Balletfanp

They were made a revised offer which (by the sounds of it), wasn’t much of a revision. I’ll be going back coach but I do that anyway. I know it’s a long way, but is it feasible for you?

Sadly, completely true - of course, when the students left there was a lot of laughter but with the way things are they have to seem, at least, to be taken seriously. Absolutely - surely the point of these attractions is to highlight what things were like for people in that situation back in the day and show how things have changed and how much we have to be thankful for.

I work at a university, and a colleague of mine told me about a meeting she had been to where the students had been taken on an induction week ice breaker trip to Bodmin Gaol (a tourist attraction) and had complained that some of their number had been traumatised by it. They were also demanding trigger warnings on books and videos they needed to watch warning them of violent content and accounts of crimes and murders. The students were studying - wait for it - Criminal Justice! 😂 I’m not sure how they’re going to cope when they have to deal with stuff like that as a living….

He emerged laden with flowers and gifts after his second performance - no idea how he managed to get it all home!

I’ve just tried that and the individual videos are there but they still won’t play for me. I think a VPN would be the only answer. Unless they get added to Instagram or YouTube as the Spring Waters already has.

😁 A little harsh - but yes! I think only Vadim could (almost) carry it off!

This one definitely is free via the ItsART app - I signed up when it was advertised as available months ago and am still able to watch it. The Etoiles gala before that with Nunez and Muntagirov is also available. Incidentally, the couture costumes worn by Kaneko and Muntagirov were pretty appalling. Kaneko’s Black Swan tutu would have been beautiful just as a piece of couture, but as a tutu to dance in…. no! I’m not sure how Vadim managed to partner her at all with the big stiff skirt holding him at a distance and getting in the way. His costume was OK but looked far too plain beside Fumi’s. As for the White Swan outfits - lots of white frills for Fumi (not remotely swanlike!) and an awful monstrosity of a tunic for Vadim that seemed ill-fitting and with a frill around his neck that was reminiscent of a jester. If that was couture you can keep it! A reminder that couture designers should probably stick to the day job and steer clear of designing ballet costumes…. Despite these drawbacks, they both danced magnificently!

One of the things about Westwood’s clothes was that the cut and tailoring were superb. Even her bondage trousers in the early days were very high quality and far from the multitude of cheap copies that appeared - made of the best materials and silk-lined. Which is why they weren’t cheap to buy, for the time.

I was bored by in it the main - I thought it was mostly a waste of good dancers, although it was lovely to see Darcey and Irek on screen together. I’m not sure it was strong enough to attract new ballet audiences. De Prince was charming but it would have been nice to see a bit more actual dancing from her.

One could say the same of Symphonic Variations - the steps interpret every nuance of the music so perfectly

I had this (nothing to do with ballet!) and mentioned it to my Chiropractor when I was there for other treatment. She gave me ultrasound and deep tissue massage and recommended a tennis ball or another firm ball to roll my foot on at home. A couple of weeks of this treatment and it improved greatly. It has never returned. She also said that wearing very flat shoes like ballerina pumps tended to exacerbate it and they were seeing a lot of it with ballerina pumps being in fashion at the time. I have tried to steer clear of completely flat-soled shoes since then.

I don’t think you can blame it on being an “age thing” when it’s actually about having your enjoyment of the performance spoilt by someone waving a brightly lit phone around in your field of view (possibly multiple phones if it gets to the point where this becomes accepted and allowed!). Whilst not being young anymore myself, I do know a number of younger theatre-goers who would not find it acceptable either.

I thought it looked as though she was crying in Rob’s photos, bless her! How wonderful for her to have all that support from her colleagues, and that it went so well 🙂.

Merry Christmas to the Mods (with huge thanks!) and to everyone else as well!

It’s listed here! @jmhopton scroll down to see your comment! 😀 https://amp.theguardian.com/stage/2022/dec/19/readers-favourite-stage-shows-of-2022

I thought on Wednesday that, although she danced exquisitely, she didn’t seem her usual self - and that last run into the fish dive at the end of the Coda, she seemed tired and almost hung in Vadim’s arms. I wondered then if she was unwell, as it was so unlike her. Poor Marianela, that whole pas de deux plus solos is renowned for being exhausting, so the more kudos to her for going on and performing - it must be a killer if you’re feeling unwell!

