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bridiem

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Everything posted by bridiem

  1. bridiem
    It did fill me with outrage to see the beautiful, graceful Sarah Lamb dressed thus. Look, and weep.
  2. bridiem
    I agree that the change is a fact, but not that men are coping with it better than women. I see no evidence at all for that.
  3. bridiem
    It is (much as I love it). And just to say that the original is also 100 per cent 'relevant'. Always has been, always will be.
  4. bridiem
    I recently received a long, good quality printed booklet from Sadler's Wells for the forthcoming year. Very useful, and nicer than spending yet more endless time glued to my laptop. And I'm not a member of SW.
  5. bridiem
    Sounds like a potential new ballet! (Well we've had Frankenstein...).
  6. bridiem
    Yes, and I think that both female and male ballet dancers are now incredibly strong and perform to an incredible technical level. There does seem to be more emphasis on/evidence of great physical strength nowadays, in both sexes. But the strongest male dancer is always going to jump higher than the strongest female dancer, and I don't envisage Kitri holding Basilio up on one arm any time soon. Maybe DB meant that more big strong men are going into ballet now; but I've no idea if that is actually the case.
  7. bridiem
    But should there not be/have been some sort of acknowledgement of what are effectively cast changes? (Dread subject.) I know no-one's presence at a gala is guaranteed, but if the end product is vastly different from that advertised for some reason, that should surely be acknowledged and explained.
  8. bridiem
    I understood it was illness not injury that prevented her from dancing Aurora. And after all she did dance Juliet last week, which although not like Beauty or DQ is still quite demanding. Either way, I think that undertaking to perform in St Petersburg on one night and in London the next is a) asking for trouble and b) indicates a worrying lack of understanding of the physical limitations that even these incredible dancers have. I'm not criticising anyone, just reflecting.
  9. bridiem
    P.S. Sorry - just realised this is the DVD thread rather than the broadcast thread! But my comment above largely stands.
  10. bridiem
    I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it, Richard LH. I haven't watched the broadcast yet, but I've seen it live twice. I think its weakness (and it's a significant one) is the story-telling, so it's a great pity there was no synopsis. (Why do so many of these broadcasts not provide a synopsis?!). But other than that, I find it has a dark beauty and forceful power all of its own - distantly related to but very different from the original. And I love the music and choreography (but then I love almost everything Khan has done). Unlike with Matthew Bourne (in so far as I have seen his productions), I think Khan really does both imagine and 're-imagine', and uses dance in ways both powerful and poetic. I'm only (very!) sorry that his own dancing days are drawing to a close.
  11. bridiem
    I thought it was more that if she got injured on Thursday or couldn't get back in time, there would be a problem covering her on Saturday evening. But I don't know if that's right either. Does anyone know: is the withdrawal of a guest artist because they're needed at home very rare? Or is it a real possibility to be aware of when booking for guest artists generally? I haven't heard of it before, but maybe that's just me.
  12. bridiem
    Is there more injury and illness now than there used to be? If so, why? And if so, I fear for the welfare - short term and long term - of the dancers.
  13. bridiem
    I don't think it's a 'saga', capybara - it's a matter of interest and raises questions about guesting generally. I agree that Osipova is far from pure or flawless in classical roles, but I find I am also still an 'ardent and loyal' supporter. I find her more than 'watchable' or 'interesting' - I find her absolutely mesmerising.
  14. bridiem
    I'm amazed that a guest artist can pull out like this (not blaming anyone!) at the last minute just because they're deemed to be needed at their home company. Are all guest appearances covered by this proviso, then, that the dancer might not in fact perform? If so, guest appearances/bookings are really quite provisional which I hadn't realised. Or is it just the RB that makes this proviso if their dancers perform elsewhere?
  15. bridiem
    Lots of lovely post-War ROH posters now line the Amphi corridors! Slightly strangely set out, but in general a great improvement.
  16. bridiem
    Yes - in spite of what I said above, I would love to see Osipova and Muntagirov paired together again, in something less showy, to see how they could really relate to each other.
  17. bridiem
    Thrilling performance last night. The company really threw itself into the performance with total commitment and theatricality. And the standard of dancing was terrific. Although they're well matched in terms of brilliance, I'm not sure Osipova and Muntagirov are otherwise a natural pairing - it was a bit like seeing a wild, passionate, Bolshoi panther with a pure, classical, RB (though also Russian!) gazelle. But what the heck. Every cast member was outstanding. Claire Calvert was a sultry Mercedes with Reece Clarke a commanding (and sometimes amusingly OTT) Espada. Lukas Bjorneboe Braendsrod was a revelvation (to me) as the Gypsy man - oozing sexuality and drawing all eyes to him, especially those of his passionate woman, Itziar Mendizabal. Fumi Kaneko was calmly beautiful as The Queen of the Dryads and her variation was absolutely gorgeous. Isabella Gasparini was a smiling, darting, joy of an Amour. I may even have come to love this production, to my great surprise. Danced like this, it sweeps away all doubt.
  18. bridiem
    But presumably the St P DQ was scheduled quite some time ago. Why would the objection only have come at the last minute?
  19. bridiem
    Amazing! And on such a small stage. I wonder if Christopher Dean saw this? Thanks very much for posting it, Fiz!
  20. bridiem
    I would also apply that to the kind of buildings or developments (e.g. Open Up) that look terrific in artfully taken photos, and nothing like as impressive when seen in real life.
  21. bridiem
    Not to say ridiculous... 🙂
  22. bridiem
    Playground was performed by SWRB in September 1979 at Sadler's Wells (I saw it). I suppose that was soon after Edinburgh. Perhaps it has never been performed again since the SW performances?
  23. bridiem
    I found the headline of that article irritating too - he's not the RB's 'new Romeo' since, as described in the article itself, he has already danced it. Not a difficult concept really.
  24. bridiem
    That was an awful decision, I presume borne of a sort of panic because the applause had stopped. Really really wrong.
  25. bridiem
    If those really were the people being offered the tickets (no doubt at large discount) that would at least have some worth. But, of course, that's not what's happening. The ticket sales for Frankenstein are interesting, because it does seem that if the ballet regulars don't buy in bulk, there's a real problem for the ROH. That seems to belie their oft-quoted statistic (which I can't remember, of course, but it was quite high) as to the percentage of complete newbies coming to each performance or each season or whatever it is/was. Clearly there aren't enough of them to buy the tickets (at full price, which presumably the ROH needs) when the regulars stay away.
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