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bridiem

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Everything posted by bridiem

  1. bridiem
    I would really want Muntagirov and Lamb to be paired together again in R&J. IF that's not possible, I'd like to see O'Sullivan dance with him. They have the same sort of purity about them, both technically and artistically.
  2. bridiem
    Thanks for the great photos, Rob S; just a shame about the costumes. I haven't seen this bill but although the dancers have clearly acquitted themselves brilliantly it pains me to see them costumed like this. Ballet/dance is theatre, and by its nature it can't be wholly realistic (any more than opera can). You'd never know that from looking at most of these costumes.
  3. bridiem
    No, I don't think there's need to panic. But I am concerned, about the perception of classical ballet (whether narrative or abstract, full-length or one-act) as opposed to the perception of contemporary dance, both within the company and more widely. Because perceptions matter and have consequences. And I think the appointment of Wayne McGregor was part of that shift in perception - that the RB had to embrace contemporary dance in order to remain relevant.
  4. bridiem
    It seems to me that contemporary dance is somehow deemed to be more serious (hence the fact that it's generally not done to smile at curtain calls), relevant (even when incomprehensible) and intellectually demanding (i.e. hard work). Whereas ballet is deemed to be elitist, escapist and faintly embarrassing. And don't even get me started on tutus...
  5. bridiem
    I really enjoyed this interview. I was struck by how both of them were talking as much to each other as to the interviewer, and listening to and supporting each other as they spoke, which was so touching. They both speak very interestingly about the fact that their bodies are their instruments, and the challenge of dealing with that on a daily basis both in terms of physicality and artistry. Their commitment and dedication to the art form is so impressive and you get a real sense of the intensity which with dancers must live in order to make the most of their comparatively short careers. I'm so glad that they have found avenues to express their creativity in the last year and I hope they get many opportunities to do so in the years to come.
  6. bridiem
    Jane's post was in reply to my question about David Wall's farewell performance in 1984, in which Lesley Collier was Mary Vetsera.
  7. bridiem
    Thanks, Jane S! I thought it might have been since it would have been too late to have been Lynn Seymour. I hope Clement Crisp's review will be in the book too.
  8. bridiem
    I didn't see his first performance - that was in my first season of ballet-going, and I didn't yet understand the importance of premières/débuts (and could only afford to book for one performance of any work at that stage) so I didn't book for the world première of Mayerling because I preferred to see Collier as Mary Vetsera a few evenings later. What a nit! 🙃 (Though the Eagling/Collier cast was terrific.) I did see his farewell performance in 1984, which was magnificent - I remember thinking that no-one else would ever match him. (In fact, there have been some brilliant Rudolfs since then but certainly no-one has surpassed him.) But I can't now remember who was Mary Vetsera that night - could you enlighten me?
  9. bridiem
    Exactly!
  10. bridiem
    I think it's a terrible title! Sounds like a cross between a dry sociological study and a frivolous gala piece.
  11. bridiem
    To be fair, what he says about the works themselves was quite interesting and sounds quite balanced (I wasn't there so don't have an opinion). But I also wish he would forget about the drinks etc! It's just so churlish and unnecessary in the circumstances.
  12. bridiem
    I'm not sure it really matters if a talent is 'precocious' (though of course that's very exciting on the very rare occasions when it appears). A talent that develops steadily - including after promotion to principal - can ultimately be just as thrilling.
  13. bridiem
    Wow - that's amazing! Many congratulations to all of them. I wouldn't necessarily have made all the same choices but I'm delighted with most of them (and I'm not director of the Royal Ballet...). Being a glass half empty type of person, I just hope that doesn't mean that any of the current female principals are leaving either now or in September.
  14. bridiem
    I also think that it would be odd and rather anti-climactic to have promotions at the moment, since there has been almost no dancing in the last year. But if anyone is promoted I will still be very happy for them! I also hope that Stix-Brunell will be promoted, though I don't think it will be this year. And I would love James Hay to be promoted; he doesn't get the exposure that others get, but his pure, unshowy dancing is a joy to behold.
