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serenade

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  1. serenade
    Great trailer, thanks for posting! I haven't seen it before so really looking forward to it, got my ticket for Sadlers Wells 😃
  2. serenade
    I'm a little late but I saw Hayward/Corrales on Saturday night and thought they were both absolutely brilliant, I enjoyed every minute. I'm glad to see Francesca back...she came onto the stage and took about 2 steps and I got goosebumps so I knew it was going to be a great night! Corrales was great, I think he's a real exciting dancer and brings something a bit different to the stage. I was really looking forward to seeing him in this after seeing him in Bayadere and thinking what a brilliant job he did. I'm excited for what's to come with this partnership as I felt they had great chemistry. Anyway, I really can't praise them both enough for the fantastic performances they both gave, it was very special. My other highlights from the night were: Sambe as Mercutio, just unbelievably good The Corrales/Sambe/Hay trio- really believable as friends, great camaraderie, very convincing and the pas de trois was perfect All the sword fighting...exciting stuff Ball as a baddie- great stuff. Can't find cast sheet but I think Romany Pajdak as the nurse- she was great Unfortunately this was my one and only show of this run as had to return my Hallberg/Osipova ticket ☹️ Looking forward to the cinema broadcast though!
  3. serenade
    Same here...what a shame, I was really looking forward to seeing them both ☹️ I can't make the encores so I can only hope for a DVD maybe!
  4. serenade
    I saw this triple bill for the first time last night. I usually try and find positives about every ballet I see and there's usually something I can appreciate in the majority of pieces but I just hated the Unknown Soldier. I thought it was just...bad. Obviously the dancers were all great, it's no criticism of them but in my opinion the choreography was weak and completely uninspired, especially for Ball and in most of the group numbers. I hated the music too... everything just felt wrong. I didn't think the video footage really worked but at the same time I don't think it detracted. I felt so far removed from the whole thing that they remain the most memorable thing about this piece. Pretty much anything produced, tv/film/dance whatever, about war, can easily make me emotional but this left me cold. So a big no for me. I've never seen Infra before... I'm really not a McGregor fan but I am a huge fan of Richter the composer so I was at least looking forward to hearing the score (which I loved). It's really not my thing, a lot of contemporary I just can't get into but for I did really like the final PDD. I just took LinMMs advice to watch the original cast final PDD on youtube and it's absolutely stunning 😃 I loved Symphony in C...it's so joyous and lifts you up. I thought everyone was on very strong form but I particularly loved Choe and Sambe. But really everyone dazzled. One of Balanchine's masterpieces I think. So a bit of a mixed bag for me but that's how these mixed bills usually go 😄
  5. serenade
    I went on Monday (Osipova/Corrales/Nunez) and Thursday (Nunez/Muntagirov/Osipova)...I really loved both but definitely Monday was my favourite. So my thoughts on the Monday performance... I thought Corrales was sensational in his debut. I've only seen him perform once before in La Jeune Homme et la Mort where I thought he was great so was already looking forward to seeing him with RB but I think he even surpassed my expectations 😊 I thought he brought great power and presence to the stage and also had great chemistry with Osipova. Osipova's Nikiya just about broke my heart. I thought she really 'felt' the role and danced and acted the role beautifully. I thought Nunez was magnificent as Gamzatti. She brings a real sense of authority to this role, I love her interpretation. She just walks on the stage and you know she's not to be messed with 😄 I really love Nunez but especially in the not so nice parts, she remains my favourite Myrtha and I love her Odile, for example. She always seems to nail the nasty side of a character without going OTT. And for Thursday... Although I preferred Osipova and Nunez cast the other way round I still had a brilliant time. Muntagirov was technically amazing, his solos were really wow but I just didn't feel the emotion in the first act but for me it was there in act 2 and 3. Nunez danced beautifully and I thought it was a very heartfelt performance. Osipova danced great but I think I wasn't so keen on her Gamzatti. I think the character is just not such a natural fit for her or maybe I just prefer the Nunez interpretation. She obviously danced very impressively. It was great seeing Kingdom of Shades, the corps were amazing and I loved the Shades solos. I thought Yuhui Choe particularly shone. Anyway overall I really loved La Bayadere, the music, the corps work, a lot of exciting choreography and not just for the principals. I've never seen it live before, just on the DVD and youtube so it was a real treat.
  6. serenade
    Fingers crossed. Also Richard I saw it live for the first time when BRB were performing it not that long ago...maybe 2015. It was part of a double bill with Carmina Burana....it was so good. So maybe they'll tour it again at some point and you'll get to see it 😊 Anyway, thanks Bruce and Ivy for the reports, would have loved to have gone...