I guessed from the look on his face that it would have been his first! It was lovely to see.

I went to see my one Nutcracker of the year on Wednesday and thoroughly enjoyed it. Pre-Covid, I think I might have been getting a bit jaded and took the Nutcracker rather for granted, but since then I have come to appreciate the magic and sparkle a hundred times more, even if I have seen it umpteen times by now! Great performances all round. Leo Dixon has to be the perfect Hans-Peter and has grown in technique and confidence such a lot since I first saw him. He will go far, I’m sure. I was very happy to see Madison Bailey as Clara. She was a very sweet and engaging Clara and danced beautifully. And of course, with Marianela and Vadim as the SPF and the Prince, you can’t possibly go wrong. Still my favourite couple for these roles. They have such an ease and a connection with each other now in roles like this that it’s a joy to watch, quite apart from their technical loveliness, demonstrated by the smiling exchanged glances and the understanding with which they look each other in the eye. It’s a role that suits Marianela and she knows it so well by now that she can play with the musical phrasing and make it look different every time. And no one looks more princely than Vadim - he performs the role with such smiling ease and radiates a serene joy in the partnering and dancing that no one else can match. The seraphic smile doesn’t even falter when hoicking the SPF onto his shoulder with a tutu in his face! Quite apart from the perfection and butterfly lightness of his dancing. No effort (apparently!) involved. Melissa Hamilton sets a very high bar for the Arabian, but Gina Storm-Jensen gave a very creditable performance of great sensuality, along with Lukas B-B. And of course, there is no Drosselmeyer like the King of Glitter Gary Avis! He just simply owns that role and draws you into the story and the magic like no one else. Rapturous applause from a very enthusiastic audience. And Leo Dixon - to his evident surprise - was presented with a bouquet onstage 🙂. Everyone went home happy!

Me too 😁

“For my own personal preference … I would love to combine Vadim’s technique with the more insane portrayals of Matthew Ball or Ryo Hirano.” Largely a matter of the personal preference, of course - but Rudolf wasn’t insane. Deeply troubled, yes, and with some odd fixations, but not insane. Which is why I myself prefer a less “unhinged” interpretation.

Hmm. In my opinion, Vadim gave us the man, not the monster - a much more realistic picture. Ryoichi was also very good, but he didn’t have me totally immersed in the character in anywhere near the way Vadim did.

No, you didn’t imagine the ignored handshake. And it seemed to be that, and the coldness of his mother, that triggered his need to wind them all up by dancing with Princess Louise. You put it all so well - a lot of that amazing performance consisted of exactly those small touches that you describe and it all made his complete deterioration totally understandable and all the more tragic.

Some more random observations about last night. Vadim’s desperate and wild-eyed look in Act 3…. his simultaneous fascination with, and terror of, the gun…. the goaded look on his face when Marie Larisch drags his head back in the Act 1 pas de deux…. his laughter whilst terrorising Stephanie seemed much more sinister last night, perhaps because he understated it somewhat…. the way he awkwardly rubbed his neck in a very childlike way when leaving his mother, having been rejected once again…. growing ever more frantic in their pas de deux in his desperation to connect with her…. just so many small details which made the performance so emotionally profound. Thus far, Mayerling hasn’t been one of my favourite ballets, but with this cast I think they have converted me! The way Fumi uses her eyes is incredible. A fabulous piece of acting from her as well. Likewise Itziar Mendizabal - I have always loved her acting and she didn’t disappoint in this. I also noticed that one of Rudolf’s friends who finds the bodies - I can’t remember who it was - appeared to be down on the floor vomiting upon the discovery. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before, but probably an appropriate reaction under the circumstances. At the stage door when Itziar Mendizabal came out, we were trying to congratulate her on her own wonderful performance but all she could say was “Wasn’t Vadim amazing?”

The moustache was fake!

I too have been thinking about last night’s performance all day (and probably for weeks to come!) - so much so that when I suddenly snapped out of my thoughts I found I had been walking in completely the opposite direction to where I wanted to be! It’s all Vadim’s fault…. 😂