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bridiem

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Everything posted by bridiem

  1. bridiem
    Strangely enough I love both ballet and Strictly! But I'm not interested in ballroom dancing more generally, I'm afraid, so I do find the new format of DT unhelpful to say the least. And I wonder how many ballroom fans really want all that ballet coverage. I imagine the decision was taken on cost grounds, but it's a great pity in my opinion.
  2. bridiem
    Accusing people who like The Two Pigeons of being 'Middle Englanders' (i.e., presumably, reactionary and narrow-minded) is pretty offensive (in various ways). I'm sure many ballet-goers (of whatever class, age and nationality) love 2Ps and Woolf Works, Ashton and MacMillan, Balanchine and Wheeldon, Fonteyn and Osipova, Tudor and Hofesh Shechter, Dowell and Acosta, Robbins and Akram Khan, De Valois and Mark Morris - and so on. That doesn't preclude criticism of some current trends in ballet, or of some repertoire choices made by the Royal Ballet (or others). And I'm sure that Kevin O'Hare would not have revived 2Ps based only on some letters he had received; he must also have believed it to be worth seeing again. (Similarly with the various works currently being suggested on the ROH website - he won't count up the 'votes' and schedule accordingly; he'll see how far the suggestions chime in with works he also wants to revive.)
  3. bridiem
    Yes, I would love to book for Insights as well as performances, but they cost as much as or more than a performance. And when I do occasionally try to book one, it's usually sold out anyway so I tend to assume I won't be successful and don't pay a huge amount of attention to what's on. But it's a great shame - I hope the empty seats weren't too obvious. I will pay more attention in future...
  4. bridiem
    Yes, I think Ferri's performance was very significant in the impact of Woolf Works. She couldn't be dehumanised if she tried. Maybe for once that inspired McGregor to use his heart rather than his head (or rather, his heart as well as his head).
  5. bridiem
    Sorry - didn't realise you were joking! Whatever Ashton said himself (clearly not very respectful!), I do find the feel of Monotones very different to that of much of McGregor's work. Though I loved Woolf Works - the first time for me that he did allow his dancers to be people, and it was wonderful.
  6. bridiem
    To me, the difference is that Ashton 'uses' his dancers beautifully and respectfully even when the movement is quite extreme. McGregor (most of the time) uses his dancers as bodies, not as people. Presumably that's his intention since he apparently takes pride in disregarding gender and the humanity of the human body. I have no interest in what the human body can do; I want to know what it can say.
  7. bridiem
    Clearly no knicker-shame nowadays! Quite the opposite, in fact...
  8. bridiem
    I fully agree that historical, social, political and personal contexts can all provoke interesting ways of discussing works of art, including ballets - I do think that ballet merits the same level of analysis as other art forms, though perhaps by its nature it's more elusive and at least in some cases somewhat less open to such contextual interpretations. What I don't agree with is defining a work by one or other of its possible contexts, or considering that it's 'escapist' to view the work on it own terms, as finally presented to the audience by the creator. Respect is due to the creator in that sense too.
  9. bridiem
    I would say that the gay sub-text is NOT clear, or evident at all, unless you happen to know something about Ashton's life (which most of the audience will not). A sub-text is just that - something below the surface which influences an artist to create what he or she creates. In my view, Ashton was the ultimate romantic (whatever context that involved in his own life); and (as is described above) The Two Pigeons is about love. Any sub-text may (or may not) be of interest; but the 'point' of the work is the overriding theme which is evident to all regardless of any sub-text.
  10. bridiem
    I was thinking along these lines. But I suppose you could argue that even where they weren't obviously transformative, these dancers (and others, obviously) meant that ballet could no longer be thought of as only the preserve of ballerinas simply by being so brilliant, by setting the bar for male dancers so high in their various different ways. Anyway I will look forward to seeing the programme.
  11. bridiem
    Thanks Janet - I'll look out for it.
  12. bridiem
    I have a feeling that Checkmate is quite a difficult ballet for very young dancers to perform; I think it needs maturity, stage presence, a theatrical awareness etc that is more likely to be found in older dancers. I have also seen some wonderful performances of it.
  13. bridiem
    What a stunning bill! A real eye-opener. The joy of being able to relax, knowing that you're in the hands of a master. Beauty, craftsmanship and wisdom. I'd forgotten how perfect The Two Pigeons is. The moment when the second pigeon flies in (if it works! Which it did tonight) is surely one of the great moments in theatre, not just ballet. Heart-stopping. Superb dancing all round (Cuthbertson, Muntagirov, Morera et al) - I do understand Luke Jennings's comments about Cuthbertson but she is still very touching and dances beautifully, and M&M were magnificent. Monotones 1 and 2 - gripping! A few wobbles, mainly in 1 (Pajdak, Magri and Hay), but I found the clear commitment of all the dancers this evening very moving. It looks to me as if Ashton is more difficult for current dancers to dance than most of the other rep at the moment, which is one of the good reasons to do more of it. But there was also a sense of the dancers coming home - really trying to serve the company's founder choreographer well and taking joy in so doing. Wonderful. P.S. How come the pigeons don't get to take a bow?!
