bridiem

And, to answer myself, my email bounced back as undeliverable even though it's an address I've used before. The email received this morning had 'roh' in the address so I don't think that can be the problem. I'm confused. I give up. I hope @Elodie receives a reply!

No doubt there's some fiendishly clever designer answer to this.

I've just emailed the ROH (or whoever) to ask about this.

I've just re-read the email from the ?ROH and I'm still not clear about it. They do still refer to the ROH as the building, but it sounds as if they're now calling the companies one name (the RBO) who both perform at the ROH. So, as @JNC asks above, does the RB no longer exist as a separate entity? Surely that can't be the case. Or do we have the RO, the RB, the ROH and the RBO, depending on context? My head hurts.

So does 'The Royal Opera House' actually no longer exist? If so, I don't think I'm convinced by the thinking behind this. I find it very hard to believe that anyone even vaguely interested in such things doesn't know that the Royal Ballet performs at the ROH. And I can't think of any other of the world's great opera houses (at many of which ballet is also performed) where such clarification is deemed to be necessary. The Royal Opera House is a building (and a very famous and beautiful building), as well as an entity; a building in which two companies (and often other smaller companies) perform. It's more than just the two separate companies - it's the building in which they perform and all the people in it who make the performances possible but may not be linked directly to one or other of the companies. (And although the crest - if that's the right word - is beautiful, I find the rest of the logo unbelievably ugly.)

I think this must actually mean before it 'opens' and it just wasn't checked? I very much hope so anyway!

I thought I saw her in the audience when I was watching it online. How wonderful that she was able to go to it.

And I love the way she does some of her curtain calls en pointe! So beautiful.

So very sad to hear this. Linda/Capybara was so knowledgeable, so interesting, and so brave. She will be greatly missed and is a major loss to the ballet community and to this forum. May she rest in peace.

Bizarre that it's now also all on the website, including Linbury events, when it still hasn't been 'announced'. The Royal Ballet and Opera - really? Why not be honest and call it the Royal Opera and Ballet?? And an 'ambitious' season? Well not from a ballet point of view, certainly. And no, I'm not complaining for the sake of complaining. I'm complaining because I care about the Royal Ballet - its past, present and future - and because I don't like manipulation or sleight of hand in public presentation. And, I know art has to be aware of current trends but I generally prefer it to err on the side of being counter-cultural and looking for long-term truth and quality rather than surrendering to the zeitgeist. Also, it seems to me that in terms of triple bills KOH simply doesn't seem able or willing to put together varied, interesting bills of older works - he increasingly seems to prefer to programme all works by one choreographer. Which can be enjoyable, but indicates a dearth of imagination and leaves a lot of works and choreographers simply not being performed. And yet we get plenty of turgid bills of new or very recent works of distinctly varying quality. Right, so I've got that off my chest. And just to reiterate - I'm greatly looking forward to the Balanchine bill, and to Onegin, and I will be pleased to see Cinderella again (although seen so recently) and R&J again (although seen about a million times).

I don't think it's an 'either/or' situation. It's wonderful (and I'm sure well-deserved) that RB dancers are so valued and respected abroad; but that doesn't mean that it's OK for them often to have significant periods when they hardly perform with the RB.

I think this is absolutely true - it's what makes live performance so special. But equally, I don't think that the audience reaction should take either themselves or the performers out of the drama of what's happening on stage (whether or not a story is being told). That should only happen at the end, when both the dancers and the audience can relax and react. There can be powerful applause and an intangible sense of excitement during a great performance, but the spell shouldn't be entirely broken until it's over.

I don't (or hardly ever) go to opera, so can I just clarify - are there really 17 full-length opera productions next season? If so, is that the same number as usual? And if so if so (and I know this is an age-old issue) how can that possibly be justified compared to the number of ballets? The ROH gives every impression in all its promotional material that ballet and opera are equal (in fact they regularly mention ballet first, as if to assure us that it doesn't play second fiddle); but it seems that they most definitely are not.

Yes, I suspect it is too. Talk about not reading the room, if so. (And yes, I know a lot of people won't know what the set is, and won't be waiting keenly for Fille to return. But a lot of people do know, and are waiting...).

Well that would be very nice! So I hope so.

You couldn't make it up, really...

Well it's 20 years since I've seen it, so I have only sketchy memories of it. But it's bound to be interesting to see it again, and the other two are definitely heavenly!

Actually, I think that Alice is a bizarre choice to open the season. Shouldn't the opening work be some sort of statement? Maybe not. But if so, I don't really know what sort of statement it is!

I'm very grateful to @hephaistion03 for posting this info, but astonished that the RB/ROH allows it to be known (by anyone other than those involved) before the announcement tomorrow. Also, it's interesting that between us we have moreorless already predicted/guessed almost all of what will be in the new season. The only (and extremely welcome) surprise to me is the Balanchine bill (three - or three hundred! - cheers). I'm not sure it should really be quite so easy to foretell what's coming. Apart from the Balanchine bill, the only things I'm definitely looking forward to are Onegin and R&J, with a few Cinderellas thrown in before Christmas. I saw Alice when it opened, thought it was fun and spectacular but with not much choreographic content and had no wish to see it again. But I might go again once now since that's a long time ago. So, a few things about which I'm delighted, but otherwise very underwhelmed.

Some other favourites of mine in addition to many of those already mentioned were (are!) The Secret of the Loch by Frances Cowen (mysterious, enticing, frightening); the Melling School books by Margaret Biggs (kindly, absorbing, with interesting and attractive characters); and 101 Dalmatians and its sequel, The Starlight Barking (sublime, even though I wasn't a dog-lover). And not really a children's book, but I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith absolutely captivated me, and still does.

They were, but Posy was not at all as I'd imagined her to be (petite, curly hair, mercurial) so I found it difficult to get past that.

I think I know the Blue Door books by heart...

Well I'm not aware that KOH has any plans to retire yet, so for various reasons I think it's best not to think about his successor yet. And not for this thread anyway. It was just a slightly knee-jerk reaction to your suggestion! I will now seal my lips

I have to say that at the moment I hope your guess is wrong (though I acknowledge that it's very plausible)... in spite of Acosta's undoubted personal charisma.

All I can say is, please don't keep it to yourself, @Buru!