bridiem

The thread about his appointment does also include a lot of appreciation posts.

I'm so sorry Sim!

Yay!!

Good luck, @Dawnstar! I hope you do get tickets.

Thank you for your fascinating 'ramblings', @Dawnstar! Really interesting, and I'm now looking forward to Saturday even more than I was!

How wonderful!

Or, in my case at least, I'm going simply because it's NYCB and more in spite of rather than because of the programme.

Good luck to everyone struggling with trains! I hope you all get there in time. Will look forward to reading reports of this evening (I'm not seeing this cast until Saturday).

So sorry to hear this, LinMM! I hope you can get to the 7th and/or 8th performances.

Nice to see the review from Sarah Crompton in the Guardian in today's Links - final sentence = 'It's a company triumph, night after night'. Quite.

And lovely to say hello to fellow forum-ites in the first interval!

Impossible, really, to believe that this was Kaneko's début as Manon. She clearly knew exactly what she wanted to do with the role, and did it with no holds barred. I agree with @MildConcern that she wasn't nearly as dazzled by the finery as some Manons; she was acting mainly out of loyalty, or even obedience, to her brother. In fact, for the first time tonight I saw (and felt) the parallels with Von Rothbart and Odile; Manon constantly confers with Lescaut (an excellent début from Joseph Sissens) and then returns to use her powers to dupe Monsieur G.M. But (unlike Odile) her heart really isn't in it - it's with Des Grieux. She's already given herself to him. Kaneko is so beautiful and elegant that her downfall in Act III is all the more shocking to see; from heady perfection to abject humiliation. Devastating. Unlike @MildConcern, I actually found myself a little frustrated with Muntagirov in Act I; I felt as if he was holding back a bit, or not fully engaged. But he more than made up for it in Act II with a beautiful, yearning, despairing first solo and plenty of passionate engagement with Manon, and in Act III where he flung himself into the drama with complete abandon. The final pas de deux was positively operatic in its grandeur and intensity. Stunning.

Very enjoyable Insight - I thought Samira Saidi was an excellent coach and it was interesting seeing the dancers at slightly different stages of their journeys into these roles. I found I couldn't take my eyes off Nadia Mullova-Barley - already picturing her as Odette/Odile! And the presenter (Tamsin Roberts) was very good too, with Rob Clark wonderful as ever at the piano.

When the last AD was appointed, his role was said to be 'providing artistic leadership, creativity and expertise to all areas of the Academy’s work, maintaining its artistic integrity and leading on the development of its artistic, education and community initiatives on a global scale'. I assume that is still broadly the remit now.

Seconded! He has so many qualities that have made him such a special dancer: purity of line, technical strength and cleanliness, musicality, dramatic skills, sincerity, unobtrusive and sensitive partnering, and a rare kind of showmanship that is theatrical without ever being showy. He approaches all his roles with such intelligence, and produces performances that are consistently interesting, beautiful and (when required!) moving. A very rare talent.

I hope it goes well, @MAB.

Not really for this thread, but I personally don't think that anyone else is yet ready to be promoted to principal.

Thanks, Rob S. Not sure why Instagram should be considered the right place for such an announcement, but at least they did both announce it. (I only check Instagram occasionally since I think of it as a site for photos/videos rather than news.)

Oh no.

P.S. I'm surprised that his departure from the RB has effectively been announced by the RAD (since for them, the main news is his appointment with his departure from the RB the secondary news). I would have thought it should be announced simultaneously by both organisations.

I have to say that I am quite heartbroken at the thought of not seeing him dance (and act!!) any more. He is still at the height of his powers and as his Lescaut last week showed he is a really superb dance-actor. But he has been very under-used in recent years so I'm not surprised he's been looking elsewhere, and this does sound like an excellent opportunity for him. Of course it's good to stop dancing before you decline, but it does make it very hard for your audience! I hadn't booked for 8th March but have just gone online and booked the last seat in the Amphi - restricted view and if I can find something better before then I will, but at least I will be there! The RAD are, I think, very fortunate to have acquired his services and I wish him happiness and fulfillment in his new role.

bangorballetboy was referring to/confused by a post of mine saying that the festival was aimed at young/upcoming choreographers, which (admittedly) is not what the title says.

Absolutely. Sublime. Both together and individually. Hayward a highly reluctant gold-digger, positively skittish in her ecstatic love for DG; Sambé in complete thrall to his adored Manon and unable to believe the disaster that befalls them. Both of them danced unbelievably beautifully and expressively, as if with one body and one heart. And a tremendous supporting cast again (Campbell, Magri, Avis, Edmonds et al). Sublime.

OK - I suppose the terms 'young' and 'upcoming' are relative (and I must admit that I hadn't even registered that Zucchetti was participating). But I do think that Lang has a significant reputation and could/should have been commissioned for a main stage work before now.

I thought it was highly likely that at least some critics would not like Twinkle. It was neither edgy nor groundbreaking; it was quietly rather than showily creative; and it was charming rather than challenging. It also used classical technique without seeking to distort - or deconstruct, or reinvent - it in any way. In fact, it was positively counter-cultural in its respect for and mastery of straight-down-the-line classical ballet. And it used traditional and familiar classical music. But for me, all those things marked it out as something rare and wonderful. And in many ways also marked it out as the bravest work on the programme. (It does, however, have a rather silly name... but I suppose it is at least memorable!).