  15. bridiem
    I understand your feelings, Candleque. It's an unsatisfactory attempt to put right a problem that should have been avoided as far as possible in the first place. But it is at least a recognition of the issue, and proof that it's sometimes worth complaining! They could have just continued to express sorrow that so many had been disappointed and left it at that, but instead they've actually done something.
  16. bridiem
    Well I've just tried several of the Balanchine bill performances as a test and even where it says there are more than 100 tickets available, there are still no singles. Maybe that's part of the problem? A lot of people are not in a position to book more than one ticket at the moment. And for 4th June, for example, it says there are a few tickets left but when you actually go to book, it says there are none. So perhaps the info as to the remaining number of tickets isn't fully up to date at any given time. I also wonder if perhaps going to the ROH immediately the restrictions are lifted feels too much for some people? I know that for me, the thought of simply going to a café next week fills me with a kind of awed wonder... but it will also feel a bit unnerving. I've been out occasionally to local shops since shielding ended, but my social/cultural engagement in person has been effectively nil for 7 months. To go to a huge opera house (even if socially distanced) may be a step too far for some people at this stage - they may need a bit longer to adjust. Just speculating.
  17. bridiem
    That's helpful, Jan - it sounds then as if it's a notional charge rather than a real one. But since it does appear on your online account, I still think that this practice should be stated when you book (or buy) so that it doesn't cause confusion (or alarm) to the customer.
  18. bridiem
    But did the ROH do this in respect of previous streams? I don't remember it happening on the few other occasions when I've booked a livestream, and I have never encountered it elsewhere (I shop online a lot, but I don't have a car so don't use petrol stations). And there is no reason for me to have looked at the instructions about connecting etc either now or (since I've done it before) nearer the time. If they're going to do this, it should be stated clearly at the time of booking. It's not the amount that matters, it's the principle. (As with the direct debit scheme, where there are very strict rules about when and how you can charge someone's bank account.)
  19. bridiem
    No, they don't store card details on the website any more. And AnneMarriott: it's not because you haven't renewed your membership, because the same charge appeared on my card and I have renewed. It seems very odd since this has literally never been done by any other organisation in my experience (and since I have of course booked many tickets at the ROH on the same card). Did they say that would happen when I did the booking? I don't know - maybe it's in the small print; but if they're going to charge your card for any extra amount it should be very clear that that's going to happen even if it is then going to be refunded. Partly because they should do that anyway, and partly because it's unnerving to see something charged to your card that you're not aware of having authorised; how could I be sure that THAT isn't fraudulent activity?!
  20. bridiem
    The subject line in my emails about this was 'Order Confirmation'. And in fact the information in these emails was confusing and contradictory, so after querying with the Box Office they combined them all into one gift certificate with one reference number. I used that in the autumn/winter and it worked fine.
  21. bridiem
    Maybe so, but I think there's a difference between development and distortion. Though the judgement as to which is involved will vary!
  22. bridiem
    I'm sure you're right about the distinction, though sometimes it seems to me that the principles of the classical school are in fact distorted in some contemporary work. (I see that the Encyclopedia Britannica defines classical ballet as 'a system of dance based on formalized movements and positions of the arms, feet and body designed to enable the dancer to move with the greatest possible agility, control, speed, lightness and grace'. It's the last word that's crucial, I think.) But when you say 'It's pejorative', do you mean the word 'classical' or 'old'? I wouldn't consider either pejorative myself.
  23. bridiem
    Me too! I wouldn't want Ashton to be 'relegated' to the Linbury too much of the time, though; it would give the message that he is a small-scale, niche choreographer. Besides which it's a very small theatre with some terrible sightlines!
  24. bridiem
    When I went in the autumn/winter, I signed in with the app at a screen at the bottom of the staircase in the coffee bar area. But no-one directed me to do so - I asked an usher if I should, assuming that they'd just forgotten to tell people to do so, but they just said 'oh yes, you could do that' or something similar. So it was a bit confusing really. Maybe other people were signing in elsewhere in the building?
  25. bridiem
    In that case and in spite of my last post, it's sadly entirely possible that I saw and complied with this statement on the 2 occasions last autumn/winter when I went to the ROH, and have completely erased it from my memory. 😯 Either way, I hope that such an embargo won't apply from the autumn/when I next go.
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