  7. serenade
    I'm really late commenting but I went to see it last Saturday evening at Sadlers...I LOVED it. It was Celine Gittens and Brandon Lawrence and I know only from this forum they are a popular couple and I can see why, they're perfect together. But I think I've never seen a funnier Widow Simone than Rory Mackay, he was just brilliant in this role and Kit Holder managed to bring hilarity and heart to Alain. When it was over I just wanted to watch the whole thing again 😃
  8. serenade
    Me too re Chudin, I think he hasn't put a foot wrong, he's just always solidly great.
  9. serenade
    I really hope Campbell gets it but I think it's unlikely. Considering the hand he's been dealt recently I'm surprised they even cast him as Basilio at all!! 😡 But my ideal would be Osipova/Corrales for the cinema broadcast. I know he's first soloist now but maybe he'll be promoted by the time the cinema comes along haha! As for Cats...I think it's great Hayward, McRae and Cowley are cast. I love Cats and I'll definitely see it but with slight trepidation because I'm really not a fan of McGregor at all...who knows what direction he's going to take the choreography in.
  10. serenade
    I agree, I thought he was brilliant. As was Anastasia Stashkevich as the Sylph. I fell in love with this ballet when I saw it for the first time when ENB did it most recently in their double bill so I couldn't wait to see it again and the Bolshoi definitely didn't disappoint! I popped out for 5 minutes in the interval so I must have missed the interview with Anna Balukova but that does sound odd, especially as there was also no other interviews in the interval like there usually is.
  11. serenade
    I'm a bit late commenting on the cinema broadcast but for the most part I really enjoyed it. I really like Mayerling a lot but I've never seen it live, only on the DVD with Ed Watson who's just insanely good in it, so I was trying hard to not compare. I'm actually going on Friday for my first live Mayerling so that's exciting! So anyway, my thoughts on it: I think it goes without saying everyone danced spectacularly well but for me, I didn't really like McRae's take on Rudolf. I feel this ballet has such a huge emotional range to it, and it's a bit of a rollercoaster that by the end you also feel exhausted too because it's such a journey to go on with this character. Well I didn't get that with McRae as I felt his interpretation was very focused on the anger and rage side of Rudolf's madness that I didn't feel like the character's desperate sadness or despair came across. Of course, you can see from Rudolf's actions that he was desperate but for me it didn't come through in the acting. It didn't stop me admiring his performance don't get me wrong, it was very impressive but I didn't get the emotional punch from it. I thought Sarah Lamb was incredible as Mary Vetsera. I really believed she was the character, she somehow even looked like a teenager even on the big screen 😄 I really loved her interpretation of the role and her acting. I also thought Laura Morera was outstanding as Marie Larisch...I really enjoyed her performance. James Hay as Bratfisch was my other favourite performance of the night. He just danced the part beautifully, it looked perfect. He really got the most out of this character and it was just a really interesting performance...I could have watched a spin off ballet, Bratfisch: The Aftermath or something detailing what happens next to poor Bratfisch 😀 Anyway, it's been interesting reading everyone's thoughts on the performances so far and I'll look forward to seeing Hirano's take on it.
  12. serenade
    There's so much I'm looking forward to. I can't wait to see SFB but ENB and BRB's mixed bills sound interesting and I've also wanted to see Hobson's Choice for ages. Victoria also looks interesting but I think I'm literally the only person who didn't like Jane Eyre 😄 (much as I wanted too!) so I'm wondering how much I will like this...
  13. serenade
    I'm so excited for this! It's going to be very hard to choose between them. After reading this thread I will definitely book the Ratmansky but I'm also dying to see literally anything by Peck. But then the other 2 bills look pretty great too...decisions decisions.
  14. serenade
    Well this article makes for grim reading!! 😦
  15. serenade
    He isn't...IMO he just gets overlooked a lot. Would have loved to see him as Rudolf!
  16. serenade
    Personally I loved it. I thought it was well made and put together, the contributers were great, clips were good, it was just a very enjoyable and interesting watch. True, the performance footage is mostly on youtube but you get to see it on the big screen if you see it at the cinema 😃 But I can see that if you are already very knowledgeable about Nureyev you won't necessarily learn anything new. It's a broad telling of events but I only really know the basic story so it was very interesting to me.
  17. serenade
    I know...my picturehouse has a cheap day on a Monday where all films are £7.50 or £5.50 if you're a member and they were showing it today so I definitely got a good deal considering other prices I saw. Incidentally, am happy to report that it was sold out tonight! Albeit it was a small screen of about 80 seats but still...
