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Most of them do, yes, but in my experience they come back as returns very frequently. There are also certain standing places held back by the house and released later, such as D28/D29 to the immediate right of the lighting box, which they tend to hang onto if they think they might need to place a camera there, but often then release a few days before the performance when they realise they won’t have a photographer that night. Your height should not be an issue - assuming your assessment of “pretty short” is within reason. There are lots of diminutive regulars in SCS! To @JNC - I might be able to help you with tickets for the two performances on the Monday. If all goes according to current plans next weekend, I’ll have seen all the casts I need to see, and will pass on my tix for that Monday. I’ll let you know!

Just DMd you in the hope of taking one of these

And it was AnnaC, not me

The floor of the current Don Q did that when new, if memory serves - that’s probably what you’re thinking of (?)

Yes! I found myself wondering if I’ve ever found an Odette/Odile most compelling in that act before.

I would be very interested to know how it impacts a dancer’s attitude to their next performance of the same ballet. I hope it doesn’t cause her a mental block/too many increased nerves… am I right in thinking that was her first-ever attempt at 32 fouettés in any ballet, on the ROH stage in front of an audience? In ten years’ time I’d love to hear what she’d say about getting past such a mishap in an “iconic” moment in a major debut and coming back to deliver the goods in future. By which time, I’ll probably have forgotten it ever happened.

Some of Balcony Standing is reserved for Friday Rush, including D31 which has a full view, and D30 which is behind a pillar but can be stepped aside from for a good view.

Just home from this! It was absolutely wonderful.

In which case I would expect the girls’ costumes to be a complementary rather than identical set, and for family groups to feature in the entrance and exit scene.

Another similar thing I wondered for the first time at Saturday’s performance: If the masked ball is a family party, or some kind of coming-out event for Juliet, why are “Juliet’s friends” portrayed as a homogeneous group? Wouldn’t they be the teenage daughters of some of the other guests, and arrive with various adults? (…edited to add: and also, how realistic is it that all six of them, as the only young girls at the party besides Juliet, get through the whole evening without either Mercutio or Benvolio trying his luck…)

Loved tonight’s performance, including the truly vicious Tybalt/Romeo showdown. Like Sim, I was impressed by Naghdi’s quick thinking when she couldn’t find the dagger - I’ve seen far more obvious stage mishaps relating to vital props being in the wrong place! (Remember the Bayadere a few years ago when the snake visibly escaped Roberta Marquez’s basket before it was due to bite her? 😆) I did find some of tonight’s casting rather visually odd in terms of relative heights, however; the petite Hinkis as lead harlot opposite Ball’s tallish Romeo, and she and Gasparini alongside the much taller Lubach as Benvolio’s harlot? And Gartside seemed on the small side to be quite right as the father of Naghdi’s Juliet.

Maybe it was a “work event”… 🤭

Regarding the Coliseum’s curtain call photos policy: it may of course vary by company, but at ENO performances they actually have a “please feel free to film the curtain call” message projected onto the surtitle screen when the time comes.

Messaged you back - looks like the ticket has now found a home with northerndancer.

I have a ticket I can no longer use for this performance on 28/01 with Anna Rose O’Sullivan and Marcelino Sambé. SCS D35, £10. Let me know if you’d like it!

Both are now spoken for!!

Hi, I started ballet as a 40-year-old absolute beginner at the start of 2019. I am now taking Improver-level classes, but RAD Intermediate is a bit (if not quite a lot) more advanced than that, and therefore likely to attract people who know what they’re doing from years of childhood study. I honestly wonder if you should look for a more appropriate class - maybe if you mention your location, people might recommend some? And as for your question “Just wondering how long it takes to get any good?”… well where do I start with that? Good is relative. I’m over 40, overweight, poorly coordinated, and not overly flexible. IMO, as an older beginner, unless you’ve got something resembling the ideal ballet physique and aptitude, you don’t aim to be “good”. You simply aim to improve, to be increasingly pleased with what you’re achieving, and to enjoy it while you’re there. I’ve personally found this approach very rewarding.

Thanks Anna! So I think the matinee ticket is now taken. The Friday evening one is still available (goodness only knows why I booked it in the first place - I’ve had a ticket for something else for ages!)

Having finally sorted out some unknowns in my diary, I have the following Giselle tickets available to good homes: Sat 27/11 at 11:30, SCS D35, £8 Fri 03/12 at 19:30, SCS D33, £8 Both are the Morera/Hirano cast. Please let me know if you're interested!

It is yours - I’ll DM you in a minute!

I have SCS D36 ticket available (£8) for this performance - please DM and confirm here if interested.

Hi Aklf, if you’re still looking for Friday I can probably help. I’m planning to dispose of my SCS ticket and will post a separate thread to do so if I don’t hear from you by about 9am.

I would advise caution when buying FTBO discounted tickets in the Coliseum Balcony. When ENB did Manon a couple of years ago, I used a similar offer and found myself with an unadvertised severe view restriction, which the staff refused to do anything about because I’d purchased through a third party.

Glad to hear about the nice floors at the new studios! The upstairs studio at City Lit where I have my regular Thursday class has just been refurbed and the floor is currently VERY resistant - I remember the same when I went for taster classes at the ENB studios when they first opened 2 years ago. I don’t see myself getting back to Central for another couple of months as I’ve got too much on (and am currently doing 2 classes a week at City Lit as it is). But I’m looking forward to it.

My point about Hannah’s class was that it never used to be on a Sunday afternoon, which is generally a lot more convenient to me than the Friday-evening class she used to teach!