! These are good dancers, they don't need to ram the fact constantly down people's throats. It does actually make me struggle to do them justice when I see them dance because it colours my view of them as people. And that is probably very unfair of me, I admit, but that is how it makes me feel.

"....the Noddy and Big Ears approach...." That did make me laugh, Floss! )

So sad. I saw Motorhead a few years back (and can still hear - just!). I saw a recent video interview with him and he looked shocking. My husband (who isn't a doctor) took one look and said "cancer". Amazing he made it to 70, really, given his lifestyle.

Very possibly - but again, should they not have considered that? Please don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of Acosta, and I did enjoy his Don Quixote very much, but I think it's sad that his career has ended on a less than well thought out piece of choreography, which may have turned out much better but for a little forethought and intervention at an earlier stage. I've said before that I didn't find it as awful as some of the critics or some people here evidently did, but it could possibly have been so much better.

No, Floss, please don't shorten your posts!

In the recent (excellent) documentary on Acosta, I did think it was rather telling in the section towards the end that concentrated on the making of Carmen, that at the first stage call Acosta made some comment along the lines that he hadn't taken into account how having the Corps, opera chorus and the flamenco players all on stage at the same time would take up so much room. Those weren't his actual words but that was the sense of them. Really?? He hadn't thought about that up until that stage? And more to the point, why on earth didn't someone at the RB with (presumably) more experience of staging productions point this out to him (unless he was keeping his plans under wraps)? That may go some way towards explaining the cluttered, messy group sections, but more generally, suggests that he really doesn't have the vision for how ideas that seem great in your head don't always work in practice. Something I would have thought was a vital skill in a good choreographer....

I actually enjoyed Darcey's programme far more than I expected - very interesting and some stunning footage, plus I found her presentation style far better when she was more relaxed (after all, live presenting when you're not especially used to it must be quite nerve-wracking). I too was a bit puzzled as to why Alban Lendorf and Eric Underwood were specifically singled out - not to knock either dancer, as they are both excellent - but I could think of a number of other supposedly up and coming or newly established dancers equally deserving of some airtime. Good to see Edward Watson though. Carmen - I watched it again in the hope that a second viewing might improve it. Sadly, it didn't; the opposite, in fact. The Pas de Deux between Don José and Carmen that I had previously been OK with looked clunky and a bit clumsy (the excellent dancing from Nunez notwithstanding), and what on earth was that bit where she pokes her head between his knees all about?? As my sister put it, when we saw it at the cinema, "Too much writhing around on the floor". Having said that, there were still bits that I liked, and I still don't think it deserved some of the more extreme comments that have been made. And - and I think this is important - many many comments on the social media were from people who enjoyed it and thought it was fantastic, so it obviously had appeal for quite a number of people (but please, Mr Acosta, stick to what you are best at - your best is so wonderful!).

Happy Christmas to everyone! Joining this forum has been a highlight of my year.

Yes, I'm working on family and friends so a potential five going!

I would second Muntagirov and Morera in Fille - I've never been part of such a happy and elated audience; that was the effect they had. I really hope that Morera wins the best female performance award in the dance awards because IMO she deserves it.

Maybe it will pick up; with Xmas before I must admit 26th January feels like a long way off yet. People have closer priorities. I haven't booked yet myself, but our cinema looks to be about a third booked so far - all in a big block, so possibly a coach party. So far, the Nutcracker is the only cinema performance I've attended where it has been really busy and almost fully booked.

I agree Odyssey - having worked in Higher Education for many years and having endured more quality inspections than I care to remember, I can confirm that you can deliver the best service ever, but if you don't have acceptable documentation to support and evidence that, you might as well forget a good report because it won't happen.

I did too!

I'm not sure if she slipped but she seemed to stumble a few steps. Such a shame as the rest of her performance was sublime. Well done to Kish for stepping up at the last minute - he was very competent but I don't find him outstanding in any way (good or bad). Campbell and Hayward were excellent, and also Nagdhi. Full house at the cinema, and even some applause!

Well, at least in this article (despite the title) he does highlight a number of the positives as well.

I think I had that same book. Awful news.

With Dance Europe you can also choose digital downloads as well - immediate access. A word of warning though - I can't view them on my android tablet; only on my iPhone. It seems to be geared towards Apple.