  18. serenade
    It certainly seems that way🙁 I get why they want to concentrate more on social media content but it seems a shame to let their own website go a bit. And also, considering how much they've harped on about wanting the ROH to be welcoming to everyone it seems like when it comes to online content it's a different story. You're very welcome (if you use facebook).
  19. serenade
    Thanks! I'll have to take a look ☺️
  20. serenade
    Went to see the matinee today. I never managed to see this bill in the past so was pleased to have the opportunity to finally see it. I was also particularly happy to to see Alina Cojocaru live...I've only seen her on dvd/youtube before so I was pretty excited 😃 I thought No Man's Land was great. To be honest, I am not a big Scartlett fan and so I didn't have huge expectations but I really found it very moving, the whole thing. I thought it was very well done, the music was perfect and I thought the pianist played wonderfully. Alina was partnered by Issac Hernandez and their final PDD nearly broke my heart, I didn't want it to end. Very passionate and emotive. The other 2 main couples were also brilliant. Second Breath I am not really sure about at all. I thought the choreography was quite clever and well done and the company were all on fine form as ever but I didn't really get anything from it....it didn't move me in any way. I thought the company were just fantastic in Dust. They had such a great energy and moved so well together. We had Tamara and James Streeter as the main couple giving it everything they had. They were brilliant. I loved the choreography, so unusual and very powerful, especially in the group numbers. I haven't seen Akram Khan's Giselle but after seeing this I really will have to try and catch it next time it tours.
  21. serenade
    I know, it was only by chance I saw Cineworld had it on just because I go to the cinema a lot so I was looking. But a lot of people wouldn't be looking so no wonder there's a low turnout.
  22. serenade
    I went to see it too...I loved it! Thought it was ridiculously enjoyable. There was only about 5 of us in my local London Cineworld which was a bit sad. This particular Cineworld doesn't seem to ever do any of the event cinema so I was really surprised they put this on. Unfortunately considering the turn out maybe it won't become a regular thing. Anyway, it was so nice to see TAB. The last time I saw them perform was just over 10 years ago probably and they are looking just as good as I remember. I thought Adam Bull and Amber Scott danced really beautifully but the whole company were really strong and acting was great. It was so light and fun, and I loved all the PDDs and the character dances. I really hope maybe the company will do some more broadcasts in the future...
  23. serenade
    Me either...sometimes I find it quite stressful. People seem to love to perpetuate this myth about ballet and opera. I think the article is just a bit much really...high culture's icy palace lets the people in for a drink...give me a break. It was this stuffy, high class snobby place but look, now you can buy an overpriced coffee at lunch time...look how welcoming it's become 🙄 I know I'm being a bit unfair but it's a very irritating article...
  24. serenade
    Haha, you're not the only one. I thought it was pretty dreadful but the music made me more annoyed because it's so beautiful and then there we have 2 people engaging in some shoulder slapping for an extended period of time. I think it's definitely up there on the list of worst pieces I've seen unfortunately. This piece aside I had a lovely time. I nearly always love watching Natalia dance and yesterday's matinee was no exception. I also love Hallberg so it was a real treat for me. I loved his solo piece, I thought he danced it quite powerfully. Valse Triste was my highlight...I loved it. Also thought The Leaves are Fading was brilliant. I thought Flutter was not too bad, I quite liked the music and I enjoyed the energy of it but not really sure about the choreography- it didn't do much for me. I thought she was brilliant in Ave Maria. All in all I thought it was a pretty good programme...
  25. serenade
    I went last night...I mostly really enjoyed it. I've never seen any of the ballets before but I've really liked all the William Forsythe I've seen in the past so was really looking forward to this programme plus the chance to see this company. I really loved In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated. I thought it was brilliantly danced and I really liked the music and choreography a lot. It looks very natural...every movement is perfectly placed but it feels very much like they're just making it up as they go along. I thought all the dancers were great but one couple really stood out for me. Houston Thomas was the man but I was too far away to see who the lady he was dancing with was. They were sensational though. Neue Suite I also enjoyed. It was made up of several short pas de deux which were all interesting. I think William Forsythe is never boring is he? I thought all the couples were very strong in this piece. The final piece was Enemy in the Figure which unfortunately was just too contemporary for me. I wantsed to like it but it reminded me of a giant contemporary art installation at the Tate or somewhere that I just don't get. I try...but I fail..every time haha! The programme says it's about vision and perception, form and chaos...so I think if that kind of thing is your bag this ballet would be great but sadly just not for me. No reflection on the company though who attacked it with great gusto. All in all a nice evening for a very low price! Is anyone seeing the Nederlands Dans Theatrer triple bill next week?
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