  14. bridiem
    General: more Ashton, more Balanchine, more classical. Specific: Capriol Suite, Les Rendezvous, Les Patineurs, Tombeaux, Galanteries, Sons of Horus, Consort Lessons, Concerto, Danses concertantes, Solitaire, Dances at a Gathering, Liebeslieder Walzer, Concerto Barocco, Ballet Imperial, Stravinsky Violin Concerto, Four Schumann Pieces (esp for Muntagirov), Dances of Albion, Pierrot Lunaire.
  15. bridiem
    I have to say that Collier totally convinced me in Swan Lake! The purity of her dancing made her a perfect and achingly vulnerable Odette but she still brought glitter and menace to Odile. But I do agree that Barbieri was an exceptional dancer.
  16. bridiem
    Well I don't suppose she would have been required to be a chicken... now that would have been worth seeing. But strange that she apparently couldn't suspend disbelief, as we all have to do so often in the theatre.
  17. bridiem
    Thanks for letting us know this, zxDAveM - I had thought that might happen (and in fact I'm quite surprised it was stopped previously).
  18. bridiem
    My head is spinning now! Cast changes with every turn of a pirouette.
  19. bridiem
    I suppose we must assume that Sarah Lamb has no such concerns about Coviello... let's hope she gives of her impressive best (and no injuries!), in which case the Milan audience should be very happy.
  20. bridiem
    I think that's rather horrible. No matter how much I may want to see a particular dancer, they can't do it on their own and many other things go towards making a great (or poor) performance. For a singer giving a recital, or some such, I can understand that the venue or promoter will want to charge whatever they think they can charge depending on the name of the performer; but for a company performance, the ballet's the thing.
  21. bridiem
    That's a useful distinction. Though I suppose it could be said that some marketing does focus quite a lot on the individuals who will be performing and so it can be quite a fine distinction too. And while there will obviously be disappointment if the dancer you wanted to see is ill/injured, as others have said it often gives you the chance to see someone else for whom you wouldn't have booked and that can open new doors. The only problem, and what I think causes legitimate disgruntlement, is if there is any sense for any reason that the person being replaced is not in fact ill or injured (and I am NOT talking about anyone specific here! Just making a general point). Otherwise, I suspect that illness/injury is even more frustrating for the performer than for the audience.
  22. bridiem
    Full house at the Ritzy, Brixton. Thrilling to see the dancers close up and reinforced how amazing they all are, both physically and artistically. Especially loved Lamb and Muntagirov in Faun - spellbinding and beautiful. I think they complement each other well - Lamb has a quiet dignity that allows Muntagirov to blossom, and they have the same honesty and clarity in their dancing. Agree with Quintus about Salenko and McRae! And about Carmen, except that I think aspects of it worked very well because it has quite cinematic qualities and looked spectacular visually. Very moving to see the tributes to Acosta (plus family!) from his ballet family (including the audience). Thanks to him, and to the Royal Ballet.
  23. bridiem
    Yes that would have been wonderful. (Yanowsky in anything is wonderful! I am dismayed that she is doing so few performances this season.)
  24. bridiem
    I do think it's possible for one half of a pairing to make an impact independently, but I think that's easier or more likely to happen with a mature dancer than with a young one. Of course the greatest impact can only happen when the partnership 'works', which sometimes happens for fairly obvious reasons but sometimes is unexpected/indefinable. And, of course, sometimes depends on the beholder - I haven't always especially liked partnerships that others have loved (eg Rojo/Acosta - for me, Rojo/Cope was the one). It does as if Naghdi/Ball has been a huge success so I do hope they are allowed to develop together.
  25. bridiem
    I thought Hayward was terrific - every movement and gesture invested with meaning in a very personal, intelligent and moving way, making me see things I hadn't seen before even though I've seen the ballet so many times. But I thought she was fighting an uphill battle because although Golding does absolutely everything that is asked of him, I never forgot that he was a dancer dancing a role - he never became Romeo. And so Hayward had to do it alone, so to speak. They are as others have noted also physically not well matched. And in terms of chemistry, I thought Juliet and Paris were very touching together in the early scenes and appeared far better matched than Juliet and Romeo!! NOT quite the intention, I suspect. So an unbalanced evening, but very exciting for me because of Hayward's performance. Sadly I didn't see Naghdi and Ball, but hope to have the opportunity to do so in the future.
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